A Lesson on Good Email Marketing

Most days, your inbox is littered with spam, email reminders and other automated digital conversations that serve little purpose other than giving us something to do while we are fidgeting with our phones. But every now and then, you come across an email that is so engaging, not only can you not stop reading it, you click on it, and even share it with your friends. This is an example of a successful email.

So, just what is email marketing? It’s a favorably efficient digital marketing strategy comprised of sending emails to prospective clients and current customers. If you are using email marketing effectively, you should be able to convert a prospective client into a customer, and turn one-time buyers into consistent, devoted supporters.

But in order to do so, there are several things that make effective emails just that: effective.

Personalization

When sending emails to prospective or existing customers, it is important that you are addressing the recipient personally. There are few individuals who want to read, let alone open an email, that is addressed “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam” opposed to their first and/or last name. But that is only the first step; there are numerous ways to personalize emails. For example, one of your loyal customers has been a subscriber to your emails for two years now and you want to recognize that. So, you send the customer a personalized email thanking them for their 2 years of loyalty with happy anniversary, accompanied with a possible appreciation gift such as merchandise or discounts. This kind of acknowledgement at an eye-to-eye level resonatesl with followers because it shows them you appreciate their dedication to your business.

Imagery

I think we can all agree, receiving an email containing a wall of text is nothing less than frustrating, especially when you only need to grasp a simple message. Take this information into consideration: people remember up to 80% of what they see compared to a mere 20% of what they read. So what does that entail for your text-heavy email? A quick skim over your text with little retention of your message or worse, a simple move to trash action. Visuals provide the recipient with an easy way to grasp immediately the message behind your email.

Designed for All Devices

59% of emails are opened on a mobile device. Why is this important to recognize? When you are creating emails for a campaign, you want to make sure that the reader has the ability to open and view your email on any device they may be using. If the majority of emails are opened using a mobile device and you are designing an email for your subscribers that can only be viewed on a desktop, you are preventing the majority of your viewers from seeing your email. This best-practice is described as responsive design. Due to the rise in popularity of the smartphone, making sure your emails are responsive is imperative.

A Call-to-Action and Landing Pages

Above all else, to create a successful campaign, you must have a meaningful CTA or call-to-action. A CTA is a “call” to readers to take an immediate action from an email and takes many forms such as filling out a contact form, downloading a free EBook or requesting a quote. Following your CTA, your recipient should be brought to a landing page that reiterates the offer and requests specific action from the viewer. Whether you are trying to generate a lead or influence e-commerce, a clear call-to-action is of upmost important to include in your email marketing.