When you’re searching for a new email marketing system, the options can seem endless. Some platforms have been around forever (Constant Contact, MailChimp, and Aweber), while others are newer to the market (FloDesk and Convert Kit). Some platforms offer more robust customer relationship management (CRM) features, while others are more of a standalone service. 

Finding the right fit for you is often dependent on the size of your organization, your sending frequency, the size of your list, and your marketing goals. When it comes to small businesses, the three platforms we see utilized most widely are FloDesk, MailChimp, and Convert Kit. 

Today, we’ll be comparing and contrasting two of our favorites -- MailChimp and FloDesk -- to give you further insight into which platform might work best for your organization. 

Aesthetics/Design

(Winner: FloDesk)

FloDesk reigns when it comes to aesthetics – their minimal and millennial-friendly templates feature a clean and fresh design. Many of their prototype emails are image heavy with minimally designed supporting elements, making it easy to set up a visually appealing email. 

While MailChimp makes it possible to achieve a similar aesthetic, it can take a bit more elbow grease to get there. Their templates are fairly dated and gimmicky by comparison, meaning you’ll be investing more time to get your desired look. There’s more of a learning curve and some custom coding can be needed to achieve a branded aesthetic. 

Overall, we would name FloDesk the winner when it comes to aesthetics – their templates are more on trend, and the minimal look of their overall product is a slam dunk for busy business owners who don’t want to spend a lot of time wavering over what font to use.

Integrations 

(Winner: MailChimp)

When it comes to integrations, FloDesk relies on Zapier for the majority of their integrations. Zapier is a tool that lets you connect the apps you use every day to automate your work and be more productive. Through Zapier, you can connect Flodesk to more than 1500 apps and easy integrations in minutes. Be advised that the cost for Zapier can grow quickly – while they offer a free level of service, monthly plans can cost between $20-$600/month.

MailChimp includes over 200+ app integrations with every plan. You can integrate with major website builders (Squarespace, Wordpress, Shopify), payment software (Stripe) and a variety of scheduling and creativity tools. 

When it comes to comparing integrations, MailChimp is our winner here because integrations are built in and don’t require additional setup or cost. 

Functionality 

(Winner: MailChimp)

MailChimp’s features have grown over the past few years to include both more robust email features, as well as a wider array of CRM functions. MailChimp offers more detailed segmenting and tagging features, making it easier to target prospects based on their behavior. 

FloDesk offers email templates, an email builder, basic automation, forms, analytics, and workflows. However, there are some key features MailChimp offers that FloDesk doesn’t: 

• AB Testing

• Auto-responders

• Behavioral targeting

• CAN SPAM compliance 

• Customer survey

• Digital ads

• Drip campaign

• Dynamic content

• Image library 

• Landing pages

• Shoppable landing pages

• Transactional email 

MailChimp is the clear winner when it comes to overall functionality and capability. 

Ease of Use

(Winner: Draw) 

When it comes to ease of use, FloDesk takes the cake for its quick set up and easy to use interface. However, as we detailed above, MailChimp boasts substantially more robust features. So while it takes a little more time to get acquainted with the interface, it’s more a result of the complexity of the product than a lacking user interface.  

We would rule this category a draw, because when it comes to user interface, both products are well designed and easy to navigate. 

Collaboration

(Winner: MailChimp)

As an agency who helps clients establish and design their marketing emails, MailChimp offers collaboration flexibility that FloDesk doesn’t. MailChimp allows you to add multiple users to your account so you can track who is making changes and give different permission levels to different team members. FloDesk limits you to one login, which can create both security and workflow issues. 

Pricing

(Winner: FloDesk)

FloDesk Pricing

When it comes to which product is cheaper, there isn’t a clear-cut answer. Deciding which pricing structure is most advantageous for your business depends on the goals of your email marketing and how much you plan to grow your list. 

FloDesk starts you out with a 30-day free trial and from there you’re charged a flat rate price of $38/month. If you’re looking to grow your list exponentially or are a growing business, this transparent pricing is really appealing.  

MailChimp’s pricing structure is fairly complicated and is based on the number of contacts and email sends you need each month. Things quickly get complicated, and if you’re regularly adding to your email list you may notice your monthly bill going up on each invoice. However, one big advantage of MailChimp’s pricing is that they offer a forever free plan for up to 2,000 contacts. If you’re a really small business who isn’t planning for aggressive growth, this free option may clock in much cheaper than FloDesk’s monthly pricing. 

MailChimp Pricing Sample

The Bottom Line

(Overall winner: MailChimp)

While FloDesk offers clean aesthetics and easy pricing, it’s clear you’ll sacrifice a lot in terms of features and functionality. For most businesses, we find that MailChimp is the way to go.

If you’re a new businesses who has a large list and only wants to send a few basic emails, FloDesk could be a good fit for a streamlined process and low monthly pricing. But if you’re looking to grow your email marketing efforts, or run an e-commerce business we would encourage you to stick to MailChimp.

While the monthly costs can ring in a little higher, the advanced functionality and more powerful features can help you build business and score sales in the long-run. 

Most importantly, if you’re still torn, we suggest doing a deep dive on features before making a final choice – setting up your email marketing automations is no small task and you don’t want to be put in the position of needing to switch platforms. 

Have a question about a specific feature or platform? Drop us a comment below and we’ll help you figure out the best fit for your business!  

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HUE & TONE CREATIVE: EMAIL MARKETING IN GREENSBORO, NC

Whether you need help building out your annual email strategy, finding just the right words, or establishing a branded template, Hue & Tone is here to help. To establish or improve your email strategy, get in touch with our team at (336)365-8550.

MailChimp is a tried-and-true email marketing tool – the reasonable pricing and easy to use interface make it a good fit for small to mid-sized businesses that are looking to expand their digital marketing efforts. What most people don’t know is that MailChimp offers a lot more than basic email marketing capabilities. 

We’ve personally been using MailChimp for well over 10 years – and in that time the platform has added numerous tools and integrations to help their customers manage digital marketing campaigns from start to finish in one place. For example, integrated landing pages and social ads allow you to launch full scale campaigns that go beyond just emails. MailChimp also offers a built in CRM, multiple CRM integration options, and detailed analytics so you can closely analyze and tailor your efforts. 

To get the most out of your MailChimp account, we’re highlighting a few key features and actions that will help your campaigns see better results:  

Top tip for new MailChimp Users: Have a marketing plan

If you’re new to MailChimp, it’s important to approach your first campaign with a plan. Email campaigns are an effective low-cost way for small businesses to stay in touch with customers – but without a well thought out strategy in place, you may turn into an inbox nuisance and end up alienating previous customers. 

Not sure what to talk about in your emails? Or, how to design them? We’ve got another post that dives in-depth on how to write and design your email marketing communications. 

