5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

The three issues you NEED to know about as an email marketer and how to counter them

by The Beginner's Friend
5 replies
Anyone who dips their toe in the water of email marketing will at some point be faced with one of the three issues I outline below. I therefore look at each one in turn; what they are, what causes the issues and finally what you can do about them.

Problem: Low Open Rates - The fault will lie fairly and squarely with your subject line, it is not working hard enough to stand out from the crowd.

Answer: Simply spruce up your subject. I include a link to an earlier mail that goes into what you can do to create good headlines in some detail:
http://www.warriorforum.com/email-ma...ened-read.html

Problem: Low Clickthrough Rates - The content of the mail and/or the call to action are at fault. You have not connected with the reader enough for them to take an action.

Answer: work on writing your mails as you would to a friend. Make them engaging with stories, analogies and personal experiences. 'Sell' the benefits of the offer you are promoting. Also make sure your 'call to action' ie the comments to get the reader to click on your links, are obvious and leave no ambiguity e.g 'To find out more click below now', 'Click HERE now to find out more' etc.

Problem: High Unsubscribe Rates - Every time you send a mail you get a whole bunch of 'Unsubscribes'. This can be for a variety of regions, but at the core is that the reader does not relate enough to you and your mails. This is not necessarily a problem if you want to attract and keep just those people who are going to be responsive to your mails. You will ALWAYS have unsubscribers every time you send a mail, only worry if this number is increasing.

Answer: See the answer above to making the mail worth reading. Also make sure the mails are relevant to the reader. If you attracted subscribers by giving away a guide on dog training, make sure your mails have at least some link (even if indirectly) with dog training. (And remember if you send out mails, you WILL get unsubscribes, see this as a positive thing ensuring only the most responsive individuals stay on your list.)

I hope this helps and please feel free to add any techniques you personally use to overcome the issues I mention here.

All the best
Andy
#counter #email #email copy #email copywriting #email subject #issues #marketer
  • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
    Just a few points:


    Problem: Low Open Rates – The fault will lie fairly and squarely with your subject line, it is not working hard enough to stand out from the crowd.

    Answer: Simply spruce up your subject. I include a link to an earlier mail that goes into what you can do to create good headlines in some detail:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/email-ma...ened-read.html

    "The fault will lie fairly and squarely with your subject line" - absolutely not.
    It does have impacts here and there but it isn't a big deal like everyone thinks it is.

    The biggest impact is: your name.

    I can't remember how many times I've heard top email marketers like: Frank Kern,
    Terry Dean, Ben Settle, and Matt Furey say that the biggest impact is your name.

    What they mean is that you want your list to know and love you so much that
    as soon as they see your name in their email box they're going to "rip open"
    your email, regardless of the subject line. You want THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP.

    They know that your email is going to informative, entertaining, and worthwhile enough
    that subject lines play a small role because they already are "biting at the bit"
    to go and open and read your email.

    Like I said subject lines do play a role and can pique curiosity and interest but
    they are not a ABSOLUTELY HUGE DEAL like everyone thinks.

    Problem: Low Clickthrough Rates – The content of the mail and/or the call to action are at fault. You have not connected with the reader enough for them to take an action.

    Answer: work on writing your mails as you would to a friend. Make them engaging with stories, analogies and personal experiences. ‘Sell’ the benefits of the offer you are promoting. Also make sure your ‘call to action’ ie the comments to get the reader to click on your links, are obvious and leave no ambiguity e.g ‘To find out more click below now’, ‘Click HERE now to find out more’ etc.

    I kind of agree with this.

    The thing is, everyone is obsessed with "open rates" and "clickthorugh rates" but
    the thing is it doesn't really matter.

    I mean for certain situation and testing specific things sometimes, it can make a difference but the real thing you want to be worried about is:

    SALES.

    I know people that have super high open rates and clickthrough rates and I know people
    who have super low open rates and clickthrough rates but turns the guy who has the
    low open rates and clickthrough rates, absolutely murdered the guy in sales with the
    high open and clickthrough rates that he brags about. LOL.

    Sales matter, not low clickthrough rates.


    Problem: High Unsubscribe Rates – Every time you send a mail you get a whole bunch of ‘Unsubscribes’. This can be for a variety of regions, but at the core is that the reader does not relate enough to you and your mails. This is not necessarily a problem if you want to attract and keep just those people who are going to be responsive to your mails. You will ALWAYS have unsubscribers every time you send a mail, only worry if this number is increasing.

