E-tips. (Like Q-tips, but it’s okay to put these in your ear.)
Though the service is designed for the Do-It-Yourselfer, Scott Silverman’s Articulated Brands wants you to be successful in every aspect of your business. For the greatest success in your email marketing endeavors, Articulated Brands suggests you embrace these ten practices:
1. Ask for permission.
Not only is this a requirement for all Articulated Brands clients, it helps ensure relationships with ISP’s (a key to quality delivery) remain at the A+ level. And with consumers becoming more finicky about what they read, building a true permission-based list is more important than ever.
2. Get into their address books.
Want to know the secret to reaching the inbox? It's the Address Book. Get in there, and you're more likely to bypass any filters and show up just the way you want to. Remind your audience members to add you to their address book (or white list or safe senders list) every chance you get.
3. Give your emails both style and substance.
Thanks to the Articulated Brands system, now it's easier than ever to create emails that are attractive and enticing. Just make sure you're also giving your emails enough valuable substance to warrant sending them in the first place. A good copywriter can help you structure your content, capturing the flavor of your brand while at the same time incorporating both the meat of your message and supporting your overall strategy. A little humor and a little creative flair differentiate you in a crowded marketplace. Creative content also helps put you on their “gotta read it” short list.
4. Send with delivery in mind.
Before your emails can be read and responded to, they have to be seen. That's why we make sure your emails are sent in a way that's designed to ensure high delivery rates - through personalized delivery, sophisticated delivery policies, and ISP relationships. And it's why we offer you the tools to proof your campaign's content prior to send-off and to see the complete results once sent.
5. Use (really use) the subject line.
Arguably the most important single line of any email, the subject line is your two-second opportunity to catch someone's eye and convince them to stop and look. More than one great email has been ruined because of a generic, vague or uninspiring subject. Scott Silverman’s Articulated Brands can offer additional creative assistance in this area, either as part of a custom content package or even as a standalone deliverable.
6. Know your audience.
The key to creating appealing content is to really know the group to whom you're communicating. Use your signup screens and database to collect information about out who they are, where they live, and what they like, and enlist your recipients' help to keep that information fresh and current.
7. Tailor your message.
Forget the old days of batch-and-blast. Today, it's about creating smaller, more targeted mailings based on your recipients' demographics, interests and more. The more timely, relevant and personal you can make it, the better.
8. Handle opt-outs immediately.
It’s common courtesy. Also, it’s the law. The Can-Spam Legislation grants you 10 days to handle opt-out requests, but in the world of email 10 days is an eternity. That's why our opt-out feature handles requests instantly and remembers those requests to prevent against accidental abuse. Just doing our part to keep you out of prison – as you can well imagine, spammers don’t fare too well in the joint.
9. Understand (and use) your results.
Tracking metrics like receipts, bounces, opens, clicks, forwards and signups is the first step to understanding what's happening to your emails. But those numbers are more than just metrics -- they're your audience talking to you. Not with real voices, because that'd be weird, but through their actions (or inaction). Listen to what they're saying and then apply it to your future emails.
10. Experiment and adapt.
Like most things, email marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition. So, start with a basic plan, apply your philosophy, brand strategy and style, and adapt as you go.
