by Francois Muscat | Aug 20, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
According to most email marketing experts, interactive emails are the next big thing. So, what is interactive email?
An interactive email is one that has functionality for the user to take some sort of action within that email. The action that is taken will then trigger some type of event within that email. This could, for example, be:
- A drop-down menu,
- A navigation tool, or
- A photo carousel.
This is a great evolution from traditional emails. In terms of interactivity, emails have lagged behind other platforms, but new ways of boosting interactivity mean that brands can now offer their customers more immersive experiences with interactive emails.
Over the past year, we’ve seen some great examples of interactive emails, including a ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ game directly in the email, a playable version of ‘Minesweeper’, and even live Twitter feeds directly in an email. Clearly, there’s a lot of room for creativity with interactive emails.
In a day and age where everyone is being marketed to in the same way, an interactive email campaign can help companies differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Instead of sending out the same old static type of content, you can create something that’s truly memorable. The best part is that not many brands are sending out interactive emails, so there is still a lot of room for early adopters to get on board and incorporate this digital marketing tactic into their strategies.
One of the problems that many people face when launching an interactive email campaign is the development work involved with getting the mails to work on different email clients. If you need help with your email marketing campaigns and designs, then get in touch with WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Aug 6, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
If you are sending out email newsletters and campaigns, then you are undoubtedly getting reports and analytics on how your campaigns are performing. One question that people often ask us is whether they should remove people from their email lists if they have never opened an email from you.
Once you’ve had an email list for any length of time, you’re going to have some people on there who have stopped engaging or stopped opening your emails. This is only natural as not everyone is a perfect fit for what you have to offer. However, before you go and delete half of the people on your email list (one that you have worked so hard to build over the years), give these dormant subscribers a push to stick around.
One thing that we recommend is to do a ‘re-engagement email campaign’ to try to reconnect with these email subscribers. This is usually a five to nine email sequence where you do something a little out of the ordinary.
Ask people if they want to stick around. With some enticing subject lines and headings, and even perhaps a great freebie, you can get your audience members back to open and click on your emails.
Once you have run a re-engagement series of emails, it’s time to remove disengaged people from your list. Continuing to send emails to people who don’t open them can hurt your deliverability.
A good strategy is to save email addresses that you have stopped emailing on a regular basis. You can use this list for occasional affiliate offers or occasional email promotions instead of sending them communication on a regular basis.
Need help with your email marketing campaign? Then contact WSI OMS today.
by Marelise da Silva | Jul 18, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
Email marketing autoresponders are the secret sauce to almost all effective digital marketing strategies. It enables you to communicate with customers on their terms by giving them the information they need when they need and where they want it (i.e. their inbox).
Because this type of communication requires automation to succeed and to scale, there are all kinds of questions surrounding when it should be sent. When someone opts in for something you are offering such as a report, tool or whitepaper, they will be prompted for their email address. In this case, you need to send the automated email with the item you promised immediately. Don’t wait 24 hours to send them an email with the eBook that they want; make sure it’s in their inbox within a few minutes. The inbox is where the battle for your customers’ attention happens each and every day and you must strike while the iron is hot.
The next step is to send additional follow-up emails after you have delivered what the customer has asked for. This email can be used to find out if they liked what you sent them, and it can be used to encourage them to check out what else you have to offer. This is where it gets tricky. You always want to send your follow-up emails based on the time that the person opted into receiving communication from you because it’s more likely to fit their schedule and lifestyle. The rule of thumb is to send the first follow-up email within four to 24 hours after someone opts in.
Need help with your email marketing campaign or marketing automation strategy? WSI OMS can help you. Contact us for more information today.
by Francois Muscat | Jul 9, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
Email newsletters are a great way for people to get a sample of the content and updates from a company. People generally subscribe to newsletters if they want to receive information about a brand. However, they don’t want constant blasts of short information. So, the way you structure your email newsletters has to be carefully thought-out. Here are a few tips to make sure your newsletters are a hit:
Plan the Content
Earmark around three to five different topics that you want to include in each newsletter. This can include your most recent content such as blog posts or curated content and company updates. The layout of your newsletter should be in sections because people don’t read a newsletter from left to right like a book. Make sure they can see which section they want to click on for more information.
Keep It Brief
People don’t want to spend an hour reading a company’s newsletters. Keep your content brief and relevant so that people are able to skim through the content to find the information they need.
Create an Intriguing Subject Line
The subject line is the first impression of your email newsletter. Keep it short and tell a person what they can expect to find in your newsletters.
Use a Familiar “From” Name
Whether you are using a brand name or a company name, make sure recipients can immediately see who the mail is from.
Segment and Personalize Content
Segment your customers into like-minded groups so that you can send them content that speaks to their purchasing history, demographics and needs.
Need help with your email marketing campaigns? Then contact WSI OMS today.
by Marianna Muscat | Jun 12, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
Email marketing can be highly effective or highly ineffective, depending on how you execute your strategy. Here are a few tips to help you execute excellently so you can crush it with your next email marketing campaign:
- Always start with value
Make sure you are delivering value with every email that you send. The recipient should see value because they are going to unsubscribe or worse – mark it as spam – if your emails aren’t providing value. They should immediately be able to see who the email is from and be happy to receive an email from you.
- Keep it short and sweet
Many people are looking at emails on their phones, so make sure it is short and that it looks good on a small screen. We recommend a nice hero banner design, a call to action, and little blurbs that link to more information. The email should be brief with around 100 words of content so that people can follow hyperlinks to more information if they want it.
- Think about your subject line
This is what people will see straight off the bat and it’s the sentence that is going to entice people to open the email or not. Make sure it is catchy and keep it short (30 – 50 characters is ideal).
- The best days to send
According to studies, the best days to send an email is Tuesday, followed by Thursday, with the third best day being a Wednesday. The theme is obviously the middle of the week, so focus on sending out your emails on these days. The time of day that works best will depend on your audience. If you serve a B2B audience, the best time to send an email is 6am because it will show up at the top of their inbox when they get to work.
Need help with your email marketing campaign? Then http://www.wsioms.co.za/contact contact WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Mar 26, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
One of the best ways to communicate with your clients and customers is directly through their inbox. You can do this once per month with an email newsletter. It’s important that you make the most of this opportunity. WSI OMS has a few tips that you can use to easily improve your email newsletters:
The first thing that a potential newsletter reader will see is the subject line. So, make sure it’s effective and concise. Using a boring email subject line like your company’s name and the word “monthly newsletter”, for example, is a no-go. You definitely won’t get a good open rate from a subject line like that.
- Tip no2: Don’t Skip On Your Newsletter Design
Once you get your customer to open your newsletter, make sure they have something that is aesthetically pleasing to look at. You want to leave a good first impression. So, make sure the email newsletter design is consistent with your website and your branding (and that it’s generally pleasing to look at).
- Tip no3: Mix Up Newsletter Content
Go ahead and mix up the content in your email newsletters. Of course, everyone wants sales coming from emails and newsletters, and while this is completely fine, make sure you are not only focused on hard-selling. Educate your readers with useful information that can help them with their problems.
These are only a few tips to keep in mind when sending out email newsletters. Get in touch with WSI OMS for more information about email marketing, SEO and content marketing today.
