MailChimp makes it easy to design exceptional email campaigns, share them on social networks, manage your list of subscribers, and track your results. 

1. Build your email list

Many businesses have begun to pay for email lists. Don’t do this. Don’t waste your money, the quality of these lists just aren’t there and the “subscribers” will mark your emails as spam the first opportunity they get. 

What you need to do is to get people who are actually interested in your product/service to subscribe to your emails and newsletters.

You can start by making an option to opt-in from your website. It’s quick and easy and you know these contacts are truly interested in what you have to offer. 

Offer discounts and percentages off in exchange for an opt-in subscription. Frequently offer exclusive discounts to your subscribers.

Your goal is not simply to grow your list.  It’s to grow the number of people in your community that you engage with on a regular basis. 

Import emails gathered on your website to MailChimp the easy way by picking up a copy of Nice Contact Chimp.

2. Create a monthly newsletter 

Why? Because it’s a fabulous way to build relationships with the people who are – or could become – your clients. Even if you’re not technically an e-commerce site, a newsletter can be the most effective, most efficient way to stay in contact with folks that have already bought from you before.

Having an email newsletter that is delivered straight to your reader’s email emulates a more personal form of communication than any of your other marketing tools. Keep them up to date on the latest events and the most up to date information. 

Some newsletters should leave out sales entirely, as in the case of an alumnus of a workshop. They don’t need you to sell the same workshop to them, and will unsubscribe if you try. However, a well crafted newsletter may warrant forwarding to friends that haven’t taken to program.

Remember that you build your list from folks that have bought from you before. All you need to do is remind them of the satisfaction they get from using your product/services, and maybe entice them with the promise of future satisfaction.

3. Maximize the outcome of your newsletter efforts

NEVER SPAM. Seriously. If you promised folks one monthly newsletter, best not to surprise them with two. It can be tempting to send extra blasts when you’re desperate, but all you’ll get from it is a flood of unsubscribes. So don’t do it.

You should, however, observe all the usual copy writing best practices, e.g. scannable copy, clickable images, bullet points. Make it useful. Make it fun. Change up your calls to action to reflect the attitude voiced by your writing. Make it personal.

Another extremely handy tool to maximize your effort is the power to divide your list into segments. Knowing which segments you can sell harder to and which you can’t can help you create multiple versions of the monthly newsletter, each tailored to a different market. Each subscriber still receives only one email, but they’ll love you all the more for knowing what they’re looking for and giving it to them.

4. Increase your open rate 

When you’ve spent time and effort into getting your newsletter just right there is no doubt you want to make sure your emails actually get read! Here are some factors you need to consider:

Subject line 

Be original and to pique curiosity. Choose something enticing enough to merit opening the email. If you’re subject line is too boring, you won’t get many clicks. Fortunately, MailChimp has a tool for researching terms you might want to use in your subject line, comparing their performance from previously run campaigns. 

The preview area

This little box contains the text that folks will see as a preview of the email that shows up after the subject line in their inbox. Reveal a little information to entice them and then leave them wanting more. 

Previous history of receiving emails

Some folks will sign up for a newsletter and then never open it. Repeatedly. You can probably drop them from your list, or set their info aside in a segment that you won’t send emails to.

Some folks, on the other hand, might have seen previous newsletters and decided they don’t seem very interesting anymore. I’ve been this gal myself before, and sometimes I’m just to lazy or too attached to unsubscribe. Not much you can do about it, except for make your newsletters better and hope they start opening them again.

Remember that any open rate above 20% is actually pretty good, so don’t cry if not everyone on your list opens the thing.

You can turn your entire month around with one well executed email campaign, so stop reading and start making yourself some money already!