It may seem like email marketing is an old and outdated way to market your business, but it remains one of the most profitable and cost-effective direct marketing channels out there. Because of this, it should be an important part of your digital marketing strategy. Not doing any email marketing is like leaving money on the table. There are certainly newer methods of communicating with your audience and customers, like social media marketing, but email marketing deserves a place in your marketing toolbox. You can use email marketing to inform your contacts, drive sales and build a community around your brand, like creating a newsletter. What makes email marketing so powerful and cost-effective is that it gives you direct access to your audience’s inboxes. The trick is to make sure that your audience is opening your emails. Here are 5 ways to boost your email open and conversion rate.
One strategy is to use short subject lines. Cramming a lot of information onto your subject line will not make people want to open the email. Stick to subject lines that are 2-3 words long. There are reasons why short subject lines are more effective. First, a short email subject line helps you to get through the email spam filters. Spam filters put extra emphasis on an email’s subject line, so if they decide that your subject line is spammy, your email will go to the spam folder no matter what your actual message looks like. Short subject lines have fewer changes to get flagged as spam. Second, short subject lines look better and read easier on mobile devices. Most mobile email apps cut subject lines off at 30 characters. Finally, short subject lines include the element of mystery. Readers are more likely to open an email if they are curious about the subject line, than if they can tell its email marketing. This will take thought and creativity as you create your subject line, but it will be worth the effort.
Send plain text emails without graphics, logos or anything out of the ordinary. Why would you want to eliminate logos or graphics? First, fancy HTML emails tend to end up in Gmail’s promotion tab. Graphics can flag your email as a promotion, whereas a plain text email looks like something you would get from a friend. Second, people tend to engage with more simple emails. This doesn’t mean you don’t want your content to be interesting and engaging. You want to send things that look professional and include unique and helpful information. But image-heavy emails are going to end up in the promo tab.
An obvious but essential component of email marketing is to build your email list. Emails can be gathered in a variety of ways, like through social media. You can also create a pop-up form on your website. After you have worked to create your list of emails, it’s important to keep your database updated. Consider cleaning up your email list. Some of the email addresses you send may be inactive. Some may be off by a character, and you will be getting a bounce back. Start by spell checking obvious errors in your email database (like misspellings of Gmail or Yahoo). Taking time to review and update your email list will save you time and make your mailings more efficient. Always be thinking of ways to grow your database of emails, and nothing makes a list grow faster than premium content. Also remember that more isn’t always better. A smaller list full of highly engaged recipients is far better than having a ginormous email list with only a few who will actually open the email.
Think about your timing and schedule your campaign for the right time. You want to send out emails when your audience Is most likely to check their inbox, otherwise your information will just get buried. How can you figure out such a specific thing? It’s important to know your audience. Most people are not looking at their email on the weekend. General observations across the industry suggest that sending emails on weekdays in the afternoon will achieve the highest open rates. Other research suggests that Tuesdays may be the best day to send your email, because that’s when people have settled into their work week. Once you determine a day and time that works best, be consistent.
Be honest. Avoid repetitive language. Don’t promise anything that your email doesn’t deliver. Write like you are writing like a friend. Write amazing content every time, and make sure that you are delivering something of real value. If your subscribers are happy with your content, they will be more likely to open your emails in the future. On the other hand, if your subscribers or receivers are wary of your marketing ploys or don’t trust you or your content, they won’t open or engage. One of the most critical aspects of your email copy is a call to action. In most cases, your call to action will come at the end of your email copy. The call to action could be it’s own button, or just be a linked piece of text, but it is the last chance you have to convince your recipient to click through the email to your targeted web page. The recipient will never even get to the call to action if they don’t trust you. It’s important to be honest and establish that trust.
As you set out to formulate your email marketing plan, remember these 5 tips:
1. Use short subject lines and be creative as you formulate these lines.
2. Send plain text emails without graphics, logos, or anything out of the ordinary so your emails don’t end up in the spam folder.
3. Work to build a trusted email list, and keep it updated.
4. Be strategic about scheduling your emails. This will make your mailings more effective. You don’t want your content to get buried.
5. Always be honest and upfront with your recipients and include a call to action.
If you keep these important things in mind, your email marketing can be more effective, and you will be able to build your business quicker and easier.