Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
The 2016 Holiday GIF Guide
We’re huge fans of using GIFs in email. And it seems you guys are, too: Last year’s GIF guide was one of our most popular posts of 2015. (Seriously – we received dozens of comments and tweets about how much you guys loved ‘em!)
We didn’t want to keep you hanging this year. Our design team whipped up these exclusive creations (and threw in some old favorites) for you to use in your next holiday campaign. They’re even optimized for email and designed to play well with most email clients.
Download Your GIFs
Email Dividers
You can use these to break up sections in your email.
Email Headers
Give a great first impression with these holiday email headers.
Just For Fun
Add a little festive flair to your emails with these fun GIFs.
Here’s your step-by-step guide to adding them to your emails:
Step 1: Find the animated GIF that you want to use in your email. (Choose one of the above or create your own!)
Step 2: Save the GIF to your computer by either right clicking the image and selecting “Save Image,” or by dragging the image to your desktop.
Step 3: Upload the image into your email template.
Step 4: Test both HTML and text versions of your email. Make sure that the GIF appears correctly in your test before you send. (We use Litmus.)
… And voila! Your festive GIF will be ready to go.
But wait! There’s more…
Looking to send a little more holiday cheer? If you’re an AWeber customer, check out the new seasonal drag-and-drop templates in your account. (Not a customer? Treat yourself to a free 30-day trial on us.)
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
❤️, The AWeber Team
You might also like: Your Field Guide to Animated GIFs in Email
The post The 2016 Holiday GIF Guide appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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Monday, 28 November 2016
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Monday, 21 November 2016
Instagram introduces Live video and disappearing messages
After Instagram copied Snapchat and then differentiated itself by adding Boomerangs, mentions, and URLs, now the company is at it again. Starting today, the company is rolling out ephemeral Live video and messages. The first is arguably the most interesting addition, and brings one of Facebook’s big features to the photo sharing app. When you’re creating a story, you’ll soon be able to swipe over to a new ‘Live’ button, offering a way for users to hop into a livestream. When someone starts streaming, the app sends a notification to the user’s followers, who can then watch and leave comments. One…
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How to Make Your Emails Stand Out This Holiday Season
With all of the hard work you put into creating the merriest holiday email campaigns, you want nothing more than to see them succeed. (If only Santa’s workshop included a team that could help you write, design and send holiday emails…)
But with all of the other holiday promotions flooding your subscribers’ inboxes, it can become discouraging to see lack of engagement due to low open rates.
So how can you make sure your emails stand out from the rest?
We took a look at what makes some emails more effective then others, and added them to this checklist below. To ensure you have a merry and successful holiday season, here are some best practices to keep in mind.
Offer exclusive holiday promotions
To keep up with the competition, you’ll want to make sure you’re sending holiday emails with content your subscribers want this time of year, like great deals on your products. After all, people expect to spend money this time of year – but they also hope to save some along the way.
Don’t have a physical product to offer? This is the perfect time to provide discounts on intangible gifts like online courses, ebooks, checklists, templates and more.
Last December, crafter and small business coach Lain Ehmann held multiple holiday promotions for her subscribers. This included a “12 Deals of Christmas Gift Guide,” as well as a discount on her online crafting event that kicked off in January.
By doing so, Lain was able to create gifts out of both educational content and physical products.
Be specific in your subject line
According to a report pulled by our team of data analysts, the top 100 words that generated the highest email open rates specifically related to the content within the email.
If a professional photographer included the word “photographs” in their subject line, for example, that would have a higher open rate than a subject line that included more generic terms.
While being descriptive and specific can up your open rates, you’ll also need a unique angle to make your emails stand out from the rest.
For example, if you plan on featuring a 50 percent discount on an online course, make sure you mention the course in your subject line. Only including “50% off!” might not convince your audience that your email is worth opening, especially if they find an offer on something else they want.
By sharing more specific details around the promotion, however, you give your readers more of a reason to open your email.
Check out this Thanksgiving-themed subject line from kitchenware retailer Sur La Table:
“Thanksgiving Stuff-a-Tote Event – Free Tote + 20% Off Everything Inside”
By referencing “Thanksgiving” and the discount, Sur La Table describes the content of the email as well as the benefits of the deal:
To give your emails this extra edge, use words in your subject line that clearly convey the main benefit of your email.
Create a sense of urgency by referencing dates and times
The more you can emphasize the urgency or importance of buying now, the more you can influence subscribers to take action.
