So you’ve composed a series of snazzy, captivating emails and you’re ready to send them to a vast list of contacts. Awesome! Let’s hold off a sec, though. Before you hear that tell-tale whoosh! indicating your emails are heading out to inboxes everywhere, there might be a way or two you can improve your campaign. By adding these 10 features, you can give your next email campaigns the inspired spark it might be missing.
As a result, you’ll be able to improve your open and click-through rate. That’s just an added dose of awesome.
The Secret of Segmentation
Okay, so it’s not really a secret, but it’s a great place to start. An up-to-date, authentic—containing people who opt-in to receive messages from your company—email list provides the perfect audience base. Why? Because they’ve already shown interest in your business.
Start by breaking down that “vast list of contacts,” grouping customers by demographics and details such as gender, location, interest, purchase history, and browsing activity. As a result, you’ll be able to tailor messages specific to each list. Precise messaging taps into specific customer desires, which makes it easier to entice them to act.
Goal-Oriented Content
If the point of an email is to entice readers to take action, you need to have a clear idea of what that action is, first. Otherwise, customers won’t know what to do, either.
A call-to-action (CTA)—such as contacting you for more information, using a coupon on your online store, or subscribing to blog posts—should be a measurable success. Using links throughout your email and eye-catching CTA buttons provides readers with multiple chances to act. As a result, you’ll have multiple opportunities to achieve your goals as well.
Be Relevant
Once you have your lists segmented and a goal in mind, it should be easier to create content relevant to each of those segments. Customers want content they care about. Recognizing why they choose your company allows you to provide relevant content to strengthen your relationships and trust with customers.
The Power of Personalization
Customers like to feel special—and well, they are. While you don’t have time to write a personal message to everyone on your mailing list—and please don’t see that as a challenge—there are a number of ways to personalize emails to create that sense of exclusivity.
In addition to segmenting your lists, you can also use personalization tokens in the subject line and email body to include the customer’s name.
Switching that automated, stand-off-ish “noreply” sender name to one of a living, breathing person at your company helps, too. Besides, you want replies from subscribers, right?
Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines
Like you, customers lead busy lives. They scan through their emails and choose what to read based on the subject lines and preview text. Discover these methods for improving your subject lines—and as a result, your open rates, too.
Test It Out
Before sending your email marketing campaign, be sure to send a test email to yourself or someone else at the office. You may notice a few details that appear differently in your inbox.
Unsure of which subject lines or photos might best appeal to customers? Wondering what times and days of the week they’re most likely to read through your emails? A/B testing is a great indicator. See how customers respond and make alterations for you next campaign accordingly.
The Numbers Game
Speaking of which, how your customers interact with one email can help you prepare for the next. After all, statistics are just as important as creativity when it comes to a successful marketing strategy.
If you realize your open rate is low, it may be time to make some changes before your next email marketing campaign. Thankfully, you have this guide to give you some direction! Take note of what your readers respond to—CTAs, messaging, imagery—and design your next email accordingly.
Love That Landing Page
Don’t just link your CTA to your company website’s homepage. The right landing page keeps customers focused, directing them towards the action you want them to perform. Give your landing page some love, so it’s just as goal-oriented and relevant as your emails are.
Need some help creating a focused, compelling landing page? Check out this article for tips, or contact one of our web designers.
Be Phone Friendly
According to Marketing Land, two-thirds of emails are read on mobile devices. Consider your customer’s experience when accessing an email on their phone. Do they have to pinch and zoom to clearly see your CTA? How much information is below the fold—and how much scrolling is necessary for them to see the rest of your message?
Be sure to optimize your content for mobile, so readers have no issues interacting with that snazzy email you worked so hard to create.
Inspire Action
We’ve mentioned CTAs a few times, with reason. After all, they capture your email’s main goal. If readers are skimming through your email, a clear CTA announces the email’s purpose—and the benefit they have to gain.
Position your CTA above the fold, so readers have an immediate opportunity to take action. Email clients tend to block images, so it helps to use alt text, too. That way, readers still know where to click.
With these ten tips, you’ll be watching those open and click-through rates rise! Let us know how your next email marketing campaign goes in the comments below, or contact us if you need help.