Email marketing is still alive and kicking despite the rise of social media. Emails are a great way to reach out to your customers without spending too much money or time. If you’re thinking about starting an email newsletter, or want better results from your current system, here are some of our best email marketing tips.

1. Make it easy to subscribe – have an opt-in form on every page of your website, and create a pop-up subscription form for when your readers have been on your website for a while.
2. Offer an enticement – everyone loves freebies. Try offering a free download of an e-book, interactive checklist or template that you know your target audience will make use of.
3. Send a welcome email – thank new potential clients for subscribing, and let them know what they can expect from you. Will you be sending news and tips once a week or once a month? Let people know.
4. Design an appealing template – make sure your newsletter fits your brand. You can customise your newsletter with your brands logo and colours to really make it identifiable.
5. Make it scannable – one long block of text probably isn’t going to get read. Make sure you use paragraphs, headings, bold text, images and “read more” links.
6. Make it about them, not you – don’t just waffle on about yourself and what you’ve been up to lately. Give your readers something valuable like a top tip, a link to your latest blog, or a discount code for being a valued subscriber.
7. Write a great subject line – when your email hits your readers’ inbox, you want them to get excited and read your email. But don’t offer false promises. The content needs to be as good as the subject line says it is.

At the end of the day, only send an email if you’ve got something to say, not just for the sake of it. Ask yourself: What’s the goal for this kind of communication? What do we have to say? Does this add value to our subscribers? Send thoughtful newsletters, and you’ll continue to grow your list and keep your subscribers happy.

Anything I’ve missed? Let me know your tips in the comments.

If you are interested in learning more about Inbound Marketing, you might like a free copy of our latest eBook, A Beginners Guide to Inbound Marketing.