We’ve said before that email marketing remains the most effective way to make a direct connection with your audience—and indeed it is. Simply put, most of us are attuned to our email inbox around the clock, ready to drop what we’re doing to check the latest messages either from our desktop, our mobile device, or even our watch. With that said, email marketing does take some high-level strategy and some ongoing refinement. Not all email marketing strategies are created equal, and it’s worth contemplating some of the ways your company can boost its own email marketing performance.
Personalize Your Messaging
Most advertisers and business owners are at least willing to pay lip service to the idea of personalization; they affirm its importance but aren’t always sure how to make it a reality.
The tried-and-true method of email personalization is to include the recipient’s first name, either in the body of the email or sometimes in the subject line (or both). This isn’t a bad thing, per se, but neither is it particularly effective… especially since it’s by now a well-known tactic, one that usually won’t impress your email recipient.
A more meaningful way to personalize is to break up your email list into different segments, reflecting different parts of your audience, and then to send emails that speak to the specific needs of each group. For example, say you own a legal practice that specializes in estate planning and business litigation. Your clientele can probably be pretty easily separated into those two separate groups, meaning you can send one group estate planning information, the other group more business-centric information.
Get the Timing Right
It matters very much how you segment your list and personalize your content, but it also matters when you actually send out your emails.
The goal is always to hit people right when they are about to check their inboxes, or even when they are in the middle of reading their latest messages. You can’t always predict this with total certainty, of course, but there are some tools you can use to get pretty close.
At enCOMPASS, we use a technology called “send time optimization,” which sends the email to each individual on the list based on the user’s personal historical interaction with previous emails. Thus, if Jeff opens his email at 8am, our email will be delivered to him at 8am, while Kelly just gets started with her emails at 7pm, so she will get our email delivered to her inbox at 7pm. This increases not only opens but engagement, too!
Don’t Get Caught in the Spam Filters
These days, most email platforms have some pretty sophisticated programs to detect and delete spam emails. Obviously, if your company’s messages are flagged as spam, it will nullify any positive outcomes from your marketing efforts. The question is, how do you steer clear of the spam folder?
The best thing you can do is to eliminate the use of words that trigger spam filters. These are typically words that scan as overly “salesy.” So, words and phrases like 40 percent off or bargain should probably be left out of your emails whenever possible.
Now, what happens if you’re actually emailing your audience about a 40-percent-off sale? If it’s truly relevant, then you can use these words—but try to get more creative with your subject line. Again, you don’t want to come across like you’re selling too hard.
Optimize Your Emails for Mobile Users
It’s crucial to understand that most of your emails are probably going to be received and read on mobile devices. Thus, ensuring mobile optimization is key. Make sure you’re working with an email marketing platform that’s designed with mobile in mind.
Some specific ways you can make your emails more mobile-friendly: Keep your subject lines short and sweet. Choose an email design that’s just one column. And, use a slightly larger font, ideally 13 or 14 point.
Aim for Engagement
A final tip for boosting your email marketing success: Always keep the focus on engaging your audience.
One specific way to do this is to remove users who are old and inattentive; if you have people who haven’t opened a single one of your emails in five years, you’re probably fine to cut them. And, if you have recipients for whom your emails always seem to bounce, take the time to verify that you’ve entered their address properly. Your problem may be nothing more than a simple typo!
Let’s Talk Email Marketing Together!
As you consider ways to step up your email marketing game, we hope you’ll consider reaching out to enCOMPASS for support. We’re here to provide clients with the resources and strategies needed to really connect with their email recipients. Reach out to us any time you’re ready to chat.
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