Aja Frost says, “The beginning of the new year is a fantastic time to reach out to buyers. Your prospects are focused on starting fresh, driving change, and setting yearly goals — if you reach out with a relevant suggestion or compelling value proposition, they’ll be primed to respond. Double down on this effect by referencing the holiday in your message. Adding some humor and levity to your sales emails will improve your response rates as well. Most messages are relatively cut-and-dry, so prospects are usually surprised and impressed by anything with a little personality. Use the... [...]

Jim Higgins says, “Few things are more valuable to a business than an email subscriber list full of interested customers and prospects. Although many believe that the age of the spam filter has destroyed email marketing forever, the fact is, spam filters are only designed to protect people from unwanted mail. If you build a list of folks who want to receive your emails, you’ll avoid spam filters and stay top-of-mind with your prospects. If you’d like to expand your marketing reach, consider the following ways to build your email subscriber list: 1. Offer sign-up forms on your website While... [...]

Liz Willits says, “2017 is the year of the email. Or, at least it should be: One research firm is predicting that 225.3 billion emails will be sent this year (!) – which is a five percent increase from previous years. And there’s a reason for this increase in sending: We love emails. In fact, 72 percent of consumers say emails are their number one choice in brand communication. And businesses who use email marketing see huge financial returns. While this could be great for the growth of your business, it could also become your biggest challenge this year. With the increase in emails... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “It’s our annual roundup of your favorite posts of the year – and it’s a good one. Top themes we saw included: gifs, email list building, and integrating email with your overall marketing strategy. Read on to re-discover these oldies but goodies: 10. How to Use Email Marketing to Build Meaningful Relationships There are a ton of resources out there about how to use email marketing to grow your email list and help drive revenue. But what about the other aspect of email marketing – the part that helps you build more meaningful relationships with subscribers? Explore... [...]

Leslie Ye says, “Q: What’s a salesperson’s least favorite word? A: *crickets* (Psst: It’s a trick question.) The answer isn’t a word — it’s silence. A silent prospect leaves deals in indefinite limbo. You obviously can’t mark the sale as closed-won, but it’s human nature to hope that maybe it’ll close. Silence isn’t the only thing salespeople don’t love hearing, of course. “Maybe” comes to mind. When a prospect tells you they’ve gone with a competitor or decided to delay a purchase decision, you can move on, but “maybe” creates... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Another 13% of emails were opened on tablets, while only 36% were opened on desktops. 64% of retailers’ emails were opened on a mobile device in the third quarter—13% on tablets and 51% on smartphones—according to the new Experian Marketing Service “Quarterly Benchmark Report.” That’s up from 61% of retailers during the same period in 2015—11% on tablets and 50% on smartphones. There’s a strong negative correlation between consumers opening retailers’ emails on mobile devices and click rates, as consumers on mobile devices are less likely to click on... [...]

Melinda Emerson says, “If you’re struggling to get your emails read by potential customers, you might need to try a different tactic to ensure that you’re properly targeting your audience. You also need to make sure you are giving them content they need to not only read your emails but to also click the links in them to take action. You also want to examine the language you are using to build rapport and make a connection. A/B testing is one way you can determine exactly what your email subscribers want rather than guessing. Here’s how to use it. First, What is A-B Testing? It may... [...]

Olivia Dello Buono says, “When used effectively, color theory can be one of the most powerful tools an email marketer can work with. After all, the right color choice can help convey the value of your emails. Color can instantly set the mood, evoke emotion and spark a psychological reaction that gets people to take action. In fact, 90 percent of a subscriber’s first impression is based on color or visual cues alone. 90 percent of a subscriber’s first impression is based on color or visual cues alone. Let’s take a look at how colors can have a major impact on how your email performance... [...]

Zach Cannon says, “With all the work that goes into affiliate marketing, creating compelling content for your audience is often a forgotten piece of the puzzle. But you could be missing out on a huge opportunity to drive referrals: According to DemandMetric, content marketing costs 62 percent less than traditional marketing and generates around three times as many leads. When you create valuable content for your audience and include affiliate links to the brands you’re referring, it opens up the opportunity to get in front of new audiences and convert new sales. To help kick-start content... [...]

Marian Price says, “The days between Black Friday and Christmas pull in 50-100% more revenue than the rest of the year, making it an all-hands-on deck season for marketers. But what if you could make your marketing strategy more efficient and effective without a huge investment in time and resources? That’s the power of email marketing automation, which allows you to send highly customized, relevant messages to the right people in a timely manner and on a massive scale—a holiday marketer’s dream. Now is the perfect time to explore the full power of email marketing automation.... [...]