Spread the Word: Managing Your Email Marketing

Best Practices for Creating, Maintaining, and Making the Most of a Customer Email List

 CREATING YOUR CUSTOMER EMAIL LIST

• Just START — even if you don’t have a detailed plan!
• Use an email management program
  • Constant Contact (has a relationship with IndieCommerce)
  • MailChimp
  • Others that people like?
• Collect email addresses
  • Always opt-in only
  • At the cash counter — use paper sign-up forms or digital entry
  • Via Social Media
    • FaceBook page “sign-up” button
  • Your website
    • Link & page pop-up
    • Can feed directly into your email management program
  • Via event registrations
  • At events with a sign-in, sign-up sheet
  • Enter-to-Win promotions
  • Be sure to have “disclaimer” information when not using direct Opt-in, letting customers know they’ll be added to your email list, but can always unsubscribe
  • Other suggestions for growing an email list?

MAINTAINING YOUR EMAIL LIST

• Check your bounces frequently and remove anyone “suggested for removal”
• Input written email addresses regularly, and shred sign-up forms
• Use welcome emails
  • Let people know they’ve been subscribed, what to expect, and how to unsubscribe
  • Don’t be too specific, so you can change your email strategy as needed
• Send email to your subscribers regularly

BEST PRACTICES FOR CUSTOMER EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS

• Send relevant content
• Create segments of your subscribers so you can send different things to different people:
  • Genres; Frequent Shoppers/Best Customers/Members; other segments that might be useful?
• Measure results
  • Look at your opens, click-throughs, shares, etc.
  • See what your customers are responding to and excited about
  • Use split testing to test different ideas
• Consider email frequency
  • Develop a cadence
  • Regular, at least once a month
  • Generally, more frequent email is better
    • Remind them about you!
    • They signed up, so they want to hear from you.
• Send emails to yourself and staff first — check how it looks, typos, links
• Do NOT Spam
  • Only send to OPT-IN subscribers (never a purchased list)
• Make it easy to subscribe (see all options above)
• Focus on your subject line
  • Things that do well in subject lines include:
    • The recipient’s name
    • A tasteful emoji or two
    • 30-50 characters tops
    • Action verbs
    • A clear and irresistible value proposition that matches the content of your email
    • Consistency (some emails perform best with the same subject line every time, it helps readers know what to expect so they keep an eye for it in their inbox)
  • Things that don’t do so great are:
    • Spammy keywords (urgent, buy now, win, free)
    • All uppercase letters
    • Exclamation points
    • Typos
    • Overuse of emojis
    • Deceptive subject lines that don’t match the email content
  • Don’t forget the sender information: bookstore name, specific person’s name
• Keep it simple
  • Limited text blocks, limited text
  • One or two “calls to action” per email
• Keep it true to you
  • Match your brand, include your logo/font/colors, sound like you
  • Be as storyteller
• Encourage sharing via email and social media
• Optimize for mobile
• Reward your subscribers with offers

PARTNER WITH SHELF AWARENESS, MPIBA, AND THE ABA

• Shelf Awareness for Readers
  • Customizable and can feature your upcoming events
• ABA IndieNext List and Children’s IndieNext List
• MPIBA Digital Promotions
  • Reading the West Book Awards Shortlist & Voting Announcement
  • Great Summer Reading Guide
  • Holiday Gift Guide Catalog 
  • Send digital promotions direct to your customers!
    • From your email address
    • Branded with your store logo
    • Buy buttons linking directly to YOUR website
• ALL Completely FREE to you!