Ever wonder why your Inbox looks so full? According to research firm Radicati Group, more than 269 billion emails are sent each day. With a deluge of emails going across the transom each day, businesses and nonprofits alike are tasked with crafting high-impact emails that not only stand out amidst a full Inbox, but that recipients want to open. Here are six easy ways to strengthen your email marketing:
Segment your lists
Serving the right content up to the right audiences is a core component of marketing in general and email is no exception. While some news – new location, merger or acquisition, rebranding, etc. – may be relevant to your entire database, other news is only relevant to a small subset of your contacts. By segmenting your email lists and tailoring content to a specific audience, you can increase open rates, clicks and, ultimately, conversions.
Focus on your subject lines
Remember those 269 billion emails that are sent each day? Your job is to be the most attractive and alluring fish in that big and highly competitive pond. How do you do that? Start by focusing on the subject line. What can you say in the least amount of words possible that will attract, captivate and win an open with your target audiences? Leading with clarity and the benefit to the recipient is a good place to start. And, be mindful of words such as “free” which can often trigger SPAM filters to kick-in, inhibiting your chances of achieving optimal rates.
Employ A/B Testing
Let’s say the marketing team sat down for a brainstorm and came up with two really strong subject lines. Or even two equally compelling calls-to-action. You want to use them both but you really need to pick one. Enter the power of A/B Testing.
By randomly deploying slightly different versions of an email to various contacts in your email database, you can hone in on what is most effective at driving opens, clicks and conversions. A word to the wise when trying A/B Testing for email marketing – don’t integrate too many variables in one email or you will be challenged to isolate what was most effective at improving performance.
Explore personalization
When done well, personalization can be a powerful way to bolster engagement among your email subscribers. Email service Campaign Monitor reports personalized subject lines alone are 26-percent more likely to be opened, while technology and services company Aberdeen Group notes personalized email marketing has 14-percent higher click-through rates and 10-percent higher conversion rates that its generic counterpart.
If you are going to dip your toe into the personalization pool, however, take the time to ensure your database is accurate and the personalization is working correctly. William doesn’t want an email addressed to Anna, and the person who faithfully buys dog food may not be looking for a special on scratching posts for cats. When personalization misfires, more harm is done than good.
Make it actionable
The human attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish and we live in a world where people are constantly being bombarded with information. A recent post on the American Marketing Association’s website notes that studies show the average consumer can be exposed to 10,000 brand messages per day. With so much information to consume, it is imperative to be clear about what you want people to do with the information that they receive.
Whether you are soliciting online donations as part of a digital giving campaign or driving registrations for an upcoming event, focus on including one clear and concise call-to-action in each of your marketing emails. This will allow readers to focus their attention and allow you to clearly measure the impact of email marketing on your bottom line.
Deliver a positive mobile experience
A 2017 study by email solutions provider Return Path found that the number of email messages opened on mobile devices has nearly doubled over the past five years, while emails opened in an internet browser have dropped 26-percent during that same time period. As the way people consume content continues to change, ensuring your email marketing is configured to deliver an optimal experience on mobile devices is key to success.
Before deploying an email marketing campaign, send test messages to yourself and colleagues and review how the communication renders on multiple devices. When you deliver a less than ideal mobile experience, you limit your opportunity to achieve email marketing success.
Email marketing is powerful way to engage existing clients/customers, cultivate leads and drive conversions. As you work to hone your email marketing strategy, consider how these six smart tweaks can help to improve your email marketing ROI.
