Leslie Ye says, “Communication is the lifeblood of sales and marketing. Successfully closing deals, providing value, explaining complexities — they all rely on your ability to express yourself clearly and persuasively. The outreach email is a special breed of writing. You only have a very small window of opportunity to capture your reader’s attention and convince them to move one step closer toward a purchase or intended action. Use these writing techniques to ensure your emails pack the most punch. 7 Powerful Persuasion Techniques to Use In Your Next Email 1) Know your audience. Okay,... [...]

Brandon Olson says, “As Elana Donmoyer slowly rolled her collection of handmade clothing and accessories around the parking lot of a Phish concert over a decade ago, she never thought her humble efforts to fund her trips to watch her favorite band would someday transform into a business that would help support her family. As a crafter and DIYer back then, Elana saw other crafters struggling to find hair accessories in the right colors and quantities. “Folks were buying basic styles at the drugstore or supermarket and adding on to them,” she said. “But there was no source for these... [...]

Brandon Olson says, “Ask any blogger how they got started blogging and they’ll likely tell you it started out of a passion for a particular topic, whether that’s teaching people how to sing or sharing helpful photography tips or educating others on the importance of essential oils. (We’re passionate about email marketing, which is why we blog about it.) The unique thing about bloggers is that most aren’t looking to earn an income when they’re first getting started. It’s simply a natural expression of their passion and desire to share their knowledge or solve others’ problems. But... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “If your job requires you to write email content, there’s nothing worse than coming down with a case of writer’s block. However, there may also be some of you who find that instead of a temporary block, it’s more like a chronic, long-term obstacle between you and The Greatest Email Ever. To help you overcome the hurdle of creating content, we recently launched a seven-day educational email course called What to Write in Your Emails. Throughout the course, you’ll receive one email a day that will help inspire new content ideas, improve your writing skills and... [...]

Beth Hayden says, “I met a woman at a networking event last year. I’ll call her Nicki. Nicki and I chatted for a few minutes, and she struck me as smart and motivated. I liked her. That was six months ago, and now Nicki’s emails are driving me insane. After that networking event, Nicki added my name and email address to her mailing list. She didn’t ask if I wanted to join her list — she just added me. And since then, about once a month, Nicki has been copying me on bulk email messages she sends to hundreds of people using her email’s “BCC” field. None of Nicki’s emails have... [...]

Nick Cholakis says, “Nonprofits operate in a crowded digital ecosystem with aggressive marketing tactics and massive advertising spends from the corporate world. It can be tough, as a result, to reach target audiences—especially for membership recruitment. How can nonprofits stand out, build visibility, and drive engagement in a landscape where the average email user sends and receives 122 messages a day? The answer is simple: do what you already do best by building long-term relationships with the communities and stakeholders that you serve. Rely on your value proposition to stand out... [...]

Ashley Lockridge says, “There’s a scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that will stick in my head forever. Violet Beauregarde, an obsessive gum chewer, starts smacking on a piece of gum that is promised to taste like a three-course meal. Despite Willy Wonka’s protests that he hasn’t gotten this test product “quite right yet,” she chews on and experiences a delicious dinner of tomato soup and roast beef. However, when she gets to the blueberry pie dessert, she begins to turn purple and blow up like a gigantic blueberry, eventually becoming so large she almost pops. There’s... [...]

Ryan Robinson says, “When you work in sales, establishing partnerships and building meaningful relationships with prospects is an essential part of the job. At CreativeLive, I’m constantly seeking out new business leaders to introduce to our audience. For me, this translates into a high volume of emails to people who are extremely busy. Over the past couple of years, I’ve perfected my email approach and have had the privilege of opening up doors with people like Rand Fishkin, Tim Ferriss, Brian Dean, and more. However, it didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it wasn’t... [...]

Ben Davis says, “I think I’ve found my favourite ever email unsubscribe! What a treat, on my birthday, as well. See if you agree. Zalando I wrote a long and rather waffling article about Zalando recently. It’s a company I only heard about on the back of Wired Retail, where the founder gave a talk. Ecommerce, yes, but also the vision to build a fashion platform (and become a tech company), backed up by a lot of resource (innovation hubs, app teams, APIs to startups etc.), bringing unique consumer experiences that have so far been lacking in online shopping. I’m not sure... [...]

Andy Beohar says, “Your email list is one of your most valuable assets as a digital marketer. You’ve worked hard to get contacts signed up, and you probably consistently curate an appropriate amount of mailings to keep recipients updated. However, too many marketing professionals fall into the trap of complacency when they have a routine, which can mean you aren’t giving your email list the attention it deserves. To keep nurturing that list to make sure your email marketing campaigns are always effective, you have find ways to maintain steady growth. Luckily, it can be fairly easy to... [...]