If you’re looking to get the most out of your email marketing, it will take more than a few one-off messages to your list. Developing a successful campaign requires careful consideration and the use of some email marketing best practices. Forgetting any one of these can muddle your message, negatively impact your analytics, or wreak havoc on your customer’s experience. So you’ll want to keep these in mind to improve the experience for your subscribers.
Try these email marketing best practices to drive more sales for your business.
Send a Welcome Email Sequence
When someone fills out your sign up form or provides you with their email, it's a good idea to welcome them, and give them an idea of what’s to come. This can be done over a series of emails in order to establish a good communication rhythm.
Clean up your list on a regular basis
Not everyone that doesn’t want to read your emails unsubscribes. You may have people on your list that go dozens or more emails without opening. Keeping the people who are largely inactive on your list may kill your open rate. You can remove those that don’t engage on a regular basis to keep your engagement rates up.
Keep it conversational and casual
You only have a few short seconds to grab someone’s attention through the use of email. Friendly, and personable will win the day. Try talking with the members of your audience the same way that you’d try talking with friends. That means trying to strike an informal yet professional tone.
We said keep it professional…
Your company’s emails are not your personal text thread. Make sure you have your “Your / you’re / there / their / they’re / it’s / its” all correct. And for heaven’s sake, don’t use abbreviated words where they don’t belong. “U” is not an acceptable shorthand for the word “you.” Spelling counts.
Keep it short and skimmable
Your audience consists of busy people. They probably receive dozens if not hundreds of emails every day. You want to get straight to the point and keep your content short and skimmable. That way they don’t have to work hard to complete your call to action.
Perfect your subject lines
These few short words may feel like an afterthought after composing the body of the email. But the subject line is what your audience uses to determine whether they’re going to open your email or not. They’re determining the relevance of the whole communication based on the subject. You’ll want to make sure it’s enticing.
Allow for easy sign ups
Your audience should not be left to wonder how they can sign up for your emails. Strategically placed links within your website, pop ups, and a well-advertised lead magnet can all help you grow your email list organically.
Offer Value in Exchange for An Email Address
People are understandably guarded when it comes to their email address. One way you can grow your list is to provide subscribers something of value in exchange for their email. This can be some form of ebook, checklist, white paper, report, or a simple discount on services for signing up.
Personalization and Segmentation
Your emails are better received when your audience feels like you’re talking to them. If they’re sifting through regular emails that may or may not pertain to their immediate situation, it’s going to be tougher to hold their interest - and their chances of finding what does relate are reduced.
Put a Call to Action Above the Fold
Readers may scroll more than they used to, but you still want to make it easy for them to act. You need to catch their attention and get straight to the point. Try putting a CTA button at the top AND at the bottom of your email. You can also A/B test to see which gets more conversions.
Testing, Testing…
Before you send your message out to the masses, make sure that you know what it looks like across various browsers, platforms, and devices. You’ll want to make sure that your email looks just as good on a mobile device as it does on a desktop.
Establish Some Email Marketing Best Practices that Drive Sales
Following some simple email marketing best practices can help you drive more sales. It’s important to make sure you stand out in the inbox, and catch people’s attention as they read through your email. You’ll want to make sure that it’s easy for subscribers to follow through on your CTA.
Do you have any questions or would you like to talk about your email marketing? Contact us today to find out more about how we can help!
