When you hear email marketing, what kind of businesses do you think of? Stores that sell products to you? Professional offices that sell their service? What about schools? Maybe marketing and schools don’t appear to go hand in hand like some other businesses, but they actually do, especially colleges and private schools. How else do [...]

When is it a good idea to use images to promote what you’re selling in your email marketing campaign?

Email Marketing Reports described how image-heavy emails can outperform the alternatives in the right circumstances and with the right execution. This may not sound surprising, but the key phrase here is “in the right circumstances and with the right execution”.

We looked at a number of customers who were using images in a really smart way, and thought we’d take a moment to share these examples with you.

The Tangibles: Images of Your Product

If you’re selling something tangible, you want to show your subscribers a picture of it. An email from Bruder Toys is a good example of this:

Bruder Toys includes the name of the toy and price, so those that click through will most likely be interested in buying the product in the picture.
It’s easy to snap a picture of what you’re selling and insert that image in your message, but what about if you aren’t selling a tangible product?

The Less Tangibles: Using Images of Results

If you don’t have a physical product you’re selling, you can still use images in an effective way.

Think about what you’re trying to sell, maybe it’s even just an idea you’re selling, and then think of how you can provide an image of the end result that comes from using your idea.

Let’s look at some different approaches:

1. If you’re offering a service

Interior decorator Faith Sheridan uses email to connect with potential clients. Her end result is how a room will look after she’s finished working on it:

Subscribers will get to see her work and there are even links to see the before and after pictures.

You want subscribers to see samples of your work so you can increase your credibility and allow them to get to know you more. This will make them more likely to hire you!

2. If you’re giving them something to try

Southern Plate provides recipes for their subscribers. This email shows an image of an end result from one of their recipes:

It’s easy to hook subscribers when the end product looks so delicious! Southern Plate sets it up so the recipe isn’t actually in the email, so subscribers need to click through to their site in order to get the recipe.

You want subscribers to be compelled to do what your email is telling them to do, so show them the reward they’ll get for completing the task.

3. If you want them to join a program

Sixpacknow.com wants subscribers to follow their training program to get great abs. Their solution? Include an image of someone who had successful results from using the program:

People see the results they want for themselves, and are compelled to join the program. Using before and after pictures would also work well here.

You should take pictures depicting the before and after results of joining your program so subscribers can clearly see why the program will benefit them.

Keep in mind that your results don’t need to be just pictures. You can also show images of graphs and charts that will provide a visual for the success that you or someone you worked with had.

Use Split Testing to Find What Works for You

You can split test your broadcast messages to find out how images impact your emails. Split testing allows you to send different versions of your message to randomly selected groups. After sending it out, you will then need to determine what worked best.

You can use the QuickStats page to get an “at a glance” idea of how the message performed. Click tracking records the number of clicks within your message, along with the number of times each URL was clicked.

If you have Analytics set up, you can get a more in depth idea of how your message performed. You can even set up sales tracking to see how much money each message brought in. This will allow you to see more clearly what works best with your subscribers.

Remember These Tips When Using Images

When you use HTML emails, you want to make sure you’re doing the following:

• Link to a web version of your message- Broadcasts can be archived so you can use the direct URL to your message and insert it at the top of the email. That way subscribers can view your message in a web page in case they can’t see everything in their email client correctly.
• Make your message comprehensible without images- Make sure your messages are still easy to follow even when the images can’t be seen, as some email clients will have images turned off by default. You should use alternative text for your images so subscribers will still know what’s going on.
• Include a plain text version- Always include a plain text copy of your message. If a subscriber cannot receive HTML messages, it will automatically revert to the plain text copy.

Think About How Images Can Help Your Emails

Keep in mind that images can improve your emails “in the right circumstances and with the right execution.” Can you sell your idea with images? What other ways can you think of for incorporating images effectively in messages?

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“Whitelist us for better deliverability.” “Choose a delivery format.” “Update your subscriber preferences to opt out of future mailings.” You understand what all these phrases mean, but are they clear to your subscribers? Chances are your subscribers aren’t in the email marketing biz. Editing out the jargon and replacing it with wording they can understand [...]

Of course you want subscribers to open and read your email newsletters. Everyone wants that. But what you want even more is for them to take action, right? When I was working with customers to optimize their email campaigns, I was on the lookout for strategies that help improve message. You first need to get [...]

While working with customers to optimize their email campaigns, I reviewed A LOT of messages. As I was going through all them, I took notes on which ones performed well and I was able to identify some common threads. Just like I was able to share strategies to get more subscribers and keep those subscribers [...]

Subscribers and email marketers alike are creatures of habit. We find comfort in the ordinary and expected daily course of action.

Most of us probably even follow similar morning routines. We wake up, drink our coffee and get a move on with our day – squeezing in a few minutes to check our email either before or after we reach the office.

