Acquiring leads to send emails to is one task, but expanding your reach beyond those audiences via email is something else entirely. You need to create email content that’s engaging and share-worthy, but how exactly do you do that? Is email really all that valuable anymore? Let’s explore.
First of all, email marketing yields a return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every $1 you spend. Additionally, it’s used by more than half the world’s population of over 4 billion people, and within three hours of being received, 41% of emails have been opened. In other words, yes, email marketing is still a very efficient and important way brands can connect with their customers. The trick is to create content that’s so irresistible that people can’t help but hit that forward button.
Why Would You Want to Have People Forward Their Emails, Anyway?
Besides being cost-effective and efficient, email marketing offers companies a number of other benefits, as well. When you captivate your audience and deliver emails that your audience can’t wait to share with their inner circles, you’re getting more eyes on your business. Plus, you’re building brand awareness with people who might not otherwise have even known you exist.
When your customers forward your emails to their friends, family members, and colleagues, this action:
- Builds trust. Word of mouth between friends and family is still the top-trusted source of information. In fact, around 90% of consumers trust suggestions made by their friends and family over advertisements. Having your content shared directly from your subscribers will help boost your brand’s credibility in the eyes of your receivers’ friends and family members.
- Increases subscribers and customers. If someone isn’t currently a customer or on your email list but is then introduced to your brand via a friend who shared super relevant content with them, this introduction will likely entice them to subscribe on their own. From there, they will embark on their customer journey with you and suggest your business to another person they know.
- Validates your email strategy. If your email content is engaging and deemed shareable with your current audience, it means you’re doing all the right things for your brand.
How Do You Get Leads to Do Your Email Marketing for You?
Okay, so now you know why it’s essential to create engaging, shareable email content, but how exactly do you do that?
1. Get Your Email List Organized
Before you can even dive into your campaign’s content strategy, you have to make sure your emails are being delivered to the right people, at the right time, and with a subject line that is going to get them to open them. These are all email marketing best practices that the strategists at Zero Gravity Marketing (ZGM) can help you with.
2. Give Subscribers Relevant Content
According to HubSpot, targeted emails are usually 90% more viral than untargeted messages. So, segment your lists and hit users with email content that you know interests them based on previous campaign data and audience knowledge. If you give subscribers very relevant content on topics that appeal to them, chances are, it will appeal to their peers, too.
Be aware that the type of content distributed is also a factor here:
- Educational content, such as infographics and blogs, is shareable because they encourage people to inform others with their newfound knowledge.
- Whether they’re virtual or live, events are naturally shareable, too, because people often want to invite their peers to attend alongside them and not miss out.
- Sales and offers provoke the fear of missing out (FOMO); in other words, you wouldn’t want your friend to miss out on a fantastic deal.
- Charities and fundraising efforts benefit from shareable content because people want to encourage their network to support the causes they care about. They also want to inform others of their own contributions, especially if they’re causes that are close to them.
3. Incorporate Social Integration
A quick and easy way to encourage content sharing is to incorporate social media sharing links within the email to give users their choice of the platform to spread your message.
4. Ask Them Outright With a CTA
Call to action (CTA) encourages subscribers to sign up for webinars, download content, and follow their favorite brands on social. So, adding a “share this with your network” CTA is an obvious next step for your email marketing campaign. It’s a simple yet effective way to promote email sharing. Be sure to make the process of sharing easy with pre-populated content fields.
5. Incentivize Forwarding With Referral Rewards
Offering a type of reward in return for people sharing your emails, such as product discounts, gifts, or recognition, encourages people to get the word out about your brand by making it worth their while to do so. Use a tool to tally email forwards from your subscribers so you can keep track of user efforts and how close they are to their rewards.
Let ZGM Do Your Email Marketing for You
If you need help ensuring your emails are primed to get your brand the outreach and attention it deserves, contact Zero Gravity Marketing. Let our team of marketing gurus help guide your email marketing strategy!