At the most basic level, you’ll want to start by defining your audience. Even if you’re a new business, you need to have a clear idea of who your target customers are. MailChimp lets you segment audiences with multiple tags so you can better tailor emails – so, don’t just stop at one big list – instead, tag customers based on demographic information, past spending habits, and their stage of the customer journey. We also suggest tagging and targeting based on how a subscriber joined your list. Knowing how someone signed up gives you valuable insight into how best to target them. 

Once you’ve acquainted yourself with your audience, it’s time to decide what types of content you will be emailing and how often. We suggest planning regular emails at least 3 weeks in advance so that your subscribers know when they’ll hear from you – and so your content follows a cohesive narrative. 

In addition to planning out your emails, we suggest keeping a content calendar that schedules out all campaigns, blog posts, ads, and social media posts so that your email fits into your larger strategy. 

For existing MailChimp Users:  

1. A/B test for effectiveness 

MailChimp allows you to test up to 3 variations of your campaign that test subject lines, content, from names, and send times, as well as how many people will receive your test emails. Testing these various elements gives you real world data that allows you to send the most effective campaign possible. 

Need step-by-step instructions on how to conduct an A/B test? MailChimp has a resource for that.

Once you’ve built the test campaigns (but before you hit send) it’s time to choose the metric that defines success. This could be clicks, opens, or direct revenue. MailChimp will gather your results and automatically send out the winning campaign to remaining contacts.  

2. Get to know your audience better

Once you’ve sent a handful of campaigns, it’s time to get to know your audience even better. Learning more and adapting your campaigns accordingly is key to any successful campaign. If you’ve been using MailChimp for a while or have just been sending to one list, it’s time to do a deeper dive and start tailoring ­your content. 

On average, segmented campaigns have 23% higher open rates and 49% higher click-through rates than unsegmented campaigns (source: Canto). Learning more about your audience’s demographics and behavior will allow you to better use MailChimp’s powerful segmentation to micro target emails. 

Don’t worry if you haven’t gathered a lot of information about your contacts – MailChimp is here to help you with that. Their predictive demographic tool does the heavy lifting for you, predicting gender and age information for contacts in your audience, regardless of whether they've engaged with your campaign content in the past.

You can also connect your enterprise CRM to import specific information about your existing contacts. 

3­­. Make the most out of automation 

Automations allow you to send more emails (and better targeted emails) by allowing you to set and forget pre-built emails. Automated emails can be targeted based on a certain behavior or be part of a series targeted to a certain group. A few examples of MailChimp’s built in automation features:  

• Customer Journeys: Build personalized purchase paths based on a customer’s unique behavior. 

• Behavior Based Automations: Trigger relevant messages based on how contacts interact with your app. 

• Transactional Emails: Send transactional emails with MailChimp’s API or SMTP. 

• Postcards: Stand out by mailing customers postcards at regular intervals. 

• Date-based automations: Reach out to people on big days, like birthdays or anniversaries. 

• RSS-to-email: Keep your people in the know by sharing your latest posts.  

Automations can be used at any stage of the customer journey. You can welcome new subscribers with a series of get-to-know you content (and maybe an exclusive discount), you can remind customers about abandoned carts, provide exclusive discounts, keep them up to date on orders, or provide product recommendations. 

Have a group of inactive contacts? Consider sending a series of re-engagement emails to try to incite an action before completely removing these folks from your database. 

Build out your first automation with your newly labeled and segmented customers in mind. Automation is a great way to nurture existing contacts and grow their interaction and loyalty to your brand.

One final takeaway: Don’t forget to measure your results  

Once you’ve created a strong email marketing plan, don’t forget to measure your results and make adjustments. Passively looking at your MailChimp open rates doesn’t count as measuring your campaign success. Set benchmarks for success (open rates, click throughs, direct sales, etc) and measure your campaigns against them. Then make adjustments to the frequency, content, and related ads as needed. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: your mailchimp partner

Signed up for a MailChimp account… but not sure what comes next? We’ll help you determine important reporting metrics, plan a content calendar, and even design your emails. Keep your focus on your business by outsourcing your email marketing to us, and get all the benefits of email marketing without the headaches.

Cultivating an email list is an important element of any cohesive digital marketing plan. It’s fast, flexible, and cost effective. It allows you to directly connect with past, current, and future customers in a tailored and carefully targeted way. 

Like all digital marketing, email marketing has undergone changes in past years – but it’s as relevant in 2020 as it’s ever been. Reasonably priced and highly flexible, email marketing shows a great return on investment:

• Emails are 6x more likely than tweets to get higher click-through rates (source)

• Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter (source)

• 81% of online shoppers who receive emails based on previous shopping habits were at least somewhat likely to make a purchase as a result of targeted email (source)

• 72% people prefer to receive promotional content through email, compared to 17% who prefer social media (source)

• Email marketing has an ROI of 3800% (source)

Who should be on your list 

Avoid spamming people – don’t send emails to people who haven’t actively signed up for your email communications. 

How you organize your email lists will vary greatly based on your goals, but we encourage you to gather every email you can (even if it’s someone you are not ready to market to just yet). Your email list should consist of email addresses from past/current customers and qualified leads. You can use email to communicate everything from company information and product updates to discounts and exclusive content. 

 In order to derive the maximum benefit from your email list, it’s important that you continue building your list over time. The more subscribers you gain, the more valuable your email list becomes – and the more potential revenue you can gain from utilizing it. 

Places to build your email list

• Call to Action (CTA) buttons/links: Every landing page and blog page on your website should have a CTA for your email list. Embed them in the text of the page and be sure to add a sign-up at the bottom of every post.

• Gather sign-ups through social media: No matter the size of your budget, Facebook is a great place to capture new leads. The advanced targeting allows you to connect with fairly qualified leads and cultivate them over time through email. 

• Cart opt-in: Someone who is already checking out on your website is clearly interested in your product – making it a perfect time to ask them to opt into emails. When a customer places an order and gives you their information, you’ll want to capitalize on the opportunity by asking them if they want to receive promotional emails. 

• Contact forms: Similar to the cart opt-in strategy, allow people who are sending a general inquiry to opt into your email list. 

• Integrate with your CRM: Do you utilize an existing customer relationship management tool like Hubspot? Using an integration with your existing CRM can be a great way to automatically add new contacts to your email database.  

• Free Content Offers: Have gated content or a freebie you could use to drive email sign-ups? Share it on social media! If you have a free printout or digital download you want to offer people, make it an exclusive for new email subscribers and deliver it directly to their inbox (which means you’ll capture their email address in the meantime). 

• Referral Programs: Someone who loves your product is the best ambassador for it – get existing customers to refer folks to your brand. Offer cash rewards, discounts, or points and build a full-on loyalty program that will keep the referrals rolling in. 

