How Your Startup Can Master the Art of Emailing

With the amount of emails flooding in every day, it can be difficult to stand out, especially for a new business. Whether your startup needs more clients, partners, customers, or publicity, it’s important to create high quality content for your email campaigns. Here are three ways to get your startup’s email marketing campaign off on the right foot:

(Curated from Entrepreneur)

Get Personal

If copy writing isn’t really your thing, don’t sweat it -- this will probably make your emails sound like they’re from an actual person instead of a sales robot.

“Let your personality show. It will make your message more engaging for readers -- unless that message is self-centered, long-winded or confusing. Your emails should be clear, concise and focused on your audience’s needs.”

Think Small

Rather than treating email like a dating app and taking the “swipe right on everyone” approach, focus on sending the right content to the right people.

“Even though we’ve compiled a big media list, we spend most of our time researching the right journalists to pitch to for each new study we publish. We don’t automatically email everyone in our database just because we have their contact info or we’ve emailed them before. Instead, the story has to be a relevant and potentially valuable resource for the reporter(s) targeted. Creating small, targeted email lists has helped increase our open and response rates, as well as build relationships and credibility with our audience.”

Analyze Your Data

Looking at your email data and making some adjustments to your next campaign is easy, but what about comparing multiple campaigns or targeting high-priority people over time? One way to keep improving results is to manually track key data. If you don’t use email software, you may already do this. If not, then consider creating a simple Excel spreadsheet or another format for record keeping.

“Decide what info is most useful to you and how much detail to include. Having your data in one place will save you time by making it easier to collaborate, analyze behavior and ensure appropriate follow-ups. Ideally, you’ll begin to notice patterns and gaps beyond the typically reported stats, and you can continuously optimize your email strategy.”

Have any great email marketing tips of your own? Share them in the comments below!

How Entrepreneurs Can Rediscover Their Motivation

As an entrepreneur, you’re often faced with difficult challenges on a day-to-day basis, and it can be easy to lose the motivation to keep going. If you feel like you’re losing your drive, here are some easy ways to keep yourself motivated, even when you’ve got other things on your mind:

(Curated from Tech.Co)

Focus on One Task at a Time

When your to-do list has been building up for a while, it can be difficult knowing where to begin and how to get started. The key is to just sit down and focus on one task at a time.

“Telling yourself that you have to sit down and accomplish an hour or two of work is much easier than chaining yourself to a desk for the entire day. You’ll probably find that when you view your tasks individually, you’re able to effectively push yourself through the day without breaking a sweat.”

Don’t Forget Your Goals

What’s the big-picture strategy for your company? What exactly did you set out to accomplish? Are you trying to get a foothold in a competitive market, or were you seeking financial freedom?

“Motivation comes from an emotional desire for something. If you can reconnect with the reason you undertook your responsibilities, you can often find the inner drive to push yourself.”

Surround Yourself with Supportive People

If you’re a one man or woman show, it may be helpful to surround yourself with like minded people while you work to accomplish your goals. Surrounding yourself with negative people will make doing so much more difficult.

“Consider heading down to a coworking space. These places are often full of other freelancers and entrepreneurs who live a very similar lifestyle to you. It can be inspiring to be surrounded by people who have accomplished your goals, or who are starting out just like you once did. If you prefer to work in a solitary environment, you can always spruce up your desk a little bit. De-cluttering your workspace can be almost like de-cluttering your mind, creating room for you to focus on your responsibilities.”

Push Yourself, but Not Too Hard

Setting big goals is important when running a business, but you can’t build a successful career if you’re constantly demanding too much from yourself. If you don’t feel like accomplishing much, you’ll want to set the bar a little lower.

“Try pushing yourself to complete two hours of uninterrupted work. Anyone can find the motivation to push themselves when it’s only for an hour or two. When you’re having a better day, you can stretch yourself a little more. Remember, it’s not always about being the best. Sometimes, it’s just about being a little better than you were the day before.”

What are your tips for staying motivated? Share them in the comments below!