email engagement

How to Utilise Your Introvert Skills for Better Email Engagement

28 October 2019 | by Gina Lucia

When it comes to marketing your business as an introvert, we can all fall into a similar trap. Selling makes us feel icky, communicating the value we offer is hard and shouting about it is absolutely not our style.

So how can an introvert use their skills for marketing? The answer can be wide and varied but one technique I’ve found to work for me is a little thing known as email engagement.

You see, us introverts crave genuine connection with others. We struggle with marketing and sales because it seems too surface-level, not real and disingenuous. In reality, though, we’re just not applying our introvert skills to marketing. 

We’re trying all the tried and true marketing techniques we see online and aren’t getting results. But here’s the thing, they’re not working because they don’t feel right. Not because they don’t work.

So let’s get into a technique that may feel right for you, email engagement.

What is email engagement?

Email engagement put simply is a measure of how people interact with your emails. In this case, we’re specifically referring to your email list when you’re sending out monthly/weekly newsletters etc.

There are different forms of email engagement including:

  • Email opens
  • Email reads
  • Clicking links in the email
  • Following a call to action (a request for your reader to do something – usually clicking a link)
  • Replying

Some of these techniques are trackable depending on what software you use, but others may require you keeping a close eye on to see results.

So now we know the basics of what email engagement is, let’s take a look at how we introverts can use it to our advantage.

My tips for email engagement

We all know that building an email list is important for your online business, but what you send to that list is more important. As introverts, we can use this direct marketing technique to connect with our audience on a different level.

1. Be clear what you’re giving them

Most people when signing up to receive emails will want to know what they’re getting. 

I’m not talking about a freebie here – if you want to offer one, that’s up to you. I’m talking about the weekly or monthly emails you send to your list. 

  • What’s going in them? 
  • How often will you send them? 
  • Why should they bother?

Gone are the days when you simply update your list with an RSS feed of links. Now emails are precious and your reader wants something in their inbox to look forward to.

Get clear on this before you invite them to sign up, outline what you’re sending and make sure you stay consistent.

Why this helps email engagement: 

When someone signs up knowing exactly what they’re getting, they’re more likely to open, read and engage with your emails. Simply because they were expecting them. If they have no idea, they may be surprised and end up unsubscribing because it simply wasn’t for them.

email marketing

2. Treat others how you’d like to be treated

As introverts, we can utilise empathy to think about the person behind the email address. 

When it comes to sending emails, the last thing we want is to send something that has no value whatsoever, has large images that crash their inbox and is difficult to read. Keep things simple, clean and make sure that everything you send out, is something you’d actually want to read yourself.

Why this helps email engagement: 

Simply put, if your emails are easy and enjoyable to read, then they will be read and engaged with. If they are not, you may have people unsubscribe, or worse yet, stick your email in their spam!

engage with people

3. Engage with people, not a list

When it comes to sending out emails, no matter if you have 10 or 10,000 people on your list, sometimes it’s hard to remember that you’re talking to individuals and not mass groupings.

Although you’re sending an email to many, you’re actually talking to just one. Make sure your email reflects that in the way you write. If it helps, write your email as if you’re talking to your closest friend and then adapt. 

Why this helps email engagement: 

By talking to an individual, you’ll be able to create a connection with the person behind the email address. They will feel listened to and as a result are more likely to reply, and start a conversation.

make it personal

4. Make it personal

It’s a known fact that if something is personalised, we’re more likely to enjoy and engage with it. Take Starbucks for example. There’s a reason they now ask for your name when you order. It’s so you create a small connection with the brand as you order your coffee.

This simple technique should be utilised in your emails. Most programs will allow you to add the name of your subscriber into each email you send out, but you can take it further than this.

For example, if they found your subscription form on a particular blog post, you could tag or segment them based on that blog post topic and only send them emails related to that topic. This allows them to receive personal emails that reflect their tastes.

To get more technical information on tags and segmentation, use the following resources:

Why this helps email engagement: 

By keeping your emails are personal, you’re making sure each subscriber on your list is being sent information that feels relevant to them. Then when it comes to actually sell something, you know what your reader’s preferences are without having to ask them.

Note: This is a slightly more advanced technique and although you can start implementing it when your list is small, it’s generally used for larger lists.

ask questions

5. Ask questions

We’ve saved perhaps the most obvious but overlooked, until last. 

Asking questions is something we’re told to do often on social media to improve engagement, but it’s not enough to just ask a question, it has to be the right type of question.

How many times have you been asked to fill out a survey or give your opinion on something in the street or online? I bet almost every time, you ignore or refuse that request. Any question that requires a long answer, time or effort is likely going to be met with little response. 

When it comes to emails, most people want to read it, deal with it and then delete it. So in order to engage with your list, you’ll need to ask questions which either benefit the reader or acts on their charitable impulses as a way for them to help you

So with this in mind, here are two questions you can ask yourself:

  1. Can I include a question that benefits the reader?
    1. E.g. Want to share your knowledge with us and gain exposure? I’m open for guest posts, hit reply and let me know.
    2. E.g. Need some quick one-on-one help? I’m replying to emails over the next 2 hours so hit reply.
  2. Can I include a question that makes the reader feel good?
    1. E.g. What’s your favourite positivity quote? Hit reply and let me know, I’d love to add it to my wall for when I need a boost.
    2. E.g. Can you help me? What software do you recommend for editing images?

Roundup

When it comes to using our introverted skills for better email engagement, all we really need to do is listen. Remembering that there’s a person on the other side of those email addresses will allow us to create connections with our readers and start engaging.

When we create these connections, that’s when we can allow our readers to help shape the direction of our businesses. 

What tricks do you utilise when sending emails to your list? Let me know in the comments and let’s discuss!

2 Comments

  1. Newton

    21st October 2020 at 12:06 PM

    I’ve always ignored email marketing in the past but now i’m starting to see how important it is for my business and how it can be useful for long term benefits.

    • Gina Lucia

      22nd October 2020 at 9:39 AM

      Absolutely agree Newton!

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