Email is a very popular way to communicate, with more than half of the people in the world using it. Unfortunately, the digital divide means that millions still don’t have access but for businesses, these numbers are still looking good.
According to statistics, “For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $38,” and, “While social media and search should not be ignored, email has higher conversion rates than these two tactics combined.”
Now that you know why email is so important, I’m going to share some email marketing tips to help you run a successful Indiegogo campaign. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to grow your email list.
1. Use Email Marketing Tools
As a business, artist, or creator you simply cannot compete by sitting at your computer and emailing potential backers one-by-one. You need a plan, an email list, analytics to back you up, and some level of automation to make your email marketing campaign work.
Platforms like MailChimp and other tools allow you to build beautiful email marketing campaigns and schedule your emails to go out ahead of time. You can also use a website like LeadPages to set up a landing page that will ask people to opt-in to your MailChimp newsletter.
2. Get Permission
Email marketing can help you bring in new customers and maintain that relationship, but you should try to avoid sending unsolicited emails. Get permission by having your target audience sign up for email updates willingly before sending out an email campaign.
3. Use a Lead Magnet
How will you get people’s permission to send them emails? Use a lead magnet! A lead magnet is something that you give people for free in exchange for information like their name and email address. Examples of lead magnets could be things like an eBook you’ve written, digital downloads of your content, and more.
People are more likely to subscribe to email updates if they are getting something in return. Assuming your get the lead magnet right they will, in turn, be grateful and be more likely to remember you when you start sending them emails!
4. Know Your Audience
Get to know your target audience and what makes them interested in your Indiegogo campaign. Send email updates that are relevant, interesting, and try to contain visuals while avoiding large blocks of text.
Make sure to include important details like the final day of your campaign, the project link, and the kinds of rewards you are offering in exchange for people’s support.
5. Manage Contacts and Be Responsive
Keep your email marketing campaigns organized by effectively managing your contact lists. Be responsive to requests for information and make sure not to keep sending more emails to people who want to unsubscribe.
Automation has its place but sometimes you need to respond to questions and add a human element to your emails to build people’s trust before they are willing to back your project. Keep in mind that running a bad email marketing campaign can have the opposite effect.
6. Choose a Message that Is in Line with Your Goals
When you write copy for your email marketing campaigns make sure you do so with your goal in mind. You want people to back your Indiegogo campaign? Think about your list of contacts. How much do they know about you? How much do they know about Indiegogo?
Answering these questions will help you form more relevant email subject lines. You’ll improve your open rates and click through rates.
This is your opportunity to educate potential backers and draw them in. Your job is to create interesting content that will get them hooked and eagerly awaiting your project launch so they can back you right away.
7. Keep it Casual
Email marketing means dropping the technical lingo and using a conversational tone. You need to write casually, like you’re talking to a friend. People don’t like to read long, boring emails. They like quick updates so keep it light and interesting if you want to catch their attention.
8. The More Often You Email, the Shorter they Should Be
Think about the last time you opened an email that looked like a book. Lines and lines of text with no sign of stopping. Did you read it? Did you start? Probably not.
Most people’s attention spans are short so if you want to stand out you need to keep your paragraphs short and to the point. The more emails you send a month or week, the shorter they should be. You can provide links to more information but don’t overburden your emails with too much rambling.
9. Use Names to Help Build Relationships
Anonymous, nameless emails look more automated to your potential backers than emails with a name and a title attached. Make sure you use your recipient’s name if you have it too. These emails, addressed directly to your subscribers coming from an identifiable person make them feel like they are really building a connection with you or a person in your company.
This relationship with your subscribers can take time but it will be beneficial to you when you ask them to support your project.
10. Be Honest in Your Subject Line – Give Your Recipient a Reason to Open Your Email
Try to avoid using obvious click bait or other weird tactics to get people to open your emails, especially if they are misleading. People don’t like having their time wasted so be upfront and tell them what they will get if they take the time to open your email.
Knowing your audience and your objective for sending the email will help you create a subject line that is informative and catches people’s attention. Once your subscribers see that your emails are useful they will be more likely to open them again in the future.
Conclusion
Email marketing can help you launch on Indiegogo with an impact if you start early and create strong relationships with your subscribers. Embracing automation while adding a personal touch and sharing information that your target audience will value can help you take your email marketing efforts to the next level.
One last thing: make sure that you use spell check, on your subject line and email content, and always remember to give your email a quick re-read before hitting send!
Click on the link to listen to podcast episode #161, Powerful Kickstarter Email Tactics and Tricks!
