Even if digital communication has evolved to become faster and more convenient, many business leaders still consider email marketing one of the best ways to nurture and generate leads. That’s why plenty of companies who want to communicate something about their brand, like promotions or sales, usually resort to sending emails to their clients.
Moreover, business experts see email marketing as a great strategy since it generates a$38 return on investment (ROI) for every$1 spent. The main cause for this high ROI is the fact that when buyers are ready to purchase something, they often search their inboxes for any emails from their favorite brands. (1)
Unfortunately, 40% of email marketing fails due to a weak strategy. You can’t simply send emails to all your contacts and assume you’ll have a huge ROI. However, you have to implement email marketing properly, which you can easily accomplish with the right strategies. To help you out, here are four strategies you can use: (2)
- Set your goals
Regardless of the industry you’re in, you won’t be able to bring your business to new heights if you don’t have goals. That’s why, even before implementing any marketing strategies like email outreach, you should have clear expectations and goals in mind. You’ll need to brainstorm what you want to achieve from your email marketing campaign first, and this includes the budget and how much ROI you’re expecting.
Here’s a guideline when setting your goals:
- Be specific: As much as possible, try to be precise when setting a goal for your marketing campaign. This means you have to determine for whom you’re sending the emails, what your audience needs to do after reading the content, and the benefits you and your receiver will get when the reader performs the intended action.
- Time-bound: You must have a due date when your goal should be completed.
- Measurable: Have some metrics as they’ll help you track the success of your email marketing campaign. The metrics you can use can be the number of click-throughs, spam complaints, conversion rate, and even forwards.
- Suited to your budget: Lastly, make sure that your email marketing doesn’t go beyond your budget. (2)
- Have a good design
Usually, readers won’t bother reading blocks of paragraphs, and this is especially true when it comes to emails. This is because email readers usually skim the content. Therefore, when designing your email, focus on your intended message and make it straightforward. (3)
As a start, lay out all the elements for your campaign in accordance with what’s important. After that, put the most crucial information or the main takeaway at the top. This way, people can quickly scan your email yet still have an idea about the content.
- Make it mobile-friendly
Mobile visits have grown from 57% to 63% from 2016 to 2017. Furthermore, even if desktops and laptops are still relevant, 83% of smartphone users use their mobile devices to check their emails. The statistics indicate that mobile is the most preferred platform for checking emails. Thus, you have to make sure that your email is readable on mobile form. (2)
Here are a few ways you can optimize your emails for mobile use:
- Have mobile-friendly sign-up forms. Doing so will assure your readers that the sign-up process will be hassle-free even when they’re on their mobile phones.
- Make the subject line succinct and related to your pre-header. This way, the content of your email will be clear even if the receiver is just skimming through it.
- You should have a clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) button. This way, mobile users won’t have to pinch their screens to zoom in.
- Lastly, make sure that you’re using the appropriate sales email templates so you can conveniently adjust your email content for both mobile and desktop use. (2)
- Test your email
Before sending your email to your intended audience, make sure you’ve tested it first. You can do so by sending a test email to anyone. Ask your coworkers, friends, or even family members to review the content of your email. Ask them about any typos or allow them to comment on the layout.
Now, if you have two or more emails and you’re not sure which one to send or when to send it to your customers, make sure that you do an A/B test. An A/B test allows you to experiment with various versions of your email so you can figure out the most suitable time of the day to send your messages. This test also tells you which design or layout converts more leads into paying customers.
Final words
Although there are still other strategies you can implement to make email marketing an integral part of your business’ success, the list in this blog post should be a good start. Just make sure that you have clear goals first before implementing an email marketing strategy. Also, don’t be afraid to use the latest software available to make the job easier for you.
References
- “Email marketing strategy and tips for successful campaigns”, Sources: https://mailchimp.com/email-marketing/
- “How to Implement an Email Marketing Strategy”, Sources: https://sendpulse.com/blog/how-to-implement-email-marketing-strategy
- “How People ACTUALLY Read Your Emails (A Scientifically-Backed Guide)”, Sources: https://terminus.com/blog/email-structure-scientifically-backed-guide/