• Exit intent pop-ups: This is a pop up that appears right when you’re about to click to a new page or ex out of the tab. As visitors are about to leave, offer them something that will make them become an email subscriber. This will allow you to continue to engage with them. Just make sure to use cookies to track returning visitors so that you don’t repeatedly show them the same pop-up.
  
  

Tailor for maximum benefit 

No matter what stage of the buying process a lead is in, you can create a targeted email that appeals to them. 

Automations that are triggered by a specific action can save you time and allow you to have a more personalized interaction with a customer. Automated triggers also allow you to respond to your customers interest in real-time. Did they abandon a shopping cart full of goods? Send them an email reminding them to check out… or, enticing them with a discount for completing the purchase!

Other Benefits

• Measurable: Tracking the success of a promotion is easy with the built-in analytics that email software offers. Track delivery rates, bounce rates, click through, and open rates easily and effectively.

• A/B Testing: Testing the effectiveness of different elements of your email (like photos, copy, colors, or calls to action) will ensure your email is as effective as possible. 

• Targeted messaging: We’ve already touched on this a bit, but the ability to highly tailor and nurture a lead is a capability almost no other type of marketing can offer. 

• Everyone uses it: Almost 91% of all consumers use email, which gives email marketing widespread appeal. 

• Environmentally friendly: In addition to being cheaper, digital mailings save trees. A huge bonus if your business is sustainably minded! 

One last tip: Do you have a list of older or less interested contacts? Reinvigorate it by sending a message to re-engage these contacts. Let them know you’ll be removing anyone who doesn’t respond – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how many people choose to opt in and stick around. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your partner in email marketing

Completely overwhelmed by all the emails you have to send out? Outsource the work to an expert and get the full return on investment that email marketing has to offer. We’re here to help you develop a strategy for your digital marketing: from identifying target demographics to crafting emails and targeting social media ads. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help.

Check out all our email marketing posts here.

Over the last few months, email marketing has been the topic of our most popular blogs — and with a low up front investment and great conversion rate, we can see why.

We’ve compiled a few of our favorite email marketing blogs into an easy to reference list. From the basics of what kind of emails to send to templates for upselling emails, we hope you’ll find what you need here.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Leave us a comment letting us know what we should post about!

Email Basics

4 types of emails you need to be sending

You can send a wide variety of different emails to your marketing list, but if you’re just getting started with email marketing, there’s a few types of emails we suggest you start with. These four types are all great to engage both new customers and old leads.

Learn more here >

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How to write a subject line that gets clicks

If you’re struggling to see the click through rate your campaigns need to succeed, we’ve got a bank of ideas to help give them a boost.

Get the details here >

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6 reasons to send a company newsletter

Newsletters can, and should be, a staple lead-generating part of your marketing activity. They add credibility. They add value. And, most importantly, they add revenue to your books.

Read it here >

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6 ways to spruce up your email signature

By leveraging your email signature you could drive more traffic to your site, increase your social following and promote current or upcoming sales.

Learn more here >

Email Templates

If you’re just getting started with email campaigns, these quick and customizable templates will help you get things off on the right foot.

3 cross-sell emails that convert

There’s endless potential sales out there to To help improve the chance of upselling, we’ve compiled three proven cross-sell templates for you to tweak and use.

Get the templates here >

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4 event emails that will increase attendance rates

If your attendance levels aren’t as high as you’d hoped this four-stage email marketing plan will help you hit your event’s overarching key performance indicators.

Learn more here >

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4 free welcome template emails

According to Salesforce’s benchmark study, welcome emails are the third most popular type of email sent by businesses. If done right, they engage new customers straight away by prompting recipients to start the next stage in their customer journey.

Learn more here >

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Hue & Tone Creative: your Email Marketing Partners

Need a hand writing or designing your very own emails? Look no further - we’ve got you covered from content development to design. To discuss our email services and more, contact us at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

How many emails do you reckon most people receive a day? 20? 40? 60? All wrong. On average, we receive 77 legitimate emails every single day, along with 19 spammy ones too.

Of those 98 emails though, how many do you think put much more than a second’s thought into their email signature? Not many. They’re a commonly missed, free marketing opportunity. 

By leveraging that space at the foot of your email you could:

• Drive more traffic to your site

• Increase your social following

• Promote current or upcoming sales, referral schemes, etc.

• Boost your inbound leads

Want your email signature to start making money for you? We don’t blame you. Whether it’s a company email to target prospects or employee correspondence to an existing client, here’s how to do it.

1. Basic contact details

• Your full name

• Your contact number

• Your email address

• The company’s name

• The company's website

• The company’s postal address

These are the absolutely basics, but you’d be surprised by how many people sign off their emails with none, like this:

For starters, it doesn’t exactly ooze professionalism. But it also blocks the recipient from quickly learning more about you and your company. In a dog eat dog world it’s all about ease, so save your readers a click or two by serving them all your information on a plate.

Added bonus: it’ll also save you time by reducing the number of people who respond asking questions like ‘What’s your phone number’ or ‘Do you have a website?’.

2. Inject a bit of color 

Color attracts attention, solidifies your branding, and just looks better. Be honest, which looks more eye-grabbing out of these two?

Example 1:

Image via rocketseed.com

Example 2:

3. Include your logo

Not sure about your logo? See if you need a refresh here.

Your logo is your organization’s footprint. It should be on your site, social media profiles, business cards, digital ads, flyers and…your email signature.

Whether you’re contacting new prospects or lifelong suppliers, placing your logo at the foot of your email will enable them to quickly and easily recognize where you’re from and add a layer of trust to what you’re sending. 

4. Add your social links

By including social media icons and linking out to your feeds you’ll:

a) increase your social following
b) give recipients an opportunity to learn more about you
c) add credibility to your email (people will see you’re a legit business…with legit branding)

If you’re going to point people to your social profiles though, remember to make sure you’re regularly updating them. Sending someone to a Facebook page that hasn’t seen a new post in 12 months is a wasted lead.

5. Spread your tagline 

Okay so you’re probably thinking this is an awful lot to fit in your email signature, but don’t worry, if you get the design right it won’t look over the top.

Your tagline is a snappy summary of what your company is all about. It’s something to be proud of and it’s something to shout from the rooftops. So, do just that by seizing the opportunity in your email signature.

The benefit? People will instantly get a very good idea of your values and understand what to expect from you.

6. Promote any sales or schemes

Last but not least, if you’ve got a current or upcoming flash sale, referral scheme, or discount offer, let everyone you email know about it. Even if you only get one more referral or purchase from it, it’s worth it, because it doesn’t cost you a single cent. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your partners in email marketing

Worried your email signature’s going to start looking more clumsy than qualified? When it comes to creating professional, slick, and stylish designs we know what will get your audience ticking. Contact the team at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com to see how we can collaborate. 

