Effective Email Marketing Strategies: Introduction

Do you remember those flyers that local businesses used to insert into newspapers? While it may have seemed like a rather casual marketing strategy, the companies that did it well put a lot of thought into it. Which newspaper, which day, which size of flyer, which color, what copy to write, font style, font size, and even the thickness of paper are all important factors to consider when it comes to making sure that your marketing piece will be read. While an email campaign may not seem as serious since it’s digital, in today’s world effective email marketing needs to be held with the same level of thoughtful strategy.

Think about the nature of email marketing. It is more personal, more accurate, and more focused marketing, but it still holds true that you can’t afford to swamp somebody’s email box with random emails and believe that your message will be read and acted upon. Furthermore, just because you have a strong customer base doesn’t mean you can slack off. A big contact list for a business owner can be one of the most powerful ways to increase sales, but it can also be useless. If you don’t approach the names on that list with the right strategy then you might as well delete them.

Here are some steps you can utilize in order to make sure you are running effective email marketing campaigns.

The Right Length for Subject Lines

Suppose you get an email with this subject line: “Another new gym is opening next week.” What are the chances you’ll open that email? Now consider this subject line: “Learn how to start the year off with a strong, sexy body!”  The odds are swung in the favor of the second subject line just because it appeals to your curiosity, making you more likely to open the email. Use A/B testing to experiment with which subject lines get more opens that others. Two general strategies are worth consideration:

Go for utility: The reader will know exactly what they are getting when they open the email. “Open for your 30% off coupon this weekend only!”

Go for curiosity: The reader is drawn to open because they are intrigued. “Open for exclusive, limited time savings you won’t believe!”

Both emails could contain the same content, but will draw a different response. The first may not get as many opens as there is no element of surprise, but those that open it are likely going to convert at a higher percentage as they opened the email knowing what it was offering. The latter example will get more opens generally, but conversion rates will likely be lower since the reader doesn’t exactly know what the offer is and may just be curious.

Both styles can be effective, but trying to combine them usually doesn’t work too well.

Text and Images

Your email should have limited copy and great visualization of the idea that you are trying to convey. Visuals and videos are winners over text when it comes to choosing type of content. No one wants to read looonnng emails; less is truly more in our modern world. Invest in graphics that cultivate emotion in your reader leading them to respond to the featured call to action in your email. This all applies tenfold if you are appealing to a young audience.

Sending Emails at the Right Time

If you thought that sending emails during typical business hours is ideal, you’re definitely not alone. It’s entirely logical to think that most people are open to receive emails during this time. But as it turns out, the 9 to 5 time structure isn’t nearly as profitable as sending emails during the night. More specifically, 8 pm till about midnight. Statistics show that both open and click through rates increase by at least 22% after the work day is done. Depending on your location and audience, this may vary, so keep experimenting until you find your sweet spot.

Mobile Responsive Emails

Not surprisingly, at least 47% of email opens are done through mobile devices. For effective email marketing, you need to keep the design of the email mobile friendly. This can be done in several ways, such as converting to a one column template and making the call-to-action as obvious as possible, such as placing it above the fold of the email so the user will see it before having to scroll at all. A good provider, such as Mailchimp, will send responsive emails to your mailing list and even allows you to preview content on multiple screen sizes before you send.

Give Every Email Substance

Don’t bombard your contact list with unnecessary emails, as that’s a sure way of getting them labeled as spam. Try to space them out so that people will be eager to read them when they do come along. This also means that every email has to contain something of interest, even if it isn’t based on selling something. Even though it may be hard at times, you have to put yourself in the mind of your reader. If you do want to send daily, weekly or monthly emails, think through the emails that you open daily, weekly and monthly and note how they are presented to keep your interest consistently.

Use a Strong Call-To-Action

Even if you use all of these tactics, it’s not going to turn into a conversion if you don’t have a strong call-to-action that motivates the reader. Being polite and asking them to do something might work in some instances, but for the most part you want to briefly but assertively outline a benefit that comes with taking action. Provide a clear reason to buy your product or service, or to learn more about your offering.

Make sure you give your readers somewhere exciting to go after they open your email!

Some Final Thoughts on Effective Email Marketing Strategies

Email marketing is a proven concept, but making sure you have good analytics setup through both your website and your email marketing platform is a must. Try analyzing delivery rate, open rate, action rate, and experiment with different combinations.

If you keep these tips in mind you’ll be running highly effective email marketing campaigns you’ll definitely see high levels of responsiveness. Yes, it will take time and patience, but consider it an investment that will keep on showing returns. Every open builds loyalty within the mind of the reader if the email campaign is done well!

