A mass email is an email that is sent to a large group, generally at one time. Most email services will allow you to send mass emails, but you must choose a method within your budget. You will not want to spend too much of your organization’s resources on sending mass emails that don’t get opened. Here are some ideas for how best to get this done cheaply and effectively.
Making It Personal
One thing that can help make a mass email effective is personalization. If possible, customize the message to each person that is receiving it. Use their name where appropriate or address them by title or position, if applicable. Leave off generic greetings like “Dear Sir,” etc.
While impersonal, these kinds of greetings often come across as cold and unappealing because they miss the opportunity to connect with someone in person.
Using an email program like KEAP or Mailerlite will allow you to personalize the subject line.
Keywords & Subject Lines
It’s also important to remember that the subject line and body of your email will be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people, some of whom may delete it without even reading it.
You want to get straight to the point and include persuasive keywords to make sure your recipients read it all the way through.
If they don’t find what they are looking for in the first few seconds, they will likely move on. So avoid using generic subject lines like “Message from [name]” or “Here is our newsletter,” etc. instead, use something specific rather than vague.
For instance, if you were sending out a mass notice about an upcoming event, you might title your mass email something like: “Announcing our annual Spring Fling, May 1st & 2nd.” That way, everyone knows upfront what this email is about.
Spam filters weed out clickbait, so be evident with your intention.
Using a Template
While many people prefer to write from scratch when sending out a mass email, using a template is becoming more popular. This strategy works well as long as it is personalized for each recipient.
For example, you might want to keep an internal list of names or titles to insert into your emails. If someone sends you the same message several times with different contact information added each time, it could be worth keeping those updated in one master file for future use.
You might also consider attaching essential documents like contracts, forms, policies, and procedures, or other files that would help your recipients better what your email is about.
Email software like Mailerlite, Keap, and Constant Contact have a library of templates for your mass email design.
How You Send It
Once you have your message written, it’s time to think about how you will send out the mass email. Many services will allow you to blast your message out via social media or through an online group messaging service.
These services might cost extra for larger groups but can be effective as long as they are kept quick and simple.
I use KEAP. I also think Mailerlite is an excellent starter email program for sending mass emails. Just be sure that your list is made up of actual subscribers.
Also, limit the length of your emails, so people don’t get frustrated by having to scroll down for pages on end before finding the information they need.
No matter what methods you use, make sure your message is concise, direct, and interesting enough to capture your audience’s attention.
Remember, people are busy and have lots of choices when reading mail, making yours appealing enough for them to want to take time out of their day and read all about it.
Check out Constant Contact, ConvertKit, Keap, or Mailerlite for sending your mass emails.
Plain Text vs. HTML
Finally, before sending out your mass email, consider whether you want it in plain text or using HTML (or both). Plain text is displayed as a series of lines without any formatting. HTML images formatting and other design elements within HTML elements.
Plain text is ideal for small groups of people who are familiar with one another, while HTML is better for larger audiences that may or may not be familiar with your company.
Managing Open Rates
Also, another important thing to keep in mind is that you should know how many people are opening your emails. If you don’t have proper open rates, it means people aren’t paying attention to what you’re sending out, and this could be an issue with your mass email campaign.
Here are a few things you can do to help improve open rates:
Keep the content short – People today are busy, and if they see an overly long email, they might decide it’s not worth their time. So make yours just a couple of paragraphs or even bullet points at most.
Use graphics – Instead of rambling on in a paragraph or two, using graphics will make your message much easier to read than big blocks of text alone. Keep
Managing Email Bounces
On the other hand, you should also know what to do if people receive your email but are bounced.
A bounced email means somebody in your system has made an error and possibly given incorrect address information.
It’s a best practice to reach out to the subscriber through social media, phone, or text to verify the email.
Managing Email Unsubscribes
Likewise, it would help if you also thought about how to manage email unsubscribes. You don’t want to end up spending valuable company time and money sending out information that nobody wants.
Therefore, If a person decides they no longer want to receive your messages for any reason, you must respect their request.
Mass Email Software
When it comes to mass email software, there are many providers. However, here are just a few that I think offer good service:
Constant Contact: An excellent choice for small and large businesses alike, Constant Contact offers a full suite of features that any company can use to improve its outreach. They even include design templates you can edit for your purposes!
Their pricing is based on the number of contacts and the size of the list, so you know exactly what you’ll end up paying if you decide to go with them.
Mailerlite: Mailerlite is another great choice for mass email software. Their service is free for up to 500 subscribers. It offers up a ton of other customization options like landing pages, forms, image generation, and even the ability to create group lists so that you can send different emails to various segments of your list all at once.
They also have an easy-to-use drag and drop interface that lets you design your message quickly without having to worry about coding or technical skills!
ConvertKit: ConvertKit has been around since 2013, offering its users an experience based on customer satisfaction and value. While their service isn’t necessarily free (they start at $29/month), it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for a more advanced tool with automated tagging, automation, and engagement-based email sequences.
There are, of course, many other reputable options out there too. Whatever service you choose to go with, make sure it has the features that best fit your needs and budget.
Keap: Keap, formally known as infusionsoft, also provides various options from beginners to more advanced email users who prefer a CRM.
Choosing the Right Platform for Your Mass Email
It’s also important to keep in mind that not all platforms are created equal when it comes to mass emails. Before you start drafting up messages, ask yourself what kind of audience you’ll be sending them to ensure they won’t have trouble accessing your message or getting frustrated if something goes wrong during the delivery process.
It would be a good idea to test these things before you send out an email campaign:
1) Can people easily see my images?
2) Do the links in my email open correctly?
3) Are my videos playing?
If you’re using an email marketing service that hosts your list, some factors may be factors outside of their control that affect your subscribers’ experiences.
Ensure they use a secure connection and up-to-date web server technology to ensure any issues are most likely resolved quickly. Many of these services will offer additional features for increased functionality too.
The more advanced options also allow you to integrate with other programs like CRM tools, databases, and social media so you can better manage the entire process. More on this later! For mass emails without relying on third parties:
Instead, you can store your contacts directly on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and any other social media platform you may be using. Just make sure the information is protected, so it doesn’t get hacked!
Closing
Sending mass emails doesn’t need to be complicated. That being said, segmenting your list to reach the right audience with the right message is key. Personalize your emails, and keep them short. Carefully monitor and manage bounces and unsubscribes to keep your list scrubbed nicely, which will help with your deliverability.