Picture this: you head to your local sports store to grab a new pair of sneakers. One of the assistants comes over and asks if you need help. You accept. While showing you the shoes, they point out their range of high-performance socks, insoles, and foam rollers. 

You walk out of the shop with the shoes you originally came for…and a three-pack of new socks too.

You probably didn’t realize it at the time, but you were just the subject of up-selling and cross-selling in person.

This tactic works well in person, but it works just as well online. There’s endless potential sales out there to seize -- but if you’re not grabbing these cross-sell opportunites with both hands, your business’ bottom line could be missing out.

To help improve the chance of upselling, we’ve compiled three proven cross-sell templates for you to tweak and use.

Opportunity #1: Right after a sale

Your very first cross-sell opportunity comes right after a new customer has made a purchase. We recommend sending out a thank you email — while you’re still fresh in the customer’s mind, offer them some complementary products.

For example, if you’re a DIY company and someone’s just bought a gallon of paint, why not highlight your paint brush, roller, and trays range? If they don’t already have them, odds are they’ll need them very soon… 

Sticking with the paint example, here’s some sample copy:

Hi [insert name],

Thanks a bunch for choosing us for your next DIY project. 

Your order’s been sent to the warehouse and should be on your doorstep in the next 2-3 business days.

If you need some more tools for the job, check out our range of [paint brushes, paint rollers, and paint trays]. 

If there’s anything else we can help you with, get in touch with our customer service team on [insert number].

Thanks again,

[Company X] team

Opportunity #2: when asking for a review

It’s good practice to check in with customers down the line and ask for a review. The review itself will not only help you attract more new customers, but it could help you improve your product or service too.

So, if you’re already doing this, take the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and steer them towards some more of your offerings. Here’s how you could do it:

Hi [insert name], 

Thanks for shopping with us recently. 

Here at [company name] we take what you think to heart, and we’re always looking for ways to build on what we’ve got. If you have just a minute to spare, we’d love to hear what you thought about your recent purchase. 

>LEAVE A REVIEW< 

If you liked what you got, these might just be up your street too:

[Reel of relevant product names and images]

We look forward to hopefully seeing what you say soon.

Thanks,

[Company X] team

Opportunity #3: promotional pitch

Your cross-sell efforts don’t always have to piggyback onto another of your email activities. You can also send emails when you have a sale happening, you want to promote a new product, or offer a discount on a certain service. You can send cross-sell pitches whenever you want, just make sure you don’t bombard your database with emails — and be sure to keep the products or service offers relevant.

Here’s an example to steal some inspiration from:

Hi [insert name], 

So, you’ve taken out our [insert service name] service, but have you ever considered our [insert service name] offering too?

If the answer’s yes then now’s the time to make your move, because we’re exclusively offering 15% off to existing customers!

By taking out our [insert service name]service, you’ll benefit from:

• Benefit #1

• Benefit #2

• Benefit #3

• Benefit #4

To claim your discount today, just use the code SUMMER2019 at checkout.

Thanks,

[Company X] team 

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Hue & Tone: Email Design and Marketing

So, you’ve got the words, but do you have the design? Don’t worry if not, we can help you create kickass email templates that complement your content and encourage customers to re-convert. Interested? Then get in touch at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

Organizing an event is no easy feat -- it’s time intensive, resource intensive, and financially intensive. So, if you’re investing your efforts into pulling an event together, you’ll want to make sure you’re squeezing every bit of benefit out of it as you can.

If your attendance levels aren’t as high as you’d hoped, hopefully, this four-stage email marketing plan will help you hit your event’s overarching key performance indicators (KPIs).

Phase #1: the invite

First things first, you need to pique peoples’ interest, and to do this, you need to feed them with the facts that will benefit them. What will they come away knowing that they don’t know now? How will this information benefit them? And what do you have to offer that others don’t? 

And, of course, as with any email, this all needs to be said in as few words as possible; easier said than done, we know.

The template 

Hi [insert name],

Do you want to build your business’ brand awareness? Attract more people to your site? Overtake your competitors? And increase that all-important profit margin?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes?

Then you NEED to come to our next event: [insert event name].

This event is being hosted by [insert speaker’s name] and he/she brings a whole load of knowledge to the table. He/she’s:

• Reason #1 (e.g. number of years’ experience)

• Reason #2 (e.g. qualifications)

• Reason #3 (e.g. big brands they’ve helped)

Interested? Here are the details:

• Date:XX/XX/XXXX

• Time:XX.XX

• Duration:XX hours

• Location:XXXXXXXX

To secure your spot today, just RSVP to this email and let us know how many of you will be joining us.

Thanks,

[Company X] team

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Phase #2: confirmation 

This one doesn’t need to be long at all, but don’t leave people guessing; let them know - right away - they’ve successfully signed up to your event. It’s a nice added touch, shows your professionalism, and saves them accidentally signing up twice.

The template

Hi [insert name],

Thanks for signing up for our [insert event name]event!

We’re really looking forward to meeting you there and we can’t wait for you to see what we’re all about. 

We’ll touch base with you again soon, but if you need anything from us between now and then, get in touch with our team at [insert number].

Thanks again,

 [Company X] team

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Phase #3: Keep them keen 

Once you’ve got a bunch of people on board, let them know they’ve not slipped off your radar – and, as an added bonus, arm them with even more valuable information. We suggest sharing content like a blog article or guide that is relevant to the topic(s) covered in the event.

The template

Hi [insert name],

It’s only one week until our [insert event name]event - eek! We hope you’re as excited as we are for the big day.

To give you a flavor of what’s to come, we’ve put together a free guide on [insert event topic(s)]for you - just click hereto read it.

See you very soon!

Thanks,

[Company X] team

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Phase #4: the reminder

The fourth and final stage of your pre-event build-up is your reminder. This one is important because, let’s be honest, everyone’s human and we all forget things now and then - especially at work when we’ve got to-do lists as long as our arm! So, give your attendee list a polite prod the day before. That’s how you can ensure your event is fresh on their mind.

The template

Hi [insert name],

We can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

To save you crawling through your emails, here’s all the info you need to get to the venue:

• Location:XXXXXXXX

• Time:XX.XX

• Duration:XX hours

• Directions:XXXXXXXXXXX

See you tomorrow, 

[Company X] team

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Hue & Tone Creative: Let’s work together

If you need help with your email event marketing, presentation graphics, branding, business cards, or more, that’s exactly what we’re here for. Get in touch at (336) 365-8559 or hueandtonecreative.com to see what exactly we can do for you.

Colleague #1:“Lets change the layout of this landing page.”

