In a world where everyone talks about latest tweets and status updates, the role of email seems to have dropped out of the spotlight.
However, data about email deliverability supports the fact that email marketing is still extremely effective.
If you’re just starting out with your first email marketing campaign, here are a couple of things you should know to be sure your strategy is optimized for the best possible results.
1. Permission is key
Nobody likes uninvited guests, and that’s what you are when you send someone an email without being given the permission to do so first.
Don’t use ready-made email lists, but instead, build your own email list with users who have actually given you permission to contact them.
Some strategies to build your own mailing list include:
- Having a subscribe button on your website
- Organizing an online competition
- Asking users to fill out a form
- Giving away freebies in exchange for an email address
2. Tools help you create stunning emails
If you’re serious about email marketing being a part of your business, you should get acquainted with tools for creating email marketing campaigns, like Sendlane.
The main benefit of such tools is the possibility to use and customize email templates, to use different layouts, add photos, links, etc.
All of these features together make your emails look more professional and more engaging, which ultimately increases the efficiency of any marketing campaign.
3. Think about mobile users
As the number of mobile users is overtaking the desktop usage, you as a marketer need to think about how this affects your email campaign.
Based on Campaign Monitor reports, about 53% of emails are opened on mobile devices. For you, this means that mobile-friendly design is imperative.
As you are about to come up with that killer subject line, or some interesting graphics, think about how these will look on mobile devices.
For instance, the subject line will most likely be cut off after three or four words on a mobile device screen, which means the readers won’t see the entire message unless they click on the email to open it.
4. Personalized is more effective
Although you’re creating an email that is supposed to reach hundreds or thousands of your subscribers, you still need to make it as personalized as possible.
This approach is proven to be most effective in terms of clicks and conversions.
In fact, when comparing Click Through Rate (CTR) based on first name personalization, we can see a significant rise in the data:
5. The subject line comes first
Being the first thing the recipients notice, subject line is what shows off your email message, and is what makes recipients decide whether to open or skip the email.
Before you send your first email, you should know two very important statistics related to the subject line. According to Convince and Convert:
- 35% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone
- 69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line
This means that subject line actually has a tremendous impact on whether you’ll be able to get the recipients to read your message, or whether your message will end up being reported as spam.
Based on HubSpot’s study, most clicked subject line words include: posts, jobs, and survey.
An excellent subject line, combined with personalized approach is a proof you really know your target audience.
Leveraging these two well is a skill you’ll find essential for a successful email marketing campaign.
This is what will help you differentiate yourself from the spammers, and one thing that will convince your recipients that they made a good choice when joining your mailing list.
6. Avoid spam at all costs
Spam filters use an extensive number of factors to differentiate what is junk from what is a relevant message.
They ultimately determine whether your email is successfully delivered to the inbox of your subscribers, or whether it’ll end up buried in the spam folder with other unwanted (and unopened) emails.
Here are a couple of things to know about spam filters to understand how they work:
- Spam filters will most likely flag an email if anyone sent spam messages from the same IP address in the past
- Spam filters may be triggered by specific words in the subject line
- An email with no content might be filtered as spam
Ready to learn more?
Our very own Jimmy Kim compiled a email curse word database you can use to avoid being flagged as spam!
7. The art of the call-to-action
A call to action or CTA is a tool you use to motivate the readers to perform a certain activity or function, such as clicking on a link, buying a product, downloading a document, etc.
Since the goal is to persuade the users to do something, a CTA is naturally a big part of your email strategy, so make sure you perfect the art of CTAs.
When sending your first email, as well as later on when you work on improving your approach, make sure you view CTAs as a creative way to inspire people, rather than being sale-oriented and sounding too promotional.
Wrapping it up
Everything here is very important to the success of your email marketing efforts.
As soon as you are familiar with both performance boosters and pitfalls that might get in the way, you will be ready to take advantage of email marketing as a strategy to improve your business.
In the end, we also want to highlight that email marketing requires a delicate approach and sense of personalization, as your ultimate goal is to communicate with your subscribers.
The only way you will be able to do so successfully is by knowing the tricks and mechanics behind email marketing.
Being a good communicator yourself, as well as being a great listener, and learning from the campaign data obtained over time will help you tweak your approach for better results.
Knowing email marketing trends is always helpful, but analyzing email marketing metrics is also a good way to keep your eyes on things that might need changing.
Over to you
If you learned something new, or know someone who might benefit from these tips please share and help get the word out!
Have something to add?
We’d love to hear your experience and any helpful ideas for others to get started with their first email marketing campaign.
Jimmy Kim
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Hey! Great post!
I really enjoyed your post, very informative and I couldn’t agree more.
The main concern I always find in people is, yes we need to make sure
the email itself is top quality and high value content before we send it,
but if they don’t open it, what good does it do?
So, to make life easier for everyone…
I’ve included 5 tips to help you create the perfect subject line.
1. Simplicity – People read email on their phones, in
small windows, or on the go. A 40-character subject line
may be powerful, but it might not appear in full and it
takes a while to read. Short, simple statements can be
extremely powerful.
Powerful email subject lines can be as simple as “Have you
seen this?” People are immediately interested and you
didn’t need to write 40 characters.
2. Lists – Telling someone exactly what they’ll get out of
your email can also be highly effective. A Top 5, 7, or 10
list can be very useful in this regard.
Just make sure you follow through on the promise. Actually
use a list and provide valuable tips in the email.
3. Controversial or Cliffhanging – Something that makes a
vague promise and trails off can be incredibly powerful.
For example, “It’s not your fault” or “It’s cancelled …”
can be extremely intriguing without saying much.
Just be sure to follow through on the theme. Don’t just
write whatever gets them to open the email and then leave
it at that. You’ll need to follow through with the promise
of the message.
4. Dangle a Solution – If you know your readers have a
specific problem or if you’ve already promised them
solutions on your squeeze page, your subject line is a
prime place to make the promise of a solution for that
problem.
If they are trying to train their dog to stop biting, you
could say “%FIRSTNAME%, Dog Biting Ends Today!” You’ve
just personalized and specified their problem at the same
time. Open rates will skyrocket.
5. Avoid Gimmicks or Cliches – The quickest way to get a
message tossed in the junk bin is to use a cliche or
gimmick that they’ve seen a million times in other
messages.
Avoid using spam triggers like “Free” or “Act Now” and
don’t say anything too cheesy like “This will change your
life …” or “You’d better sit down …”
Look through your own spam folder. If you see anything
that looks similar, start over. Aweber is useful here, as
it will provide you with spam scores to tell you what
might get flagged in your message.
A good subject line in your email is the bridge you need between
the gathering of their email addresses and the eventual sale of
your affiliate opportunity or own product to them.
If you cannot get them into your email and interested in
your opportunities, conversions are going to become very
tough.
Good Luck!
– Franky Surroca
http://MakingOnlineEasy.com