Making the small talk count

I have mentioned the importance of not solely producing content with a “Call to Action” for your subscribers. These types of requests can range from contributing a donation, making a purchase, signing up or subscribing to pages, joining groups, attending seminars, and so many other things. Sometimes… your recipients just need some validation that they are valued before they contribute anything to your cause.

This type of content is especially important during the warming phases of an email marketing campaign, as it helps retain satisfied recipients and foster stronger relationships. By providing valuable, informational content without a direct call to action, you focus on nurturing the relationship and building trust with your audience, rather than pushing for an immediate conversion. This approach allows recipients to engage with your brand on their own terms, creating a more organic connection and improving brand loyalty, which ultimately helps strengthen your sender reputation and boosts long-term deliverability.

With that in mind, it can be difficult to think of ways to produce this type of content. I am here to help!

Before we begin, it's important to remember that readers typically have a short attention span. This means we should avoid overloading our emails with too much information. Instead, we can break up the content into smaller, easy-to-digest pieces across multiple emails. This not only helps ensure recipients fully absorb the valuable information but also allows you to create a series of emails, which will be useful as you scale up your sending audience during the warming process.

Now… onto the topic of content.

Below, you can find some great prompts to use when creating these value-driven emails:

• Mission Statement
  • What is the primary mission of your organization?
• Financial goals (without asking for contributions)
  • What types of programs/uses are funds allocated to?
• Leading Values
  • If there are multiple values, these can be spread among various emails
• Testimonials/Stories
  • Any related personal stories (i.e. volunteer experiences, funding success, company origins, etc.)
• Company Updates
  • Any recent success or changes within the company
• Newsletters/Educational Resources
  • Informational content that may directly impact your users
• Leadership Introductions
  • Allowing your recipients to be familiarized with your team leaders
• Community Impact
  • Expressing any recent community initiatives and exceptional accomplishments
• Ethical practices
  • Ensuring all subscribers are aware of certain key values and practices
• General Gratitude
  • Simply thank those who have chosen to support your cause thus far

I hope this has given you a bit more insight into how you can leverage different types of emails to drive success, even when you're not focusing on a direct call to action. By strategically using informational and value-driven content, you're able to engage your audience in a way that builds trust, fosters relationships, and keeps them invested in your brand. Remember, sometimes the most powerful emails are the ones that simply inform and educate, allowing you to nurture your audience without the pressure of pushing for immediate action.

For more information, contact our team for training or insight and visit your Nucleus Resource Library!

OR

Disclaimer: We encourage “rolling” in the case of fire… Just not emails

By Julia, Deliverability Expert

Similar to the response time one may have to being engulfed in flames, I will make this insightful tidbit brief and to the point.

When it comes to block mitigation and server communication, we cannot control how the server responds… or even IF they respond. What we CAN control is how WE respond to the block.

To help make this as simple as possible, our email team has developed a memory tool from the simple and commonly-known (well, I hope it’s commonly known…) phrase “Stop, Drop and Roll.”

STOP

Stop sending completely

Pros – The issue will not progress/worsen; may help to refresh or recover IP/domain reputation

Cons – Domain/IP warming progress may be reversed (in some cases to the point of restarting)

DROP

Drop sending volume

Pros – Can halt a block or prevent further damage; may help to defend our sending practices in server communications

Cons – Can just prologue the inevitable (block) or prevent throttling limits from ever increasing

ROLL

Roll with it (proceed as you would if no issue occurred)

Pros – In rare cases, this issue resolves itself with no loss of volume or engagement for future sends

Cons – In many cases, this worsens the block, making it harder to resolve in this case and future cases for an indefinite amount of time

In contrast to one who may be caught on fire, our team actually discourages “rolling” in response to emailblocks and deliverability errors in most cases. As in the game of poker or the investment of stock, your risks should always be calculated.

Having reviewed that information, keep in mind that every case is different, and nothing is ever definite in the world of email marketing.

If you think you may have encountered a deliverability issue to any capacity and are considering how your team should respond, do not hesitate to reach out to your point of contact for further assistance.

For more information, contact our team for training or insight and visit your Nucleus Resource Library!