Want to lower your unsubscribe rate?

Does it seem like you unsubscribe rate is increasing? Do you want to lower your unsubscribe rate?

Here are some typical reasons for unsubscribing and how you respond to them.

1. You are sending too many emails
Problem - You may overwhelm your subscriber is you send out emails too often and this may prompt them to use the unsubscribe link like a stop button.
Solution - Try using a preference page during your sign-up process as this would give your subscriber the option to select the topics/services/products that interest them the most and you could use this information to send emails that reflect your subscribers interests.
You could also offer the option for subscribers to select how often they wish to receive your email, i.e. weekly, monthly etc
You could also try testing different mailing frequencies to see how your unsusbscribe rate is affected.

2. Your subscriber has a new email address
Problem - Subscribers may not want to leave your list but just want to change the address that the email is sent to. If there is no easy way to do this, then they may just unsubscribe. If you're lucky this act is followed up by a new sign-up.
Solution - You could include details in the footer of your email about how your subscriber can update their details/change their email address. If your website doesn't have the functionality for this, then give them alternative instructions such as sending you an email.

3. Your subscriber isn't receiving what they expected
Problem - The subscriber will have opted-in to your email marketing with certain expectations. If these expectations aren't met, then they have no incentive to stay.
Solution - Ensure that the expectations you set at the sign-up stage match exactly what you send.
You could also allow your subscribers to select the type of content/topics they wish to receive by use of a preference page during the sign-up process.

4. Your subsciber is receiving too many emails
Problem - Unfortunately, people get a lot of emails and it is possible that your subscriber is overwhelmed by the amount of emails they are receiving in their inbox.
Solution - Although you may have lost them as an email subscriber it doesn't mean that they do not want to stop all communication with you altogether, so you could show them the other ways they can stay in contact by using links to your blog etc on the unsubscribe page.

Finally, the best way to find out why people are unsubscribing from your email list, is to ask them. You could add an optional feedback form on the page users reach when they press the unsubscribe link.

For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com

Tips for growing your email list

Looking to grow your email list? Then take a look at the eShoutz tips below.

1. Make your sign-up easy to find - Put your sign-up form/button in a hard-to-miss location on your homepage and also put on as many pages of your website as possible because not all users will enter your website on the homepage, for example, Pay-per-click marketing normally directs clients to specific landing pages.

2. Provide a convincing incentive for users to sign-up - This is normally as simple as 'Sign up to receive our newsletter', as this tells them what they are entering their details for.

3. Reassure the user - Some users may be concerned about what will happen to the information they have provided, so it may help to include information about provacy assurance.

4. Don't ask for too much information - The more information you ask for, the more hesitant or fed-up the subscriber may become. Keep it simple, only ask for the information you need in order to reach your personalisation goals.

5. Do your best to keep the subscribers you already have - Keep your current subscribers, provide good products/services and great customer service. Happy subscribers might even mention your website/company to friends.

6. Use a thank-you page - Once you have gained a subscriber you want to do your best to turn them into an active reader, someone that enquire/buy your products/services. The thank-you page is the first opportunity for you to do this so you should set the expectations about what they should expect to receive.

7. Understand why subscribers are leaving - If you are noticing increased number of subscribers, try to find out why this is. One way of doing this is to give subscribers the option to leave feedback when they unsubscribe. This may point out any glaring issues.

Visit eShoutz.com for more useful email marketing tips.

Top tips for creating successful landing pages

If you are sending email marketing campaigns, it is always advised that you develop an effective, dedicated landing page for each campaign you send out. If your recipients click through to your website, the landing page can determine whether or not you make a sale.

Here are some eShoutz tips on how to create successful landing pages:

1 - Make your landing pages look good
You can grab the attention of your readers with an impactful design, and reinforce your message with large, colourful font or images.

2 - Create a seamless experience
Your landing page should reflect the email campaign, and be the design should be consistent with the email. Try using the same images on landing pages as in the email, and include similar headlines on both the page and email newsletter.

3 - Make your landing pages relevant
Don't repeat the information in your email on the landing page, but make sure that the content compliments your newsletter sales message.

4 - Reduce any distractions from your key message
Don't lose customers who have clicked through to a landing page from your email by offering them too many options once they get there. Avoid links to too many other pages on your website that may prevent a recipient from making a purchase.

5 - Use your landing page to build trust
To build trust and brand awareness, include testimonials of happy customers and company information on your landing page.

6 - Have a clear call to action
Tell customers what you want them to do next with clear buttons or telephone numbers.

