Email has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach their customers, and has made communication quick, effective, and efficient. The fact that so many of us use it, however, can be disadvantageous. Sorting through hundreds of e-mails from stores, newsletters, political campaigns, work, etc., can be overwhelming, and recipients are unlikely to read through every single one.
What are some ways to ensure your message is effective? How can the sender best engage the recipient in terms of content and delivery? Below are 5 tips for smarter email marketing campaigns.
1. Keep the Message Short and Sweet
Readers should be able to digest the subject line and header message in less than 1 second. This is a considerably small window to attract the recipient’s attention, so it is very important to be brief and to the point.
2. Quality Over Quantity
Focus your marketing on the right target audience. Do your best to avoid large lists of leads, which only serve to lower your average open/click rate. Segment your lists into very specific subsets of your customers.
3. Space Them Out
Give people time to breathe between messages. Too many emails in too short a time could result in people hurrying to report you, landing you in the spam folder.
4. Don’t Be Too Cryptic or Oblique
Try to deliver the information directly and simply. People have been receiving emails for long enough that they know when someone is trying to lead them down the primrose path. Be straightforward.
5. Test in as Many Email Clients as Possible
Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. Technical errors in your email will hardly lead to your business being taken seriously. Services such as MailChimp’s Inbox Preview are handy tools for this.
By adhering to these 5 tips, you can most effectively market your business using email, and garner the results you are aiming for. One thing is for certain – email marketing is not going away anytime soon!
Researchers estimate that U.S. firms alone spent $1.51 billion on email marketing back in 2011, and that it will grow to $2.469 billion by 2016. With the right campaign and the most effective delivery, your business will be sure to benefit from email marketing.
