Being able to communicate effectively with your audience is paramount. The good news is that there are significantly more chances that people will open the email in their inbox than read a Facebook or Instagram post. There are also more chances that they will engage with your content since they have subscribed to your newsletter in the first place. In this article, we are sharing our best practices that ensure deliverability and high open rates, and, ultimately, result in a well-informed and engaged community.
Do your best to avoid the Spam folder
The main obstacle to regular communication is that occasionally emails end up in a Spam folder and do not get seen by your audience at all. This happens for many reasons, but the most common ones are using unverified domains, not updating email addresses on your list, and finally your audience not engaging with your emails. First and foremost, verify your sending domains to protect your customers from phishing and spammers. Also, make sure to keep your email list up-to-date with current email addresses and remove those that keep bouncing. Finally, create good content and present it in a concise way with links that take them to your website or blog - ultimately, you want to drive traffic to your own platform.
Segment your audience to optimise your emails
If your audience consists of several different segments, make sure you communicate with them appropriately. Your donors do not necessarily need to hear that you’re hosting an afternoon tea party for volunteers, so adjust the information you are sharing depending on the group you’re sending it to. Conduct regular polls or surveys to find out what your audience wants to hear about. This will help create relevant content that your stakeholders are interested in. You can also try A/B testing by splitting your audience into 2 groups and sending them emails with different Subject lines or a slightly varied message. Observe which version receives more engagement, such as clicks on blog posts, or subscriptions. This will allow you to learn what people on your list respond to and communicate better next time you create a message.
Give your message a personal touch
All email providers nowadays give you an option of including a salutation. To build a closer connection, use personalised greetings at the beginning or include a person’s name in various places throughout your email. It’s also good practice to include the Unsubscribe link so that your subscribers can choose what type of content (if any) they want to receive from you.
Choose a reliable email provider
Compared to social media, where confusing algorithms are often at work, emails are a more reliable tool for strengthening engagement and building community. They go directly into the inboxes of your members, supporters or donors, so you have an opportunity to deliver your message without being interrupted. We believe that attractive visual design, compelling copy and a strong message that resonates with your audience are key factors that make your emails exciting for people to receive. However, one other thing that can help us up our engagement rates is a reliable email service provider that comes with an intuitive and flexible email builder. For charities, it is critical to not only have an email provider that supports your needs as a nonprofit organisation, but also helps you write emails that your subscribers want to engage with every time you hit Send.
How can the new infoodle email help your organisation?
In July, we rolled out the new infoodle email system designed to help you transform the way you connect with your community. The refreshed system offers a number of exciting features, such as a new drag-and-drop designer, access to better analytics and a fully automated Unsubscribe process, to name a few.
The main advantage of the new infoodle email is that it is extremely user-friendly and easy to learn: the interface is not cluttered, the navigation is simple and straightforward, and the drag-and-drop design features are intuitive, which means no complicated customisations or code knowledge is required from you. The new system also gives more control over the layout of your emails. Design new emails from scratch or use an existing template to offer a better visual experience for your audience. The new designer allows you to create beautiful emails and templates in a matter of minutes: add compelling text, attention-grabbing images, buttons and links that take readers to relevant content. You can keep your brand preferences consistent with your other platforms by using the same images, graphics and other brand elements. Consistent branding elevates user experience, evokes trust and makes your organisation memorable and easily recognisable. Create a template with your logos, social media buttons, colours and fonts set up, and keep your messaging in tune. Lastly, infoodle offers easy-to-navigate analytics and email data. Measure and analyse the most important metrics: whether it is open rates, clicks or conversions and learn more about your audience and their preferences.
We all know about the power of email marketing, but may feel overwhelmed at the thought of sitting down to build a well-designed email. Don’t let the overwhelm and fear of tech hold you back anymore - use the new infoodle email system to regularly communicate with your stakeholders and strengthen the relationships with your community. Create subscription forms for your website, set up workflows, use Reports to segment your audience and send relevant communication to your contacts - all in one place! Whether you are a beginner or an expert, the new infoodle email provides all the necessary features to create engaging emails that can help you connect with your subscribers consistently, as well as inform and support them with content that both informs and inspires.