7 - Use page tracking with your email campaigns
If you integrate advanced ROI tracking into your website, you will be able to see where your email recipients click through and also track their activity throughout your website. You can then analyse the activity to determine whether your landing pages are working or not.

For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com

Email Newsletter Templates

Thinking about using a template for your email newsletter?

There are some good reasons to use a template for your email newsletter, such as;

1. recipients know what to expect
2. recipients recognise your newsletter therefore recognising your brand and company
3. it is cost effective - you should only need your template to be designed once (you'll probably need a little help from the designers occassionally) and so it is a long-term investment because it is reuseable
4. it is time effective - the sections are pre-defined for your content so you should be able to edit your template in-house
5. mistakes are minimal - since the template is reused errors are highlighted and corrected

With eShoutz you don't need a large budget to create a bespoke template for your email newsletter. The eShoutz design team can create a tailor-made template for you from as little as £45 per hour.

Call the eShoutz team on 0870 161 1226 for a personalised design quote.

Should I include a permission reminder on email newsletters?

A permission reminder is a sentence or two explaining to the subscriber where you had their email address from. It is usually found in the footer and can often help prevent you from being blacklisted or reported as a spammer.

It is a good idea to integrate your permission reminder with your unsubscribe link. This means that if a recipient believes that the email is spam and goes to click the unsubscribe, they may be reminded that they actually signed up to receive your email marketing campaigns and add you to their safe senders list instead.

Realistically, if you are sending to quality address books you will not need to remind subscribers where you had their email addresses from as they will have signed up for your newsletters on your website. However, permission reminders are not just for your subscriber's sake. If you do ever become blacklisted and classed as a spammer, your permission reminder can help determine that you are a 'good guy' when it comes to email marketing and help to get you off any blacklists.

When writing a permission reminder, explain thoroughly how your recipient's email address was added to your address book. Don't try listing all of the options, but cover as many as you can in one small explanation. For example 'You're receiving this email because you opted in for email newsletters whilst on our website'.

Always be polite in your permission reminder. Show that you genuinely care about your recipient's privacy, and include actual proof that a recipient gave you permission to email them.

Remember, if you find it difficult to write a good permission reminder, it may be a sign that you don't actually have permission to use all of the emails within your address books.

Finally, here's an example of a good permission reminder:

'In the past you provided 'Company name' with your email address xxx@yahoo.co.uk whilst purchasing from their website. Occassionally you will receive special offer newsletters and promotional emails. If you no longer wish to receive these please click unsubscribe.

For more email marketing tips visit eShoutz.com.

Checklist for your email campaigns

Having an effective checklist for the quality control of your email campaigns can help you to spot and correct mistakes before you send to your email address books.

Most common blunders on email marketing include:
1. misspelt subject line
2. missing images
3. wrong links used or links not working
4. spelling and grammar mistakes
5. sending to the wrong list

Running through a checklist will help you to limit these types of mistakes from your email campaigns so that you can send them in confidence. See the eShoutz suggested points for your checklist:

1. Have I proof-read all the copy? Try reading in Microsoft Word, using the spellchecker to highlight glaring spelling mistakes. You should also read in Notepad, Word won't always catch grammatical mistakes (e.g. to/too/two) so putting your email copy into another environment will help you to see any mistakes that may have been missed previously.

2. Are all links correct and working? Check that each of your links are working and they are each going to the right page/offer.

3. Does each image have an ALT tag? Make sure that each image has an ALT tag decribing the content, this is important because it gives you another way to deliver you information to readers who have disabled images.

4. Have I proof-read all the copy in the text version? Repeat step 1 on your text version. Usually not as much attention is paid to the text version in comparision to the HTML version but this is just as important for your subscribers who do not receive HTML emails.

5. Have I included all of my company information? You should include your company name, street address, telephone number, website address and email address. Having different ways to be contacted encourages your subscribers to interact with you, which in turn makes them feel more confident in your company.

6. Have I previewed the email? Complete a test send so that you can view your email campaign in the preview pane, with images disabled and with different email providers (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail etc). This enables you to see the email as most of your subscribers will view it. If it doesn't look pretty then go back to your design and make the necessary amendments.

7. Has another person checked over the email? Before you press send, get someone who has not been involved in the creation of your email campaign to check over it. A fresh pair of eyes can spot mistakes that you may have overlooked.

8. Am I sending to the correct address books? This final check helps to ensure that your email campaign is being sent to the intended address books.

For more email marketing advice visit eShoutz.com.