Email is not dead

Michele Dortch — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:00:00 +0000

For years, many have speculated about the demise of email communication, citing information overload and the rising popularity of more accessible technology like text messages, IMs, and social networking. They were right — sort of.

In a February 2011 report, comScore found that overall email usage declined by 8% in 2010 with the sharpest decline (-54%) occurring among 12-17 year olds. In contrast, email users over 55 showed a notable (+25%) rise in usage.

All this confirms that email is definitely not dead, but the rules of engagement have definitely evolved.

Rule #1: Integrate, don’t eliminate.

Smart professionals have a blog that showcases their thought leadership and builds a community around an area of expertise. Not-so-smart professionals nix their email marketing efforts when they start a blog.

Your blog marketing strategy does not replace your email marketing strategy. It complements and extends it. According to Fred Wilson, email is the secret weapon that supercharges your blogging and social media efforts. Done well, email helps you retain Web visitors who might normally read your latest blog post, and then leave. It actually helps you build engagement over time. How? Well, that’s…

Rule #2: Keep in touch (but don’t be annoying)

You know the adage, “Out of sight is out of mind,” right? Someone who stumbles upon your website or blog may find it interesting in the moment, but once they click off you’re officially in “out of mind” status. But, if they sign up for your email list before they go, you have an opportunity to be top of mind at some point in the future.

Of course, this isn’t an open invitation to overwhelm people with frequent reminders of your special offers, amazing services or other self-promoting muck. Getting someone’s email address is an honor (Truly!) and should be treated that way. Use it to add value, rather than disrupt. This can be done through a regular newsletter or auto-responder series that follows…

Rule #3: Deliver relevant, valuable content.

Every bit of information your produce, including your emails, is considered content. When you produce compelling content, you’re:

A trusted advisor people rely on;
A recognized expert with an opinion that matters; and
An educator with information people need and want.

Remember, when you give clients valuable content, they eventually respond by giving you their business and loyalty. Email is a perfect opportunity to communicate with clients without selling, but by providing useful information they can rely on you to deliver.

How are you using email marketing to attract, engage and convert new clients? Please share in the comments below.

image credit: cambodia4kidsorg

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Crafting email that gets read

Michele Dortch — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:30:23 +0000

Like many professionals, I’m hit with hundreds of email messages each day. Some days, I waste valuable time rifling through irrelevant messages just to uncover the important ones. Most frustrating are the times when I miss a critical message because it was buried in a sea of newsletters, promotional pitches, and sales emails.

Email is losing its effectiveness.

I’m not alone in my email woes. Today, email is the preferred method of communication for most people and with that popularity comes the problem of overfull inboxes that have reduced a highly effective mode of communication to one of the biggest productivity wastes in the workplace.

The good news is that email users are sophisticated. They’re developing rules, filters and labels to help organize incoming messages. The bad news is, your messages might be ruled, filtered and labeled straight to the trash bin. The important message you sent to clients, prospects, vendors and colleagues may never be read.

Given the volume of email messages sent each day, you have to get smart about email communication. Here’s how:

Have a purpose.
Whether you are sending a regular company newsletter, an informational message to employees or an inquiry to attract new business, be clear about your intent…and please, don’t make it all about you or your business. What do you want to see happen as a result of your e-mail being read? How is that intent serving the reader? Let’s face it, we live in a “What’s in it for me?” world, so be sure that you have an “end in mind” focus that serves your reader, more than it serves you.

Follow basic rules of writing.
The opening sentences of your e-mail should describe your purpose clearly. Take time to construct concise, direct sentences rather than long, run-on sentences that wander endlessly. Check your message for spelling and grammar errors. And by all means, use proper capitalization and a readable font style. Avoid using all CAPS or all lowercase letters and stick to font styles that are professional and easy on the eyes (i.e. Times, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, etc.).

Write effective subject lines.
E-mail users are bombarded with an overwhelming number of messages each day, many of which are spam or junk. To save time, most will scan the subject lines and decide whether to hit ‘delete’ or open the message. You can improve the chances of your message being read by developing clear subject lines.

Never send a message without a subject line.
Always be specific. For example, “FYI: Q4 finance report attached” offers more clarity than, “Report.”

Stick to one main point.
Your emails should contain one core message, which should be directly related to your subject line. Avoid appending an email with important information that isn’t relevant to the main message. For example, an email delivering a Q4 finance report shouldn’t include information about a marketing meeting next week. Lumping two important messages into a single e-mail increases the chances of one message being overlooked or forgotten.

Use an e-mail signature.
Don’t make the recipient of your e-mail dig for your contact information, especially if you want to receive a response. Always include the details of how to get in touch with you. At a minimum, you should include your full name, title, company name, and telephone number(s).

Those are just some tips to increase the chances of your email being read. I’m sure there are more. What would you add? Please share in the comments or on the Write to Incite Facebook page.