There are countless email newsletters, but think about the ones that you would sincerely miss if they went away. There simply aren't as many. That's because so many email newsletters are dry and impersonal. Nobody responds to something seemingly constructed out of obligation or with a ham-fisted attempt to sell something. The best emails have a genuineness to them. There is a personality in emails that can only be conveyed by being yourself.
When someone copies or plagiarizes an idea it's usually because of laziness or a lack of belief in their own ideas. It's a shortcut, and sometimes there is a payoff, but if you put in the effort and think, you'll get even better results.
The worst thing about copying ideas you see in other newsletters? You might get caught. Your newsletters should be a testament to the strength and credibility of your brand. Why should someone go to you if you are going to someone else? Be yourself and don't concern yourself with what others are doing.
Don't copy ideas, be original with your newsletters. Pixabay
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Think about the terms of service (TOS) agreements you click on or digitally sign on certain websites or when enrolling in a service. Do you read them? If you're like most people, a page full of big words and legal language does not a happy reader make.
Most of us don't like to read complicated contracts, and unless you're a skilled attorney, you probably don't like writing them. Some people believe writing in a highly professional or technical manner makes their brand seem more impressive. The opposite is true. It makes the writer seem insecure or desperate.
When we write in a very personal way, what we write is more universal. Being relatable is important and seeming distant is not an option in this decade. As much as you can, be yourself in the newsletter. People can smell sincerity, and they like that scent quite well. Being phony is a noxious odor you should avoid.
The cornerstone of your brand? It's you. The words we choose can make all the difference. Your email newsletters could mean building your brand, increasing sales and loyalty or they could create the impression that you are inauthentic and an impersonator.
Look at people in history who have clearly defined brands. You would feel cheated if you went to a Frank Sinatra concert and he looked anything, but suave and debonair. He wouldn't be staying true to brand.
Although you may think this comparison is an exaggeration, the same applies to your email marketing strategy. So, the more personality you infuse in your email, the more memorable you will be. Being yourself builds your brand, being someone else weakens it.
Find out if your subscribers are real or not. Pixabay
If you're being yourself in your email newsletter, are the subscribers real also? That seems like a joke question, but it's important to be aware of fake and poor-quality email addresses.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have a scoring system called an Email Sender Score that rates email addresses to determine if they are a spammer or legitimate. Every email list is going to degrade due to invalid or problematic email addresses. People change their email addresses from time to time, take for instance when someone signs up for a list using their workplace email and they change jobs. Chances are they wouldn't unsubscribe from your list first. Then there are catch-all, role-based, temporary and abuse email addresses.
The solution to keeping your subscribers real? Get rid of the invalid and bad addresses! To do this you must be using an email validation service regularly. So, find a reputable company – one that offers around the clock technical support is a good idea. Then, upload your list to the email validation website platform and it will root out all of these poor and fake email addresses. Once the system detects them, you can get rid of them.
You can also use an email verification API. This easy to install plugin will work behind the scenes wherever you have your email signup forms, like on your website. It checks the email addresses in real-time so that the bad email addresses never get on your list in the first place.
Finally, to ensure your emails are reaching your subscribers' inboxes, consider using an email server tester. A tool like that will let you know whether your mail server is set up right or whether you need to make adjustments.
If you can be yourself on your email list, chances are you'll be giving people what they came for in the first place. Besides, it's easier to be yourself than constantly obsessing over what your competitors are doing. You can't fake originality!
Author: Paul Leslie is a Content Writer for email validation company ZeroBounce. He has a rich background in content creation as a writer, researcher and interviewer. Paul has conducted more than 800 interviews distributed via radio and podcasts.