Email marketing campaigns have proven their worth, both in B2B and B2C marketing. Effective and easy to integrate with your other marketing channels, email to house files achieved an ROI of 41% in 2018. But some marketers leave the medium untapped by misusing it or failing to use email to its full potential.Here are ten simple tips for getting the most out of your email campaigns.
1. Maintain an up-to-date list.
How?
- Consider a double opt-in list signup – This ensures that the email addresses on your list are functional. And ALWAYS use permission-based lists.
- Make it easy for members to unsubscribe or update their preferences. Remember, CAN-SPAM requires an unsubscribe option.
- Regularly remove or update bad or bounced back email addresses. This also helps maintain your reputation as a sender.
2. Send your email one hour BEFORE the top open times.
- 24 hours after delivery, the average open rate is close to zero.
- Some days are better for sending email than others. Download this handy calendar from Worldata for the best days to send B2B or B2C emails. Of course, it’s always important to experiment with your industry and target audience to find what works for you.
3. Be smart with images.
Image blocking is often the default view for email recipients, so while great graphics can make your email stand out, make sure your message gets through with or without them. Don’t forget to add alt-tags and relevant links to images, too.
4. Take mobile seriously.
In a 2018 study, mobile opens accounted for 46% of all email opens. An email campaign must be cognizant of this fact. Be ready to optimize; consider how your content will read on a mobile screen, and how easily you can click your links with a finger instead of a mouse.
5. Try new things!
Your audience is diverse, and so your tactics should be, too. There is no one-size-fits-all template for reaching your targets (thankfully—that would be boring!). For example, studies show that larger client lists react differently to a message than smaller lists. Consider running simple A/B tests for variables like subject line, CTA, or time of day.
6. Use your communications to open communication.
In other words, don’t just inform but engage. Email should open dialogue between you and your audience. Encourage conversation by providing social sharing buttons, along with simply asking your readers for their input.
7. You’re not a spammer, so avoid looking like one.
What email elements scream “spammer”?
- Terms/phrases associated with spam: free, click here, offer, limited time
- Personalizing subject lines translates as spam, but…
- Personalizing the body of your email helps set you apart from spammers.
8. Keep your content fresh.
Grab your recipient’s attention by changing things up. Offer diverse content and be sure it’s up-to-date to maintain credibility. Simply adding a voice and personality to your copy will help engage readers.
9. Use links to the fullest.
By providing your link in each “fold” of the email, the reader has more opportunities for engagement. Make sure the links stand out and have clear calls to action.
10. Learn—and adapt—from your metrics.
Obviously, you must have metrics to be able to learn from them. So measure! Measure delivery rate, open rate, click-throughs, bounces – all the nitty gritty statistics. But also be aware of how interactions are taking place. Observe things like social sharing, visits and frequency, as well as where people are going on your site.Don’t stop there. Apply what you’ve learned to make their experience more valuable; once you know what they read and at what time of day, what they enjoy seeing in their email and what will generate a response, deliver!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2013. It has been updated for accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness.