You’ve subscribed to newsletters before. For a few moments, I want you to think like a subscriber, not a business owner wondering why on earth you’d invest in sending email marketing campaigns (also known as newsletters).

• Are there some newsletters that you never open but never get around to unsubscribing from?
• Are there also some that you open as soon as they hit your inbox?
• Are there some newsletters that you open from time to time but don’t want to unsubscribe from because they deliver occasional value to you?

Most people will confess to receiving newsletters that fit into all categories. It’s really ok. You can’t be expected to open every single item of email that lands in your inbox. And hey, sometimes you fall out of love with a company, maybe because they’ve alienated you somehow or because you no longer need what they offer (e.g. IVF firm following the completion of your family; laser eye surgery companies after you’ve had the treatment).

But you may be reluctant to unsubscribe from some newsletters because they may interest you at a later date, or you don’t always have time to open them. This too is totally fine! Who has the time or the inclination to open every single email they’ve signed up for?

You, the newsletter sender
When considering creating your own email marketing campaigns, you need to realise that 100% of your audience will never be 100% committed to opening 100% of your campaigns. In fact, those numbers can wave around as madly as tree tops in a cyclone. But what matters hugely is that people subscribe to your newsletter database voluntarily and they have their own reasons for signing up. The big deal is that they have taken a step towards developing a relationship with you. The value of this is never to be underestimated and is to be wholeheartedly respected and appreciated.

Your subscribers have given you permission to market to them. That’s gold! From here on, your duty is to provide them with the value they signed up for. They want to hear more from you. They want to learn about your offering, hear about your products and services, be alerted to company news and be told first of special offers. They also want to get a feel for your brand, to know if they can trust you. They want to hear it from other people via testimonials and learn it for themselves via their own evaluation process.

Your newsletter open rate
It can be terribly disheartening to see a low open rate on your email marketing campaigns. But as the saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. Why are so few opening your newsletters? Compare performance based on subject line styles. Consider the date and the time that you transmit your campaigns. Take note of how many funnels you are using to draw attention to your newsletter and it’s social share link. Are you tweeting the link and posting it on Facebook? Are you encouraging ‘forward to friends’? Or are you only making it possible for true subscribers to read your newsletter? Experimentation should occur on an ongoing basis, or until you feel you’ve absolutely nailed your open rate. In other words, experimentation should occur on an ongoing basis!

Here are some aims of email marketing campaigns:

• Remain top of mind with prospects and clients. Aim to be THE company they think of when they need what you offer.
• Stay in touch. These people have signed on to hear more from you. Give them what they came for.
• Drive traffic to your website. If the only touch point your subscribers have is via your newsletter, give them a reason to visit your website where the entire world of your offering awaits them.
• Provide value. It may not be a free lunch but apparently they don’t really exist anyway. Free information is where it’s at!
• Create a sales funnel. If a subscriber opens just one of your newsletters in an entire year – at the time when they really need what you offer – your whole year’s worth of email marketing campaigns has been worth it to gain that customer, that day.
• Build trust. Give your subscribers an opportunity to get to know you. They may not open every campaign, they may open every second campaign. The great thing about newsletters is that your subscribers can engage with you on their terms and in their own time. Prospects and customers love that.
• Encourage interaction. Run competitions, request feedback, ask for testimonials and provide guest article opportunities. We all love to be included. Give rewards. We also love to be rewarded. Include customer spotlights, case studies and client photos in your email marketing campaigns. Show off their testimonials, congratulate them on wins and announce big news.

All of these things add up to being there for your prospects and customers, giving them what they want without demanding anything in return. They’ll give you their time, their money and their business when it feels right for them.

Now consider this: what if you DON’T send email marketing campaigns?

• Your competitor will scoop your prospects and customers up in a heartbeat!
• No engagement unless the prospect picks up the phone to call you. But do they have a reason to do so?
• You face a much harder slog to gain trust and earn a sale.
• You won’t be talked about nearly as much.
• Some other company will come to mind when a prospect needs what you offer.
• Your hard-earned leads will vanish because you didn’t look after them.
• You miss out 100% on an effective sales channel.

Make sense? Now you can stop wondering why you haven’t sent email marketing campaigns in the past. Let’s have a chat so I can make the process incredibly easy for you!

Related content:

• Email Marketing Masterclass Lessons
• 19 Ways to get More (Genuinely Interested) Newsletter Subscribers
• Are You Sending Email or ME-Mail?