So how can you get your audience to feel this way?
By referencing dates, times, or season.
In the report mentioned above, our data analysts also found that the top 100 pairs of words with the highest open rates were related to time (e.g., Week 1, December newsletter). So by referencing the idea that either the holidays are quickly approaching or a specific sale is ending, you can motivate your subscribers to take action.
Crafting retailer, Michaels, recently sent out an email promoting an early Black Friday sale, which included the following subject line:
“1-Day Online – 70% Off Pre-Black Friday Deals”
By including the deadline for the sale, buyers knew they only had a short amount of time to get the discount – which then motivated them to take advantage of it.
Get festive with your email design
To pump up the holiday energy in your message, consider using a holiday email template or including design elements that convey a festive vibe.
Check out this merry message from the clothing company Talbots:
By bringing in holiday-themed colors and images (can’t get enough of those rainbow string lights!), Talbots is able to add a festive flair that accompanies the content.
The best part of all? They do so in a way that doesn’t feel like a complete departure from their brand – both the header and footer in the email maintain the standard Talbots look and feel.
To replicate this for your own emails, consider using color schemes (e.g., red, green, white, gray), templates, and images (e.g., snow, holiday lights and decor) that convey a seasonal spirit.
Be consistent
During the holidays, there are a variety of types of consumers: early shoppers, last-minute shoppers, Black Friday shoppers and so on. As a result, you want to make sure you have an email promotion for everyone.
This will also help keep your brand top of mind, which is more important than ever during such a competitive time of year.
How can you maintain that consistency? Let’s dive into our next tip…
Create a holiday email calendar
Keeping track of all the holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Hanukkah, the New Year) can quickly become overwhelming. Creating an email editorial calendar can really help organize the mayhem.
If you already have a calendar, make sure it’s up to date with your holiday campaigns. You’ll be sending a lot of emails this time of year, so planning everything out in advance will help you meet your deadlines and create content your subscribers will love.
A calendar can also help you accommodate for the rest of your team’s time, which comes in handy if they’re helping with tasks like design, writing or scheduling the message.
(If you need a little help with planning your editorial calendar, check out this blog post!)
Start spreading holiday cheer
While you may already have a holiday email campaign in motion, it’s never too late to make tweaks along the way. The more you can make your emails stand out from the rest this time of year, the merrier the season will be for you and your business.
Have ideas on how to make your emails pop in the inbox? I’d love to hear about it below in the comments!
Can’t get enough info on holiday email campaigns? Neither can we. Download the 2016 Holiday Email Marketing Report today!
The post How to Make Your Emails Stand Out This Holiday Season appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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Snapchat’s Spectacles just landed in a New York pop-up store
If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on Snapchat’s Spectacles, but didn’t live in one of the few places the company put its vending machines, you might be in luck today. This morning at 6 AM EST, one of the company’s Snapbots randomly appeared in the heart of Manhattan, inside what’s probably the weirdest pop-up shop ever. The entire facade of a building close to 5th Avenue got a makeover, now donning an enormous yellow banner with Spectacles’ eye logo looking out over the city and the Apple Store on the opposite side of the street. The opening was announced on Twitter…
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Friday, 18 November 2016
#SproutChat Recap: Identifying Your Metrics & Goals on Social
Marketers understand that the real value of social media isn’t represented in the data but rather in the analysis. The metrics that have real meaning will inform your overall strategy and impact your business’ bottom line. However, in order to accurately measure social ROI, you need to first identify the data and compile presentable reports with digestible social media metrics.
This week at #SproutChat we discussed which social metrics to look for, how to establish social goals and offered tips on best practices for presenting insights to a broader team.
Conduct a Social Media Audit
Whether you’re starting a new job or revamping a social strategy for a client or existing employer it’s important to conduct a social media audit before diving in and implementing any new initiatives. Having an understanding of what social content already exists and knowing what your brand’s follower numbers, engagement metrics, impressions and click-throughs are is essential for any progress.
