Businesses everywhere are beginning to appreciate the benefits of email marketing.

It is a form of marketing that can be done cheaply and on a massive scale. It’s never been so easy to get your message out to your market place.

But not only is it fast, its results are also measurable.

With today’s sophisticated software you can track who opens your emails, what links they click on within the email, what they do once they’ve made that click. This kind of transparency helps you hone your email marketing, constantly improving it to make sure it’s giving your customers what they want.

Testing the effectiveness of your email marketing

As a copywriter I work with a number of clients on their email marketing campaigns. One of the hardest things to get right is the subject line. That is the one thing that will determine whether your email is opened—if they won’t open it, you can’t sell them anything or build a relationship with them.

Creating magnetic subject lines isn’t easy, it’s futile to pretend otherwise. They can take a lot of time to develop. You not only have to think about who you are sending it to (and what will trigger them to open it) but also the words you use, as you don’t want them tripping any spam filters. In a previous article I looked at 10 Words That Will Make People Open Your Email – these are powerful words that will help you boost your open rate.

That’s all well and good but the only real way to work out how effective your subject line is, is to test it.

Many people will split test by sending one group of recipients an email with one subject line and a different group another subject line to see which one has the most successful open rate.

But there is another way – have you ever considered using social media to test your subject lines?

This is something that I’d never thought of until I’d read BlueSkyFactory’s blog and in particular their post on How to use social media to boost email marketing open rate. Christopher Penn tells us how he used Twitter to help work out how effective a subject line is.

Do your Twitter followers resemble the demographics of your email marketing list? If so why not try it out, it could give your email marketing quite a lift. If you decide to give it a go please come back and let us know how you got on—it would be interesting to hear your feedback.

How’s your website doing?

Are you getting loads of traffic or is it floundering? If people aren’t finding your website it might as well not exist.

Of course the best way to get found is through the search engines. But even if your site has been structured well and it contains good SEO copywriting, you still need another element to keep that traffic coming – back links.

A link to your website is like a thumbs up; it shows Google that your site has authority. So the more back links you have the better.

One very effective way of generating a consistent stream of back links is blogging.

Generating back links through your blog

I began blogging about two and a half years ago. Not only was it a great way to give away great copywriting tips, it also generated (and continues to generate) back links.

How does it work?

• Think about your keywords. Make sure they are within your post (but not stuffed, make sure their presence is genuine and not contrived). Also use them for anchor text links. For example, it won’t come as a surprise that one of my keywords is freelance copywriter therefore if I use that within a post, I link it to my website (as shown here).
• Think about your products and use them as subjects for your posts. So if you make cards and are producing a new range that features poppies, write a post about poppies and refer to your cards within it.
• Make your writing relevant to your field – something topical. Again, link to your website through anchor text links and keywords.
• Try to make time to read other blogs within your industry. Find out what others are talking about and perhaps use their topics as a launch pad for your own discussion, linking back to them and your own site.

One of the main things to remember is that if you are going to blog, make sure you do it regularly. Use social media tools to spread the word about what you’re doing through Twitter and social networking sites like BT Tradespace.

Once you get going you’ll soon begin to see the benefits. But remember even though you’ll want to stay within the scope of your industry, try to vary your subject matter – variety will keep your writing fresh.

There are masses of blogs out there, some great, some not so great. Everyone seems to have something to say, so how can you make an impact in the blogging world?

The best place to start is to look at the structure and presentation of your blog posts.

How you write and the way you present it can be more important than what you write when it comes to drawing readers in.

Admittedly if what you’ve written is poor they won’t come back, so you have to make sure you tick all the boxes – simple then really.

Producing a constant stream of fresh and interesting content can be tough. But inspiration is all around you – in the newspapers, magazines, films, TV, images, everyday experiences, conversations etc.

So what do you do once you’ve got a subject idea?

How to structure a great blog post

There are 5 main steps to go through when you create a blog post. It’s a system I’ve been using for quite a while – this is how it goes:

1. Title

Your title is really important.

