Email marketing remains a powerful tool in the digital marketer's arsenal. When done well, it nurtures leads, builds customer relationships, and drives conversions. Yet, many businesses struggle to achieve those results because their emails end up ignored or, worse, in the dreaded spam folder.
In this blog, we'll share simple yet effective tips to boost your email campaigns and ensure they deliver value to your audience.
Tip 1: Clean Up Your Email List (Yes, That Means Removing Subscribers)
Maintaining a healthy email list is crucial for success. Having a large list might seem attractive, but it's useless if most of the contacts are unengaged. Unengaged subscribers reduce the total open rate, increase the likelihood of spam complaints, and damage your sender reputation which can lead to future emails (to relevant contacts) ending up in spam.
Here's how to handle unengaged users:
- Define "Unengaged": What qualifies as unengaged depends on your business. Common metrics for an unengaged user include not opening a specified number of emails (say the last 8 emails) or engaging with any content (not clicking on anything in the last 20).
- Re-engagement Attempts: Before deleting unengaged subscribers, try re-engagement campaigns with special offers or valuable content to spark interest specifically in these users.
- Regular Pruning: Make list cleaning a routine task. Remove unengaged subscribers quarterly or bi-annually.
Tip 2: Quality Over Quantity (Send Fewer Emails)
Instead of bombarding users with a constant stream of promotional emails, focus on crafting high-quality emails that your subscribers look forward to receiving. Overwhelming inboxes will only lead to fatigue and unsubscribes in the long run.
A couple things to consider here:
- Provide True Value: Strive for each email to offer something genuinely valuable to your subscribers. This builds trust and increases engagement. You can still sprinkle in promotion for your business but it has to be natural.
- Determine Optimal Frequency: Experiment to find the ideal sending frequency. Some businesses might find success with weekly newsletters, while others may opt for biweekly or monthly updates. Ultimately, this will depend on your business, the customers, and the how valuable/relevant the content of your emails is.
Tip 3: Value First, Selling Second
No one wants an inbox flooded with sales pitches. The most effective email marketing prioritizes value for the subscriber. If you look at the rise of successful newsletters like Morning Brew, the one thing they all have in common is prioritizing value and good content.
How to provide value beyond selling:
- Educational Content: Share industry insights, actionable tips, and tutorials.
- Behind-the-Scenes Content: Offer glimpses into your company culture, processes, and team.
- Curated Content: Share relevant articles and resources from other sources.
- Exclusive Perks: Provide subscriber-only discounts, sneak peeks, and early access opportunities.
Try to figure out what is most relevant for your specific audience and then experiment to find the right blend of value to promotion in each email you send out.
Tip 4: Master Subject Line Magic
The subject line is your email's first impression, often deciding whether it gets opened or trashed so be creative. While there is no set of perfect rules, here are a few tips to consider.
- Clarity is Key: Convey quickly why somebody should read the email - what's in it for them.
- Avoid Spammy, Clickbait Tactics: If it sounds spammy, it probably is - plus this can land you in the spam folder.
- Keep it Short: Shorter is usually better, especially for those people reading on mobile.
- Relevance: While this can mean a number of things, try to make the email as relevant to your audience as possible.
- Test Constantly: Regularly test variations of subject lines to determine what resonates best with your audience.
- A/B Testing:
Tip 5: Optimize for Mobile
A significant portion of emails are opened on mobile devices. That means, if your emails don't look good on mobile you're likely hurting your email marketing efforts. Here are a few tips to help you design responsive emails that are easy to view across various screen sizes.
- Keep it Simple: Use simple email layouts with clear fonts and well-spaced elements.
- Image Optimization: Ensure your images are optimized to load quickly and don't distort on smaller screens.
- Prominent CTAs: Call-to-action buttons should be easy to see and tap with a finger.
- Testing is Everything: Always test your emails on various mobile devices before launching a campaign.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing remains a powerful tool if approached strategically. By just focusing on simple things like quality over quantity and providing value in every send, your business will be miles ahead of the competition.
Remember, it's an ongoing process of learning and optimization. Don't be afraid to experiment, adapt, and find what resonates most with your unique audience.
Is there an email marketing tip that has worked wonders for your business? Share it in the comments!