@SproutSocial A1. Overall vanity metrics (followers, engagement rates, impressions) + web clicks/visits. #SproutChat
— Jordan Bath (@jbath13) November 16, 2016
A1: I do a full-blown social audit! I want to know where everything is (including competitors) before I start to dive in. #sproutchat
— Meagan DeMenna (@mdemenna1) November 16, 2016
A1: What content types are getting the highest engagement, and what are people saying about it? #sproutchat
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) November 16, 2016
A1: likes, comments, clicks, how many different people are responding #sproutchat
— Brad Lovett (@Brad_Lovett) November 16, 2016
A1 Too soon to say "WHO CONVERTED?" (my favorite metric) #sproutchat
— Linda Mann (@TalentExch_Biz) November 16, 2016
A1) Why is the org on social? Awareness? Conversions? Customer service? For all, I'd want to know how each is trending and why. #sproutchat
— Kyle Murray (@TheKyleMurray) November 16, 2016
Present High-Level Learnings
Communicating the ROI of social to your boss can be challenge. It’s likely that senior leadership doesn’t speak the same language as your team does. Social metrics that are interesting and important to a social media manager may not be valued by the CMO and that’s OK. Secure buy in by the causation for visits to your website and conversions that came from social. Use your reports to clearly outline high-level learnings that directly impact your business and explain how engagement and other activity ties back to ROI.
A4: Always the vanity metrics (followers, overall page likes). But we always try to re-educate as to the more insightful metrics #sproutchat
— Nicholas Scalice (@nscalice) November 16, 2016
Retention rates. RT @SproutSocial: Q4: Which metric typically wows your boss the most? #SproutChat
— GeofSloanSr (@GeofSloanSr) November 16, 2016
A4 We love seeing interaction/engagement. If you have thousands of followers but no interaction, is your content really working? #SproutChat
— Brenna Smit (@bren_smit) November 16, 2016
A4) positively handling your followers concerns/complaints #sproutchat
— Meredith Erikson (@MeredithE_JOUR) November 16, 2016
A4: Most get stuck on growth in audience size… I'd love them to catch onto engagement or reach being a bigger value. #sproutchat
— meghan speer (@meghan5580) November 16, 2016
A4: the twitter comparison tool via @SproutSocial always makes us look good. #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/ChrSyLiVZg
— Chris Norris (@CNorris_10) November 16, 2016
A4: and then they ask, ok we have n amounts of followers, DO THEY BUY? #sproutchat
— Val Vesa (@adspedia) November 16, 2016
Continue to Educate Your Colleagues
Team members outside of your social media marketing team will often have a misconception about what quantifies as success. Some people will assume that follower count means success while others won’t understand that a successful social strategy will have a balance of paid and organic distribution. Try to proactively educate your colleagues so everyone’s on the same page with your social media goals and industry best practices.
@SproutSocial A6: That it's all about the number of likes- but shares, retweets and link clicks are way more meaningful! #SproutChat
— Nicole Schneider (@nicolemaries__) November 16, 2016
@SproutSocial Misconception: # of followers is the goal/sign of success. Must explain the importance of quality, not quantity. #SproutChat
— Adeline🍴 (@AdelineJessica) November 16, 2016
A6B) Great EX: Poise & Purpose on FB. 350K followers, little engagement. Sub group of that page, Poise Chat (1/2) #sproutchat
— Kyle Murray (@TheKyleMurray) November 16, 2016
A6 That retweets and shares are all you need. Need to emphasize the importance of engagement and consistency with SM teams #SproutChat
— Evi (@sinopidou) November 16, 2016
A6 Don't wait for ppl to reach out to you – pick up the ball and engage. #sproutchat
— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) November 16, 2016
A6b: If your content is good (should resonate with intended audience) but doesn't- You might be building the wrong audience. #SproutChat
— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 16, 2016
Q6: that # of followers isn't important. Not top metric, but shows how everything ties together. No engagement = no growth #sproutchat
— Jessie Brown (@jbrownsocial) November 16, 2016
Due to Thanksgiving, we’re skipping #SproutChat next week. But join us on Wednesday, November 30 to discuss content distribution with Sprout All Starand Content Marketing expert,Erika Heald. Looking for more ways to stay connected with our community? Join our Facebook group to connect with other chat participants.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Identifying Your Metrics & Goals on Social originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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Thursday, 17 November 2016
Study: Swearing on Twitter leads to a presumption of ignorance
After hearing me swear on the playground in fifth grade, Mrs. Pearson dropped the following gem on me: ‘people who swear are idiots that can’t find better words to use in their place.’ I’m paraphrasing, so don’t be an asshole if I got the quote wrong. Fifth grade was a long time ago. As it turns out, she wasn’t wrong. A recent study suggests what we say on Twitter profoundly impacts how others perceive us. Specifically, the use of swear words and conversational language. Researchers asked 481 participants to categorize 1,000 tweet authors by perceived education level. The participants were…
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Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Tuesday, 15 November 2016
Creating an Online Course 101: The Secrets to Getting Started
If you specialize in mentoring and coaching others, the geographical limitations of doing so in person can be frustrating. You want to help people, but it becomes impossible to reach a mass audience beyond your native town or city.