It has to grab your reader’s attention and make them think “that sounds interesting”. If it doesn’t immediately grab them, they won’t bother wasting time reading it. Ideally your title will be specific to your topic so your reader knows what they are going to learn. However some abstract/humorous titles work just as well if they pique you reader’s curiosity.

2. Beginning

Before you even begin writing your post, think about the visual image of your blog. Having a well chosen image that compliments your subject matter introduces an instant link to your topic and makes it more aesthetically pleasing.

As with any form of writing, you have to grab their attention within the first paragraph or two if you are going to get them to read the whole post. And the more interesting it is, the more likely  they are to stay with you to the end, especially if they learn something new along the way.

3. The most important first

Always start with the most important aspect first. Explain your concept simply and clearly without resorting to the use of jargon. If you do that, you’ll lose readers hand over fist.

People read blogs for entertainment and to learn – make that learning experience easy for them and they’ll return time and time again.

4. What’s next?

A post that explains a concept but fails to illustrate how to put it into practice, is a wasted post. Take this one for example, assuming you’re still reading you are well on the way to understanding how to create stronger blog posts.

5. Summarise

At the end of your post, write a few lines outlining why the information you have given is important to them and explain how, by following your tips/recommendations, they will enhance their lives.

Being careful about how you create your posts and paying attention to your headings, images and starting paragraphs will make sure you are well on your way to writing informative and enjoyable posts that people will want to read. This will help increase your traffic and widen your readership.

The brochure – once the main marketing force of many companies, has now become a bit of a dinosaur.

With more businesses than ever turning to online marketing, is the humble brochure about to be consigned to the annuls of history?

As more people turn to the internet to find goods and services (both locally and nationally), companies are investing heavily in search engine optimisation. And with 85% of all search traffic clicking on organic listings rather than the paid ads, it’s hardly surprising that’s where the money’s going.

But is it really too late for the humble brochure?

I don’t think so. It still has a valid place within your marketing armoury, and here’s why…

Leaving it behind

When you are out networking with people what is likely to have more impact? Leaving a small piece of card with your details on it (which looks remarkably similar to everyone else’s and just as likely to get lost within a pocket or bag), or handing over your lovingly crafted, benefits-packed brochure?

Your tangible website

Getting your website copy right is vital if you want your site to attract visitors and convert them into sales.

The general format is to grab their attention with a great headline, immediately sell the benefits of your product and then tell them what to do to make sure they don’t miss out on your amazing offer.

That is precisely the format your brochure should take too.

Once they’ve read it they should think “Wow! That’s just what I’ve been looking for. I’m going to give these guys a call.”

The elements of a great brochure

If you want your brochure to really hit home, make sure it:

Looks great

You don’t have to go overboard with flashy graphics and ‘in your face’ colours. Some of the best brochures are the simplest. Make sure it fits with your brand and company image and that it’s eye-catching – something people will want to pick up and read.

Talk the talk

Whatever you do, don’t start your brochure with details about how long you’ve been in business etc. Your reader doesn’t care.

The only thing they want to hear is how you are going to help them – think benefits, think offer.

Now what do I do?

Once you’ve ‘sold’ the idea of your product or service to them, don’t forget to tell them what to do.

Your call to action is vital, especially as your brochure is designed to be taken away. You won’t be there to persuade them to get in touch, so your brochure content and call to action has to perform that little task for you.

Even though the world’s moving on don’t forget the traditional marketing ways. There is still a place for the brochure but it must be compelling, different and benefits-packed if it is to have any effect.

Most businesses realise that the internet is the place to be these days.

It is a vast market place scoured by millions of internet users every day.

But that doesn’t mean you should dash out and throw any old website together. If you want a website it should for one reason only – to sell. If it doesn’t do that, it becomes a very expensive brochure.

As a copywriter I have used this blog as a way of informing and educating people in how to get the most out of their website. But there are still a large number out there who don’t seem to get it.

What’s the point in having a website if…

Your website is your online shop window. As such it should be eye-catching, informative and tempting.

Here are 5 examples of when your website isn’t worth the space it occupies on the web:

1. You can’t be found

Let’s get one thing clear, just because you have a website people aren’t automatically going to find you. Many people believe that as soon as their site is launched they’ll be bombarded by buying traffic—think again.