Midas Marketing is a digital marketing and web design firm in Portland, OR

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Cold Email Marketing: Introduction

Cold email marketing is a modern strategy that has seen a strong surge in popularity, especially as fewer marketers use cold calling as a method to get prospects. A good cold email extends your business to prospects via email without having any prior connection to them. Believe it or not, a well planned and executed cold email can produce higher rates of user action and engagement than any other social media campaigns or SEO activities.

Regardless of your niche or business type, the email marketing process is similar. Follow these 10 steps to create a highly successful and effective email marketing campaign and take your business to the next level.

1. Define your Goals

First and foremost, you need to clearly define your goals and determine your purpose for using email marketing. This could range from making more sales, generating more traffic to the main website, promoting your brand, gathering precious information from your customers or gathering feedback from your prospects regarding one of your products or services.

2. Choose the Right Target Group

The next logical step in this process is to draw a clear picture of your target group. To do that, you should start creating your own buying personas. A buyer persona is a model of a real customer who might buy from you. Here is a comprehensive guide on how to create buyer personas you can use to determine the right target group for you.

3. Choose the Best Email Marketing Provider

To be successful with cold email marketing, you need to be smart and work with the best. Conduct throughou research in order to determine which email provider comes closest to what you need. Three industry leaders that we recommend to manage your campaigns are MailChimp, AWeber and Constant Contact. Start with one of those first!

4. Clean your Current Database

If you’ve had a website for a while, you probably already have a decently-sized database with email addresses. Do not write them off from the start, but spend some time cleaning this database in order to improve existing information and remove expired data. Here are some great tools you can use to verify all your email addresses and update the contacts: StrikeIron, D&B and Jigsaw.

5. Start Creating Relevant Content

The next step and probably the most important one once your database is clean is to create personalized emails that cater to your buyer personas. This leads to higher open and click rates, and builds brand loyalty rather than just “selling.” Also, make it clear why you are reaching out to your prospects. When writing a cold email, do not just list the reasons why you are reaching out, but present the reasons why you are reaching out specifically to your prospects. Add a sentence or two about how your prospect’s work and insights might be helpful to your company, and make them feel important and valuable to get their full attention. Those who are able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes are the best at cold emailing.

6. Say the Right Thing

To get your prospects opening your email and interested in your offering, it is imperative to know exactly what to say. For starters, the subject line should not be about your brand, but about your customers. Do not start your email by introducing your business, but use a hook to grab their attention. Here are some of the best email subject lines that can inspire you for your cold email marketing campaign.

Keep your email tight, with no more than three paragraphs or 6 sentences total. Additionally, try not to use hyperlinks or attachments. Most email providers use spam filters that consider hyperlinks and attachments as spam. Once you follow these rules, you have good chances that your prospects will respond to your emails. In case they don’t respond, here are some reasons why.

7. Segment your Audience

When creating cold emails, you should not send the same email to all of your subscribers. Segmenting your audience enables you to match your recipients’ interests and shows them that you care about their personal needs. For instance, you can try to add a little local flavor to each email to show your prospects that you relate to them more intimately than they may have previously thought. Additionally, capitalize on behavioral segmentation to boost your results and to specifically cater to your audience’s needs. This involves looking at your data to determine your most valuable customers, and treating them with special care. You can also use a “We Miss You” campaign to inactive customers.

8. Be Present on All Channels

Your customers are online 24/7 through their laptops, tablets and smartphones. Consumers use all the channels they can get to find the information they need. As a marketer, you need to focus on all channels, including desktop and mobile. Make sure your content is readable on all devices and use various tools and strategies to reach your customers.

9. Get your Timing Right

Lastly, you should ensure you are sending the emails on the right days, at the right time. According to a Pardot survey released back in 2012, most people check their emails on Tuesday, from 10 am to 3 pm. That’s when you should send your emails, but stay on top of trends and insights to remain plugged in to this vital piece of successful cold email marketing

10. Tracking Your Cold Email Marketing

An effective email marketing campaign should be tracked, analyzed and adjusted constantly. Tracking gives you actionable metrics which you can later use to track the effectiveness of your whole email campaign or of separate elements, such as the timing of emails and open rate. Track click-throughs, open rates and bounce rate and build a golden strategy over time!

Although mastering cold email marketing can be more challenging because you don’t have a much of a previous relationship with your prospect (if any), it can also be a profitable strategy if done with professionalism and tastefulness. If at first you don’t see the results you were looking for, don’t be afraid to mix it up and try another approach observing your results and tweaking as necessary.

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