Last month, we shared how one AWeber customer uses email along with her Facebook community and paid ads to establish and nurture client relationships all over the country.
But the possibilities don’t end there.
This week, we’re featuring the story of Rachael Pontillo, AWeber customer and creator of Holistically Haute.
She created an online course to connect with communities all over the world, and she shared her advice on how you can create a course of your own.
As we begin, let’s take it one step at a time.
Setting goals for your course
After beginning to teach skincare lessons and demonstrations in person, Rachael found the number of people she could reach was limiting.
That’s when she decided to try creating an online course, Create Your Skincare. It’s a six-week online course that teaches people how to create and customize all-natural skincare products for themselves and others.
Although she was initially intimidated by the idea of creating an online course, Rachael emphasized the importance of having courage and setting clear goals for the project:
By setting this positive tone, it made it easier for Rachael to stay focused and encouraged throughout the creation process.
Takeaway: Before you dive into creating a course for the first time, make sure you have a clear understanding of your goals and what you hope you and your audience will walk away with.
Establishing your framework and researching topics
To get an idea for the type of course she wanted to create, Rachael spent time researching other courses and took notes on what she liked and didn’t like. She also reached out to the course creators to learn more about their process.
For Rachael, the goal of this phase was to create a simple framework to provide structure for her course.
Once she had a general model in place, it was time to develop content for the course. As she considered what her course would be about, she wanted to make sure it was something that would resonate with her audience.
To do so, decided to survey her audience:
As she heard their feedback, it became clear as to what type of educational content they would enjoy – and from there, the idea for her skincare creation course took form.
Takeaway: Sign up for three to five online courses and take note of what aspects you’d like to repeat in your own course and what you’d like to avoid. If you have an existing audience, consider surveying them to learn their preferred way to consume content and/or what they would like to learn in an online course. Then, create a model for your course based on your takeaways and feedback.
Putting the pieces together and creating your course
After Rachael identified that she wanted to teach others how to create natural skincare products, it was time to create the content.
To do so, she began with her end goal (creating the product) and outlined the steps that were required to make that happen:
Once she had her angle, Rachael used storyboards, venn diagrams and sketches to create outlines for individual course modules. Then, she turned those into slides.
By creating these outlines, she was also able to identify areas where there were content gaps that required other assets, like videos and PDF downloads.
After she decided on an outline, it was time to create the content.
Although Rachael used an online teaching platform to develop the course, she also recommended automated emails as another simple way to get started.
Takeaway: The more preparation you do to develop your course, the easier it will be to tackle. After you decide on a topic, take time to outline the specific content pieces. To create the content, autoresponder emails are a simple place to start. You can also explore third party platforms like Teachable, Thinkific or Rainmaker.
Promoting the course to your communities
Rachael drives traffic to her course in a number of ways. The first is through email.
On her website, visitors can subscribe to her email list and receive frequent updates of her latest posts:
While the majority of her emails are packed with helpful and interesting info for the skincare aficionado, she occasionally promotes her skincare course as well:
With this “last call” email, Rachael creates a sense of urgency and communicates the benefits of the course.
In addition to email, Rachael uses Facebook advertising, webinars and incentives to build communities and relationships with prospects, display her skills and increase interest in her course:
By spreading the word about her content and course through different channels, it made it possible for Rachael to widen her reach.
Takeaway: Leverage a wide variety of channels (e.g., email, Facebook, Twitter) to reach existing and new communities as you begin promoting your course. Consider offering free incentives and other types of content to convince people of the value of your business before asking them to sign up for your course.
Ready to create your online course?
Today’s the day to get started! As you follow the steps above, just remember to stick with it – in the end, you’ll be creating something that will help others. And that’s pretty darn amazing!
For more detailed instructions on how to set up an online course, I encourage you to use this checklist.
