Is your email marketing approach feeling stale lately? Is the open rate or click-through rate of your audience decreasing? Perhaps there is a shortage of substance, or ideas aren’t coming as freely as previously. Let us comfort you: we’ve been there.
If you’re putting little work into your email campaigns or concentrating your efforts on other kinds of marketing, it may be time to take a step back and examine email marketing best practices.
A few facts about Email Marketing
Email marketing is essential since it is a great method to connect with existing and prospective customers.
- Emails are 6 times more likely to generate greater click-through rates than tweets.
- Email is also 40 times more successful than Facebook or Twitter in acquiring new clients.
- For the tenth year in a row, email has been the medium with the greatest ROI for marketers.
- Email marketing provides a return on investment of £27 for every pound invested.
So, how can you begin to re-energize and re-capture your audience’s attention? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing and, more importantly, boost the engagement from your audience.
1. Personalize the email for each recipient.
“Think about how many advertising emails you get every day; the individuals on your list are no different. You must realize that even if someone reads your email, they will most likely delete it before scrolling down unless you capture their interest. “Personalizing the opening with a simple, ‘Hi [recipient’s first name],’ may assist to engage the reader enough to encourage them to at least begin to read your offer,” says Matt Behnke, CEO of Orthotic Shop.
2. Have a strong call to action.
Calls to action may be used as various marketing techniques, ranging from QR codes to online discounts to phone campaigns. The call to action should be unambiguous, regardless of the response platform.
After reading your email, readers should know precisely what you want them to do and taking that action should be very simple for them.
3. Utilize dynamic content.
Customers nowadays do not have the time to go through a block of content.
It’s time to freshen up your email marketing to keep communications interesting. Using dynamic material like gifs, videos, and even interactive polls and surveys may significantly boost engagement.
4. Make the most of the email preview text.
Don’t underestimate the impact of a strong email subject line. This is the text that displays as a sneak look for your email list subscribers.
As a recommended practice, ensure that your preview text does not duplicate your subject line and should not include phrases such as “having difficulty reading this email?” Alternatively, you may use “unsubscribe.” You may use it as a clever method to pique the reader’s interest in the contents of your email, or you can include a call-to-action straight immediately.
5. Make your emails aesthetically appealing, but don’t overdo them.
Minimalism is the key to appeal these days, whether we’re talking about web pages, blog posts, or emails. Reading your material should be enjoyable for your readers. Most consumers are more impressed by how fast information loads and, increasingly, how simple it is to read on their smartphones than by beautiful, artistic design.
6. A/B Testing campaigns may help you find the optimal version.
Are you unsure which subject line will elicit the most opens and clicks? Do you believe there is a certain time of day when your consumers are more likely to purchase due to your campaign? An A/B test allows you to test various versions of your emails to observe how your changes affect your results.
7. Make use of behavioural segmentation.
To begin, you must ensure that your emails are highly targeted and relevant to your consumers. According to a Salesforce study, 57 per cent of customers are ready to share personal information in return for customized content and offers.
This implies that if you aren’t segmenting your customers yet, you may be losing out.
Using behavioural-based segmentation in your email marketing approach is a smart idea. By configuring your mailing list provider to monitor your users’ various hobbies, transaction histories, and the like, you’ll be able to determine better what kinds of offers they’ll enjoy.
With this information, you may send highly targeted emails and offers, improving your chances of better open rates and click-throughs.
8. Give them authority.
Email inboxes these days are overflowing with useless material, which is why individuals are becoming more selective about who they let into their inboxes.
As a result, offering various types of email content (newsletters, reports, etc.) to different parts of your audience makes sense. This increases conversions while decreasing unsubscribe rates.
You may also assist them in deciding when they want to receive emails from you. Everything from the day of the week to the time of day is covered.
9. Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly.
According to Cynthia Price, vice president of marketing at Emma, “research indicates that 71 per cent of consumers would delete an email instantly if it does not appear properly [on their mobile device].” “To prevent [your email] getting tossed in the trash, concentrate on producing mobile-optimized email content that is eye-catching and engaging on a smartphone.”
To that aim:
- Use a single-column design that works well with vertical scrolling.
- Make use of large pictures and strong headlines.
- Include a lot of white space to allow for simple scanning.
- Make your subject lines as brief as possible.
- Also, make sure your CTA buttons are big enough to be touched — at least 44 pixels squared.
10. Keep track of your emails.
“Use UTM codes to monitor post-click visitor engagement,” advises Tara Chambers, director of marketing communications at Scott’s Marketplace. “Some email service providers create them automatically, but if they don’t, try to add them to each link in an email. Using consistent UTM codes enables you to monitor whether your subscribers are converting, what sites they are viewing, or if they instantly bounce.”
Final Thoughts
Email marketing is a valuable tool to have in your marketing armoury. When utilized correctly, it can significantly enhance your brand. It all comes down to understanding your audience, determining what they want or need, and providing it most positively and enjoyably possible. Concentrate on your consumers, and your marketing will virtually take care of itself.