Colleague #2: “What’s the reason for the change?”

Colleague #1:“Just because. Maybe it’ll work better.”

How many times have you had or heard a conversation along these lines? It’s the marketing equivalent of shooting in the dark and hoping for the best. 

Spoiler: there’s a better way to make big business decisions.

A/B testing, also sometimes referred to as ‘split testing’, is a type of experiment used by marketers to gauge which variation of a campaign works best. 

The concept itself has been around for a long time, but is particularly relevant in the worlds of email and web marketing. It’s an inexpensive and reliable method to really understand whatworks for the correct audience. 

When it comes to what you can test the possibilities are almost endless, but some common examples include:

• Landing page copy

• Call to actions (CTAs)

• Email subject lines

• Headlines

• Product descriptions

• Advertisement imagery and colors

• Email sender names

• Personalization options

The benefits of A/B testing

How many times have you or a colleague made a decision based on instinct, a gut feeling, or best practice? It’s impossible to predict how people will react, and A/B testing will help you remove some of that guess work.

If done right, it can give you tangible insights that increase web traffic and conversions -- and decrease bounce rates and missed opportunities. 

If done wrong, inaccurate results can be extracted which can result in performance-damaging decisions being made. So, let’s make sure you get it right! 

How to get started 

1. Pick your variable

First things first, you need to pick which variable you want to test. It’s important to focus your efforts on only one element or change at a time, otherwise you won’t know which is responsible for your surge or slump in performance.

For example, if you were focusing on improving the conversion rate of an email and changed the color of your CTA and the template, how would you know which change was behind the results?

That doesn’t mean you can’t fiddle with various elements of a single campaign, it just means they can’t be measured concurrently. Sticking with the email example, you’d need to make your CTA change, analyze your results, take action accordingly, and then experiment with your template

2. Set your goals

Once you’ve settled on your variable, you need to set its primary goal. Let’s say your experimenting with the text on a landing page, your primary goal could be to either: 

• Reduce the page’s bounce rate

• Increase the average time spent on the page

• Increase the page’s conversion rate
  
  

3. Create your variables

Next up, you need to create your two variations. Your control version is either what you already have (i.e. current webpage copy) or what you’d normally use (your standard email template, for example).

Your second variation - the ‘challenger’ - is the same asset, but with the isolated change you’re looking to test. For example, let’s pretend your testing if changing the color of your ‘Buy now’ button increases conversions.  

Your control version would be simply leaving the webpage unaltered, and your challenger version would involve using the exact same page, but changing the color of the button to X, Y or Z. It’s as simple as that.

4. Split your data

When it comes to splitting your data, it’s important to divvy it up equally - i.e. 50/50. The reason for this, is that it’s the quickest and most reliable way to get statistically significant results.

To make a decision on which variable is more effective, each has to be viewed the same amount of times. So, if you were to split your data 30/70 (with 30% going to your challenger version and 70% to the original), for example, it’d take much longer for your challenger to rack up the numbers needed to complete your experiment.

If you’re not sure where to start with this bit, here are some of the best rated A/B testing tools to help you:

• VWO

• Optimizely

• Omniconvert

• Crazy Egg

• AB Tasty

5. Set your sample size

This one will vary depending on what you’re testing and which A/B testing tool you use. If you’re testing a webpage, for example, you might want to set yourself a target number of visitors to base your experiment on.

Or, if you’re measuring a social media ad, you might choose to set your campaign to run until each variation has earned 3,000 impressions, for example.

For help on how to determine your sample size, check out this guide.

6. Analyze your results

Last but not least, you need to take the time to carefully read and understand your results. During the analysis stage, it’s important to keep your primary goal in mind and not get distracted by other metrics.

By this, we mean if your main goal was to improve email conversions by changing your template, try not to get too caught up with things like open rate, click through rate (CTR), and bounce rate.

Important things to remember

Before you get going with your A/B tests, here are a few final points to bear in mind:

• Run both your variations at the same time

• Run your tests for the same amount of time

• Only run one test at a time

• Give your experiment enough time to produce meaningful results

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Hue & Tone Creative: Your Marketing Partner

If you need help producing your A/B testing assets, you know where we are. To discuss your needs, goals and requirements, contact the team at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

According to Salesforce’s benchmark study, welcome emails (42%) are the third most popular type of email sent by businesses, trailing only to newsletters (66%) and promotional content (54%). Of the marketers who send them, three quarters rated them as highly effective.

But why are they so important, we hear you wonder? If done right, they engage new customers straight away by prompting recipients to start the next stage in their customer journey -- and they also provide a means for you to follow up on any value propositions you promised (a new customer discount, for example). 

One last important thing to note before we dive right in with our templates, are these six golden rules: 

1. Send your welcome email ASAP

2. Remember to stamp your branding on it

3. Include social links to encourage further engagement

4. Track your email analytics and act on any concerning metrics

5. Keep them short and to the point

6. Only use personalization if you’re 100% confident your data is correct
   

Now, on to what you came for, the all-important templates to get you going…

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Example 1: Product Purchase

Hi [insert name], 

Thanks for choosing Company X for your Product Y needs - we’re so happy you chose us!

We’ve been delivering our goods to customers - like you - for X years now, and we can’t wait for you to see what all the fuss is about.

As our welcome gift to you, we’d like to offer you 15% off your next purchase with us. To claim your discount, simply enter the code WELCOME19 at checkout.

And if you want to keep up-to-date with our activity (including exciting giveaways!), don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Thanks again, 

[Company X] team

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Example 2: Service Sign-Up 

Hi [insert name],

Welcome to the team!

We’re delighted to have you on board and we can’t wait to start supporting you with our [insert service name].

The next steps are super simple:

1. Your dedicated service manager will be in touch soon to talk you through the set-up process.

2. Our Finance Team will invoice you on every [insert date] of the month.

3. If you have any questions, our customer service team will be available on [insert phone number] between [insert hours and days].

It really is that easy. 

For regular updates, news, hints and tips off our experts, don’t forget to check into our blog every now and then, and if you’re feeling social, why not hit us up on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram? 

Thanks again, 

[Company X] team

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Example 3: Newsletter Sign-up

Hi [insert name],

Thank you for signing up to our monthly newsletter.

It’ll land in your inbox on the second Tuesday of every month, and it’ll be brimming with useful tips, guides, videos, resources, and more.

If, at any point, you have any feedback on our newsletters, we’d love to know what you think at [insert email address].

To hear more from us, head over to our social profiles and give us a follow:

[Social media icons]

Thanks again,

[Company X] team

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Example 4: Event Registration

Hi [insert name],

Congratulations, you’ve successfully signed up to our [insert event name] event - we already can’t wait for you to join us on the big day!

