Email marketing has been around for decades and remains one of the most effective forms of digital marketing available. People continue to rely on email and engage with it, which increases its effectiveness. Email marketing generates $42 for every $1 spent, giving it some of the best returns for any marketing medium.
Almost no other form of marketing can generate those kinds of returns when used effectively. Learn more about how your brand can capitalize on email marketing for small businesses below.
Focus on the Subject Line
Most people receive dozens of emails from companies or brands they have purchased from each day, and most of those go ignored unless they provide a compelling reason for recipients to read the email. The most significant factor in helping your marketing emails get opened by recipients is an attractive subject line.
The best subject lines often provide a sense of urgency, such as announcing a flash sale or products that are only available until supplies last. They're usually short, sweet, and simple to understand at a glance, though you can use brackets to organize information better. Emojis can also grab your customers' attention, as they provide a little pop of color and a sense of fun in a mostly dull, black-and-white inbox landscape. They help guide readers' attention, helping them understand the message more quickly. That's particularly valuable if your subject line already focuses on the value you provide customers.
Customize Pre-Header Text
The pre-header text is likely the second thing a recipient looks at before opening an email or sending it to the trash. The pre-header texts allow you to provide a bit more information about what the email contains. Most email management software will default to the first line of the email body, but you can edit the text to give a better, more compelling preview.
The customized pre-header text should be concise yet informative, and it should nudge the customer toward opening your message. You could try embedding a phrase like "coupon inside" or "learn more about our upcoming events" to make your email seem more enticing.
Make Your Sender Name Inviting
Companies often make the mistake of having their marketing campaign emails sent from an email address with a sender name like Help Desk. Doing so removes any personal touch, and your recipients' spam filters are much more likely to send emails from those addresses to the junk folder.
Perhaps the easiest yet most effective email marketing tips we can offer is to change the sender's name to something more welcoming and personal. Highlight the people behind your company who do the reaching out by sending it from "The Team at…" or "[Company] 's Crew." That emphasizes that you have real people reaching out but still lets customers know it's your company.
Sending your email from a person's name, whether it's a real or fictional person, feels deceptive as it hides the marketing nature of the message. People may be more likely to open it, thinking it's from someone they've met, but once they realize what the message is, they're more likely to delete it.
Personalize Your Messaging
Addressing your customers more directly, using their proper names or aligning to their interests better shows your appreciation for them and increases the likelihood they will stay customers. Automation software makes it simple to insert customers’ names so that you can send out personalized emails at scale.
You can also make your email marketing campaigns more effective by segmenting emails to target different customer groups based on their interests. You can use email automation software to send customers one message that aligns with their preferences and other emails to customers with different preferences and interests. Further customizing and targeting your customers in this way makes them feel more heard and invited and more likely to make a purchase.
Write Concise Copy (with Strategic Calls to Action)
Even if you take hours to craft a beautifully worded email, you should assume that most recipients won't read it thoroughly. Instead, email marketing is about getting to the point immediately, as most people scan and move on in seconds. For this reason, you should answer why you're sending the email and how its contents can benefit the customer within the first few lines.
A call to action (CTA) is also essential, as it tells customers exactly what they should do to get the benefit your company wants to provide. Effective CTAs help break up text and guide customers to the action you want them to take, whether that's making a purchase, following your social media pages, or something else.
Still Not Sure How to Do Email Marketing? Contact a Media Partner Today!
Email marketing can be an overwhelming endeavor for business leaders to take on, which is why many have connected with a qualified media partner to get their campaigns off to the best possible start. Media partners have the expertise and experience to know which types of email campaigns will work best for your unique company and customer base. They can help you set up analytics and metrics that can help you evaluate how effective each campaign has been.
Getting started on email marketing campaigns on your own will involve months, maybe even years, of trial and error, but a media partner can cut through the uncertainty and get you right to the good stuff.