The post Creating an Online Course 101: The Secrets to Getting Started appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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Twitter’s rolling out new features to tackle trolls and crappy hashtags
Oh coveted mute button. The long-overdue, though recently enabled and then removed new feature from Twitter has finally made its official debut. The ‘muted words’ feature allows users to filter out potentially disturbing content. And this time around, the tool extends to cyberbullying. This new ability to report offensive material comes on the heels of a hotly contested US election, and users of the the already struggling social media network are threatening to leave unless more action is taken. Additionally, abuse is more acutely felt in notifications – where content you were not seeking out is directly sent to you. In addition to…
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Monday, 14 November 2016
Trump credits Facebook and Twitter with his dominant win over Clinton
Social media played a huge part in this year’s US election and President-elect Donald Trump has absolutely no doubt it was Facebook and Twitter that gave him an edge in his win over Hillary Clinton. Over the weekend, the Republican paid a visit to CBS’s 60 Minutes where he had a chance to discuss in more detial his recent presidential triumph as well as his ambitions as the next president of the US with host Lesley Stahl – and a big portion of the show focused on his savvy use of social media. Trump was outspoken about leveraging his social media influence in his presidential campaign, pointing…
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Friday, 11 November 2016
14 Powerful Tactics to Increase Your Email Click-Through Rates
Have you ever sent what you thought was a really amazing email only to find that your click-through rate was below average?
Getting high email click-through rates is really important, and not just because it’s frustrating to spend time building an email that no one clicks.
When subscribers click on links within your emails, you can send them to your blog and website content (like a product page), which ultimately brings them closer to making a buying decision. And when the time is right, you can then ask them to buy.
But before that can happen, you need to write and design emails that convince your audience to click through – which makes increasing these rates a top priority.
Are you ready to skyrocket your email click-through rates?
Here are 14 proven strategies to help you do just that.
1. Stick to one call to action
When you’re creating an email, it may be tempting to include multiple calls to action (CTA) in the hopes that your subscribers will respond to at least one of the offers in an email. After all, the more options you provide, the more likely they’ll engage with one of them, right?
Well, not exactly. In fact, this can hurt your click rates rather than help them.
Too many links can distract and overwhelm your subscribers, decreasing click-through rates in your emails. To get optimal click through rates, include one call to action in your emails to focus your subscribers on taking one action.
In fact, Whirlpool was able to increase their click through rates by 42 percent after limiting their CTA to just one.
In the email below from EOFire, there is one clear call to action and no question of what the subscriber is supposed to do – join the class.
2. Segment your emails
Different people have different interests. So do your email subscribers.
If you send the wrong people on your list an offer they’re not interested in, your click through rates will most likely plummet.
For higher click-through rates, segment your subscribers and send tailored emails based off their interests. You’ll see better click through rates when you send the right offer to the right person.
3. Create a sense of urgency
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is real, and eliciting this feeling in your subscribers can influence them to click on your calls to action right away.
If you have an offer that ends soon or a limited number of spots at a webinar, for example, you can create a sense of urgency by adding words like “now” or “today” to your emails.
We can tell you first hand that creating a sense of urgency works, because it worked on us.
We received the email below a few days ago, and it convinced us to act rather than wait. (Big props, DigitalMarketer. We’ll see you in San Diego!)
4. Personalize your emails
Have you ever received an email that didn’t apply to you at all? This kind of email may leave you feeling like a nobody on a huge list of email subscribers. And this feeling of alienation doesn’t encourage you to click.
Instead, when your subscribers receive an email for you, they should feel like you are addressing them alone. Truly personalized emails will feel like something written just for you. That kind of connection leads to higher click through rates.
Here are a few simple ways you can personalize your emails:
- Include your subscriber’s name in your email. While this technique isn’t fresh, it can be effective. Instead of adding subscribers’ names at the beginning of an email, try adding them in the middle or at the end.
- On your email sign up form, ask for information about your subscribers’ interests. Then, send segmented emails based off their responses.
- Collect your subscribers’ birth dates on your sign up form and send them a celebratory email on their birthday.
For more ideas on how to personalize your emails, check out this post on Engaging Subscribers with Contextual Emails.
5. Create mobile-optimized emails
Fifty-three percent of emails are opened on mobile devices.
And that means if your emails are difficult to read on a phone, there’s probably a huge percentage of your subscribers who aren’t getting the best experience and are most likely not clicking on your emails.
To make sure your emails are easy to read from any device, use email templates that are mobile responsive instead of mobile-friendly.
