Email marketing is one of the oldest and most powerful digital marketing strategies of all time. Believe it or not, the first marketing emails were sent out in 1978 by Gary Thuerk.
Things have changed in ways that were unimaginable at the time. Now, email marketing has an average return on investment (ROI) of 4,400%! It’s no wonder that almost every online business leader and marketing team uses email to reach their audience.
The problem many people run into nowadays is there are too many strategies and tools to choose from when creating an email marketing campaign. As a result, many new entrepreneurs and marketers suffer from choice paralysis when determining what they should do next to improve their conversion and engagement rate.
Today, I’d like to share several tips that will hopefully make your email marketing journey easier to navigate. I believe the following advice is applicable to businesses across all industries.
Let’s get started!
Get to Know Your Audience
If you want to improve your email campaigns, you should start by getting to know your target audience and existing subscribers. The more you know about the people reading your emails, the better.
Imagine writing a letter to a complete stranger versus one that you’d write to a friend. They would sound drastically different, right? You don’t want your customers to feel like you’re a stranger writing them an email.
One way to learn more about your subscribers is to ask them what kind of emails they want to receive in the future. This strategy allows you to personalize your messages, which can have a significant impact on conversions. In fact, 4 out of 5 shoppers say they expect businesses to personalize their experience.
We also send feedback forms to customers after they buy a product from our site. I’ve found that this is an excellent time to reach out to your subscribers because they’ve actively engaged with your business.
It doesn’t matter if you’re selling affiliate products or something from your own store; personalizing content can help you get to know your audience and connect on a deeper level.
Use a Mobile-Responsive Design
Globally, over 5.16 billion people own mobile devices. If you’re not using a mobile responsive design when developing your email marketing strategy, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity to engage with your audience.
Imagine getting an email newsletter from a brand you love, but you’re on your mobile device. “No problem,” you say as you open the email. Only, there is a problem. The message is crammed on your tiny phone screen, and it looks like most of the email is distorted. Would you spend your time trying to understand the importance of this email? If you’re like most people, the answer is no.
The good news is there are plenty of ways to make your emails mobile-friendly. First, keep your subject line length in mind. Mobile emails have shorter headlines and preview text, so getting your message out quickly is key to increasing your open rate.
I also suggest using a single-column format. This design choice means your email will be easier to read, regardless of whether the subscriber uses their laptop or smartphone.
You’ll also want to use a simple design with plenty of spacing and a clear, crisp message. It’s also a good idea to use a call-to-action that stands out from the rest of your email. This strategy will ensure that everyone who opens your email, regardless of their device, knows what action you’d like them to take next.
Send Your Emails at the Right Time
The next topic I want to discuss today is your timing. When you send emails matters just as much as the content contained within each message. If you’re emailing your subscribers at 2 in the morning local time, you likely won’t see much engagement.
However, if you send your emails at the right time, you can dramatically improve your engagement rate.
According to several studies, the best days to send your emails are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, in that order. The same group of studies found that the best times to hit the send button are 10 a.m., 8 p.m., and 2 p.m., again, in that order.
Of course, you can send emails outside of these time windows and see good results. Don’t be afraid to experiment with times and days to see if your particular industry thrives under different circumstances.
The biggest takeaway you should keep in mind is this; timing matters. Always send your emails when you think it’s most convenient for your readers. If you’re not sure, don’t hesitate to send out a questionnaire that asks readers when they would like to receive emails from your business.
Measure Your Results and Make Adjustments
The last topic I want to discuss today is measuring your email campaign results and making adjustments along the way. Very few people can effortlessly create an irresistible campaign. But the thing is, your experience will help you develop stronger emails.
I recommend looking at your email marketing analytics and customer feedback forms so you can learn how subscribers are currently responding to your emails. Odds are, there’s a wealth of information you can uncover about your target audience, as well as their preferences, with this data.
We review our analytics and do a deep dive every quarter so we can discover new growth opportunities. The goal is to find out what’s working and where we can improve. For example, if one of your email campaigns is underperforming, you may want to implement a split test so you can see if a subtle change can have a significant impact on your conversions.
There will be times where campaigns simply don’t go the way you planned, and that’s okay! Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, focus on how you can improve in the future. As long as you strive to build stronger connections with your audience, you will see a substantial improvement when you hit send on your next email campaign.
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