    Answer: See the answer above to making the mail worth reading. Also make sure the mails are relevant to the reader. If you attracted subscribers by giving away a guide on dog training, make sure your mails have at least some link (even if indirectly) with dog training. (And remember if you send out mails, you WILL get unsubscribes, see this as a positive thing ensuring only the most responsive individuals stay on your list.)

    You said,

    "You will ALWAYS have unsubscribers every time you send a mail, only worry if this number is increasing."

    YOU WANT UNSUBSCRIBES.

    They are a good thing, if you are doing it right.

    You want people on your list that want to read your emails and connect with you
    and more importantly...buy from you.

    You want to "weed out" people whom will never do any of the things I just mentioned.

    I have something that might shock you (sarcasm) but...

    Those people you have unsubscribing form you (that you are so worried about keeping)
    would of never bought from you anyways. On the small chance they did, they would be a low quality buyer and a hassle to you anyways (in terms of refunds, complaints, wanting free advice on the product, etc.)

    UNSUBSCRIBES= WEEDING OUT = MORE LOYAL LIST = MORE ROI

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Anyways, thanks for your time with posting this and these are my opinions
    but are also the opinions of some of the most wealthy and successful email marketers
    in the game.

    I just didn't want "newbies" thinking your advice was the only way/option.
    They tend to hear something once and live on it forever.

    Anyways, I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or anything throughout this post
    and hope you have a good one.

    Thanks.
    Signature

    The best thing you can do is put yourself out there.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10440744].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Durell217
      Originally Posted by TakenAction View Post

      Just a few points:


      Problem: Low Open Rates - The fault will lie fairly and squarely with your subject line, it is not working hard enough to stand out from the crowd.

      Answer: Simply spruce up your subject. I include a link to an earlier mail that goes into what you can do to create good headlines in some detail:
      http://www.warriorforum.com/email-ma...ened-read.html

      "The fault will lie fairly and squarely with your subject line" - absolutely not.
      It does have impacts here and there but it isn't a big deal like everyone thinks it is.

      The biggest impact is: your name.

      I can't remember how many times I've heard top email marketers like: Frank Kern,
      Terry Dean, Ben Settle, and Matt Furey say that the biggest impact is your name.

      What they mean is that you want your list to know and love you so much that
      as soon as they see your name in their email box they're going to "rip open"
      your email, regardless of the subject line. You want THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP.

      They know that your email is going to informative, entertaining, and worthwhile enough
      that subject lines play a small role because they already are "biting at the bit"
      to go and open and read your email.

      Like I said subject lines do play a role and can pique curiosity and interest but
      they are not a ABSOLUTELY HUGE DEAL like everyone thinks.

      Problem: Low Clickthrough Rates - The content of the mail and/or the call to action are at fault. You have not connected with the reader enough for them to take an action.

      Answer: work on writing your mails as you would to a friend. Make them engaging with stories, analogies and personal experiences. 'Sell' the benefits of the offer you are promoting. Also make sure your 'call to action' ie the comments to get the reader to click on your links, are obvious and leave no ambiguity e.g 'To find out more click below now', 'Click HERE now to find out more' etc.

      I kind of agree with this.

      The thing is, everyone is obsessed with "open rates" and "clickthorugh rates" but
      the thing is it doesn't really matter.

      I mean for certain situation and testing specific things sometimes, it can make a difference but the real thing you want to be worried about is:

      SALES.

      I know people that have super high open rates and clickthrough rates and I know people
      who have super low open rates and clickthrough rates but turns the guy who has the
      low open rates and clickthrough rates, absolutely murdered the guy in sales with the
      high open and clickthrough rates that he brags about. LOL.

      Sales matter, not low clickthrough rates.


      Problem: High Unsubscribe Rates - Every time you send a mail you get a whole bunch of 'Unsubscribes'. This can be for a variety of regions, but at the core is that the reader does not relate enough to you and your mails. This is not necessarily a problem if you want to attract and keep just those people who are going to be responsive to your mails. You will ALWAYS have unsubscribers every time you send a mail, only worry if this number is increasing.

      Answer: See the answer above to making the mail worth reading. Also make sure the mails are relevant to the reader. If you attracted subscribers by giving away a guide on dog training, make sure your mails have at least some link (even if indirectly) with dog training. (And remember if you send out mails, you WILL get unsubscribes, see this as a positive thing ensuring only the most responsive individuals stay on your list.)

      You said,

      "You will ALWAYS have unsubscribers every time you send a mail, only worry if this number is increasing."