Mobile responsive emails are easier to read on both desktops and mobile devices, because text, images and buttons automatically adjust to fit the screen size. Additionally, multi-column email layouts adjust to single columns on mobile devices, and content is easy to access with both a mouse and a touchscreen.
Mobile friendly emails, on the other hand, scale down to fit the size of the screen, but don’t adjust layouts or fonts.
See how this mobile-friendly email below is difficult to read because the double-column layout makes the images, fonts and headlines too small?
Compare that to this mobile-responsive email below, where fonts and images are resized for the small screen and double columns turned to single columns:
If you’re not an email designer and have no idea how to make an email responsive, fear not! Many email service providers (like AWeber) provide mobile-responsive email templates for their customers.
6. Include colorful, clickable HTML buttons
One of the simplest ways to increase click-through rates is to ensure your subscribers know where to click. While plain text calls to action work for some people, a big button with a contrasting color immediately draws attention and can significantly improve click-through rates.
If you’re adding a button to your email, there are a few reasons why you’ll want to use an HTML button rather than an image button:
- An HTML button can be responsive, which means it’ll resize for people on different devices.
- Images in emails may not display for certain subscribers. And if your call to action doesn’t display as a result, click-through rates will tank.
- Email load times will be faster with fewer images in your emails.
You can code your own HTML button, or rely on your email service provider’s drag-and-drop editor (which will usually allow you to add customizable HTML buttons).
7. Don’t over complicate your email design
Complex isn’t always better, and this is often the case with email design. Avoid overwhelming your subscribers with an overabundance of images, icons or different fonts. Not only does this make for a disharmonious email, it’ll also take attention away from the content of your email and your call to action.
This beautiful, yet simple email from Evernote incorporates a clean font, one image that works with the content of the email and a clear call-to-action button:
8. Use action-oriented CTA copy
Your email call to action copy should encourage people to take a specific action. Instead of using a generic call to action like “click here,” use verbs that describe the action you want subscribers to take, such as:
- Shop
- Learn
- Get
- Grab
- Submit
- Send
- Start
- Try
- Reserve
- Take
- View
- See
- Watch
- Read
By doing so, you’ll frame the subscriber experience in a way that influences them to want to take action.
9. Pique their curiosity
“The first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity.” – Edmund Burke
Everyone has been curious about something at one point in their lives. And when a person is curious about something, they are inclined to resolve their curiosity.
Fortunately, you can also leverage curiosity in your email copy to encourage people to click on your emails.
Birchbox, for example, does this in the email below by offering a free mystery prize with a purchase. To find out what they would get, they need to click on the call-to-action button.
Hopefully the prize is a good one, but at least it gets the click!
10. Include social proof
Believe it or not, people like to do what other people do. When they notice multiple people or a famous person doing something, they’re more likely to want to do it themselves. This is called social proof, which is a phenomenon where people are persuaded to take an action by seeing that other people have taken that action before them.
You can use social proof in your email content to encourage people to click on your calls to action. Glossier does just that in the email below. By showing off how customers use their product and sharing their success stories, they tap into the power of social proof.
11. Write engaging headlines
If you use a headline in your email content, it will be the first thing your subscriber sees when they open your message.
A good headline quickly grabs the attention of your subscriber, engages them and gets them to read the rest of your email. And when subscribers read your email content, they become more likely to take action – which makes headlines pretty darn important.
For the email below, MailCharts used the subject line “Are your subscribers annoyed?
By linking the headline to the subject line, it guides the subscriber to continue reading through the rest of the content. You’ll also notice MailCharts does a good job of raising curiosity, which gives readers even more of a reason to continue reading and click the call-to-action button.
12. Use video
People love to watch videos. They’re engaging, easy to follow, and often fun to watch. Plus, if people are in your videos, you can build relationships that written words often can’t.
While video doesn’t play in many inboxes, the inclusion of a thumbnail image of your video and a play button can boost click through rates tremendously. In fact, Wistia increased their email click through rates by 300 percent by incorporating videos in their emails.
Check out how we used video in the email below. The thumbnail image and play button encourage people to click and helped us get an above-average click-through rate.
Bonus tip: You can also try using GIFs in your emails to add motion to your emails and boost click-through rates.
13. Cater to what your audience likes
If one of your emails had an insanely high click through rate, it’s apparent that your subscribers liked what you did in that email. So, do it again.
Your audience should be your main barometer for what is working in your email strategy and influence the content and design elements you include.
