Effective Strategies and Tips for Email Marketing
Email marketing remains an essential channel for engaging both existing customers and new leads. When optimized effectively, email converts at a lower cost than most other channels.
This comprehensive guide provides actionable email marketing tips for higher open, click through, and conversion rates. We will explore proven best practices for list segmentation, personalization, automation, testing, metrics tracking, and more.
Whether you are looking for beginner email tips or more advanced optimization, this guide shares tactics for elevating your email programs.
By the end, you will learn:
- How to segment your list for more targeted messaging
- Personalization approaches that improve open and click rates
- Valuable automation sequences that convert
- Optimization through continual testing
- Key engagement metrics to track
Effective email marketing starts with understanding subscriber needs. Let's dive into list segmentation approaches to deliver more relevant content.
Segment Your Email List
Dividing your email list into distinct groups or segments allows you to deliver more targeted, relevant messaging to subscribers.
Segmenting requires a few key steps:
1. Identify shared characteristics. This involves looking at demographic, behavioral, and other attributes that differentiate groups of subscribers.
2. Create list segments. Batch subscribers together based on the shared traits uncovered in step one.
3. Send customized content. Develop segmented email campaigns and journeys matched to each group.
Popular ways to segment an email list include:
By Geographic Location
Group subscribers by:
- Country
- Region/State
- City
- Language preference
Location plays a major role in purchasing behavior and product needs. Use geo-targeted email campaigns to send:
- Local store opening announcements
- Event invitations
- Country-specific promotions
Based on Demographics
Common demographic email segments include:
- Age
- Income
- Gender
- Job title or industry
Send content aligned to:
- Life stage needs
- Budget factors
- Gender preferences
Through Behavioral Filtering
Analyze past email and website interactions to uncover subscriber preferences.
Behavioral segments include:
- Product category interest
- Engagement level
- Purchase recency/value
- Content downloads
Cater messaging and offers based on indications of interest.
List segmentation works best when integrated into automated workflows and content personalization. Next let's explore how to deliver a tailored subscriber experience.
Personalize the Subscriber Experience
In addition to list segmentation, take email relevancy further with personalization. This involves using data to deliver customized, one-to-one messaging.
Email personalization tactics include:
With Dynamic Personalized Subject Lines
Subject lines directly influence open rates. Personalize each subscriber's subject line with:
- First name
- Product or content preferences
- Purchase history
This level of tailored subject line outperforms generic ones.
Using Dynamic Content
Dynamically populate email content based on subscriber data like:
- Browsing or purchase behavior
- Demographics
- Current loyalty status
Examples include showing:
- Product recommendations from categories browsed
- Location specific store content
- Loyalty program details
Personalization increases engagement but requires access to rich subscriber data integrated with your email platform.
When paired with solid list segmentation, personalized email excels at catering to user needs. Next let's hone in on that.
Focus Email Content on Reader Needs and Value
With list segmentation and personalization, you deliver targeted content. But what exactly should you communicate?
Base email content on what provides value to readers. Identify subscriber pain points and questions, then provide solutions.
For example:
Identify Reader Pain Points
- What problems do different segments face?
- Where are subscribers getting stuck when engaging with your brand?
A retailer may find cart abandonment rate is highest amongst a keyword promo code segment.
Offer Solutions Through Tips and Stories
Develop content addressing identified subscriber issues. Back with relevant data.
Our retailer creates a tips email on saving more.
By focusing on reader value over promotional messaging, your content better answers customer needs.
Find the Optimal Email Length
Is there an ideal word count? Analysis of top performing emails uncovers benchmarks to guide your copywriting.
For the average email, ideal length is:
- 50 to 125 words for mobile readers
- 125 to 250 words for desktop
Test email length variants to find the best engagement for each campaign.
General copywriting tips include:
For Mobile Readers
Write tighter content in sentence and paragraph length.
Test Different Email Lengths
Measure open, click through, and conversion rates.
In addition to copy length, focus on concise value delivery regardless of word count.
Establish and Use Your Brand Voice
What is brand voice within email? It involves the style of content that connects with your audiences while aligning with broader brand messaging and positioning.
Brand voice drives engagement when:
Aligned With Brand Messaging
Values, personality, and vision shape voice. Does your email voice reflect brand identity beyond logo use?
Consistent Across Channels
Voice helps tie together experiences across email, website, ads, and social media.
Without a clear brand voice that translates into email copywriting, messaging can fall flat or seem overly promotional.
Optimize Emails for Mobile Reading
Mobile optimization now makes up a key email marketing requirement. With increasing email reading on mobile devices, follow these tips:
Responsive Design Principles
Content dynamically adapts across mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Effective Calls to Action
Prominently highlight clickable CTAs above the content fold.
With responsive templates and clear paths to conversion, cater the experience to mobile users.
Leverage Email Automation Workflows
Manually sending one-off emails fails to nurture subscribers or trigger them to convert. That's where marketing automation comes in.
Automated email workflows send subscribers:
New Subscriber Welcome Series
Deliver a pre-defined set of emails to onboard readers.
Abandoned Cart/Browse Recovery
Win back shoppers post-website activity through targeted follow-up.
Lead Nurturing Content Tracks
Provide relevant education to contacts during research stages.
Event Triggered Campaigns
Send related content post key actions like:
- Purchase
- Account login
- Inactivity period
When mapped to the user journey, lifecycle-based automation delivers continual value.
Drive Action with Clickworthy CTAs
Calls to action ultimately drive desired outcomes from email campaigns like:
- Downloads
- Event sign ups
- Product purchases
But not all CTAs have equal performance.
Align with Subscriber Journey Stage
Subscriber behavior indicates where they are in their journey. Target CTAs to that stage.
Make Purpose and Value Clear
Spell out the exact benefit received from clicking. Reduce friction through precise CTAs.
Refine through testing to improve email actionability.
Continually Test and Optimize Campaigns
Don't settle on legacy email tactics and templates. Leverage testing to make continual optimization part of email operations.
Areas to experiment with include:
- Email Style Comparisons
Evaluate visual layouts, content presentation, interactivity effects.
- Subject Line Optimization
Assess emotional hooks, personalization, length, question formats.
- Adjust ‘From’ Names
Should it be a person, brand name, or descriptor like "Customer Support"?
- Image A/B Testing
Size, type and placement impact open rates.
Optimization requires clear prioritization frameworks, documented learnings, and iteration. But the long term gains make testing efforts worth the investment.
Grow Your List Responsibly
Avoid buying lists which damages sender reputation through high spam complaints and unsubscribes.
Instead grow first party, permission based lists through:
- Website sign up offers
- Promotions and lead gen
- Integrating across owned properties
Keep email subscription and unsubscription easy for recipients as you expand reach.
Key Takeaways
And there's the complete guide to major email marketing tips for higher engagement.
By focusing on:
- List segmentation
- Personalized content
- Subscriber journey mapping
- Automated workflows
- Testing and metrics analysis
You set email programs up for greater connection with audiences and commercial success.
Now over to you. Which of these tips can make the biggest impact for reaching your targets? Start there then build upon the momentum.
Post a Comment