How many of us get a buzz when we receive yet another samey marketing email that we don’t remember signing up to? When email campaigns aren’t optimised to be the best versions of themselves, they’re a waste of everyone’s time. They clog up inboxes and generate more eye-rolls than sales leads.
Customers are more overloaded with information than ever, which has created an increased savvy-ness and less patience for spammy, irrelevant emails. Despite that, email marketing actually has a pretty high return on investment (ROI). According to a 2015 study, email generates approximately $38 for every $1 spent, which is a massive 3,800% ROI.
Email direct marketing (EDM) has been a key part of inbound marketing since 1978 and, when done well, can be one of the most effective tools out there for lead generation.
There are heaps of ways to stand out and create compelling emails that drive engagement and sales. Here are our top 5 ways to optimise your email marketing for success.
1. Make opt-in easy
Is your email opt-in hidden out the back, round the corner, or down the street? If it’s not easy to find, no-one’s going to sign up. Increasing the number of email opt-in opportunities on your website will help grow your reach and make every email you send more worthwhile.
Remember not to go too crazy, though – no one wants to visit a site that has more pop-ups than a campsite. Make it easy and simple rather than bombarding your customers with annoying signup opportunities at every turn.
2. Are your subject lines and preview texts good enough?
Subject lines need to be compelling, concise, and captivating. Why should someone click on the email? What value will it provide them?
Apple Mail shows 140 characters of preview text, and other platforms display around 90. The preview text of your marketing email acts like a trailer for a movie. Will it grip readers from the outset or send them to sleep? Optimizing this text effectively will mean increased open rates and more chance of making a sale.
Although creating urgency can be effective in both subject lines and preview texts, creating a false sense of urgency is something customers in 2021 are likely to see straight through. Instead, try adding a little humour or ask a captivating question to provoke engagement.
3. Segment, segment, segment
Segmenting your subscriber lists means that your emails will more relevant and specific. You can segment your audience list in a variety of ways including by geographic region, past purchases, and demographics like gender.
Rather than sending one mass email to everyone, Jane could receive an email based on the dog bed she bought last month, and Joan would get an email about bird cages because she added one to her cart last time she was on your site. Segmenting shows that you care about providing value and don’t want to waste people’s time with irrelevant content.
4. Personalise your emails.
Because the best B2C relationships start with trust, addressing your customers by name can go a long way — especially when paired with effective segmentation.
One study reported that 71% consumers feel frustrated when their shopping experience is impersonal and 91% said that they’re more likely to engage with brands that provide offers and recommendations that are specifically relevant to them.
5. What do you want to customer to do?
Don’t forget to have clear calls to action (CTA) in your emails. High subscription and open rates become almost useless when no one’s clicking through. To generate leads and boost your sales, make it clear where you want the reader to click. That means buttons that stand out visually and have benefit and action-oriented text like ‘try it for free’ or ‘get the discount’.
Conclusion
Successful email marketing can be the perfect way to connect with your customers in personalized, valuable ways that build trust and generates sales. If you’re doing business and plan to do it well, you have the power to reach the right people at the right time and get real results by optimising your email marketing.
If you need more specific, expert advice about your email marketing strategy or your overall digital marketing approach, contact 3PM. We (really) love helping clients thrive in business through increasing sales and hitting financial goals.