Believe it or not, those self-imposed procedures that we follow repetitiously have a lot to do with how we respond to the email marketing efforts of the companies we follow.

Some companies understand this and set proper expectations for their readers, while others aren’t quite there yet. Keep reading to see who gets it right, and how you can do the same with your own email marketing campaign!

Why Set Expectations?

It’s important that subscribers recognize your messages and form an attachment to the times and formats that you send them in. You want readers to expect certain things in your emails because when they do they tend to open, click and share the emails with others.

Long after you send your first autoresponder to your subscribers, you continue to create expectations whether you try to or not. Before a subscriber signs up, you create expectations by offering samples of your newsletter or explaining exactly what a subscriber will receive on the thank you page.

A few months later, your subscribers aren’t going to remember what you promised to send them. Most likely they won’t bother to return to your website to find out, either. So, what should you do?

Keep It Consistent

Recognition is a huge component of successful email marketing. Everything from the subject line and from line to the template that you use is important when setting expectations. You want your readers to identify your emails when they see them in their inbox.

Jay, who runs our webinars, gets emails from Tiger Direct on a regular basis. He loves gadgets, and loves getting them at affordable prices even more. Normally, Tiger Direct sends heavily styled messages that show glossy laptops and TVs like this one:

The other day, however, this plain text message landed in Jay’s inbox:

He happened to click on it, but really had no idea who the message was coming from or what it was regarding. It was even signed by the company’s president, Carl Fiorentino, but since none of the other messages mention his name, Jay was clueless.

While plain text messages certainly have many helpful benefits, when they show up out of the blue they can still be overlooked and ineffective. Make sure that your emails are consistent. Whether they are plain text or HTML, the appearance of your messages will become a trademark that your readers will recognize.

Set a Routine

We talk about the importance of sticking to the schedule a lot, yet this is an approach I’ve never encountered before. Daily Worth, a site dedicated to helping women manage their finances responsibly, keeps their schedule crystal clear for readers and email subscribers.

In each message that they send, they include an image at the top of the email to indicate the subject matter of the message. The content is the same every week on the specified day, making it easy for subscribers to identify the message and decide whether or not they want to continue reading.

You can easily do something similar with your own campaign, creating an image that mirrors your content schedule. Just be sure to include the day, the content and what they can expect to receive the next day.

How Do You Set Expectations?

Do you set expectations at sign up with your web form? Carry that through to your newsletters?

We’d love to hear how you keep subscribers informed and ready for your next messages! Let us know in the comments below.

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Don’t you dare click that “queue” button.

I see you sitting there, with your AWeber account open, itching to get your next email newsletter out the door.

Yes, you’ve thought up some pretty interesting content, you’ve checked your spelling and you’ve aligned your images properly. You can’t wait to see what kind of response this one gets. I know.

But just hold on a tic. You’ve got one thing left to do. You’ve got to…

Get Your Email Past the Gatekeeper

You see, every email campaign has a gatekeeper. The gatekeeper keeps an eye on the quality of the emails going out, making sure subscribers see what the sender intends them to.

Usually, marketers have to serve as their own gatekeepers. But occasionally, they get lucky enough for someone or something else to play that role for them.

Today, you’re that lucky.

This Checklist Will Do It For You

We’ve put together a checklist you can run each new email past. (And yes, it’s free.) It will catch and correct any errors. It won’t let you get away with a single mishap or slip-up.

You see, this new gatekeeper subscribes to a fairly strict philosophy:

“Just because no one is perfect doesn’t mean your emails can’t be!”

So move your cursor off the “queue” button. Click to download this checklist instead. Run your new message past the 20 questions you’ll find inside.

Then when you’re satisfied that your email passes the test, go back to that queue button. This time, you can push it with the assurance that the message you’re sending is exactly as it should be.

Download Your Free Email Checklist

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When you first started your campaign, did you have a preset notion of what a marketing email looks like? If you did, that notion may have become your initial layout.

And that’s good – it gave you a place to start. But if you’ve stuck with the same layout ever since, we have good news for you.

There are several types of email layouts to choose from. Some are a natural fit for that next email you’re planning. (And some aren’t.)

Have you already chosen the best format for each message? Or would one of these be a better option?

Newsletters

Click for full example

Newsletters are like a picture made up of several puzzle pieces. These pieces can be articles, suggestions, requests, offers or advertisements.

Their jigsaw nature means newsletters can be both informative and promotional, as long as the pieces fit together well.

Mequoda Group, a content marketing site, recommends a 60-40 ratio of helpful content-to-promotions. The helpful content should, however, have enough solid value to stand by itself in case readers aren’t interested in the offer.

Newsletters can be done in either HTML or plain text. HTML can be easier to read, though, since items can be separated with different colors or columns for easy scanning.

Letters

Click for full example

Letters are ideal for sending messages on a single subject with a friendly feel.

These can be either plain text or HTML. Plain text delivers a more authentic I-wrote-this-just-for-you vibe – it’s what an email from your mom would look like.

