In this current world of digital marketing, email marketing has come to occupy a unique position. In terms of the ability to generate revenue, email advertising has proven to be more effective than even social media advertising.
Having an email list gives you a level of control that cannot be obtained using pay per click advertising, Search Engine Optimization, and social media. It helps you create a personal relationship with your subscribers and aids you in communicating directly with them. With constant communication between you and your subscribers, you get a more in-depth insight into who they are and what works for them. You will learn (faster) what areas to improve, and what area to let go off altogether. This gives you a fantastic system of not just immediate communication but also immediate feedback.
Any subscriber to your mailing list does that voluntarily, which increases the possibility that they will engage with your content intentionally. This also means that the chance of having word of mouth advertising is increased. An email subscriber is more incentivized to talk about your products and offers with family and friends because of the vested interest they have as a result of subscribing to your email.
Having an email list is also a very low-budget method of advertising. For whatever other processes you choose to employ, e.g., making flyers, brochures or sending traditional mails, you need to have some money expressly set aside for that; that is not the same when you have an email list.
All of the benefits that are supposed to emanate from having an email list will not come to light if the email does not make it past the front door. If the potential readers and subscribers fail even to read the email in the first place, then the whole purpose of having an email list would have been defeated. This is why email deliverability is critical. It is the process of getting committed readers to your email.
Once you've set up a system for delivering your emails, the next step is to work on deliverability. A lot of folks make the mistake of assuming that every problem associated with emails going to the spam folder or being deleted unread can be solved by adding more subscribers. That is relatively inaccurate. It is generally better to have a small group of committed readers/subscribers who are in sync with your content than to amass subscribers who barely get through the first paragraph of any email you send. Apart from getting subscribers, how do you get committed readers:
1. Prioritize content:
Content is king, always. You may be able to get subscribers based on your reputation, or through aggressive advertising, but it is the quality of your content that will keep them.
You have to first understand that yours will most likely be the only email your subscriber gets on any given day. Each email claims to provide benefits to the reader, and the plethora of options can sometimes get overwhelming. While crafting yours, then you should keep asking yourself: does mine stand out?
People are more likely to be receptive to emails around the niche they care about. If you are offering some solution, or if your email provides some unique benefit to the reader, then you stand a higher chance of having the reader get committed.
2. Ask your subscribers/readers to add you to their address book:
This will make sure that the email gets delivered to their inbox. This is a technique that makes sure your emails don't go to spam. When they do, the subscriber does not get to read them, defeating the purpose of opening the email list in the first place.
It is quite easy to achieve this; you only need to ask the subscriber to add you to their contact list. When they have updated their lists, any email you send them will go directly to their inbox.
3. Use the double opt-in option:
Admittedly, the double opt-in process is a little arduous than the single opt-in; however, the outcome from the former is usually better.
There are certain factors taken into consideration by Internet Service Providers like Gmail and Yahoo in determining what goes to spam or not. Specific acts of engagement by senders, such as requesting a double opt-in, works in the sender's favor.
You can only ask your subscribers to move you from the spam folder to the inbox tab if you ever get moved there. This will help make sure your email is not filtered into the promotions or socials folder. Replying to the email also helps. When the subscriber responds to the email, there is a higher probability that it wouldn't be moved to the spam folder next time.
These steps are supposed to make sure that technical problems do not get in the way of your email reaching your subscribers.
4. Always measure your success rate:
Measuring the rate of success of your email is crucial for you to know if the tactics you employ are effective. There are several metrics you can apply to establish high engagement. They include click-through rates, revenue generation, and social shares. Subscriber count and the number of unsubscribes are not effective determiners of the effectiveness, or otherwise, of your email list.
Specifically, if your click-through rates are increasing, and your return on investment is tied to your email campaign, amongst other indicators, then you are certainly on the path to having a good email list.
Conclusion
Make no mistake: a newsletter can be a powerful tool for initiating and maintaining communication between a subscriber and publisher. Beyond getting subscribers, your goal as a publisher should be to get loyal readers. This is because a loyal reader is just one step away from being everything else you could hope for: advertisers, revenue generators, etc.
Ultimately, the goal of every publisher is to generate revenue from their newsletters. The possibility of that is increased when you put out thoughtful and engaging consumer-centered content.