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May 19, 2015

How to Safely Automate Your Social Media Channels

When you send an email to your list, chances are the end goal is to get your recipient to take some kind of action with you. Usually, that action is a purchase. To achieve that goal, you need to get your readers engaged with your brand.

Engagement is a hot buzzword, but when you look at the statistics behind it, you’ll understand why. Customers (even your most loyal customers) buy more when engaged with your brand, according to a study by HelloWorld. Brands saw a 21% increase in shopping visits as engagement increased. Email marketing is one of the strongest channels for driving that engagement. Unlike other channels, email is personal. It’s a one-on-one message between your company and your buyer. The way you use this opportunity matters. If you want to boost profits through your email marketing, you need to engage your reader on a personal level. Questions are one of the best, and easiest, ways to do that.

Deciding What Questions to Ask in Your Emails

Before you start dumping questions into your emails, take a step back and consider the purpose of the email. What do you want out of your reader? What kind of a response will benefit both you and your end consumer?

To generate a response, you need to have a purpose behind your question. If not, your reader will see right through your agenda and will ignore your efforts. As you formulate your question, here are a few tips to help you put together the best one for soliciting a response.

Don’t Ask Yes or No Questions

Asking yes or no questions might seem like an easy addition to your email. It’s easy for you to ask and track, and it’s easy for your reader to hit reply and type into the message box. The problem is, it’s not personal.

Your recipient wants to share her opinion. She wants her voice to be heard. When you ask a yes or no question, you limit that conversation. If you do get a response, there won’t be much thought put behind the answer, making your findings and the engagement almost useless. Create a personal connection with your reader by asking open ended questions that start with words like, “would,” “should,” or “how.” These instantly drop the robotic feel of your email marketing and add a human element to your brand.

Be Prepared to Respond

This is probably the hardest thing for email marketers. How will you deal with all those replies?

The overwhelm email marketers feel when getting a response is the very reason they don’t ask questions. The problem is, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of sales by trying to spare yourself some work. Solicit feedback or an opinion, then get ready to reply. You can be thoughtful in your response without writing a novel. Show your email recipient that you care. The next time you send an email you can bet she’ll be a little more eager to open it and see what you have to say.

Takeaways

Asking questions is important. It puts a human element behind the transaction. More importantly, it gets your audience to engage with your brand on a deeper level, increasing the likelihood of a future purchase.

What types of questions have you asked in your email marketing? Has anything increased your response rate?