Just so you have them handy, here are the details:  

• Date:

• Time:

• Location: 

Don’t worry, we’ll send a reminder email over a few days before, just to be safe. 

If you have any questions between now and then, you can reach the team on [insert number] or [insert email address].

And so the countdown begins!

See you soon,

[Company X] team

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Hue & Tone Creative: Marketing in Greensboro and Beyond

Need a hand writing or designing your very own welcome email? Then look no further - we’ve got you covered. To discuss our email services and more, contact us on (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

“For years, in large part thanks to the newsletter I think, I’ve never had trouble attracting new clients and the right kinds of clients. People will read my newsletter and be able to tell if I’m the right person for the project before they even call me.”

- Tom Ahern, Small Business Owner

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Sold already? 

Newsletters can, and should be, a staple lead-generating part of your marketing activity. They add credibility. They add value. And, most importantly, they add revenue to your books.

In fact, you could say the proof’s already in the pudding. According to research conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, 83% of B2B marketers already send out email newsletters. And let’s be honest, the majority of organizations wouldn’t be willingly pouring their time and resources into them if the investment wasn’t worthwhile…right? 

Whether you’re already sending newsletters or are new to the scene, here’s a reminder of their six core benefits:

1. Constant communication

Sending a regular newsletter to prospective, current and past customers (providing they’ve asked for it, of course) opens up a non-invasive, continual line of communication. It might be one-sided, but it enables you to keep talking to your target market in a way that doesn’t leave them feeling bombarded. 

2. Gentle reminders

Whether you opt to send your newsletter weekly, biweekly, monthly or biannually, it serves as a reminder of your business to the recipients and ensures your name remains at the forefront of their mind. The benefit to you? It means they’re morelikely to turn to you when they’re in need of your product or service.

3. Add value

If your newsletter is packed with genuinely useful hints, tips, guides and videos, you’ll be giving something back to people for free - and they’ll appreciate that. But (and this is a big but) you’ll only reap the rewards of this if your newsletter content’s rich and relevant, which is where we can’t stress the importance of quality content enough. 

4. Increase sales

If you plan and pick your content smartly, your newsletter could help build your business’ bottom line. By using it as a platform to subtly sell as well as educate and inform, you can give both prospects and existing customers a polite nudge in the direction of a new sale.

For example, if you’re a social media management company and, say, 30% of your customers have only signed up for your Facebook services, why not include an article in their newsletter around the benefits of your Instagram and/or LinkedIn expertise? If not immediately, it could spark a sale down the line.

5. Bolster your social following

More social media followers = more engagement = more reach. It’s as simple as that. As an added bonus, several studies indicate social signals can contribute to how search engines rank pages, so it could aid your SEO efforts too.

To maximize the benefits of this one, just make sure you remember to include links to all your profiles and in a place where they’re easily seen. 

6. Make your content go further 

If you’re investing time, money and resource into producing great content, it just makes business sense to make it go further, right? And your newsletter’s certainly one extra outlet for that. 

Now we’re not suggesting you start churning out generic content and pushing it out through every medium just for the sake of it. It’s important to tailor your content to each platform, audience and end goal -- but if you’ve got a bank of dormant articles, why not tweak and recycle them to boost their value and reach? 

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Hue & Tone: all things creative marketing

If you’re sold but just don’t know where to start, we can help you with everything from your content and layout to design and social media. To get the wheels in motion, get in touch with the team at (336) 365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com. 

Want to learn more about our favorite email marketing platform? Check out this post.

Email marketing can help you engage new customers – in addition to helping you sell your products; email marketing will help you enhance your brand awareness and build trust with new prospects. Once you’ve engaged a customer, it can even help you build brand loyalty.

For businesses of any size, email marketing is a no brainer. If you have a small marketing budget, it’s an easy way to connect with a lot of customers at once. In addition to being low investment, it drives traffic to your website and it’s the channel most customer prefer. 

As your company grows you can also scale your email marketing efforts – making it a useful tool no matter what stage of growth your business is at. 

One study from Marketing Sherpa reports that 72% of consumers prefer to receive promotional messages through email (source).

You can send a wide variety of different emails to your marketing list, but if you’re just getting started with email marketing, there’s a few types of emails we suggest you start with. These four types are all great to engage both new customers and old leads. 

1. Welcome email

This is your first chance to get your newfound relationship off on the right foot. Your welcome email should include key components like:

• A thank you message for choosing your brand

• Links to your social media channels to encourage additional engagement

• A discount or deal that’s exclusive to new customers (this not only demonstrate a token of appreciation, but it will give them a nudge to browse your products or services again)

As with any type of email, your welcome email should be kept short and sweet to ensure the recipient isn’t overwhelmed with information. We suggest sending this initial email within 48 hours of signing up or making a purchase - the sooner the better though. Often, people will actively check for your name in their inbox after a sale’s been processed, so any later can look a little lazy!

2. Regular newsletters

Newsletters are an excellent way to naturally maintain contact with customers – it’s a great way to share useful information while also ensuring your brand remains at the forefront of their mind.

Your newsletter could include content like:

• Blogs relevant to the product/service they took out

• Company updates

• Competitions/giveaways

• Teasers: if you’ve got something new coming out

• Testimonials: to reaffirm you’re a good brand to be with

Your newsletters should be consistent. Don’t send three in one month and then go silent for the next four. Decide how regular you want to start sending them - weekly, biweekly, monthly or quarterly. Try to stick to the same date and time too, that way people can start to expect (and hopefully look forward to) your updates.

3. Promote your products 

Existing customers present a potential gold mine of up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. If they’ve already purchased from you there’s a good chance they already enjoy your brand, so it’s a waste not to play on that.

It’s really important you don’t go overboard with these kind of emails though. If you do, you run the risk of recipients unsubscribing and losing all chances of reaching out to them. 

Your promotional emails should:

 a)     Be clearly targeted
b)     Focus on quality, rather than quantity
c)     Outline why this product is suited to them
d)     If possible, offer an additional incentive - i.e. a discount

4. Ask for a review

If you never ask there’s no chance you’ll get what you want, right? 

Reviews are key to your success. The majority of prospects will peruse your reviews before making their final decision, so the more high-quality testimonials you have to your name, the more chance you have of attaining new leads. 

For existing customers, reviews provide an open platform to air opinions, and show that you a) care what they think, and b) are looking to continually improve and evolve your offering for them.

 Don’t be too keen with your review request though. To make sure it’s meaningful, give the customer chance to actually use your product or service first. Equally though, make sure you don’t leave it too long, if you do, you might slip off their radar before you land in their inbox. We suggest waiting a minimum of about 2-3 weeks before prompting someone for a product review, but no more than 2 months. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Email Marketing in Greensboro, NC

Whether you need help building your overarching email strategy, putting words together, or branding your template, we’re your go to experts. To start or improve your email strategy today, get in touch with our team at (336) 365-8550 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

The world of email marketing is remarkably noisy. According to research conducted by The Radicati Group, a Technology Market Research Firm, 235.6 billion emails are sent and received worldwide every single day, and that number is only set to increase. 

