Ah, the email newsletter! One of the cornerstones of online marketing, and you’re on top of it. You have it under control – you’re dedicated. It’s consistent and well-managed, it’s interesting, it should be perfect…
…but you’re not seeing any sales from it.
What gives?!
What Makes a Good Newsletter?
Yes, you know all this, but it’s still good to check. Before we dive deep into why your newsletter isn’t performing as well as you hoped, let’s make sure it’s covering all the bases as to what makes a good newsletter.
Write Interesting Content
First on the list is the content itself. Is it engaging for your audience? Is it authoritative? Is it relevant? There’s no point in sending out an email that’s boring to read.
Keep a Consistent Schedule
We all know the importance of regular scheduling in building trust with your customers. Your newsletter needs to be going out consistently and not in any haphazard fashion.
Design It Right
Does your newsletter look good? And, importantly, is it right for your audience? Make sure the design of your email is one that appeals to the people you are sending it to. Ensure it’s not too long that it rambles but not so short it doesn’t make its point.
Target Your Audience
Know your audience and target them specifically, not only in terms of relevant content, but also with the personal touch. Using merge tags and custom fields to replace generic elements with personalised information will make your customer feel valued.
But you’re doing all that, and it still isn’t generating sales. Step into my office, and let’s talk further!
Issue 1 - You Forgot to Sell
It happens. You spend so much time crafting content that’s engaging and relevant, as well as being funny, that you’ve forgotten the whole point of the exercise – you are here to sell!
If you don’t remember to funnel your readers to your desired action, they will read the brilliantly witty writing, smile, and then just get on with their day. All too soon, you are forgotten.
You need to compel them to do something. You need that Call to Action (CTA).
Stories should lead to a CTA that’s linked to the narrative. Without this, how will your readers know what it is you want from them? You become the bloke down the pub, chatting away but not really getting anywhere.
With that in mind, if you need some more in-depth help with your email marketing, why not book a call with me?
Do you see what I did there?
Issue 2 - Your Offers Suck
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but consider the possibility that what you are offering simply isn’t desirable.
Maybe you are doing all the right things to sell, and your CTAs are strong and well positioned. Maybe you are engaging and informative. Maybe it’s just that your audience doesn’t want what you’re hawking.
Does your offer have real, tangible value to them? Is it something they can get elsewhere for less, or even for free?
Or, if your offer is a good one, perhaps the way you are putting it across just isn’t right. Take a good look at what the draw is, and make sure it’s stellar. Leave them simply unable to turn it down.
Issue 3 - Buying is a Chore
Your sales funnel is good.
Your offer is good.
But maaaaan, your sales process is laborious.
In a world of instant-click gratification, any small bump in your customer’s ability to order the product or service you are offering, and they’re off. If they have to jump through a million hoops to get what they want, they’ll give up. They may think they’ll come back to it later, but – spoiler alert! – they won’t.
User experience is everything. The steps between the decision to buy and completing the process must be seamless.
Issue 4 - You’re Too Sales-y
Have you booked a call with me?
Seriously, do – just follow this link here.
Or this one.
I’m really good at this. I can help you. I can fix everything about your email marketing.
This link – just in case you missed it earlier. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
…
You get the point! Being pushy is really really off-putting. If you are seeing lots of unsubscribes after your newsletter goes out, there’s a good chance you are hitting too hard with your sales. Getting some unsubs is normal; good, in fact, as it keeps your list clean and engaged, but a lot is a warning signal.
Sales should be confident, but gentle. Clear, but not pushy.
It is a fine balance. Too light, and you’re back to issue #1 with the lack of CTA, but too much, and you can lose a potential customer forever. Consider your audience and fine-tune your sales pitch to suit them. Culture has a lot to do with it, too, with some countries and even regions being more accepting of, or even desiring, the hard sell.
Remember that the feeling of pushy sales is not just in terms of your content but also in the frequency of it. No one wants to be spammed, so keep those emails consistent but not too frequent.
The Perfect Email Conversation
It can feel like an impossible task, but it’s really just a careful balance that you will become better with as you become more experienced. Practice makes perfect, after all. Listening to feedback and analysing data are as important as the skills in crafting excellent writing.
There is another option, of course – take this whole email marketing thing off your plate and hand it over to someone who loves all this careful analysis. Have you considered booking a call with me? 😉
