Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach your target audience. It helps send personalized messages straight to your ideal customer’s inbox. Don’t overlook it when planning cross-channel campaigns. If you’re new to email marketing, use these three strategies for success.
1. Build an organic list to make an effective email marketing campaign
Need help with online marketing for your small business? Check out these free digital marketing courses. Email marketing is a significant takeaway from online classes.
Researchers with Omnisend, a marketing automation platform, analyzed over 17 billion emails in 2022. According to its report, brands boosted their year-over-year usage of email marketing by 42%. If you aren’t using emails to reach customers, it’s time to join the trend.
But before sending emails, you need a list of recipients. It may be tempting to purchase a list of 50,000 email addresses from a marketing company and send a mass email, hoping for the best. But this cold-call approach can deter people from your brand.
Instead, you should create your list by reaching out to existing and potential customers. This direct connection makes it more likely for people to open your emails. Here are a few ways to make a list:
- Add a sign-up widget on your website and social media pages.
- Ask customers at your brick-and-mortar store for their email addresses during checkout.
- Highlight new products, exclusive deals, store events or advice to give people a reason to sign up.
Komando.com offers a variety of newsletters full of tech tips, life hacks, news stories and product deals. We’ve put much research into our campaigns, so you can use them for inspiration. Sign up for our newsletters to see everything we have to offer.
2. Write a good subject line
OK, so someone signed up for your newsletter. Now you have to give them a compelling reason to open your emails.
Focus on the value the newsletter will provide to your reader. If you’re sending an email highlighting a new product, don’t just say, “New product in our store.” Explain what the product will do for people, like “Dry paint faster with our new product.”
Subject line, check! Now it’s time to apply the same rules to the email’s content. You’ll need a solid call to action to get the reader to your store or website. Just a link that says “More details” isn’t compelling. Use verbs like these:
- Click here.
- Buy now.
- Get more details.
- Read more.
Adding links to podcasts and videos can also make your email stand out. In those cases, you can add verbs like “Listen now” or “Watch here.”
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3. Know when and how often to send email marketing messages
The timing of your email can significantly affect its success. Test different days and times to see what works best for subscribers. For example, let’s say you want your customers to buy a product for Valentine’s Day. Here are some strategic tips:
- Sending a Valentine’s Day message is most effective during the first week of February. That’s when people are looking to buy presents.
- Send another email the week before the holiday to allow people to order and receive their items on time.
- Create urgency for procrastinators by adding “Last day to order” in the subject line.
Think about what makes your audience unique. What demographics are most likely to buy your products? When are they most likely to read your emails?
Some people prefer to check emails in the morning, while others prefer the afternoon. You might find that a new product email on Monday morning, a deal email on Friday evening and an informational email on Saturday work well.
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How often should I send marketing emails?
Set a regular schedule and one for special events. For holiday emails, plan them a month in advance. When working on regular emails, start once a week or every two weeks.
You can increase to daily emails if that’s what your audience wants. You can even test different designs. If you go that route, try them with a smaller group of subscribers first. Then, apply the most successful design to your entire list.
Finding the proper schedule, format and design can take time. Be patient, make minor tweaks and focus on building a solid connection with your audience. Remember: Happy customers are returning customers!
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