We recently told you how email marketing is still a great way to market your business, and we shared some tips on how to get it right. Today, we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty to share some really simple advice to help you optimise your email marketing to start converting leads into sales.
Not only is email marketing one of the most powerful tools in any marketer’s back pocket because it has such a high return on investment (ROI), but it is also relatively free for you to use. Platforms like Mailchimp, for example, have free versions of their product that give you access to plenty of features. All that’s needed is a bit of your time to get it right.
Here are some quick and easy dos and don’ts that you can consider when you put together your next email marketing campaign to get better results.
Refine your subject line
If you think about it, the subject line of your marketing email is like the front of your store. It’s what needs to convince people to step inside (or, in this case, open your email).
There are a couple of small tweaks you can make to your subject line to improve your open rates.
Make it personal
Personalisation is one of the hottest trends in email marketing right now, and for a good reason. Consumers are far more likely to respond to offers that are made personal to them.
You can do this by personalising your subject line with their name or any other data that you have that is unique to them.
Keep it short
The majority of emails are read on mobile devices. Email apps on mobile devices will often only display a portion of your subject line if it is long.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep your subject line short and sweet yet convincing enough to get users to open the mail.
Use emojis and punctuation with care
Email apps will quickly send your email marketing to spam folders if you include too many punctuation marks or emojis in your subject line. Limit your subject line punctuation to a maximum of three characters, and steer away from using more than one emoji at a time.
Top tip: Keep your subject line to 60 characters (or nine words) or less.
A/B test to find what’s best
In marketing terms, A/B testing is essentially testing one aspect of a campaign against another. When it comes to your subject line, for example, you can test various versions to find which one works best.
Other than subject lines, most email platforms will allow you to test the following:
- Your written content.
- The overall design and layout.
- The name that you send the email from.
- The date and time that you send the email.
Email marketing tools will send each version you create to separate sets of your audience and then track engagement. The version that performs best will then be sent to the rest of your subscribers who weren’t sent the test versions.
A/B testing allows you to narrow down your email marketing into what works and what doesn’t, creating a clearer picture of what you should be doing.
Segment to invent stronger campaigns
Segmentation is basically dividing your subscriber base into various audiences that will receive different marketing messages based on their location, interests, or recent activity.
Think about it, if you own a recruitment agency, you won’t send the same email to candidates that you would to clients.
Segmenting your audience allows you to send out more personalised messaging that hits the sweet spot and avoids being sent straight to spam.
Top tip: Don’t segment your audience too far. You don’t want to spend time unnecessarily creating too many messages for different audiences.
Did you know that we have email marketing specialists available for you to hire on flexible plans to help you take your marketing to the next level? Our specialists know every trick in the book to boost open rates and nudge your leads toward conversion. Visit our website to learn more about our email marketing services.
