If you have an email address, the chances are you will be receiving email marketing (better known as eshots) on a daily basis. It has become an integral part of running a successful business in an age where everything is so online focussed. An eshot is a term used for anything that is sent to an existing or potential customers via email.
Every business and brand should be using eshots within their marketing strategy. Not only do they keep your customers up to date with what’s going on, but they keep your name at the front of their minds too. An eshot is a fantastic way to round up all of your other marketing efforts throughout social media, adverts, blog posts and your website itself. Getting your message out there as many times as possible, to as many people as possible is key to marketing success.
What types of content can you include in an eshot?
- Special offers
- New products
- Company and industry news
- Blog posts
- Advice/Tips
- Upcoming events
Top Tip! – Repurpose content from your other marketing materials such as blog posts and social media graphics to save you time and effort. It also helps to align your brand and message.
How often should you send an eshot out?
When you are sending out eshots, the last thing you want to do is make people unsubscribe from your list because they’re feeling annoyed with the amount you are sending them. We have all had those companies that send you multiple emails a day and it can be very irritating and will lead you to hitting that unsubscribe button.
It can be difficult at first to find the right balance between keeping people updated about your business and not overwhelming them. We would recommend sending either a monthly newsletter style or, if you are a retail company trying to drive traffic to your website, try 2 and 4 eshots per month to start with. The important step after sending them out is to monitor their performance – this will show you if people are opening, reading and engaging with your eshot content.
Designing your eshot template
When you are putting together an eshot, you should consider the following design and content factors:
- Are your messages clear, concise and informative?
- Is your most important story first?
- Do you have at least one Call To Action?
- Are you promoting a service or product? Make sure you link back to it on your website!
- Are you using high quality, eye-catching imagery and graphics?
- Keep chunks of text to a minimum – eshots are designed to be scanned quickly by users.
- Keep your logos, images, colours and fonts in line with the rest of your branding.
- Once you’re happy, save your template for future use!
Read more eshot design and element tips here.
Things to remember about GDPR
It is vital that you are making sure you are GDPR compliant when compiling your database of email addresses. The people on your list must have willingly subscribed and given their consent to receiving marketing materials from you via email. The only exception to this rule is previous existing customers of your business, known as a ‘soft opt-in’. An option to be removed from your database must always be presented to both existing and new customers that wish to no longer receive your email marketing.
Read more about GDPR and email marketing here.
What software can help you send eshots?
There are several popular software platforms that help you manage, create and analyse your eshots. You can securely store your contact database, use existing email templates and upload your graphics to keep it in line with your brand. Some of our favourites are:
Need help with your marketing?
We offer a range of different monthly packages to help you keep on top of your marketing. We can look after your social media accounts, blog posts, eshots, PR and much more.