Do you see high click through rates when you send short emails or long emails? Does your audience click more when there’s an image or video? Does a certain kind of content lead to higher clicks?
Take a look at your past emails and see which ones got the highest click through rates.
Then, repeat, repeat, repeat.
14. Feature the right images
Images in your emails can be a powerful way to grab the attention of your subscribers and convince them to click. However, you need to use the right images.
Email images should add meaning, support the content of your email or help make a relevant point. Additionally, you should use alt text in case your images don’t display.
Check out the image in MarketingProfs email below, which serves multiple purposes:
There are a few things that work well here.
- It summarizes the content of the email briefly and immediately, giving the reader everything they need to know in the space of a few seconds.
- It supports the content of the email and provides additional meaning.
- It includes a call-to-action button, which encourages people to click on the email.
For the subscriber who skims or doesn’t read the email content, this image does it all. It catches their attention, tells them about the offer and gives them a place to click.
Go get yourself a sick amount of clicks
Ready to try these tactics for yourself? Test them out with your subscribers and see what tactics increase click-through rates.
Then, send engaging emails that’ll build relationships with your subscribers and possibly even turn them into customers.
Have any questions or comments about what works for you? Share them below.
The post 14 Powerful Tactics to Increase Your Email Click-Through Rates appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.
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#SproutChat Recap: Measuring the Impact of In-Person Events
The internet and social media has connected strangers far and wide by allowing us to engage in quick or in-depth conversations. But this doesn’t mean that connecting in-person isn’t important. Your brand still needs to physically connect and interact with its customers. But how do you measure these touch points? This week, we discussed just how to attribute ROI to in-person events.
Create Buzz With These Best Practices
Make sure that your connecting the digital world with the physical world by incorporating your brand attributes and an event hashtag throughout your space. Brainstorm and document your strategy beforehand and really understand what your goals and objectives are before investing your time and resources into an event.
Be unique, clear, memorable, short and not negative. #SproutChat
— Joshua Aaron 🌴☀ (@SoCalSMM) November 9, 2016
A1: Use the event hashtag to gain exposure, but make sure your content stands out or your posts will get lost in the stream. #sproutchat
— Richard Hostler (@CNXN_Hostler) November 9, 2016
A1: @SproutSocial Create signage with the # put them around the event. Tweet quotes that resonate with your followers, #SproutChat
— Sid says (@Sidneytoldme) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial A1: Create something unique but simple so it won't be misspelled! #SproutChat
— Nicole Schneider (@nicolemaries__) November 9, 2016
Take What You’ve Experienced at Events & Apply Those Learnings
Branded or not, we’ve all attended an event. Think of what you’ve loved and disliked about the previous business events or conferences you’ve attended and apply these special touches to your own in-person marketing opportunity.
@SproutSocial I like how @cmicontent uses #cmworld without the year, and keeps the conversation going on and offline. #sproutchat
— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) November 9, 2016
A2: Create places that make a good visual spot for livestreams and selfies. #SproutChat https://t.co/HFpHnexZ7Q
— Erika Heald (@SFerika) November 9, 2016
A2: for.some events, seen the big ♯ with dual purpose..photo-op and hashtag promo! #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/6wE0OziJ6e
— Gauri Salokhe (@gaurisalokhe) November 9, 2016
A2: Be personal with people by engaging with those who are talking about the event, whether they're there in-person or online. #sproutchat
— Annaliese Henwood (@MktgInnovator) November 9, 2016
Understand How Events Can Impact Your Bottom Line
Events can have a long term impact on business contacts. Attribute ROI to your in-person efforts by tracking referrals, maintaining relationships, measuring attendee engagement and facilitating a digital conversation before and after your event.
A3 By the relationships, quality of leads I make at them. #sproutchat http://pic.twitter.com/JELQ7YtUr4
— Linda Mann (@TalentExch_Biz) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial Q3: Are people talking about it? Going to the next event? Is event attendance growing? If yes, then it works #SproutChat
— Sid says (@Sidneytoldme) November 9, 2016
A3 take a look at conversion before and after and year over year. Helpful for budgeting for participation next time. #SproutChat
— Michelle (@michelletweet) November 9, 2016
A3: As a brand- # of people aware we were there, real-life engagements, visits to bios/content, leads generated (on or offline).#SproutChat
— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 9, 2016
Make Authentic Connections
Networking can be a daunting task, even for marketers. Seize your in-person event opportunity to make authentic connections by just being yourself. While this is often easier said then done, attendees and peers will appreciate a host who finds commonalities between themselves and others and follows up after the event.