On the other hand, HTML lets you add an edge of glossiness – a logo, a background color, a signature – which can strengthen your branding.

Postcards

Click for full example

One large image with a bit of text is all postcards require. They’re simple to create and a quick, easy read.

A tip: don’t put your text directly into your image. Instead, put your words into a table and layer it over a background image. This lets your text display even if the inbox has images turned off.

Catalogs

Click for full example

Catalogs are purely promotional. They’re made up of a list of your products, usually represented by small pictures, a name and a few details such as price.

Like postcards, their content relies heavily on images being turned on, so make sure your text elements provide enough information to catch readers’ attention without them.

News Alerts

Click for full example

News alerts are brief. They’re a tip, a quote, a bit of exciting news that answers the question, “What’s going on?”

Promotional content doesn’t fit in here. Instead, alerts are meant to really keep subscribers up-to-date with initiatives they’re interested in. They’re simple to create, so subscribers can get the news almost as soon as it happens.

Keep your readers in the loop, and they’ll appreciate it – and may even pay you back with purchases.

Digests

Click for full example

Sent to subscribers on a regular basis, a digest is like your campaign’s Sunday New York Times.

It’s a mega-newsletter that lists everything subscribers might want to know and links to all of your recent articles, blog posts and other activity.

With so much information presented, chances are good that something is going to catch each reader’s eye.

Which Should You Be Using?

Keep in mind, you’re likely to end up with different pegs for different emails. So each time you’re designing a new message, ask yourself:

• What is my focus here? Is it thought leadership, selling a product, building relationships?
• How much content do I want to send? Would pictures, links or paragraphs get my ideas across best?
• What action am I calling subscribers to here, and how can I best highlight it?
• Is this a regularly scheduled update that should always have the same format?
• How much time have I scheduled to put this email together?

What Do You Think?

What formats have you been using for your emails?

Do they work well with your content? Do they help you accomplish your goals?

Can you suggest any other formats for marketers to choose from?

Like many businesses, you may be exploring integrating social media with your email marketing campaigns. Doing so can expand the reach of your messages and grow both your fans/followers as well as your email list.

So at AWeber, we’ve made a point of helping you combine email and social media by helping you automatically share your email newsletters on Twitter and Facebook.

As some of you noted when we rolled out our integration with Facebook, it only worked with personal profiles (not fan pages) due to limitations with Facebook’s API. We knew you wanted to post to your fan pages, but it wasn’t technically feasible at the time.

Well, as the saying goes, the only constant is change. And this is a good one. Facebook has changed their API, we’ve changed our integration and you can now post your email newsletters to your fan pages.

How to Share Your Email Newsletters On Your Facebook Fan Page

Go to your List Settings page and click the “Connect To A New Facebook Account” button under the Social Media / Sharing header (this works the same way whether you have a Facebook account connected already or not).

When prompted, allow AWeber Email Marketing to manage your pages.

When you create your broadcast, go to the “Social Media/Sharing” section and choose to share the email on your fan page.

That’s all there is to it! Feel free to take a look at our Knowledge Base for more detailed information and instructions on integrating Facebook and AWeber.

Enjoy!

Social media is a big part of the marketing world these days. Most net-savvy businesses (including us here at AWeber) have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. That being the case, we’ve found that people are always looking for ways to make their social media and email marketing campaigns work together.

Those of you familiar with our service will know that we’ve helped customers automatically tweet their email newsletters for some time now.

Recently, we’ve updated our social media options to make combining your social media efforts with your AWeber account even easier.

Automatically Post Broadcasts On Facebook!

With our new Social Media / Sharing options you can automatically post your broadcasts to your Facebook wall.

In the spirit of consistency, you can create new connections with Twitter and Facebook through your account’s List Settings page. This is also where you can pick a default Twitter and Facebook account specific to each list.

If you want to get started with this new feature right away, you can refer to our knowledge base for a more detailed walkthrough.

Multiple Twitter / Facebook Accounts? No Problem.

As we were revisiting our options for social media integration, we decided to make it easier for our users to work with multiple Twitter accounts. If you’re unfamiliar with how Twitter works with AWeber, we have an easy-to-follow knowledge base article.

When creating a broadcast you will find the options to tweet / post your broadcast towards the bottom of the page under the “Social Media / Sharing” section. The accounts you have selected as your defaults will automatically be selected for your convenience.

Don’t Forget To Check The Preview!

So now that you’ve added your Twitter and Facebook accounts and selected a default for each, we’ve provided you with a preview of what your new tweet / post will look like. As a good measure and reassurance you can see exactly what you are about to post / tweet before you send your message.

How Does Integrating Email Marketing and Social Media Help Your Business?

Have you been sharing your email newsletters on Twitter, Facebook and/or other sites? (If not, are you planning to now?)

What have the effects been (or what do you expect they will be) on your business and marketing?

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