Even though email marketing has taken a backseat to social media, it's still one of the most valuable tools in any marketer's arsenal. Why? Because people trust email more than they trust some random Facebook post. And you can't deny that some of the biggest brands out there (Apple comes to mind) owe their success to their email marketing campaigns. So, if you're looking for ways to improve your email marketing performance or get started with email newsletters, see these seven tips below!
1. Understand what your audience needs from you and how to do that.
You can do this by holding a survey with people on your email list or making lessons about the things people want to know more about for lead generation opportunities. Do these things often so people will keep coming back for more of what they want from you! Either way, developing a long-term email marketing strategy is crucial.
Avoid selling. It would help if you were not trying to sell your products. Instead, you want to provide important information about how people can use them and share conversations with other people about your product. For example, you could write a blog article with helpful advice on caring for the clothes or have an online discussion about what items are best together.
Boasting regular blog post content is another effective way to build up your email newsletter list. Whether it's your Well Wednesdays, Tip of the Month, or even Tech Tuesday topic themes, common repeatable monthly elements like these give your audience something they can look forward to. People are busy, and they already know how much you care about their company, so make your email campaigns enjoyable.
Engage by asking for their feedback! See how many comments your blog has, and see how many people sign up to hear more of what you have to share! Finally, keep your email marketing strategy simple. Yes, this industry has so many happenings that your campaign can fall apart if your plan isn't simple and easy to consume.
2. Start with an email newsletter template and customize it depending on the type of campaign you're running.
Starting an email campaign with a template and customizing it is one of the best ways to go. Our email service provider - SimplifyingTheWeb digital marketing platform has many templates to choose from and an easy user interface to build your campaign in minutes. For example, if you're doing email content to promote a product launch, you'll want to include graphics along with product benefits and features and call to action (CTA). The best way to handle such a successful email marketing strategy is to have a remarkable landing page for the product launch, with a clear call to action. Make sure the branding, graphics, and wording are consistent with the email. Don't create confusion, and link back to your homepage and making your subscribers hunt for the product offer. This behaviour will only increase your sign-up failures and a high bounce rate.
Other content ideas that come to mind include showcasing your latest blogs. I recommend you add up to three separate but relevant blog teaser paragraphs drawing your audience into wanting to read more. These blog teasers can link back to their respective blog article. Easy to consume fillers, like humour cartoons or animations, give newsletter some fun element to it. And if relevant resource links are a great way to add value for your readers continually.
Make sure to include the unsubscribe button. Then, if the reader feels the email isn't relevant to them, they can easily manage their email settings and remove their email address. In the long run, this will help with customer loyalty and maintain a clean list.
3. Create a plan and stick to it.
If you don't have a plan for what you're going to eat, then you're more likely to end up eating whatever's in front of you or whatever's easy to get your hands on. It's the same with trying to provide a valuable resource like a monthly newsletter where monthly planning and generating topic ideas using applications like Trello, To-Doist online software are critical to the success of your email marketing campaign. Use different checklists for different steps. For example, before I start writing my to-do list, I usually make sure I've covered the following:
- Theme topic, images, video, infographic
- Three blog articles
- Date of deployment
- Chosen segmented list if not general
- Current relevant news or resources to share
4. Personalize your email subject line and give what your readers want.
If you're starting with email marketing, make sure to establish a decent lead-gen strategy before you start sending out your emails. So, think like an SEO:
- Write the perfect subject line with the ideal keyword phrase.
- Make sure it has the ideal opening sentence also with the keyword.
- Get to your point with the first paragraph.
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize!! Incorporate the reader's name! And if you have been able to collect any other data, you can add personalization by adding these custom field inputs into the content. Ex. Hey {FirstName}, I hope you are doing well in {City}. If you want to set up text me alerts, then enter a check mark beside your {phone}. These field inputs will replace the data collected from the sign-up form offering more advanced personalized marketing strategies. Similar to "Merge" functionality in MS Word.
5. Test your subject lines and email copy for best performance.
You can't be sure what content and subject lines will resonate with your audience until you test them. Even if you think an email will be successful, there's always a chance you could be wrong – and if you aren't testing, you're leaving money on the table. SimplifyingTheWeb has two choice setups, and if you want to be testing, choose the A/B Split Testing feature on the platform.
Even if all your competitors are emailing their list with the same subject lines, there's still a lot of room for variation when it comes to messaging. So, make sure you test using different types of subject lines (for example, lengthy emails versus one-to-one teasers) and invest in subject lines that open or close on a positive feeling.
Not only do you need a compelling subject line to get the ball rolling, but you need an email that's easy to understand. No matter what industry you're in, if your email doesn't look compelling, people won't open it; and if they do open it, they'll quickly unsubscribe. Make sure your email is as compelling as it possibly can be. Try using copy and formatting as simply as possible. Try including keywords that refer to your products or services so that people can easily understand what you're trying to say. Don't be afraid to experiment with different subject lines and messages to discover what is universally appealing. Let us face it: Sending out a mass email campaign will not connect with your audience. Every brand has certain characteristics that make it stand out: aesthetics, knowledge, personality, humor, approach, etc. When you identify your unique qualities and incorporate them in your emails, your emails will stand out from the competition.
Email marketing campaigns should be as short as possible, so long as the information provided is relevant to the intended recipient. A few minutes is often all it takes to produce viable emails that leave no room for interpretation.
6. Use images to grab your audience's attention and boost open rates.
How can you make sure that your opening doesn't fall just into the spam category? Here are some things you can do:
- Use clear, readable fonts in all your emails.
- Follow best practices when entering content with bullets.
- Show or mention your call to action briefly in each paragraph.
- Use images in your emails to help grab your audience's attention.
Once you've created your opening, you have 60 seconds to show your potential customers the pertinent details of your email before they could decide if they want to open it or not. The opening is really where the conversation gets started with your reader. Focus on the email body, and the unsubscribe link at the end.
7. Get to know your metrics.
Analytics can help you target your subscribers and learn which email marketing campaigns are working - and which are not. Having analytics set up can help you develop good email marketing practices and make necessary changes to get that "perfect email." The metrics you will want to review are the open campaign rates, clicked links, bounce rates, unsubscribe rate, and who and how many sharing on social media took place. Use email marketing to drive sales and value. When you have clear calls to action in your email, the reader will know what to do and will be able to take advantage of your offer. Use email marketing to drive sales and value. Google Analytics is a tool that brands need to capture more leads and create campaigns that convert many leads into paying customers.
Have any questions? We hope this article will benefit new creatives or entrepreneurs and those who like us, live in our inboxes, and need to ensure essential emails catch our attention!
If you liked this post, please share it using the social buttons located at the top of this post, right side. If you are interested in learning other ways to market your business or service, we've also got loads of other helpful content in our blog. Watch out for our email marketing automation flow charts coming soon.