Email marketing has been one of the longest-running strategies that have still remained integral to the world of marketing. Whether it’s a global clothing campaign or a local business spreading the news about a new product, mailing lists are often the first place that people turn to. And, for a good reason, email ROI is one of the highest in the field, averaging around $36 for every $1 spent by businesses.
That is, when things go to plan. With statistics like the above flooding the internet, it’s not surprising that everyone wants to try and get a piece of the pie. The only problem is that not all marketing emails are effective. If you’re not sure how to construct these messages, they can actually be a huge waste of time.
When you run PPC or social ads, the customer doesn’t have to do anything to see your messages. Your ad will appear in their feed, passively influencing the person and increasing your brand visibility. The world of email isn’t the same, with customers having to actively click on your email before they read it.
This additional step derails many campaigns. Even if your email makes it through the initial click, that doesn’t guarantee a full read. To help you refine your email marketing strategy, we’ve created this handy guide. We’ll move through some of the biggest issues with your email strategy, pointing out some easy methods of solving them.
Let’s dive right in.
This is the first problem people will likely encounter when launching an email marketing campaign. The difference between an email that’s opened and one that gathers dust in the archives is a strong subject line.
Your subject line should only be a few words, but it will need to capture your audience. Never go for generic subject lines, impersonal and general lines often fall flat. Instead, pull your audience in by creating a story. A subject line like “{name}, We Have Something Big to Tell you’ will intrigue people enough to get that first click.
Try out lots of different subject lines over time. By experimenting, you’ll be able to rapidly increase the number of clicks you typically get. Experimentation will also help you develop a style of writing that connects more directly with your audience, which will help in all aspects of marketing down the line.
What works for your business might fall flat for another industry or publication. That’s why it’s always better to conduct your own research. You’ll often find yourself using slightly different styles for different email content. You might have a subject line that works for sales emails, while a completely distinct format helps get clicks when it comes to newsletters.
Take time to experiment and get this right. It won’t come instantly but is well worth it once you’ve done the legwork.
If you’re getting lots of clicks on your emails, but no one is then reading them for very long, you’re still in a good place. Getting clicks is typically the hardest hill to surmount, so already being here is a big accomplishment. Now you just need to refine what you include in your email.
Your emails shouldn’t read like blog posts. You don’t want big paragraphs, long pieces of text, or anything that people can’t skim. Stick to one headline, a little bit of text, and plenty of graphics. People process images 60,000 times faster than words, making these a great way of keeping people engaged.
Another way of increasing engagement with your emails is to ensure that they look as professional as possible. Instead of just closing out your email with an empty goodbye, take this space to inject an element of personality into the mix. A fantastic way of doing this is by making your email sign-offs have a human element.
Lots of brands tend to make their email communications feel too stagnant and staged. Although you’re a professional company, people want to see a little bit of the people behind the curtain. Even just putting your name or a little heartfelt thank you for reading can go a very long way.
Don’t waste the space – make every word count, even your sign-off!
The end goal of an email is rarely about sharing information. Above all, think of your email marketing communications as a way of giving your audience just enough so that they become interested in what you’re saying and click on the full piece.
This can come in many forms. Maybe you have a few products that you think your customers would like and show them off in a stylish product newsletter. Alternatively, maybe you’ve got a blog that you want to pull people too, so you do a round-up of that week’s top stories. No matter what you’re doing, you should always focus on pushing people away from their email and toward your site.
If you’re not able to do this, Focus on refining the call to action (CTAs) that you use within your email. Instead of writing ‘read more”, you could continue your story in a CTA, holding off at a cliffhanger and pushing your audience to click a link.
Alternatively, you can offer a small discount in your emails, which will inspire people to go from their email to your page to see the product. Refining your CTAs will take time, but A/B testing can go a very long way toward refining what you’re offering.
The world of email marketing can be incredibly rich and rewarding – if you know how to make the most of this medium. While fairly difficult to crack into, email marketing is truly worth the battle. Once you start to build your mailing list and gain a personalized audience that you can market to, you’ll find all of your campaigns getting more attention off the bat.
By focusing on the three areas that we’ve included in this article, you’ll be able to improve your email marketing messaging. Whether you’re falling at the first hurdle or just need some help refining your CTA strategy, these tips will take you through it all. Be sure to read through, pull out the methods we’ve included, and incorporate them into your next campaign.
You’ll be building up a world-class email marketing network in no time.
