E-Blasts – A Valuable Tool for Your Marketing Toolbox

If social media disappeared tomorrow, would you have an outlet to stay engaged with your digital audiences? While the odds of social media vanishing may be slim, the reality is – a brand doesn’t “own” its social media followers, despite the hard work it took to gain brand loyalty. If you rely solely on social media to connect with your target audiences, it’s time to add another tool to your marketing toolbox – e-blasts.

What are e-blasts?

Simply put, e-blasts or email marketing is defined as a strategy that includes sending emails to current and prospective audiences with the goal of increasing brand awareness, driving engagement, nurturing leads or making a sale.

In a nutshell, e-blasts are more visual and engaging than traditional emails. Top email marketing platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp are affordable and make it easy to manage contacts, customize content and stay engaged with key audiences.

What are some ways a brand can use e-blasts?

• As an alternative to printed newsletters. E-blasts track several metrics on readership and engagement that provide brands with a greater sense of return on investment compared to printed newsletters.
• To share relevant industry news and updates in an easy and effective way. By using e-blasts, organizations have the ability to share important, custom updates with stakeholders in minutes – no need to wait for the next print circulation.
• To promote upcoming events and drive registrations. E-blast platforms feature tools that make event registration quick and easy to manage.
• To survey subscribers and gain insights. By embedding a survey in an e-blast, your target audiences can voice their opinions and gain key insights for your organization – a win-win for everyone.

How do I build an e-blast?

A strong e-blast includes:

• A short, sweet and snappy subject line, which is arguably the most important attribute considering it is what prompts your readers to open the email. Consider ways to include a call-to-action or an enticing message that stands front and center in your readers’ inboxes.
• Eye-catching branding that resonates with your readers. Showcase your logo and brand identity. Avoid using colors or text that are hard to read and consider how your branding will transfer across devices.
• A touch of personalization. E-blast platforms offer a variety of ways to personalize messages and greet readers by name, which can increase brand loyalty and engagement.
• Bookmark-worthy content. Provide your readers with timely, relevant and helpful content. Put yourself in their shoes – how can you tie your brand to an upcoming holiday or trend? Or maybe you have a subject matter expert that can provide helpful tips and tricks. Regardless, be sure to keep it short and to the point – less is more.
• Instagram-worthy imagery. E-blasts are all about visuals! As a rule of thumb, for every section of text, be sure to include a compelling image or graphic. Need stock photos? I love to use Unsplash and Pexels for free images.
• Irresistibly clickable links. While you don’t want to encourage your readers to navigate away from your e-blast to read something different, consider how you can incorporate links into your content to direct readers to take action on your website. Most e-blast platforms offer customizable buttons, which are great to increase a brand’s click rate and website visits.
• An easy way to connect with your brand on social. E-blasts are all about driving engagement, so be sure to sneak in extra promotion and encourage your readers to follow your brand on social media for more content.

E-blast platforms offer a variety of ready-to-use and fully customizable templates so you can plug and go or design your own template that can be used again and again.

How do I grow my brand’s subscriber list?

Once your e-blast strategy is in place, it’s important to generate new subscribers regularly. Here are a few ways your brand can increase readership:

• Embed a sign-up form on your organization’s website. Many platforms, including Constant Contact and MailChimp, offer step-by-step instructions and best practices.
• Give your audiences the opportunity to opt-in to your e-blasts when registering for an event or renewing their membership.
• Make it fun! Consider hosting an online sweepstakes. To encourage your social media followers to become e-blast subscribers, consider hosting an online sweepstakes. Encourage your social media followers to like your post and subscribe to your e-blast to be eligible to win. Woobox is an easy-to-use, effective tool to gather sweepstakes entries and information from new subscribers.
• Consider how e-blasts fit into your organization’s overall communications plan. Think about how you might offer subscribers exclusive access or early notification of announcements, sales or events.

Regardless of which growth strategy you choose to implement, it’s important to know that e-blast platforms require organizations to incorporate opt-in language at the time of sign-up.

While e-blasts may seem like a daunting addition to your brand’s marketing strategy, they are also a cost-effective channel to increase brand awareness and engagement among target audiences. Today’s email platforms make it easier than ever to implement an impactful email marketing program.

Ready to take your email marketing strategy to the next level? Inspire is here to help.