12.11.2023 Osian Barnes
Why bother wasting precious resource on an email marketing campaign?
No one opens emails anymore. Everyone knows email is dead.
Well, according to the stats, that’s all a fallacy.
Email is in fact, proliferating. Astonishingly.
DMA Insight shows that 95% of us check our email every day, sometimes up to 20 times.
And 78% of teenagers use email, despite the rise of instant messaging. The fear that generation Z will beget the death of the email is yet to be rationalised.
Evidence also suggests that since the commencement of GDPR, email is actually evolving.
Positive opt-ins have resulted in a reduction in the amount of spam and unwanted emails reaching inboxes, which means less noise for valuable legitimate emails like yours to compete with.
Plus, all recipients on your lists genuinely want to or at least are expecting, to receive your content. So now is a good to step up your email game.
This post will equip you with the essentials of a successful marketing strategy, that will help you garner more opens, click-throughs and ultimately, conversions.
1) Optimise for mobile
This is more vital than ever since mobile is now the preferred platform for opening emails, with over 50% opened on mobile in 2017.
If your emails aren’t responsive, over half of your recipients wont get to enjoy the full experience. Which means they'll be more likely to bounce off the email, delete it, or unsubscribe.
More importantly, a responsive email could improved your click-through rates by 30%.
2) Create an irresistible subject line
Compelling headlines are an art in themselves.
They depend on how well you know your buyer; what language, vernaculars, abbreviations and slang are they familiar with?
Which words and terminology will pique their interest, resonate and encourage them to click. Is humour appropriate?
How familiar and friendly can you afford to be?
These are questions you should be able to confidently answer before crafting a compelling headline. Successful email subject lines come from more than shouting about an offer, abusing the word 'free', or overdoing the emojis. They come from knowing what makes your reader tick.
But above all, your email must deliver what your subject line has promised - so as well as due diligence, always be honest.
3) Be recognisable
Send out your emails from your ‘relationship manager’ rather than a generic company name, the CEO, or an account manager no one knows of. If the person in the ‘from’ field is someone who is well known to your contacts, this familiarity is likely to garner more opens. Be sure to use your company name in the subject line or preview text too.
4) Add a relevant and valuable call to action
A strong call to action (CTA) is not only important in enabling you to measure the success of your email, but also in enabling conversions.
With a CTA, you can track views and clicks, as well as using the CTA to present present an opportunity to convert.
CTAs clearly instruct the reader on what to do next if they wish to go on to complete a conversion process. But a good CTA should be visually clear and eye-catching, and fulfil the promise it offers. Be sure to only include one CTA per email as not to overwhelm your readers.
5) Offer variety
The main reason prospects and/or customers subscribe to your newsletter is to be kept informed, not to be sold to. Take an editorial stance, and ensure the content of your email concurs with your efforts to establish thought-leadership.
By offering a good variety of offers, educational blogs and interesting content you'll be more likely to satisfy the expectations and requirements of your subscribers.
6) Practice good data hygiene
Regular housekeeping is essential for keeping on top of your email list hygiene. Without good data hygiene, it becomes more difficult to monitor your results accurately. If half the recipients on your list are inactive or unengaged, this will skew your results and you’ll never be able to accurately track your progress.
Additionally, inactivity can no longer be assumed as consent, so practising good email hygiene helps you stay GDPR-compliant.
7) Keep it simple
Best not to overload the recipient with tonnes or copy, infographics, images and buttons. One CTA is plenty, and try to keep a copy to a minimum.
Images should only be used where appropriate. And, if a graphic helps demonstrate something that will pique curiosity among your recipients then, by all means, add where necessary. But adding graphics, images, flashing buttons and offers for the sake of bulking out your newsletter will devalue your content. Less is more. Keep it simple but high quality.
72% of people say that email is their preferred conduit of communication with companies they do business. For B2B firms, email is one of the most valuable components of your inbound strategy, but use it wisely.
It can be tempting to turn to email for blanket sales messages to try and bump up figures, but by treating it as a long-term investment - a relationship building tool - is a far more effective method. Ask yourself what will add value to your recipients.
