When it comes to nailing email campaigns, MailChimp knows where it’s at. Create slick, pithy emails to a select group of recipients for the best results with ease. It’s as simple as that really. Here are some helpful tips you can follow to achieve the email campaign of your dreams using MailChimp:
MailChimp Template Designs
Want to get creative and design your own email template, or use one of MailChimp’s pre-made ones? It’s completely up to you. You can use a drag and drop template by starting off with a basic layout, then using an email designer, gradually build it up yourself. You have the freedom to do whatever you want, drag and drop modules, replicate and reorder images and content blocks. You can even construct a “Hero section” by slotting in bold background images to help promote your law firm’s brand and increase visual interest. Perhaps you’re being extra adventurous and plan to code your own email from scratch? Go you! If so, MailChimp offer a user email template reference to help you along the way. However, if you would prefer to send one of MailChimp’s predesigned template, then there’s an array to choose from; all you have to do is change the font and colour scheme to match your brand and you’re good to go!
Segment your list
MailChimp allows you to create segmented lists so you can send more tailored campaigns to your subscribers. When people sign up for your newsletter for example, they can be put into groups; you can then segment these groups and send them individual campaigns. You can also add hidden groups and segment by internal data e.g. people who have had a res prop transaction but not done a will with you.
You can also work with pre-build segments. This is when MailChimp automatically groups people together if they share a particular trait or behaviour such as sign-up date, engagement levels, demographics, etc. Not only this, but you can create an auto-updating segment based on certain criteria, save it and it will automatically update every time you send an email.
See? MailChimp makes it super easy to send email campaigns to a targeted audience.
A/B Testing
Do you want to find out which day or time of the week is best to send your newsletter? Perhaps you’re not sure which subject line will generate a higher open rate, or which colour scheme is more eye-catching. This is where MailChimp’s A/B testing comes in handy. Firstly, decide what you want to test and the size of you sample group, then create up to three variations on each test. This could be anything from different content, template or send times. You can then gauge by open rate and click rate which campaign is the most successful. Winning campaigns will either be scheduled automatically, or you can just decide manually. Nice one.
Mobile Friendly
You know this already, mobile is king. This is why it’s more important than ever to ensure you have a mobile-friendly email. Check out MailChimp’s “mobile styles” tab in the campaign editor where you can tweak media query settings to change how your email will appear on mobile. The responsive email templates are completely adaptable; text size is increased automatically on a small phone screen. Another useful tool is the media-query code, which can resize text and images for you and allows designers to upload custom-coded responsive email templates.
You can then preview your email on the mobile preview option to check that everything is the right size and properly aligned in that format. You can also look at it through the MailChimp mobile app for a quick preview instantly.
That’s all well and good – but how do I make an effective law firm newsletter?
So you’ve got a hang of the MailChimp basics, but what about the content you’re sending out? Newsletters allow you to show off your expertise and can be a great marketing tool for law firms, but it’s important to follow a few basic guidelines to get the most out of them:
- Be consistent: It’s easy to let the ball drop when it comes to sending out your newsletter on time – whether it be weekly, monthly or quarterly, take your deadline seriously.
- Write in Plain English: Make your writing light and easy to read. Your clients and prospects need to know what you’re on about after all; it’s not rocket science.
- 3C’s of newsletter design: What are they? Consistency, conservation and contrast. Have a clear idea about the design you want and make it consistent with your brand, don’t waste space.
- Avoid being too salesy: Pages and pages on how you won a case and endless client testimonials are just a bit dull. You need to provide substance to your newsletter so people will save it for future reference. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t include anything salesy at all – just don’t do an overkill.
- Be useful: Write content that will appeal to your audience, not just lawyers. Don’t do technical case summaries, instead, focus on what the case is saying and relate it back to the broader issues that may affect clients and prospects. Answer their queries and show off your knowledge.
- Encourage communication with your firm: Be welcoming and encourage readers to call or email for more information, or follow you on social media. You will get more calls if you open up the opportunity to your readers. After all, your newsletter is there to encourage prospects to reach out and get in contact.
What are you waiting for? Step out and conquer the world of email marketing and create punchy newsletters that stand out in your reader’s inbox.