By now, we’ve all seen the statistics about email marketing: Study after study and survey after survey show that marketers put a lot of stock in email, with somewhere around nine out of 10 marketers saying that email generates a reliable ROI. In short, email is one of the tools that marketers trust.

We certainly endorse email marketing here at enCOMPASS Agency and have seen it generate real success on behalf of countless clients. With that said, we always warn against sending emails just to send emails. Email fatigue is a real thing, and to properly engage the people on your email list, it’s crucial that you send each message strategically. Every email you send should have a clear purpose, a clear way in which it is going to generate engagement.

Different Types of Marketing Emails that Drum Up Engagement

Consider a few specific types of email that, in the right context, can help you engage your customers and even improve your bottom line.

Introductory Emails

First and foremost, always send a welcome email to the folks who sign up for your email list. This doesn’t have to be too complicated: Thank them for signing up, introduce your business and service offerings, and let them know what kind of content they’ll be seeing in future emails.

When sending welcome emails, it’s generally best to avoid a hard sales pitch; introduce your business, but don’t push any specific products or services too aggressively. Instead, consider including a few fun facts about yourself or your team, allowing the reader to get to know you a bit better.

Exclusive Offers

Another powerful way to use your email marketing list is to send exclusive offers, preferably with a limited-time availability. This could be a discounted product, a buy-one-get-one deal, or simply free shipping. The important considerations here are to make it clear that this is available for a limited time only, creating a sense of urgency for your email recipients to act; and, to let them know this deal is available only to members of the email list, helping them see the value in their subscription.

A few specific tips for sending exclusive offer emails:

• Include a CTA button in the email.
• Highlight the timeline, making it clear that your customers need to act fast.
• Use words that highlight the exclusivity of the offer, e.g., “just for you.”

Product Launch Emails

You can also use your email list to announce new products or services. Not only can this be a good way to get the word out about these new offerings, but it can also provide you another opportunity to let your email subscribers feel special. Tell them they are the first to hear this big announcement.

Again, these emails don’t have to be overly complex. In fact, we would advise against including too much detail within the email itself. Instead, provide a link or a button that email recipients can click, taking them to a landing page where they can learn more about the new offering.

New Arrival Announcements

Whether you run an ecommerce store or a brick-and-mortar retailer, you can use your email list to let your customers know when you get new inventory. For example, if you are restocking a popular item, or getting a favorite product in fun new colors or styles, send out a quick announcement, including “start shopping” or “just in” messaging.

Holiday Offers

Big shopping holidays are especially good times to send out emails. You can use your subscriber list to spread the word about Black Friday or Cyber Monday promos, special Halloween offers, or special Christmas shopping hours.

A few specific tips:

• Make sure you send these holiday-specific or seasonal emails at least a week or two before the holiday itself.
• Consider some seasonal perks you can offer to sweeten the deal, such as free shipping, free gift wrapping, etc.
• Use words like “holiday” or “gift” to create a festive spirit, and to denote seasonal offers from your more routine promos.

Giveaways and Contests

One final way you might consider using your email list: Announce a giveaway or a contest.

This can be a great way to generate engagement, especially if you require your email recipients to fulfill a few steps before they can enter for the prize. For example, ask them to fill out a quick survey, review your business on Google, or tag your business in a Facebook post.

Make sure your messaging includes plenty of strong action words, e.g., “enter to win.”

Mastering Email Marketing

There are countless ways in which email marketing can help you promote your business and build audience engagement. Be sure you’ve got emails ready for every occasion. Need help? Feel free to contact the enCOMPASS team anytime.