      YOU WANT UNSUBSCRIBES.

      They are a good thing, if you are doing it right.

      You want people on your list that want to read your emails and connect with you
      and more importantly...buy from you.

      You want to "weed out" people whom will never do any of the things I just mentioned.

      I have something that might shock you (sarcasm) but...

      Those people you have unsubscribing form you (that you are so worried about keeping)
      would of never bought from you anyways. On the small chance they did, they would be a low quality buyer and a hassle to you anyways (in terms of refunds, complaints, wanting free advice on the product, etc.)

      UNSUBSCRIBES= WEEDING OUT = MORE LOYAL LIST = MORE ROI

      -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Anyways, thanks for your time with posting this and these are my opinions
      but are also the opinions of some of the most wealthy and successful email marketers
      in the game.

      I just didn't want "newbies" thinking your advice was the only way/option.
      They tend to hear something once and live on it forever.

      Anyways, I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or anything throughout this post
      and hope you have a good one.

      Thanks.
      I completely agree with this especially about your name being more important than the subject line. Forming a strong relationship with your email list is very important since loyal customers are the ones that will stick around and will buy the products you sell all the time. Connection with the user is a lot more converting than a more catchy subject line.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10440785].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author The Beginner's Friend
      Originally Posted by TakenAction View Post


      I just didn't want "newbies" thinking your advice was the only way/option.
      They tend to hear something once and live on it forever.

      Anyways, I didn't mean to come off as arrogant or anything throughout this post
      and hope you have a good one.

      Thanks.
      Hi TakenAction

      Thanks for the additional comments, I don't think you come across as arrogant at all. Indeed I don't see why you see your thoughts as contrary to mine, I absolutely agree with your well explained thoughts.

      Your first comment about your name being the most important - totally agree. The point I was trying to make here is if you are a newbie, people will not know your name (yet) and therefore the subject line becomes that much more important.

      Your second comment about the key measurement being sales - again absolutely agree that people shouldn't see this metric as the be all an end all. The point I was making is that if people aren't even clicking through to see the sales page, they are definitely not going to be buying.

      The 3rd point about unsubscribes (I know I'm getting repetitive now ), I totally agree with you, and I'd try to communicate the fact that unsubscribes are something to welcome/expect in my comments. My point here was people only need to worry if they see the number suddenly increase, as much as you want to get rid of people who just don't relate to us, we also need to be careful we don't become complacent and start sending out spammy, uninteresting mails that people get fed up of.

      So I think we are both 'singing from the same hymn sheet', but perhaps just coming at things from a slightly different angle.

      Thanks again for your comments, if nothing else it gives a more in depth and thorough explanation for those getting into this for the first time.

      All the best
      Andy
      Signature
      Totally FREE, No Opt In, No Hoops - CLICK BELOW
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10441445].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
        Originally Posted by The Beginner's Friend View Post

        Hi TakenAction

        Thanks for the additional comments, I don't think you come across as arrogant at all. Indeed I don't see why you see your thoughts as contrary to mine, I absolutely agree with your well explained thoughts.

        Your first comment about your name being the most important - totally agree. The point I was trying to make here is if you are a newbie, people will not know your name (yet) and therefore the subject line becomes that much more important.

        Your second comment about the key measurement being sales - again absolutely agree that people shouldn't see this metric as the be all an end all. The point I was making is that if people aren't even clicking through to see the sales page, they are definitely not going to be buying.

        The 3rd point about unsubscribes (I know I'm getting repetitive now ), I totally agree with you, and I'd try to communicate the fact that unsubscribes are something to welcome/expect in my comments. My point here was people only need to worry if they see the number suddenly increase, as much as you want to get rid of people who just don't relate to us, we also need to be careful we don't become complacent and start sending out spammy, uninteresting mails that people get fed up of.

        So I think we are both 'singing from the same hymn sheet', but perhaps just coming at things from a slightly different angle.

        Thanks again for your comments, if nothing else it gives a more in depth and thorough explanation for those getting into this for the first time.

        All the best
        Andy
        Well said.
        Signature

        The best thing you can do is put yourself out there.

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10442018].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RJKushner
    This is definitely some great information! Thank you for sharing.

    I agree with what you said in the low click through rates. Any emails that scream advertising/promoting in them definitely send me fleeing them in a split second. I don't understand why some people go through the trouble of getting leads only to push them away with over spammy emails instead of building a relationship and trust with their leads.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10440900].message }}

Trending Topics