6 minute read
We get it. Your time is limited, consumer’s inboxes are already very full, and there are so many different marketing channels to focus on. While it may seem tempting to forgo email marketing so that you can focus more on – say – social media or search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, our best quick tip for you is DON’T.
A few compelling reasons why you should NOT overlook email marketing:
- One of the best ways to send personalized messages directly into a person’s inbox
- You can send targeted emails based on many things such their lifecycle stage, stage of the buyer’s journey, by location, gender, interest, and much more
- They can be automated which saves time and increases profit margins
- A/B test subject lines, calls-to-action (CTAs), graphics, offers and send times to determine what yields the best results
- You can track user engagement via open rates and click-through rates
- Reduce the amount of bad reviews from getting out to the public and get a better understanding of your brand with feedback surveys
- 72% of adults prefer to communicate with companies through email, according to the results of a MarketingSherpa study.
That is a pretty exciting statistic if you are searching for the most effective marketing channels. To keep that excitement going, we came up with a list of six quick tips about email marketing that is proven to help you achieve better results.
1. Less Is More
Marketing emails are not the place for your copywriter to show off his or her novel writing skills. You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of recipients. Bear in mind that they likely read emails all day long at work. They need a strong incentive to open the email and click on the CTA.
The growing dominance of mobile means that more people are reading their work emails on their smartphone or across multiple devices. The last thing they want to do is scroll endlessly through a lengthy email that takes over their screen.
So, how can you entice your audience? First, make sure the emails you send are scannable. Think concise copy broken up by bulleted or numbered lists, subheads, bold emphasis and graphics. Give recipients a taste of information that makes them hungry for more.
For example, a statistic that is relevant to their business. Curiosity and valuable information provide excellent motivation for them to click.
2. Follow the Narrative
Once you set up the topic of an email with the subject line and preheader, make sure you see it through. If you deliberately mislead recipients to get them to open the email, you will damage their trust in you. It is difficult enough to win prospects’ trust in the first place. Once lost, it may be nearly impossible to regain.
For example, if you tease a special offer in the subject line and hint at it again in the preheader, do not state in the body that the offer will be in fact be presented in the next email. All you will get is a series of unsubscribe notifications.
3. Do Your Homework
People are besieged with emails, especially at work, and generic messages will likely end up in their trash folder. 52% of consumers will go elsewhere when they receive an email that has not been personalized.
Personalization – that is, tailoring the content of an email to a specific segment – drives open rates by demonstrating to your audience that you know their business needs and pain points. It is only when you know the problems that you can solve them.
Learn as much as you can about your target audience through market research. One excellent tool to use is an email preference center. This is a place where your subscribers can add or update information about themselves and their email preferences. You will get the most accurate information because you are getting it directly from them. You can then leverage that information to personalize email campaigns.
An impressive 82% of marketers reported an increase in open rates due to email personalization and 75% believe this tactic yields higher click-through rates, according to a recent report.
Getting personal in this way, as it turns out, is very good for business.
4. Give Your Recipients Breathing Room
The last thing you want to do is annoy any of your contacts, so it is important to give them breaks in between email messages. Promotional emails account for about 54% of the average person’s inbox. It should come as no surprise, then, that overkill can drive recipients to unsubscribe.
Take the feedback you get from your subscriber preferences and use it to create a schedule. And make sure you adhere to that schedule. Do not exceed the frequency at which you promised people they would receive emails.
While each campaign has different elements, there are some general best practices to follow. Usually, sending an email more than once per week is not a good idea. Once every two weeks is considered ideal by many marketers. This increases the chance that subscribers will look forward to your emails rather than viewing them as a nuisance or spam.
Another proven strategy for retaining subscribers is giving them the option to opt down. They may appreciate the content of your emails, but wish to receive them less often. Allowing them to decrease the frequency will help steer them away from unsubscribing altogether.
5. Make Them Mobile Friendly
If you follow just one of these quick email marketing tips, make it about this one. Always, always, always optimize your emails for mobile. Doing so is critical because 57% of all online traffic in the United States comes from smartphones and tablets. Worldwide, mobile traffic is expected to increase nearly sevenfold by 2021.
What does mobile friendly entail, exactly? Basically, it means that your emails should automatically adjust to fit the screen of any device on which recipients access them. Do not despair if you or your staff lacks the technical skills. Realizing how important it is, most emailing softwares provide mobile optimized templates including Constant Contact and MailChimp.
6. A Numbers Game
Still not convinced of the power email marketing has? The following statistics may very well change your mind:
- Active email accounts are expected to hit 5.6 billion by 2019.
- 59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.
- 40% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are most critical to their content marketing success.
- 99% of consumers check their email every day.
- 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.
Sending the Right Message, in the Right Way, Every Time
At Tag Marketing, we harness our extensive email marketing experience and innovative technology such as automation to create email campaigns that are quick, effective and nurturing.
We know exactly how to speak to and engage audiences in every part of their lifecycle or buyer’s journey to elevate open rates and click-throughs. And we employ effective tactics including A/B testing to continuously improve the performance of email launches.
You have enough on your plate. Let us do the heavy lifting for you. You will love the return on investment.
Get real results from your marketing efforts. Contact us today to start reaching your lead generation and sales goals.
If you enjoyed these quick tips about email marketing, then you will love our lead generation ebook. Download a free copy of it here and really kick things into overdrive.
