5 Tried and Tested Email Strategies to Add to Your Email Marketing Line-up

Today, customer engagement is the crux of any branding strategy. The market is no longer a space limited by geography. Thanks to e-commerce, brands can now tap into a global customer base.

On the downside, this has added on to the existing competition. Customers can pick from a wide range of brands, selling similar products/services. Innovation and customization are the need of the hour.

Catchy CTA messages, captivating emails, and newsletters show immediate results. Try out these 5 proven email strategies to add to your email marketing line-up.

Email marketing and customer engagement

Only having a business is not enough anymore. You need something more than that to sustain your brand in the market. You need innovative marketing solutions to enhance your customer base.

This is where effective email marketing comes into the picture. Without a good email strategy, you never get a good shot to reach out to the right audience base. So, sending out random emails to a bunch of people doesn’t suffice.

The modern-day emailing solutions strive to create a bond with the client. Brands try to connect with the users on a more human level. Profit is not the be-all and end-all of the marketing strategy. Here, companies value customer satisfaction and loyalty more than profits.

Email marketing and market research

And to keep your customers happy, you must understand their needs and preferences. Situational analysis of the industry tells you all about the internal and external factors affecting business.

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats- that affect the brand. Marketing experts use these insights from SWOT analysis to design effective email layouts. With SWOT, you understand what works and what doesn’t for your brand.

Market research is an extensive field and SWOT report is but a tiny part of it. There are other tools like PESTLE analysis and competitive analysis for tracking the market.

Marketing students must be familiar with SWOT reports and other research tools. It helps the brand figure out ways to optimize their resources and get the best results. Here are some useful tips for students who need help with marketing assignments. I cover some proven email strategies suitable for small/large-scale companies.

Build a personal connection

Emails are an integral part of any advertising campaign. Large and small-scale companies use outreach emails to connect with more people. But, emails are no longer detached and professional. Today, brands aim for a personal connection with clients.

Always start your emails addressing the recipient by their first name. In the recent version of Gmail, you get common prompts and auto-complete options. This allows marketers to personalize their emails. Add personalized signatures, link your social media handle at the end of every email.

Personalized emails need a little extra effort , but the results are so worth it! Instead of sending emails to a large group of people, you narrow down your email list. Track the customer activity on your website and then send content that’s relevant to them. This improves your chances of making more sales.

E-commerce websites often collect cookies and caches with customer information. Some brands also turn to analytical tools for this data. An in-depth data analysis provides deeper insights on customer trends.

Length of the subject-line

A recent study reveals that personalized emails add on to 58% of the revenue. It also offers better ROI conversions as opposed to traditional email trends.

It doesn’t take a lot of time to draft a custom email for a client. Here are some elements of a well-written email.

• Valid email id and recipient address
• The subject line
• The recipient name,
• The email body,
• Personalized intro
• Brand details, industry information
• Infographics and pictures
• Attachments/images and freebies
• Conclusion
• The CTA message,
• Brand pitch or placement
• Personalized signature

The subject line is the most crucial element in the email. You can have a great offer or message lined up, but it’s of no use if the client doesn’t click on the email at all. A catchy subject-line encourages the recipient to open the email.

The universal law for crafting the perfect subject line is to avoid the 60-70 characters zone. Anything above or below this is good to go. Marketers worldwide refer to this as the “dead zone”.

As per a study by Adestra: subject-lines, which falls short of this mark have a lower open rate. Subject lines over 70 characters are the most engaging. Omit, subject lines below 10 characters have about 58% open rate.

Get the timing right

After drafting the perfect email, the next step is to send it to the client/customer. Well, that’s pretty simple, right? All you have to do is press “send”! Turns out, the process is a little more complicated than that.

It is crucial to send the email at the right time. For most clients, the standard business hours don’t work. So, the 9-5 hours are not as effective as people believed.

The late-night hours, i.e. 8pm to midnight works best for outreaching clients. A 2012 report by Experian marketing services highlights this fact with ample proof. As per their study, they found that emails sent late in the night have a 22% higher chance of success.

Also, the 8pm-12am window is the most underrated time slot! Note that an optimal emailing strategy varies from client to client. You must also consider the location, and lifestyle of the target market.

People love freebies

Everyone loves free stuff! The best way to attract new subscribers is to lure them with gifts and freebies. Give them a sneak peek of your services. Offer attractive discounts, coupons, and giveaways as part of the email campaign.

Freebies are creative, fun, and useful for quick marketing solutions. Yet, ensure that you have a limited budget for the free stuff you give away. In some cases, people might subscribe to the trial version but never end up buying your services.

You must keep track of the free stuff you give out. You can apply A/B market testing method for this process. It gives you in-depth insights on what your target market wants.

With freebies, you also attract more leads to your email list. For instance, if you have an academic blog, you can offer free tutorials and classes. Ensure that the freebies add value to the user’s experience.

Freebies often include audio files, pdf files, case studies and trial subscriptions. DIY brands can send gift packages and handmade notes to customers who subscribe to your list.

Some brands also send out thank-you messages as part of their after-sale services.

Mobile marketing solutions

People prefer to check their emails on their smartphones as opposed to desktops. Even the popular emailing platforms like Gmail or Outlook have a mobile-friendly version. A recent study reveals that users open about 47% of all their emails on the phone.

So, your emails must be compatible with smaller screens and devices. Here are some simple ways to customize your email template:

• Use a standard mobile-friendly template for all your emails
• Keep the template size 44*44 pixels
• Convert the emails to a one-column layout which is easier to read
• Customize the font size and type to suit mobile phones
• Edit the email as per the IOS guidelines
• Add a visible and attractive CTA message that stands out from the rest of the email
• Keep the essential elements of the email in the middle of the screen
• Design your email to make it more ergonomic and accessible.

Adjust your email template to the screen resolution and size of the device. This makes your email readable and easy to access. More and more people can check out your email and might even subscribe to your services.

Is email marketing still relevant?

Short answer: yes. Brands that invest in professional email marketing are always at an advantage. Sure, there are alternative marketing platforms and solutions for brands out there. But nothing can beat the charm and effectiveness of a well-written email.

With email marketing, a brand can attract new customers and keep the existing ones. It allows businesses to keep the clients updated on the latest launches.

Facebook and Twitter might be the millennial’s choice, but emails still reign supreme. A study by Social Twist highlights how companies preferred emails for outreaching customers. Out of the 30,000 referrals sent as part of the experiment, about 50% were emails.

Having an eye-catching newsletter further improves your chances of attracting more visitors. And the more subscribers the brand has, the better business it gets. You must adapt to the changing trends in your industry.

The bottom line

Email marketing has been around for quite some time now. And every brand out there is trying to crack the secret to writing a perfect email. A well-written email can lead to more leads and eventual sales for the company.

Follow these tips to avoid hitting the spam folder of your present and potential clients. Effective email marketing is a massive asset for the brand. And I hope that this blog would guide you in the right direction.