For some reason, a lot of authors are a little bit afraid of email marketing. But I see email as just another format of writing stories for your readers ... only with a sales focus in mind. Emails provide a direct link to your readers, and when you have a new release coming out, this is invaluable. No one else controls this list. Not your publisher, not some social media platform, but you! And these days, you can achieve great email marketing at virtually zero cost, making the return on investment the highest out of any e-marketing channel. So what are you waiting for?
Here's ten tips to help you simplify your email process and get more engagement:
- Don’t talk at your subscribers, don’t even call them subscribers. Nobody wants to be treated like a number. Make it personal. Make it real. Make them your friend.
- ‘What’s in it for me?’ Let’s be honest, that’s what we’re all thinking when we receive an email. Give your subscribers something useful and don’t waste their time. Even if that means you email them less frequently, that’s okay. At least they won’t get annoyed with your white noise.
- Use a great subject line to entice opens. Use power words and experiment. Use A/B testing if you’ve got the time. Need help writing a subject line? Use the free Headline Checker tool.
- Write an email as you write your book. You want people to fall in love with your unique voice. Tell your news in a story format. You’re already awesome at capturing attention in a book, think of the same techniques when writing your letter. Now, I’m not saying write an actual book length email. Definitely keep it brief. But inject your personality into it.
- Follow the 80/20 rule if you aren’t sure about content and worry about being sales pushy. 80% valuable/free content, 20% sales pitch. You can even try weaving in the sales pitch to your content.
- Ask for the sell. Don’t be shy. Include a call to action. Sometimes people actually need to be reminded of what to do. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.
- Make it easy for your customer by providing all the direct sales links. Use buttons for catchy and clear call to actions.
- Optimise for mobile. About 50% of emails are opened on smart phones and tablets. So, make sure you preview your email in mobile format before sending.
- Test! Don’t forget to send an email to your inbox and read it on another device. Sometimes seeing it in another format helps you pick up errors.
Still need a little help? I'm running an online workshop as part of the RWA OWL calendar July 2017.
For RWA members, you get the special price of $30 for a four week course that's learn at your own pace and with downloadable content. I'll be there every step of the way to provide feedback and guidance.
Interested?
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About the Author
Lana Pecherczyk is your friendly neighbourhood RWA webmistress and VP extraordinaire. She also has fifteen years experience in marketing, web & graphic design. She likes to write romantic comedies and urban fantasy. She also works in a bookstore, volunteers, is a tee-ball coach and mother to two little firecrackers. Learn more about her at
AuthorZoo.com.au.
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