With all the hype around social and emerging technologies, is email marketing taking a back seat at your organization? We hope not. That’s because to date, email marketing is still performing as the most effective marketing channel. Surprised? Keep reading for our insights on 10 steps to email marketing success in 2022.
If you do them right, email campaigns are a powerful relationship builder and marketing tool. Done wrong, consider yourself lost in the sea of other emails, text pings and social scrolls competing for your customer’s attention.
But with people using email more often than even social, how do you ensure you break through the clutter? Or maybe you are thinking of launching an email marketing campaign, but you’re not sure where to start. We’ve got you.
Build Your List
This isn’t as hard as it seems, but it can take a while to accumulate enough opt-ins so get started! A simple form or banner pop-up on your website is easy to implement. But that’s not enough.
You need to exchange something of value to receive something of value in today’s consumers’ minds. For example, a 10% off coupon at checkout or free shipping on your first order are great ways to secure that email. You can also offer information like a free ebook or whitepaper on a topic in which the user is interested in exchange for their email. Not getting enough signups? Call us to set up Facebook ads, they are proven winners when it comes to growing an email list.
Follow the Law
CAN-SPAM and GDPR laws are no joke. You need to ensure your email users are opted-in (double opt-in is even better) and make it easy to unsubscribe. Additionally, you should avoid buying email lists as these are an easy way to get flagged.
Introduce Yourself
You’re getting email addresses, congratulations! Now what? It’s time to set expectations. Most email clients offer an automatic welcome message for new subscribers. When you set that up, be specific. How often can users expect to hear from you and about what? Clearly define what your new subscriber should expect from you. And then deliver it. Bonus points for including something free or helpful in the welcome email, to get new subscribers excited about opening your emails.
Segment Your Audience
Speaking of defining, in order to market effectively, you need to know who you’re talking to. Define who your users are so you can segment your lists and target those users specifically. You can segment by demographics, interests, behaviors, prospects vs customers and so on. You’ll also want to tag where the emails came from so you can track results for each source.
Subject Line Standout
Your subject line is kind of like a pickup line. It’s your offer to connect, and it’s up to the user to decide whether they’re interested. Better make it more than catchy — make it personalized, benefit focused and keyword rich.
Fine Tune Your Preview Copy
This is the copy immediately following the subject line. Limited to at most 140 characters, this is the snapshot of what you’re offering so make it count. By optimizing your preview copy, you can highlight your message effectively and snag that open.
Make it Easy to Digest
No one is going to read a copy-rich email with long paragraphs and lots of hyperlinks. Think short, snackable copy paired with rich visuals and a clear call to action.
Deliver Value
Great content is not limited to social media and websites. To keep your subscribers engaged, you need to remember there is so much competition for eyeballs, clicks and time that you must deliver outstanding content with clear, actionable messaging that benefits the user. Consistency is also key, which brings us to our next point.
Automate It
Don’t even consider not automating your email campaigns. Even with a small base, if your audience is engaged, you will be quickly overwhelmed. Plan out your email calendar, then create and schedule your emails in advance.
Email automation enables you to send emails based on each user’s actions, such as when a subscriber adds a product to their shopping cart or downloads a white paper. This is one of the best ways to stand out from the pack, so focus on this area.
Analyze & Optimize It
Another important place to spend your time is examining email analytics. Your open rate, click-through rate (CTR) and unsubscribe numbers tell you a lot about your effectiveness.
If you’re getting strong open rates, you’ve probably done some homework getting to know your subscribers. You’re delivering value that makes them want to open your emails.
Your CTR tells you whether your messaging is targeted well enough or if your copy’s call to action works. Or perhaps your offer isn’t strong enough, so consider all aspects.
Your unsubscribe rate tells you whether you delivered on your promise from your introduction email. Make sure to assess when people are leaving and always ask why, which you can also do via automation.
Now that you understand 10 key steps to email marketing success in 2022, are you ready to leverage this powerful channel in your marketing strategy? You know who to call!