If you don’t invest in search engine optimisation, you won’t get found.

You must ensure your web designer understands SEO and builds your site to make it visible. You should also find yourself a good SEO copywriter who actually knows what they are doing. It won’t be cheap but it will mean your copy and HTML tags will be properly SEO’d.

2. You, you, you

Your reader couldn’t give a toss about you, how long you’ve been in business or how many staff you have—certainly in the initial stages of buying. They want to know what you are going to do for them. Why should your product be better than anyone else’s? What will it mean to them if they buy it?

If your navigation looks like—About Us—What we do—Our Products etc. they are unlikely to hang around. Write about the benefits to your customers. That’s all they are interested in.

3. Go here

If you hide your navigation in playful graphics how are your readers going to find their way around your website? If you want people to get in touch or buy from you, make it easy for them to do so.

4. Go away!

This is a personal dislike (but I am not alone), do not have annoying pop-up boxes appear on your website that chase the reader around the screen.

‘Are you sure you want to leave?’ – Yes of course I’m sure!!!! Leave me alone.

5. Music and video

I’m beginning to sound like a grumpy old woman now but I can’t stand websites that auto play videos and music. First off they slow down the loading time of your site and secondly they are so annoying. Have a video by all means but leave it to me to choose whether I want to watch it or not.

Remember, when you are having your website designed leave your ego at the door. The only think that matters is what your customers want:

• Make sure your site is easy to navigate
• Optimise your URL and title tags
• Get your copy written by a professional SEO copywriter
• Put an SEO strategy in place
• Make sure your content addresses your reader and is benefits led
• Resist the urge of ‘cool’ graphics, gadgets and gizmos

If you get it right, email marketing can be one of the most effective marketing tools available to businesses today.

Yes everyone’s doing it but that doesn’t mean it’s easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

If you want it to work you must give each email a lot of serious thought otherwise it will simply end up being deleted.

Every email must count and convert. That may sound simple enough but in practice it can get complicated.

To help you out, here’s my top 3 tips to boost your email marketing conversion rates:

1. Tell them what they need to know

You’d be amazed at how many businesses that don’t. Just as with website copy, many companies insist on using their emails as a way of telling their customer how great they are at what they do.

That’s not what they want to hear. They want to know what you can do for them.

Also don’t try and cram everything into one email. No one wants to read War and Peace in their inbox. If you want to showcase new products or a new service, tease them with a taster in the email and then link out to your website so they can get more information.

2. Don’t confuse – just one action

Every piece of marketing must have a call to action. But make sure you keep it simple.

If your email is filled with multiple actions sending your reader here, there and everywhere, they’ll end up completely confused. So keep it simple.

3. Build credibility

Your emails are a perfect way to reinforce your credibility as a company. Include your latest testimonials and use them as case studies so illustrate how you’ve helped your customers.

If your email marketing is done well it can be very effective. They are a superb way of getting your sales message in front of your customers quickly. Just make sure your message is clear.

Search engine optimisation is helping businesses, of all sizes, reach a wider online audience. If it is done well they can slash their marketing budgets because the need for ‘paid’ advertising can be greatly reduced.

But because SEO takes time, many are still inclined to try to cut corners.

Be warned, SEO shortcuts can, and most probably will, incur the wrath of Google and you really don’t want to do that.

So don’t be lazy. Work at your SEO strategy.

Building links

Every link you get to your website is seen by Google as a ‘thumbs up’ for your site. The more you have the more authoritative you’re perceived to be.

But gathering links is time consuming so many are tempted to buy them to speed the process up a bit. But buying is not good. Building your links naturally will ensure they come from reputable, related websites. If you buy them there’s no telling where they’re coming from and you could damage the reputation of your site.

Good links can be attracted in several ways:

• A well thought out Google profile
• Contacting your local Chamber of Commerce and asking for a link from their site
• Link swap with your clients/suppliers
• Press releases
• Entries in influential online directories
• Through blogs and articles

The main thing to remember about link generation is that it’s an on going process. If you find it too much for one person to handle alone, set up a link building team within your organisation to share the workload.

