Email is the number one activity on the internet, followed by using a search engine. The average office worker checks email 30 times per hour and receives an average of 125 emails per day. With so many people reading and sending emails, what can you do to motivate people to open your email marketing and take action?
During a recent webinar hosted by Emma and MarketingProfs, speaker Jamie Bradley reminded listeners that companies and causes aren’t just competing against their direct competitors when it comes to getting their emails opened – they are competing with every for-profit, nonprofit and individual that is sending that same person an email. And, with increased competition for your audiences’ attention, your email marketing needs to make a positive and lasting impression from the sender name and subject line, to the images, copy and calls-to-action that it contains. The good news for companies using email marketing to engage their audience is that, despite the high volume of emails people receive, email conversion rates are three times higher than social media conversion rates.
Creating a positive user experience
- 54% of all email is opened on a mobile device (source: Litmus)
- Personalized subject lines are 22% more likely to be opened than their generic counterparts
- 40% of people who have a bad mobile web experience will visit a competitor’s website instead (source: Google)
What does this data tell us? Effective email marketing is optimized for a positive mobile user experience and that mobile-friendly doesn’t stop at the inbox. Whether you are sending subscribers to your main website, a dedicated landing page or other online destination, you want to be sure that the experience they have there is also optimized for mobile. Regardless of how compelling the call-to-action within your email is, when someone arrives on a page that isn’t responsive and tries to register for an event, free giveaway, etc. they will ultimately have a negative user experience which reflects poorly on your brand.
If you’re going to take the route of personalizing your email marketing, be sure the personalization stems beyond the subject line. Just because your email is addressed to the individual (i.e. Jane, did you hear the news?) doesn’t make it completely personal. The content needs to be aligned with the subscriber’s wants and needs, which makes a strong case for email list segmentation. You don’t want to turn off buyers or supporters who would have otherwise taken action (e.g. buy, donate, volunteer, etc.) just because the content you sent isn’t relevant to them.
What drives open rates and click-thrus?
Relevant content, compelling visuals and a positive user experience from open to click thru to action.
- 71% of mobile purchasing decisions are influenced by emails from companies (source: Adobe)
- The sender’s name has 64% influence over whether or not an email gets opened (source: Chadwick Martin Bailey)
- The subject line has 47% influence over whether or not an email gets opened (source: Chadwick Martin Bailey)
- Marketing emails that contain videos have two-to-three times higher click thru rates (source: Dazeinfo)
- Bonus: 92% of mobile video viewers share the videos they watch with others
From your sender name and subject line to the content within, companies and causes alike need to build a compelling case for subscribers to consume their content. By implementing A/B Testing on your email marketing campaigns, organizations can gain quantifiable data to help inform their email marketing moving forward. It is important to note that while many organizations do test subject lines as part of their A/B Testing process, experimenting with the sender name also warrants testing (e.g. company name vs. name of company CEO) to see if this tweak will drive a higher open rate.
What types of marketing emails should companies and causes send?
We’re all familiar with the monthly newsletter, the one-off e-blast inspired by timely news such as a regulatory change, and the discount- and incentive-based emails sent by retailers and CPG brands. Interestingly, 74.4% of people expect to receive a welcome email when opting in to an email list and Chief Marketer reports that these emails increase brand engagement by 33%. Another interesting email marketing stat to consider: birthday emails can lift conversion rates by 60% over non-birthday emails touting the same offer.
As with any marketing initiative, the content needs to be aligned with your overall marketing and strategy and complement what your company or cause is doing on other marketing channels. The types of marketing emails you send will be largely driven by the nature of your business, but concepts like welcome series and birthday emails can prove valuable for b2b and b2c companies, and nonprofits alike.
Effective marketing emails combine clear and direct copy with compelling visuals and motivational calls-to-action. They are tailored to recipients wants, needs and behaviors, and aligned with overall brand positioning. When executed with a strategic focus and creative touch, email marketing can grow audiences, deepen brand engagement and drive conversion.
Great emails aren’t just about great copy and compelling calls-to-action, they’re also visually appealing. Looking to ramp-up the visual appeal of your marketing emails? Contact us today!