For you as a marketer, that means there’s an endless stream of emails - both business and personal - to compete with, making the appeal of your subject lines crucial to getting an open. 

If you’re struggling to see the click through rate your campaigns need to succeed, we’ve got a bank of ideas to help give them a boost. 

1. Short and snappy for the win

Short and snappy is usually the name of the game when it comes to digital communication, and email marketing is no exception. You’ll want to use as few words as possible, while still communicating a cohesive idea or call to action. You’ve only got a finite amount of time to capture people’s attention and if your subject line is too long it’ll truncate. If you’re struggling to know when to stop, aim to keep it within 50 characters.

2. Make it personal

Include personal information -- like the recipient’s name or location -- in the subject line makes it feel unique and tailored to the recipient. It’s important to only do this if you’re certain your data is accurate -- if you refer to ‘John’ as ‘Mark’ in your subject line, there’s only one place your email is going: the trash.

3. Use simple language

People don’t tend to read carefully when they’re scanning their inbox. So, don’t make it difficult for them to skim and easily  understand the subject line. Use simple language that’s easy to understand and gives a clear indication as to what’s inside.

4. Make it actionable

The reason you’re sending an email in the first place is because you have a desired end goal in mind, so incorporate that goal into your leading line. For example, if the email’s promoting a special offer, instead of saying ‘Boots are now 20% off’, you should say ‘Flash Sale: Get 20% off boots today!’ 

Use active and action-oriented language to encourage clicks and promote a sense of urgency. 

5. Create a sense of urgency

If people think something’s about to expire or run out, they’re much more likely to act sooner rather than later. Adding something as simple as ‘ends soon,’ ‘act now,’ or ‘hurry’ to your subject line can help communicate this message.

That being said, it’s important not to overuse this tactic. If you make every email sound like an emergency, it’ll quickly lose its novelty and recipients will stop taking action. 

6. Use numbers

Numbers can help spark intrigue and are great for promoting things like listicles, events, statistics, or blog posts. For example:

• 8 ways you can save money this summer

• Join our 2,000 happy clients

• 200 others are coming to our event – don’t miss out! 

 The use of numbers helps make your subject line stand out, set expectations, and get straight to the point.

7. Ask a question

Questions draw people in, stimulate interest, and get people curious about what you have to say. For example, if your email exists to promote an article on ‘7 common subject line mistakes’, you could send it with subject line questions like: 

• Are you making these subject line mistakes?

• How successful are your emails?

• Do you know where your subject lines are going wrong?
   

8. Dare to be different

If you don’t want to get lost in a sea of sameness, don’t fall into the trap of being the same. Be bold with your subject lines and don’t be afraid of injecting a bit of humor, sarcasm, or strangeness into them. 

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Hue & Tone Creative: Email Marketing for the Triad

These eight tips are just the tip of the iceberg! We’ll get email marketing off your to do list and give you the hands on help you need for a successful conversion rate. Let’s chat about it: 336-365-8559 or hannah@hueandtonecreative.com.

Planning an event can sound like a fun little project… until you realize how many little decisions need your attention. Even after you’ve worked out the details for a lot of the not-so-fun things (like port-a-potties, silverware, and parking) you’re stuck with the task of marketing your event.

While there’s no shortcut for a well developed theme, eye-catching graphics, or a solid marketing strategy there is one really big tool that can help streamline your ticketing + marketing process. When it comes to event marketing, Eventbrite takes the guesswork out of seating, ticketing, and promoting.

Eventbrite allows you to seamlessly create invitations, sell tickets, plan seating, and advertise all in one place.
 

A few of favorite features:

EventKingdom specializes in personalized digital and paper cards. Their variety of styles fits both traditional and trendy aesthetics. 

Custom designed invitations: If you want to take your invitations beyond the simple Eventbrite page you can choose from several customizable invitation templates, or install the EventKingdom plugin to create even fancier invites.

Reserved Seating: Selling tickets for an auditorium, runway, gala, or seated event space? Eventbrite’s reserved seating feature allows your guests to select their exact seats using a simple + customizable map interface.

Facebook Integration: Want to create a Facebook event to publicize your event? Just hit the “publish to Facebook” button on Eventbrite to automatically create an event page (without the hassle of reentering all of the event details on Facebook). Anyone who visits the page can easily see the details of the event, and will be pushed over to your Eventbrite to purchase tickets.

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You can also publicize your event on your company’s website, Twitter, or Instagram with Eventbrite’s widget tool. View the full list of plugins HERE. 

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Manage Attendees: Look up customer information, issue refunds, and print out guest lists using the manage attendees feature. It’s also the perfect way to communicate with customers, or send personalized emails to VIP Guests. 

Analytics: In-depth reporting and analytics tools allows you to monitor website traffic, see how many tickets you’re selling, and better understand where to focus your marketing efforts.

Organizer App: Perfect for last minute hiccups this free IOS and Android App allows you to sell tickets at the door, scan barcodes, print out name badges, and look up customer ticket information. 

Although we love using Eventbrite, there are other great alternatives:

• Peatix

• Townscript

• Cvent 

• Evolero

• Eventbee

• TicketSpice

So, how much does Eventbrite cost?

There’s no cost if your event is free, however if you’re selling tickets, Eventbrite charges 2.5% of the ticket price, .99 a ticket, and a 3% processing fee.

Eventbrite occasionally offers special promotions to new organizers as well as discounted rates for nonprofits. If your using Eventbrite for a high-end event it’s good to know that the service fee is capped at $19.95.

Still not sold on Eventbrite? Even though it’s one of our personal favorite tools, it’s not the be-all and end-all site to magically make your event a success. No matter what tool you choose to promote your event, be sure to stay organized, stay calm, and be prepared for the unexpected! 

Have you used Eventbrite? What’s your experience with it (or another event service) been like? Tell us in the comments!

If you read our post last week, you know all about what email marketing is and why you should be using it to promote yourself. This week, we’re talking how to setup a great campaign. Following best practices ups the odds that your emails will be opened and that people will engage with them. From visuals to the subject line, no detail is too small.

Subject Lines

The subject line is the first thing people see after you send your campaign -- and with only seconds to capture someone’s attention, a single word can make or break your open rate.

The basic idea is that you want your subject line to be concise, accurate and informative. It should set an accurate expectation for the content of the email - without getting too cutesy.  For example, subject lines like “Website news - Issue 3” and “[COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!” are shown to do better than things like “Last Minute Gift - We Have The Answer” and “You Asked For More…” (source). Readers want to know what they’re about  to read, and they aren’t likely to read what they perceive as junk mail.

