How to set-up your email campaign for your small business in 15 minutes!

Post summary:

●    Launch your first email campaign in 15 minutes

●    How to craft subject lines that get opened

●    How to write text and choosing colors for CTA buttons

●    Best time to send emails

Email is king and still is - a phrase that can't resonate more truthfully about the current state of email marketing today for small businesses.

According to a fresh report industry report by Emma, 47% of marketers report that email generates the most ROI for their organization. In fact, for every $1 a business spends on email marketing, an average of $44 is pocketed in return on investment (ROI) according to Direct Marketing Association.

To put email marketing in comparison with other marketing channels today, check the graph below:

But it gets even more interesting. Because a total number of unbelievable 269 billion emails are being sent out daily - that’s 2,5 million emails per second!

Moreover, a McKinsey study tells that email is 40 times more effective to get customers than Facebook and Twitter - combined!

Combine the return of investment and the amount of emails being sent out and you get a picture of the effectiveness of email marketing - if done right. (We get into this later in this post).

With these mind-boggling email marketing stats you surely need a quick and easy way to set up your first email marketing campaign to get the immense fruitful benefits that email marketing could bring to your small business. 

But how? Smaily's email marketing solution for your small business provides you with everything you need to launch your first email campaign in 15 minutes. Ready to know how? Let's guide you through the steps below:

STEP 1 - OPEN YOUR 100% FREE SMAILY ACCOUNT

Open your free Smaily account to start setting up your first email marketing campaign.  

Head over to https://smaily.com/ and point your eyes on the upper right side of the page and click on “Log In”.

You are taken to the following page:

Once you are on the registration page above, log in with your preferred small business social media account - using either Google, Facebook, Linkedin or a Twitter account. Simple as that - no additional installation or set-up of any apps needed.

STEP 2 - SETTING UP YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Now you are ready to set-up and customize your first email marketing campaign for your small business. On this page, simply click the “Newsletter” button. You are thereafter directed to the following page:

SUBJECT LINE: Here you need to write your subject line.

And no matter how good your newsletter content is, your emails need to get opened first. It is reported that 35% of recipients decide whatever to open an email or not - based on the subject line alone.

But wait, what is an effectively crafted subject line that persuades your recipients to actually open your emails? Well, it's not as easy as it seems. That's why we give you 5 helping tips for how to write an effective subject line that gets your emails opened.

1. Personalize your subject line:

Humans have a natural tendency to be self-centered. And seeing your name in the subject line is, as the author of the classic book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, Dale Carnegie so beautifully expresses “a person’s name is the sweetest sound in any language for that person”. Therefore always use the recipient's name in your subject line as it talks directly to the recipient.

Some examples:

Hi [name], here is your special offer!

Hi [name], where have you been?

Hi [name], did you like your recent purchase?

In fact, having a name in the subject line can increase the email open rates from 5.8% to about 7% according to a report and also deliver amazing 6 times higher transaction rates.

Tips on how to personalize your subject line: Segment your subscribers into separate subscriber lists. For example, if you run an e-commerce store you could segment your recipients according to purchased products. Another way is to segment users according to personal data, such as interests, age, location.

2. Use Scarcity

People don’t want to miss out on things because that can cause regrets and us humans are naturally drawn to things that are hard to get - in order words scarce. Therefore using scarcity in your subject lines is an effective way to bring some hard-to-get exclusivity to your subject line. Scarcity can be used to give a feeling that the offer is more exclusive and therefore triggers the recipient to open the email.

Some examples:

Hi [name], only 24 hours left before you’re missing out on this special offer

Hi [name], only 1 spot left, take your seat now or it will expire in 24 hours.

Hi [name], 1,2,3 - only 3 days left to save 40% on our newest product.

3. Use curiosity

Curiosity killed the cat - but curiosity can also make for a killer subject line. Because people are naturally drawn to the unknown, they do not want to be left hanging on a string of not knowing of the unknown.

Some examples of curiosity-arousing subject lines:

Hi [name], if you would be this person, would you do the same?

Hi [name], so good you don’t wanna know

Hi [name], one piece is missing, can you guess which?

4. Use humor

Humor is the shortest distance between 2 people - and can be particularly effective to use on a subject line. Why not spread a smile the first thing you do with your email subject line. We happily trust someone more who can bring a smile upon your face, according to psychology.

Some examples of humorous subject lines:

Hi [name], If it smells like fish - you can’t have it as a dish - unless you wish

Hi [name], What's brown and sounds like a bell? DUNGGGgggg

Hi [name], What’s up and what’s going down? Your mood when you open this mail.

5. Use randomness

Using a subject line that plays on the subject of randomness can cause curiosity for the recipient to open the email and read the content.

Some examples:

Hi [name], a belly so fat it can be used as a ball blank

Hi [name], who knew? Something got him started.

Hi [name], in the name of love, where is the love?

Having a subject line that plays on humor, curiosity, scarcity or a dose of randomness can increase email open rates. But knowing which power words that trigger an emotional response from the recipient of the email - can prove to be even more powerful. This is what we call the art of power words.

But which are these so-called power words that trigger an emotional response?

A study by Smart Insight concluded that the following TOP 5 power words have the biggest impact on email open-rates:

1. Introducing
2. Celebrate
3. Buy
4. Continue
5. Get your

Another study by Alchemy Worx showed that the following TOP 5 power words affect the email open-rates positively:

1. Upgrade
2. Just
3. Content
4. Go
5. Wonderful

Takeaway:

There is really no magic bullet for which words to use in a subject line. The research can give you an idea on which words to use. But it ultimately comes down to a simple truth: you got to A/B test your subject lines to build your own research.