A4: No new connection is a bad connection. Stay in contact w/ them. You never know when/how business opportunities can appear. #SproutChat
— Site-Seeker, Inc. (@SiteSeekerInc) November 9, 2016
A4: Find some common links beyond just job. Kids, sports, skiing, cars, cooking, etc… #SproutChat
— Joe Martin (@joeDmarti) November 9, 2016
A4 See if you can connect before the event to set up logistics #sproutchat
— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial A4. Be yourself. Don’t try to just rack up your LinkedIn connections, make it personal & make it count. #SproutChat
— Jordan Bath (@jbath13) November 9, 2016
Interact & Engage With Attendees
Make your brand memorable by interacting and engaging with attendees in way that’s natural, yet unexpected. Invest in an eye catching, interactive booth or swag that guests will find useful. When executed properly, both can keep your brand top of mind.
A5: If your goal is to engage & develop a relationship- the booth. People have to be able to find you & know what you're about. #SproutChat https://t.co/X4aUr11tTw
— Tim Mohler (@TimothyMohler) November 9, 2016
A5 I feel like booths are only cool in the moment. Give them something lasting and helpful with your branding. #sproutchat
— Linda Mann (@TalentExch_Biz) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial A5. Memorable (& useful) swag. Giving away water bottles, etc. can be something people won’t want to throw away! #SproutChat
— Jordan Bath (@jbath13) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial Q5:Depending on the size of the crowd, swag works better with a larger audience, booth is better 4 smaller groups #SproutChat
— LAVIDGE (@lavidgeco) November 9, 2016
A5 they can take it with them!!! (And don't forget to put hour # and @ on it!!) #SproutChat
— Michelle (@michelletweet) November 9, 2016
Be Personal
It’s important to follow-up with attendees after an event. Sending a personalized, handwritten thank you note or email is a good way to stand out. However, make sure that you tread carefully and aren’t being too invasive or going right for the sale.
A6 Call me old-fashioned but a hand-written note is very special these days. #sproutchat http://pic.twitter.com/JxAwTVGbkk
— Linda Mann (@TalentExch_Biz) November 9, 2016
A6 #SproutChat LinkedIn connection and/or quick thanks via email etc … Don't be too invasive.
— Phil Siarri (@philsiarri) November 9, 2016
A6: Connect socially from a personal account and interact with their posts. Don't be pushy. Be a real person. #sproutchat
— Richard Hostler (@CNXN_Hostler) November 9, 2016
A6 Send them a “Nice to meet you” email or card in the mail. Remind them who you are, what you talked about & contact info #sproutchat
— Kathy Kopacz MS (@kkopacz1) November 9, 2016
@SproutSocial A6 Follow up by email w/the resource/connection you said you'd share/make. Or just to say "hi" and keep in touch #SproutChat
— Nancy Casanova (@nancycasanova) November 9, 2016
See you next week to social media and analysis. Join our Facebook community to continue the discussion beyond Twitter and to view weekly topics and discussion questions.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Measuring the Impact of In-Person Events originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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Sprout Named Top Workplace by Chicago Tribune
Each year, the Chicago Tribune highlights the best places to work in Chicago. Sprout Social is honored to be included on the list for the second year in a row. This recognition is particularly exciting because it is based on the results of an employee feedback survey that measures several aspects of workplace culture.
“We pride ourselves on creating an employee-first environment at Sprout,” said Jim Conti, Director of Talent. “We’re really grateful for the Tribune’s recognition of these efforts and the way that our culture has evolved organically along with our team.”
Sprout—the company, team and platform—is built upon the value of open communication, and our culture is a testament to that. People at Sprout are empowered to take on projects and challenges that interest them and support their growth, both professionally and as engaged members of the greater Chicago and technology communities.
We take pride in solving problems and building world class products, but we also find time to come together, celebrate one another’s interests and connect at events like our monthly happy hour, regular Lightning Lunches and annual canoe trip. Many of our team initiatives, like all-company volunteer days and hosting community events, have stemmed from employees’ interest and leadership.
Thank you to every member of Team Sprout for their hard work, vision and dedication.
This post Sprout Named Top Workplace by Chicago Tribune originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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