Think about when you receive marketing emails, which ones have caught your attention, had you discussing them with colleagues and impressed you the most? Based on the assumption that your business has an email database that is up-to-date following the General Data Protection Regulations which came into force in May 2018, here are our top tips to ensure you’re getting the most from this popular and effective marketing channel.
Who Are You?
First things first, when your email arrives in the recipients’ inbox you need to ensure the sender’s name and email address is a true reflection of your company. If someone does not know or recognise the sender, they may not open the message at all.
Subject Header
Choosing the right subject line is also key. The best ones are short, punchy, engaging and relevant to the content. Most email software platforms have the ability to test different headers on smaller sections of your database, so you can see which works best. Then send the best performing one to the remainder of your email list.
Personalisation
Generic emails sent to a company’s entire database are no longer sufficient. Personalisation is a must, so ensure when potential customers sign up for your database that you collect useful data which you can use in your communications. Address your recipient by name and write to them from ‘you’, signing off with a name to personalise the message further. This can improve open rates, engagement rates and click-through.
Segmenting
We all prefer to be seen as an individual rather than a customer or number on a list. By tailoring your messages to the needs of your customers you will find they respond better.
Segment your email database to deliver the best results for you. This may be to divide by geographical location, age, sex or previous purchase history. You may have different information or offers depending where in the country (or world!) your customers live.
Keep your email database up-to-date and organised by removing inactive users who don’t open your messages and delete any undeliverable email addresses.
Mobile Optimisation
This is your biggest consideration as the majority of emails nowadays are read on mobile so ensure your message can be clearly read, as you’ve intended, and nothing is being cut off. By using responsive design (that works on a mobile), you will be able to ensure your content is mobile-friendly and easily readable.
Images/Content
Imagery is proven to engage with readers more than just text so ensure you are including pictures, GIFs and videos to accentuate your content. However, don’t overload the message with images as some email providers may not show all imagery by default and some may be automatically blocked. Ensure you have a good balance of text and imagery, so your message is still delivered, should there be an issue with the images.
Consistency
A basic consideration but worth mentioning – do ensure your email branding is consistent to the design and tone of your company. You need to use the same colours, logos, images, fonts and voice across your email, website and social platforms. This makes you easily recognisable and helps to generate brand understanding and trust.
Links – website/social
Your emails will always include links for your readers, whether it directs them to your website homepage, to a specific product page, a blog post or an offer. Help them to arrive swiftly where you want them to go and always ensure your links work correctly. You will lose trust if you direct people wrongly or include a broken link.
Also, be sure to include links to your social media accounts in your email via the simple social icons to encourage people on your database to follow and support your activity across social platforms.
CTA (Call to Action)
Do be clear about what you want your email to achieve. When someone opens your email, what do you want them to do? Read your new blog post? Complete a questionnaire? View new products or take up an offer? Be certain the correct information is clearly visible, so readers take the action you want.
Option to Opt-out (Unsubscribe)
Check that your emails include the option for recipients to manage their subscription with you. That includes the option to unsubscribe. Your database figures may decline a little, but you will know that the people who are engaging and receiving your marketing messages want to hear from you.
Perfect Timing
Be sure to test different delivery days and times to see when it is most effective. Your email should ideally arrive when people are online, so it might be during a weekday commute slot or at lunchtime. You will learn from your data when the highest open rates occur and can tailor future mailers from this information.
Finally, don’t overlook the absolute basics either – send a test email to ensure you see how your message looks on all platforms, to make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes and to check all links within the message work and direct the user to the correct page.
We wish you many successful email marketing campaigns!