Now when you have a better grasp on the science behind creating subject lines, it’s time to move on in our how to set up your e-mail campaign with Smaily. Next step is:

From address: In the “Name” field, enter the name of your Small Business. In the “Address” field, type the email address of your Small business.

TIPS: Avoid sending e-mails from generic email addresses such as “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” as this is not personal and can seem rather spammy. Instead use a personal name, for example, [email protected]. In fact, 43% of the email recipients click on the “spam” button based in the from address of the email. Also try to create email addresses based on the newsletter content type, for example, [email protected] or [email protected]

STEP 3 - CUSTOMIZE THE DESIGN & CONTENT FOR YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN

Now it’s time to craft some persuasive content in Smaily. Simply click the button “CREATE A TEMPLATE” and you are presented with a screen loaded with tons of pre-made drag and drop templates for whichever industry your small business operates in. Awesome, isn't it?

Let’s use the basic “Newsletter” template, so go ahead and hover your mouse over the template “Newsletter” and click “CHOOSE. And voila! You are inside the email template editor:

Smaily’s email campaign editor has everything you need to customize every element of your e-mail newsletter campaign with simple mouse clicks and with no HTML or coding skills required. And it’s mobile responsive as well.

Name your email template on the upper left side and click the button “PREHEADER” to choose the text that will be displayed below your subject line.

What is a PREHEADER and how do you effectively craft one?

The preheader is a complementary subject line that appears below the SUBJECT LINE of your email client.

TIPS: Write the preheader that sells the subject line power words and make it maximum 40 - 40 words as this makes it readable in most email clients. Consider the pre-header as another subject line to persuade the recipient to open your email, without repeating the message in the subject line.

Let’s get back to Smaily email newsletter campaign template editor. The primary focus now is to create a newsletter that gets opened.

Here you get 5 tips on how to create an optimized newsletter campaign:

Follow the subject line: the first sentence of your newsletter should be a continuation of the subject line.

Make it personal: know who your recipient so you can personalize the content according to your recipient's preferences as much as possible.

Make it simple: use straightforward language and get to the point quickly.

Use bullet points: put important facts, numbers, and information in bullet points because it makes it easier for the reader to digest and remember the content.

Use short paragraphs: Short paragraphs with space between each paragraph makes it easy on the eye for the recipient to read the text. 

Once you got your content ready, the second most important thing in an email campaign is the placement and the words on the CTA buttons. Because CTA buttons are what makes the reader take action and click further for example to your Landing page or Special offer.

What is a good CTA button and how do you create one?

●    Write your CTA button in first-person with possessive words like “mine” “your” “my”. Be as precise as possible on what the recipient will expect when clicking the CTA button and use action words. Tips on well-crafted CTA text:

Some examples:

●    “Yes, I want my offer”

●    “Yes, I want to save 30% now”

●    “Take your exclusive seat”

Use high-contrasting colors: Use high-contrasting colors on your CTA buttons that are strong and stands out from the rest of the newsletter content. For example red or green. Different colors have different meanings and arouse different psychological responses. Each study gives different results and the best tips here is to keep varying between different colors by A/B testing.

Position several CTA buttons: Don’t only include one CTA buttons. Experiment with placement of multiple CTA buttons across your newsletter. Usually, CTA buttons are placed at the bottom of the newsletter. But there is nothing wrong by placing another CTA button in the middle of the newsletter. It all comes down to A/B testing the click-through rates.

Takeaway: Always A/B test your CTA buttons. What works for someone else, might not necessarily work for you.

Now, back to Smaily’s email newsletter editor.

Once you set-up your email campaign content according to your needs with suitable CTA buttons, it’s time to click “Preview” to get a pre-glimpse of your newsletter. Click “Save changes” if you are finished.

You are being redirected back to the previous screen, checkbox your e-mail template name, and then simply click “CONTINUE”.

STEP 4 - SELECT THE RECIPIENTS OF YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN

It’s time to add a list of recipients for your email campaign. You can either add subscribers manually by clicking “Add subscriber” or import a list of your subscribers in XLS or CSV format by clicking on “IMPORT”.

Once you are happy with your uploaded subscriber's list, click “CONTINUE”.

After that, you are being redirected to the 4th and final step where you can do a final check to spot and correct any mistakes.

If everything looks good simply click “SAVE AND LAUNCH”.

But hey, when is actually the best time to send an email campaign? It all depends on the content of your email, whether your audience checks their email on desktop or mobile, and what business you are in. For example, if you are in the entertainment business weekends would work best for informing your audience about a specific event. If you are in e-commerce and aiming to sell a product, the best time cold be during lunch times or late afternoons after work, as your recipient have more time to actually digest the offer and most likely will make a purchase. If you are targeting the youths with a newsletter campaign, then any time of the day could be effective, because youths today are pretty much connected 24/7 to the net .

A study made by Hubspot found that the following are the best days to send your business email campaign:

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

But actually, it depends on many variables as seen below:

And another study by Experian found that the best email open rates occurred during early mornings and late nights. The same study also found that Mondays have the highest transaction rates.

Takeaway: It all comes down to knowing your audience and studying your A/B open rates to optimize your email send outs in the best possible way.

Summary:

If your small business hasn’t yet started to focus on email marketing as the primary marketing channel, you are surely missing out a big piece of the profits that email marketing can bring your small business. In fact, 86% of businesses reported that they plan to increase their email marketing budgets. So make sure that your small business as well includes email marketing as a crucial element of your marketing strategy.

And what can be better than do start using Smaily’s email marketing solution to create your first email marketing campaign for your small business in 15 minutes

Are you ready? LET'S GET STARTED! https://smaily.com/pricing/