Keep away from black hats

There are many SEO companies out there that will claim to be able to get you on the front page of Google just like that.

Remember SEO isn’t quick and it’s not a one-off solution. Some (not all) of these companies will employ ‘black hat’ techniques such as cloaking, using link farms, invisible text and keyword stuffing. All of these will land you in hot water with Google.

Readability is key

SEO is a lot to do with keywords so people make the ‘logical’ step of thinking all they have to do is stuff their keyword into their copy as many times as possible to get good rankings.

Wrong.

SEO copywriting is quite an art so it always pays to find a professional to do it for you.

If you cram your text with keywords you’ll render it:

• Unreadable
• Unable to convert any visits into sales
• Forgettable – your readers will be completely turned off by it

A professional SEO copywriter will create content that’s compelling, benefits driven, natural and that converts your visitors into sales.

Don’t be repetitive

Gaining as much space on the internet as possible is vital. But in a rush to do so, many companies simply cut and paste their profiles across numerous directories and websites.

Don’t! This will result in duplicate copy issues which Google hates. Although it takes a lot of work, make sure you only enter original content to your website, directory entries and blogs.

Keep going

Your SEO strategy must be on going. Back links have to be build constantly, blogs and articles should be written regularly, the content on your website should always be up to date. You should constantly monitor the effectiveness of your keywords and amend as required.

Yes it’s hard work but boy can it be rewarding. If you want higher rankings, more traffic and a lower marketing spend get your search engine optimisation right.

If you engage in email marketing you’ll know how difficult it can be to get someone to read your email.

For your email to survive it has to have a strong, clear and concise subject line to make the recipient curious enough to open it.

So all you have to do is come up subject lines that won’t get junked or deleted—simple!

Winning subject lines

To make sure email subject line draws the recipient’s attention and gets your email opened make sure you:

• Keep it short (no more than 60 characters, including spaces)
• Personalise it
• Identify your company
• Tell them what your email is about
• Give them a benefit as an enticement

Salesy is bad

If you make your subject line too salesy you will turn your recipient off immediately. No one likes being sold to so if you make it obvious that’s what you’re up to the barriers will go up.

The other hurdle you have to get over is the spam filter. Certain words will trip spam filters and there are certain words you’d often use in headlines that should be avoided in email subject lines. Such as:

• You—indicated the email is from a stranger and unsolicited
• Exclamation marks
• Capital letters—all capitals will not work, so don’t do it
• Buzz words—things like free, sale, only, urgent, information, limited-time, opportunity (use them in the email body but steer clear of them in the subject line)

This advice should help your email marketing go a bit smoother.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Email marketing is cheap, quick and effective. Plus as most sent today are in HTML you have the added benefit of the hyperlink.

This allows your reader to click directly through to your website or landing page for more information or to buy or sign up to your offer.

But if you want that to happen your email must be interesting and relevant to your recipients otherwise it will just be transferred to the deleted folder. So make sure it’s appealing by following these simple suggestions:

1. Friendly

Just as if you were writing a letter, use a salutation preferably personalised. This personal touch is the best way to start a relationship. And don’t forget the ending—always be professional.

2. Aesthetics

Take a quite look at your email. Is it one solid wall of text or have you broken it up into short paragraphs with headings, sub headings and bulleted lists? This spacious layout lets your reader see at a glance what your email is about.

3. Call to action

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can leave your call to action until the end of your email. By placing a link to your sales page several times throughout the email, your reader can act as soon as they’ve made their buying decision.

4. Short

Long copy does work in certain situations, but not in an email. Just use the email as a taster of what they can  expect and then get them to click through to your website or landing page to get more information.

5. Benefits

As with any form of copywriting make sure you show your product or services’ benefits. Make sure they are shown as such and not just a list of features.

6. Opt-out

Even though you don’t want to lose anyone, make sure you include an opt-out in all your email communications.

Of course, you don’t have to sell in every email you send. Mix them up with some giving information or tips. By giving away free information like this you will strengthen your relationship with your readers.