Email marketing, which has become one of the most efficient marketing tactics, makes it easy to engage prospects and maintain relationships with your existing customers. You can even develop a series of emails to help guide a prospect through the buyer’s journey.
With so many companies focusing efforts on email marketing, how do you make sure your message rises to the top and isn’t immediately sent to the trash — or worse, spam — with the rest of them? Consider the following tips for a successful email marketing strategy:
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Develop your list
Your top priority for a successful email marketing strategy should be the development of a high-performing email list. There are several different tactics you can use:
- Gather emails as part of a giveaway or raffle sign-up at trade shows and events
- Add a sign-up form on your website
- Continually promote your company’s sign-up link on social media
- Include a sign-up link in your company’s email signature
Whichever method you choose, always make sure your list targets the right audience. It’s better to have a small, fine-tuned list than a large, generic one.
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Get recipients to open your email
The best way to ensure that a recipient opens your email is for it to come from someone they know and trust. Avoid using generic email addresses — like sales@company.com — and instead have it come from an actual person.
Stay away from salesy language in your subject line. Words like free, limited-time, offer and sale increase the likelihood that your message goes straight to spam. Another way to avoid the spam filter is to make sure your subject line is less than 50 characters (32 characters is preferred). If 50 characters isn’t enough for everything you want to say, continue your statement in the preheader text.
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Write your content with a purpose
Write your emails with clarity and purpose. When someone opens your email, it should be clear why they received it. If it’s appropriate, personalize your emails with specific information, like a recipient’s name, location and interests, to make your email feel more like a conversation than a marketing message. Also, remember that big blocks of text are off-putting — write so that people can skim through your email.
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Design for responsiveness
As more and more people reach for their phones and tablets to check email, it’s important to make sure your emails are responsive. Increase your mobile open rates by making sure your emails adapt based on the reader’s device.
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Create a captivating call-to-action (CTA)
Your email should have one goal: To get the consumer to take some sort of action. Whether it’s to register for an event, sign-up for something, contact your organization or purchase a product, your CTA should have a single purpose. Including multiple CTAs gets confusing — make sure all links point to the same end goal.
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Know the CAN-SPAM Act
Make sure you take the time to know and understand the CAN-SPAM Act. The last thing you want is to receive a fine (up to $40,654!) for not being compliant. As a general rule, make sure your emails:
- Don’t use false or misleading “From” and “Reply-To” information
- Don’t use deceptive subject lines
- Identify the message as an ad (if applicable)
- List your physical address
- Give recipients the choice to opt-out
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Test, test and test again
There’s no better way to determine what is or isn’t working in your email strategy than to perform A/B testing. Performing A/B testing can allow you to gauge the impact a design, copy, subject line or scheduling change can have on the success of your email campaigns.
Email marketing can be an effective and cost-efficient marketing method when done correctly. Need help with your email marketing? Contact the GREENCREST experts for a smart email marketing strategy with creative execution.