Email 101

Email is an effective way to communicate with customers because they are highly qualified by opting in to receive your messages. You are able to schedule sends to optimum times for your customers. It also allows for an instant buying option. An email allows you to talk more genuinely and at longer length with your audience. It is your chance to build your brand – tell the stories that tie your customers to why they do business with you. You can introduce staff, and further develop relationships.

Branding

Find a way to make your brand experience and look consistent across in-person to digital interaction with you.

Video

People love to interact with video. It can be tricky based on your email platform. If it doesn’t work properly in the email, take a photo and put a play button on top of it. 

Personalize

An individuals story means more than a mass story or statistics. 

Subject Line

Need to catch attention to get them to open – “Ex. Sappy Email Warning”.  Consider an emoji in the subject line

Call to Action (CTA)

• Make your call to action bold. Keep text short with action words such as “Give” or “Donate”.
• Use contrasting colors from the rest of your email.
• Keep your buttons at least 44 pixels tall and wide so it’s easy to tap on when on a mobile phone.  Make sure you CTA that gets them where you promised them.

Deliverability

Your domain needs to be authenticated (your email provider can help). This process is like telling your recipient’s server that you have given your email provider permission to send as you.

Consider running a re-engagement campaign to people who have not engaged. If they continue not not engaging, remove people who have not engaged with your emails in a while.

Video 101

You need a video strategy that connects you to your audience. Video in emails leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rates. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online. The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. 

Incorporate video into your websites, landing pages, promotional materials, newsletters, digital ads, emails, and more. 

Plus, video content has higher rankings than photos and text. Video is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of search results than traditional web pages due to Google’s algorithm. Be sure your videos are housed on YouTube.

Placement

Introductions go at the top of websites and emails. Upcoming events go in the middle. 

Length

• Introductions that show the face behind the email: 30-45 seconds. Easy-one off videos are more genuine. Say hello. Thank them for their interest, give them the information they requested. Be sure to add a call-to-action
• Support Video: show customers step-by-step instructions on how to fix an issue. 60 seconds
• Testimonial videos: Written reviews are great but testimonial videos are a favorite. They are great for helping your target audience understand the benefits of your product. 30-45 seconds recording customer satisfaction
• Explainer videos: teach people about a product or service. 1-3 minutes (200 words) – “show” don’t “tell”. Approach your explainer video from the perspective of how your product solves a problem. It can be as simple as putting together a slideshow deck with relevant graphics and record a voice over. Here’s a great explainer video on making explainer videos.

Facebook

You need a video strategy that connects you to your audience. Video in emails leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rates. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.

Incorporate video into your websites, landing pages, promotional materials, newsletters, digital ads, emails, and more. 

Plus, video content has higher rankings than photos and text. Video is 50 times more likely to appear on the first page of search results than traditional web pages due to Google’s algorithm. Be sure your videos are housed on YouTube.

Remember that Facebook is short-lived. The average lifespan of a Facebook post is 3 hours and 7 minutes.

Placement

Introductions go at the top of websites and emails. Upcoming events go in the middle. 

Length

• Introductions that show the face behind the email: 30-45 seconds. Easy-one off videos are more genuine. Say hello. Thank them for their interest, give them the information they requested. Be sure to add a call-to-action
• Support Video: show customers step-by-step instructions on how to fix an issue. 60 seconds
• Explainer videos: teach people about a product or service. 1-3 minutes – “show” don’t “tell”
• Testimonial videos: Written reviews are great but testimonial videos are a favorite. They are great for helping your target audience understand the benefits of your product. 30-45 seconds recording customer satisfaction 

Instagram

• More than 66% of Instagram users are under the age of 34.
• Instagram’s biggest markets include beauty, health and fitness, travel, fashion, lifestyle, business, and animals. Keep that in mind when thinking about what products sell best on Instagram.
• Trending (source: Ecwid Oct 15, 2020):
  • apparel – especially sustainable clothing
  • jewelry – especially “design your own necklace”
  • beauty and skincare – especially design-your-own eyeshadow palettes)
  • Kombucha
  • home decor – especially removable wallpaper
  • fitness – especially custom yoga mats
  • food & cooking – especially alternative milk products
  • crafts and DIY (do it yourself) – especially notecards
  • eco-living – especially reusable bags
  • art – especially canvas prints
• Users prefer authentic (not staged) photos