Even with the continued proliferation of new and expanding channels, a solid email marketing strategy — with an informative e-newsletter at its core — is still one of the most effective ways to drive the overall effort to heighten engagement and maximize conversions.
Here are a few best practices for establishing an email outreach/news program with the power to build a subscriber base — and in turn, a multichannel following that drives more business.
Create content based on real challenges.
There are simple ways to identify the biggest challenges facing your prospects/customers. One is by monitoring and participating in industry/market groups on LinkedIn, Facebook and the like. Another is the use of brief surveys, via email and social media channels, to zero-in on the pain points of your audience(s). This takes the guesswork out of the equation, enabling you to create value-added content that directly addresses these issues.
Balance the needs of informing and selling.
No one is going stay subscribed to your e-newsletter if you’re constantly in selling mode. Yet you want to make sure followers have a clear picture of what you offer. The trick is to find a balance. Use helpful, non-promotional newsletter content to keep subscribers engaged — while taking the opportunity to weave in branded solution-oriented messaging further along in the customer journey.
Looks for ways to repurpose and cross-promote your content.
Are some newsletter pieces performing especially well? Cross-promote them on appropriate social media channels to provide them with new life. Blog articles can also be subdivided and repurposed into a series of social media posts, with links back to the complete article — where the reader will also find a CTA to subscribe to your newsletter.
Provide clear paths for people ready to convert.
When a prospect is primed to engage more deeply into a particular topic, and/or to explore specific products/solutions you offer, the opportunity to follow through needs to be as much of a no-brainer as possible. Use well placed call-to-action (CTA) subheads paired with links to other content pieces including e-books, blogs, hosted social-media discussions, SlideShare presentations and webinars.