Answers to frequently asked questions about preparing an effective e-mail newsletter
No time to explain, just read and remember simple tips for running a successful e-mail marketing campaign :)
Let's make a reservation right away that each business has its own nuances of preparing an e-mail newsletter - what is effective for an online store will not necessarily work with a company providing services.
1. About what and how to write to potential clients?
There are tricks that almost always work with a bang and guarantee a high CTR of links in an email:
- discount information;
- promotions, contests with drawings of valuable prizes;
- bonuses and gifts.
There is another category of letters that is also interesting to the target audience - mailings from the "how to" category, which provide useful practical advice. For example, women's clothing sites in their newsletters can tell you about the trends of the season, give advice on style and effective combination of various wardrobe items.
Perhaps the most important part of a successful e-mail campaign is a succinctly and precisely formulated topic. Composing a catchy headline is almost a magical skill. It depends on what is written in the subject line and in the first lines of the letter whether it will be opened at all.
Try to abstract and put yourself in the place of the customer. Study your target audience, give subscribers what they really wanted, but did not dare to buy until they received your message. The subject line of an email can be intriguing, enticing, sometimes even daring, but always clear, precise, and relevant to the content of the mailing.
Literacy in the design of the letter 80 lvl is required and this is not discussed.
Letters now reach the addressee quickly, so it makes no sense to put sheets of text in them in order to fit all the information about the action / news / article from the blog. A couple of short announcements in each information block are enough. A newsletter can also be dedicated to only one topic, if it is really interesting, useful and very important for potential customers.
Personalization is a rule of good taste in e-mail marketing. All mailing services have a call-by-name feature, so feel free to use it for its intended purpose.
2. What should be the design?
The principles of writing a letter are similar to the generally accepted standards for developing a site. Usability friendly design, clear structure, call to action elements, buttons, working links - all for the comfort of the addressee. 
A special trend that increases the likelihood of clicking on links in an email is GIF animation. Skillful use of gifs can present a product in an original and effective way, as they say: “instead of a thousand words”.
3. How often do you send out a newsletter?
Try not to be intrusive, but also not to deprive your subscribers of information about new catalogs, exclusive offers and contests. The frequency of mailings again depends on the business. The service industry can easily get by with one letter every 2 weeks. This may not be enough for an online store of household appliances, with constant assortment updates and price changes. You can calculate the ideal formula for a particular business by studying the target audience, as well as through split testing and analyzing the results of mailings.
According to the well-known service Mailchimp, most often letters are opened in the afternoon, most actively from 14 to 17, which means that they need to be sent from 10 to 11 in the morning. The most favorable days for mailings are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
4. What makes a campaign more effective?
- Mobile version of the letter. It is possible that someone's mailer is less "pumped" than, for example, the Gmail service. In this case, the letter may not be displayed correctly, so it is better to play it safe and prepare a web version of the message. Moreover, this possibility is available in almost any mailing service.
- Social media buttons. Any modern company should have accounts in popular social networks: Facebook, Vkontakte, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus and others. The harsh truth is that someone can unsubscribe from the newsletter, so give the subscriber an alternative option - the ability to follow the news on social networks.
- Lots of links. The more of them, the more clicks. It may sound paradoxical, but it is true. If the recipient is already interested in mailing, then you can not be afraid to insert more than 3 links into the letter. This approach is especially relevant for sites with a large assortment of similar and related products.
Treat potential customers with reverence, write letters for people and they will definitely reach for the “Learn more” link.
If the above information is not enough for you, and you want to go deeper into e-mail marketing as a sales channel, you can always contact us for help. Webakula will gladly give you useful advice!