Businesses that depend on email marketing to engage customers will notice two things about their email list every year; 1. Your email list will shrink by at least 15% before the end of the year, 2. Your bounce (email return) rate will be greater than it was the previous year – but does this mean you are losing your subscribers? That depends on your Website.
Customers no longer depend on emails to keep up with the latest news from their favorite marketers – thanks to SPAM (the worst kind), your recipients have grown tired of wading thru emails to decipher which ones they really want to read.
If your email list is shrinking, it could be that your subscribers are not lost but are looking for new ways to keep up with your business. The big question is, have you made those ways available? Here are three tips to get you started:
1. Get Real Simple Syndication (RSS)
Add RSS to your Website so that your visitors can use this technology to keep up with your business. RSS allows subscribers to get just the news they have elected to receive in their mailbox and on their favorite Web portal.
2. Publish in Social Networks
Your business is fabulous and your Website may be great, but your customers will still prefer to hang out in the latest greatest social network instead of your Website. Publishing your e-newsletter in a format that is adaptable to at least two of the top social networks is essential to keeping up with your clients. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace all provide ways for integrating external Web content on their networks – yours should be on there too.
3. Get Mobile Friendly
Smart phones are here to stay. These pocket computers serve as phones, MP3 players, and email client. If your e-newsletter is not mobile friendly, now is the time to create that option for your subscribers.
Still unsure of which steps to take to keep up with your customers? Why not ask them – they’ll be glad to tell you. Surveying your subscribers once per year is also a great way keep up with how your customers are keeping up with you.