Many people falsely assume that email marketing can’t possibly get you results in 2021. The general consensus among marketers now is that social media is a crucial component of almost every marketing campaign, no matter which platform you’re using. However, email marketing is definitely not an outdated concept, and there are best practices you can use to bring it into the 21st century with incredible results.
Here are 10 pro email marketing tips that you can use to take your email marketing strategy to the next level:
1. Build Your Own List Using Consent
Every effective email marketing strategy starts off with a solid foundation — and that foundation is your list of email subscribers. Many companies may be tempted to buy email address lists from third parties that they can then use. However, this is definitely not the right approach. Instead, you need to build your email list of new subscribers on your own.
While this may be a bit challenging and time-consuming, it’s worthwhile. When you build your own segmented list, your subscribers want to be there and are more likely to respond to your calls to action. However, maintain consent from your subscribers by allowing them to opt in and out at any time. A customized list means potentially higher levels of subscriber engagement.
2. Craft Engaging Copy
Email copywriting is a craft that can be incredibly difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing. For successful email copy, you need to go short and sweet. No one wants to read a long, drawn-out email. Instead, only include the most relevant information with a link to a landing page to learn more. Whether you use a welcome email or email newsletter, it needs to be concise.
Perhaps even more important than the actual body of the email is the email subject line and the preview text since this is what drives people to actually open the email. Your subject lines need to be attention-grabbing by using things like capitals, punctuation, emojis, and cliffhangers. Together, a great subject line and a succinct body can help improve your email marketing efforts.
3. Include Eye-Catching Graphics
Even though email copy is important, it shouldn’t be the only component. Instead, you need to include eye-catching graphics within your marketing emails to make them seem more exciting. Graphics effectively transform emails from boring business tools into engaging marketing tools and can be a helpful tool for emails and if you outsource social media marketing.
The best way to do this is to incorporate your products and promotions into the graphics. You should also include large and bold fonts to catch the eye. Finally, you can use simple animation features to add an added level of engagement.
4. Focus on Buttons and Landing Pages
Once you have your copy and graphics down, you need to focus on buttons and landing pages. Sometimes the best email copy and images can be ruined by poorly thought-out buttons and landing pages. Instead, you need your buttons to be easily visible with enticing calls to action. For instance, you may want to put copy like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” and “Show Me” in call-to-action buttons or CTAs, which create a sense of urgency that the subscriber needs to “act” on something..
From there, your landing pages need to be top-notch to convert the sale. The good news is that you’ve made it this far — the potential customer has opened the email, read the email, and clicked on the email. That’s three-quarters of the battle.
5. Test Your Content Before Sending It Out
To ensure you’re getting the best results from your email marketing efforts, you should test your content before sending it out. The best way to do this is to utilize A/B testing or split testing. This method allows you to isolate a single variable for testing to provide you with actionable results. You may have to run multiple tests to develop the highest-performing final copy and design for your email marketing campaigns.
Additionally, if mobile device and tablet compatibility is an important characteristic of your subscriber base, you’ll want to test for that, too.
6. Segment Your Email List
Now that you have the right content, you now need to think about the people you want to reach. Not everyone on your list should receive every email. Instead, you need to segment your email list to better cater to your customers. You can segment your email list in a few different ways.
For instance, you can segment based on geographical location, past purchasing behavior, or customer loyalty. You can also ask the subscriber what their personal preferences are to send them content that is most appealing to them.
7. Set a Schedule
The best way to maintain your email marketing list is to develop the right schedule and frequency for sending out content. You need to strike a careful balance between sending out too many emails that may come across as annoying and sending out too few emails that may make you forgettable. Think of your own inbox and which emails you open consistently, and which ones you skip over.
The right schedule for your brand really depends on a whole host of factors, from industry to subscriber preferences. Generally speaking, you will want to send out at least one email a week to stay top of mind with your subscribers. However, sending out an email every day might be too much. We recommend anywhere within the “sweet spot” of two to three emails a week.
8. Send the Right Stuff
If you want to get the best results from your email marketing efforts, you need to make sure that you’re actually sending out valuable and actionable content. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes: Ask yourself if your email is something you’d like to receive. Overall, the emails you send out need to provide some type of value to the subscriber.
For instance, are you giving them access or information regarding a special sale? Are you trying to direct them to published blog posts on your website? Are you telling them about a new event or product launch that they’d be interested in? Or are you simply trying to sell the same old products at the same old prices? There are proven templates that you can use to ensure success in this area. An email template can give your campaign consistency.
Newsletters are one example of email content that contains high customer value.
9. Measure the Performance of Your Emails
Even with tons of effort and due diligence on your part, the success of your email marketing campaigns is never guaranteed. Instead, it’s largely a learning process. You need to learn about what works for your business based on what your customers want. To learn, you need to measure the performance of your marketing emails consistently.
Specifically, pay attention to key performance indicators (KPIs) like open rates, delivery rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, social shares, conversion rates, and other metrics. This is what monitors and measures performance, and it’s crucial. If any KPI is lagging, you can take steps to address it. Over time, you can learn more about what’s needed to run a successful email marketing campaign.
Apple users should take note: The ability to monitor open rates is going away with Apple’s iOS 15. It’s sad, but true.
10. Work With Email Marketing Experts
Last but certainly not least, you can work with email marketing experts to take your email marketing game to the next level. These experts can develop, launch, manage, and track your email campaigns to achieve the best results. Instead of worrying about everything from copywriting to designing, segmenting, and testing all on your own — hand it off to the experts. MuteSix campaigns have proven results and glowing testimonials from clients based on their work and expertise.
Wrap Up on Email Marketing
A significant amount of hard work goes into managing a successful email marketing campaign. If you don’t have the time, resources, or expertise to manage it all on your own, you can outsource to an email marketing agency like MuteSix. Not only will MuteSix help you save time, but you can also save money by boosting your email marketing ROI.
Reach out to us today for a complimentary marketing consultation where we can talk about goals and strategies for your brand’s email marketing venture.
Sources:
Email Marketing: Still the Most Powerful Tool to Take Your Business to the Next Level | Forbes
Email Marketing Segmentation for Small Business | Business.com
Are You Getting Email Marketing Right? Use These 4 Metrics to Find Out | Entrepreneur