The Profits and Pitfalls of Email Marketing
While all the latest social media platforms get a lot of chatter, reports on the death of email marketing are, to paraphrase Mark Twain, greatly exaggerated. But many people aren’t quite sure how authors should be using email, so here are some reasons for an email strategy and some traps to avoid.
Your message will be delivered.
The chances of your latest Facebook post actually showing up in a follower’s feed has declined drastically over the past few years. And if it does show up, your follower may still choose not to read it. Emails, however, are always delivered to a subscriber’s email address and open rates for email from authors are around 25%.
Relationships are reinforced.
Once you commit to an email schedule, stick to it. Over time, people will start feeling like they know you and they will expect your message to show up as promised. They may not always open it and read the whole thing, but you will be reminding them on a regular basis that you are still around and writing. That keeps the relationship channels open so that you have a ready audience when the time comes for your next book launch.
Tools make email easier.
Email newsletter services keep track of who clicked on which link and what time of day someone opened your email. That helps you fine tune what you should be providing for your subscribers.
Those services also let you design how the email looks and when it should be delivered. Some even send a message automatically after you’ve posted a new article on your website.
Email works with social media.
Your Facebook audience is not necessarily your email audience which is not necessarily your website audience. So it makes sense to talk about your content on all those platforms for the benefit of your different audiences.
The most obvious way to do this is to post your article first on your website. Then email the article link to your subscribers. Finally, tell your social media pals that a new article has been posted. Now you’ve added quality content to your website, kept in touch with your subscribers and generated something to talk about on social media.
But we should also talk about the downside to email marketing. Knowing what to expect will help you steer clear of the most common problems.
Why we can’t have nice things.
Spammers have ruined much of email for all of us. Nearly everyone uses some level of spam filter, but some filters are so draconian, your message may never get delivered. Just ask organizations like the Susan G. Kommen foundation about banned words.
Some businesses and organizations will block email they deem not work-related. For instance, a school district may block all email sent via Constant Contact to save teachers’ time by weeding out sales pitches.
Play the game honorably.
Since the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, those who email have had rules to follow. One big one is that you must always have an “unsubscribe” button in your email which actually unsubscribes people. Most newsletter services do this automatically.
Another important issue is how you add subscribers. If you are at an author fair and collect email addresses in a fishbowl for a prize drawing, you do not have permission to add those people as subscribers, even if you tell them that you will do so.
Instead, what you need is a “double opt-in.” In a double opt-in, you send them a single email saying “please confirm that you want to subscribe” with a link. They click the link that gives permission. If you have a newsletter sign-up on your website or Facebook page, you would also use double opt-in. Not following the rules can get your newsletter service frozen or you could even be fined.
Respect your subscribers.
In the end, the biggest mistake is failing your readers. You never want to annoy your email friends by sending junk mail or by contacting them too frequently. Your friends and patrons deserve the best of you and your work. By being respectful and sociable, you’ll build great relationships with your readers that will repay you in many ways, including book sales.
Photo by Torsten Dettlaff