In a world saturated with messages, mastering the art of email marketing is key to cutting through the noise and forging meaningful connections with your audience. From crafting compelling subject lines to sending emails at the appropriate time, the effectiveness of your campaign can vary based on many factors. Fortunately, the experts at Arrow Marketing, Media & Consulting have compiled some tips and best practices effective for email marketing.
Platform
First, choose the platform that best suits your needs. Some of the more common email marketing platforms are Mailchimp, Constant Contact, HubSpot, and Klaviyo, among others. While each one differs a little, they generally offer the same functionality, although factors such as whether the platform is HIPAA compliant or can tie into your company’s CRM are some examples of things to research prior to selecting a service.
Audience and Segmentation
The next step is to choose your audience. Segment your email list based on factors such as demographics, behavior, and engagement to ensure that the content is relevant to the audience you are trying to reach. Sending targeted emails to specific groups can significantly improve open rates and conversion rates as well as reduce the number of unsubscribes and spam reports.
Personalization
Personalize your emails by addressing recipients by their first names and tailoring the content to their interests and preferences. Personalized emails tend to perform better as they are more likely to capture the attention of recipients and foster a stronger connection with your brand.
Mobile Optimization
A test or preview version of an email might look great on a desktop, but sometimes that doesn’t translate to mobile devices. Ensure that your emails are mobile-responsive, as a significant portion of email opens occur on mobile devices. Use responsive design to make sure your emails look good on screens of all sizes.
Compelling Subject Lines
47% of email recipients decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone. Craft attention-grabbing subject lines that entice recipients to open your emails. Avoid clickbait but make it clear what the email offers. Six-to-10-word subject lines result in a higher open rate, so when in doubt, shorter is better. Additionally, personalizing the subject line by including the recipient’s first name, and using verbiage that asks questions or stresses immediacy increases open rates.
Design
The average person receives over 100 emails per day, so cutting through all of the noise is paramount to a successful campaign. Your email can contain the best offer in the world, but if it isn’t visually appealing, there’s a good chance it will be ignored. To avoid being glossed over, craft emails that are visually appealing. Using GIFs, high resolution images, bold colors, shapes, and multiple columns are some examples of how to separate your content from the rest.
Relevant and Valuable Content
Provide valuable and relevant content in your emails. Whether it’s informative articles, special offers, or exclusive insights, your content should be useful to your subscribers. Don’t always try and sell a product. Useful, non-promotional information gives recipients a reason to keep opening emails and builds brand recognition and loyalty.
Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Include a clear and compelling CTA in your emails. Whether it’s to shop now, sign up, or learn more, the CTA should be easy to find and understand. Be sure to link images and text back to your website and phone number as much as you can.
Automation
Use email automation to send triggered messages, welcome series, abandoned cart emails, and more. Automation can save time and improve the timing and relevance of your emails.
Optimize Send Times
Pay attention to the timing of your email sends. Test different days and times to find out when your audience is most responsive. Typically, the best days and times to send them are Tuesday through Thursday from 8-10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 4-5 p.m.
A/B Testing
Experiment with different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, content, CTA buttons, and visuals. A/B testing can help you refine your strategy based on what resonates best with your audience. Remember that the most effective email marketing strategy is one that’s tailored to your unique business, audience, and goals. Continuously monitor your results and adjust your strategy based on what works best for your specific situation.
Analytics and Tracking
Use email analytics to track the performance of your campaigns. Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. Use this data to refine your strategy. The national averages for open rate and click through rate are 21.5% and 2.3%, varying slightly based on industry. If you’re not quite meeting these percentages, it might be time to adjust some of the elements.
Need Help Getting Started?
Creating engaging email campaigns can be time consuming and intimidating for those unfamiliar with the process. At Arrow MMC, we successfully create email campaigns for a variety of clients across several industries. Our vast experience ensures that your emails are optimized for the best results, resulting in higher sales and stronger brand recognition.
If you’re in need of assistance to fine tune your email marketing, reach out today.