Need more? Here’s a couple of can’t-fail subject line tips:

• Localization + Personalization. Personalizing your subject line with a reader's first and/or last name, or even the city name, often results in higher open rates.
• Use different subject lines. Keep it fresh! Even if you only send out a regular feature (like a monthly industry update) be sure to change up your wording every time you send out an email. Highlight the lead story or a feature piece of content to keep things timely... and readers interested.
• Don’t cry wolf. Only mark truly important emails as urgent -- no one likes to be faked out. Subject lines with the words ‘urgent,’ ‘breaking,’ ‘important,’ and alert show higher open rates -- but only when used appropriately and sparingly (source).
• Keep the subject line short. Like we mentioned before, keep it short. Most readers scan through their emails so keeping the line 50 characters or fewer is best.

Choosing Templates

Creating a template that attracts your readers is one of the most effective ways to get your readers engaged. You’ll want to create a template, or set of templates, that you can use across all of your email campaigns. Creating a consistent look that matches the feel of your brand and blends with the rest of your internet presence is key.

Design inspiration here and here.

Almost every platform allows you to start with a pre-made template or design your own from scratch. Depending on your design IQ, we recommend starting with a pre-made template and customizing from there.

Be sure to insert your logo, tweak all the elements to match your brand colors, and pick fonts that fit the feel of your brand. Then, save this template so you can use it time and time again. Not only is this less work for you, but it creates consistency for your customers!

We recommend:

• Sticking to one or two colors to create a clean design and keep readers focused on the content of the email.
• Using different colors to differentiate the headers and footers of your email.
• Using borders to provide visual cues to readers where one article starts and another begins.
• Keeping alignment constant. If you’re utilizing large amounts of text, be sure to left align so that it’s easy for people to read.  
• Lots of white space makes for a modern look -- don’t stuff content so close together that you overwhelm readers.

Layout

No one wants to receive a wall of text in their email. Email marketing should be fun and eye-catching... but also informative. Balancing text and images is the best way to create a visually interesting email and encourage people to read through everything. 

• Organize your content by importance. Important + timely content should always be front-and-center at the top of your email to catch the eye of people who are skimming.
• Use different font sizes and weights to create interest and organization. You want to utilize headlines, body text, quotes and buttons to create interest and give visual cues to the reader.
• If your message is long (and can’t be simplified any more) send those who care to your site to learn more.
• Shake up the size/layout of your images. Test out different sizes and orientations within your email to create interest.

Other Tips

Design isn’t everything -- now that you have a visually appealing email, let’s get down to a few nitty gritty details to consider when you’re done designing your campaign.

• Make sure to test. Now that your email is looking great and ready to go you need to test it out. Send a test in your email marketing system, or consider using a tool like Inbox Preview. Inbox Preview allows you to see what your email will look like to different people on different platforms, and it’s one of the best way to ensure the look of your email stays consistent.
• Don’t harass people. The frequency you will want to email people varies by business -- but consider 2-3 emails a month to be a good jumping off point. After 6 months of consistently emailing people 2-3 times a month, you can analyze people’s reactions and make adjustments accordingly.
• Never SPAM people. If there’s one cardinal rule of email marketing, it’s to never email people who haven’t given you explicit permission. Most likely they’ll immediately unsubscribe, and even if they don’t, chances are they won’t be likely to engage.
• Don’t overlook the importance of social media. Integrate social media into your campaign, and be sure to push the sign-up option on both your website and social channels.
• Don’t waste time sending the wrong email. Once you’re feeling really advanced, you can test things out using A/B testing. It’s perfect when you’re not sure which image or headline to use.

Feel like you’re far from being a pro? No need to worry -- after sending a few campaigns, it’ll be as easy as riding a bike. But, if you don’t find that to be the case, we’re always here to help!

Soooo.... Ready, set, create!

Let’s talk email marketing.

Tip: Make sure to pick an email marketing platform that is mobile compatible. An estimated 50-60% of emails are now open on a mobile device.

First off, what is it? When we reference email marketing we’re referring to bulk email sending (typically sent using email marketing software). These emails usually include ads, request business, or solicit sales/donations. In addition to increasing sales, they also help to build trust and brand awareness.

Email marketing is both efficient and cost effective, so no matter what size your company is, it’s a great way to stay in touch with clients and follow-up on potential client leads.

There are a ton of email marketing platforms to choose from -- so, in all honestly, selecting a platform is often about personal preference. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a few of the major players:

• IContact is an email campaign service that helps small businesses to larger senders. Their personal coaching, and award winning technical support sets it apart from other tools.
• Constant Contact (the most used platform in terms of customers) makes editing simple as 1, 2, 3. With the ability to drag and drop content into customized templates, you can create customize each template best for your consumers.
• Campaign Monitor Campaign Monitor is geared towards larger companies. It integrates with a ton of apps, and allows you to easily manage multiple accounts.

Other popular platforms include AWeber, SendinBlue, Benchmark, GetResponse and Vertical Response. But our personal favorite? MailChimp! MailChimp is a great choice for small business. It’s low cost and seamlessly integrates with popular web platforms like Squarespace and Wordpress. More than 12 million people and businesses are using MailChimp, and they send out over a billion emails a day!

There’s a few key features MailChimp has (though a lot of the other platforms do as well) that you should consider when shopping around:

1. Automation. Sending an onboarding series of emails? Need to introduce new subscribers to your business or organization? This feature is great for creating and sending out automated messages, without the headache! A certain behavior, like signing up, will trigger an email or series of emails to be sent -- without you having to do anything.

2. A/B Testing. This feature tests two different emails against each other to see which content performs best. Which subject line lead to higher open rates? Which image worked best? Both of these questions (and more) can be answered by this feature.

3. E-Commerce features. You can easily connect your online store to MailChimp, where you can set up product recommendations, track online orders, and analyze purchase data. These are powerful features especially for small retail shops or individual makers.

4. Advanced Analytics. This is the easiest way to track your performance! Monitor sales, subscribers, and revenue. Most importantly, you can integrate Google Analytics to learn even more about your campaigns.

5. Segmentation. Nothing can turn people off faster than receiving content they don’t care about. By using segmentation, you can break your email lists into different groups. For example, “potential customers” and “existing customers.”

Feel ready to pick a platform? Good! Because next week we’ll be back with more information on how to design your first (or a much better) campaign. We’ll go over things like how to design an eye-catching template, what kind of content to include, and how to write a solid subject line.

Not sure what platform will work best for you? Let us help you decide. Shoot an email to hannah@hueandtonecreative.com with your top options and we'll help you decide what's best!