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We discussed the many benefits of including email marketing in your digital marketing strategy in a previous blog and wanted to take it further. Email marketing is one of the best opportunities to connect with your ideal client on a more personal level. Email marketing is great for promoting a giveaway, sale, or freemium content. By doing this, all you are asking your designated audience for in return is their email address, which is then added to your growing list of clients that you can now reach anytime.
So Why Does an Email Marketing Strategy Matter
There are many benefits to using email marketing, including its cost-effectiveness. We love using MailChimp at SoVerve Marketing Group. Their program is very user-friendly and offers many benefits for you to take advantage of. Its price tag is much more affordable than traditional marketing initiatives. Imagine having the ability to micro-target a certain group of individuals which allows your content to be geared toward their likes and interests by utilizing information from their previous purchase history.
Aside from that, clients also want to feel appreciated, so take advantage of how you can personalize your email offers to make their experience memorable and special. Email marketing allows you to keep a close eye on which emails your clients are most responsive to collecting and researching your data. Let us not forget that email marketing has the highest Return on Investment (ROI) with the highest conversion rate compared to organic means. According to MailChimp, your conversion rate through emails is about 9.4%, whereas your conversion rate through organic Facebook means is about 6.2%. This makes email marketing the better bet.
An email marketing strategy is vital to any digital marketing strategy. As a brand, you must be consistently engaging your audience, thus making an email ideal for your marketing endeavors. Email lists are considered priceless, and businesses go to great lengths to develop and maintain them for two reasons: sales, sales, and more sales. Having a plan outlined before you launch a product or service is vital to your business’s success and ensuring that your emails are being opened and read. In this post, we will discuss the different tactics you can use in your email marketing strategy that will provide you with the best results.
Personalize your Campaigns
All clients and customers want to feel appreciated and to feel special. The subject line is your first line of defense, and it can entice or reject your recipient into opening or deleting your email. Adding their first name to the subject line will hopefully pique their interest to read what you have to offer. Avoid spammy-looking subject lines with all capital letters or multiple exclamation points. From there, once they open the email, address them by their first name in your introduction. Gone are the days of typing Dear “Valued Customer.” Something to consider is that many small businesses do not personalize their emails, which means you will stand out from your competition. A previous client’s purchase history will give you a broad spectrum of what spikes their interest. Adding a line such as “We thought you might be interested in this product based on your previous purchase” shows you are paying attention to them.
You get one opportunity to ask for the right information about your recipient. Some examples of data to collect are their name, their business’s name, and where they are located. Get as much detailed information as you can that is appropriate to help break down how they could be grouped in your database. Using a real reply-to email address is important as well. You want an active list that will reply to your emails, so steer clear of donotreply@example.com addresses. A great way to build a relationship is to consider adding a professional but personable email signature which should include your contact information, including how they can best reach you on and offline.
List Segmentation
The main purpose of email marketing campaigns is to connect with a certain group of individuals who fall under the same umbrella, for example, real estate agents or buyers/sellers located in zip code #32837. When you group or segment your database of email addresses, your email campaign will become more targeted to a specific audience. By grouping similar individuals or businesses, you are ensuring a healthier list with more click-through rates, product purchases, and even lead generation. There are many ways to segment your lists; some examples are to group by industry, company size, and location.
Mobile-Friendly Email Campaigns
Having a mobile-friendly email campaign is very important. Smartphones and tablets have become the most popular technology out there, and more and more people are conducting business and making transactions on their devices. Mobile email open rates are also accounted for half of all email open rates across the board.
Attention to detail about your campaign’s format on mobile is vital. Examine how your images display. Is the image clear? What is the size of the image? Is your text streamlined so that your recipient does not have to scroll from left to right? Font size and type need to be readable. This is very important because many fonts and font sizes will look different on different devices, so you want to test your font closely. Are your CTA (calls to action) buttons big enough for your recipient to touch without zooming the screen size? This matters as well.
Keep in mind the more scrolling or page sliding one has to do is precious time lost or could result in your email getting deleted before they are done reading it. Attention to detail is a must.
Automate Email Campaigns
It would be best if you practice email marketing automation for many reasons. While some types of automation are not seen as helpful, email marketing automation is one of the few. To automate something means that an action is triggered based on an initial action from a user. Automating email campaigns whenever possible allows you to walk your clients through a decision-buying path or will enable them to sign up for a special promotion you have offered immediately. The best times tested and shown to have the best open rates are between 8 pm to midnight and on the weekends. You can set up automated email campaigns to match your desired delivery times.
Test Copy, Design, and Buttons
Testing provides you with data to make practical decisions that will improve your marketing performance. Start with sending yourself the campaign first to be sure you love what you have just created and to verify you have no missing data or broken links. Next, analyze the subject line. Compare emails with short subject lines vs. long subject lines to see what open rates prove the best results. Your design plays a huge role in who will be the most responsive to it. Is your color scheme of pinks and purples being sent to males and females, and are they opening and responding? Is your copy enticing enough for them to press your call to action button? Everyone loves to receive something for free. Add this to your email marketing campaign while mentioning you would like something in return for them. Something like, ‘Here’s a free copy of my ebook when you purchase my one-hour coaching consultation package.’ Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Call to Action buttons should be easily found and in multiple areas, readable, and large enough to push. Test different placements, shapes, and colors.
Bringing it Altogether
Bringing all of these tactics together will put you ahead of your competition. Take your time and focus your attention on each of these areas. Evaluate each campaign to determine what sort of minute changes you should make. Email marketing has changed so much over the years. What used to be stark and sales-driven is now a more personable marketing piece that can profoundly reach your audience. By implementing the advice we’ve provided you here, you will improve your email marketing strategy and enjoy the benefits.
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