Are your emails actually helpful and interesting to your customer base?
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your email marketing strategy? Do you have one at all? When it comes to organizing a digital marketing strategy, email can sometimes fall to the backburner. But email marketing is one of the most effective strategies you can use to increase conversions and retain customers.
If you’re a bit new to email marketing or your current strategy is a little rusty, don’t sweat it. We have you covered. In our latest blog post, we will review:
- Why email marketing isn’t going away anytime soon
- 7 effective emails for retaining subscribers and increasing sales
- Best practices for email marketing
- Tips for practicing mail merge for Gmail
Ready to see some great returns on your email marketing campaigns? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Why Email Marketing is Here to Stay
Don’t listen to the naysayers, email marketing plays a crucial role in your digital marketing strategy
Did you know that email marketing produces better conversion rates than social media marketing? Even if you have a great social media strategy, you can’t forget about email marketing.
People who are new to digital marketing may wonder why email marketing is still a thing. Don’t people ignore those emails? Isn’t social media more effective than email marketing? In actuality, email marketing offers a much higher ROI than social media marketing. That doesn’t mean you need to abandon social media altogether. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer a fun and effective way to build your brand and increase your follower base. But you do need to keep email marketing at the forefront of your digital marketing strategy.
7 Emails You Should Be Sending if You Aren’t Already
Companies need to branch out beyond the obligatory “welcome” email or newsletter
From welcome emails to new product announcements, effective emails can help you land more sales.
1. A Friendly Welcome
Getting a new subscriber is always exciting! Show this new follower your appreciation with a warm welcome email! You should try to send the welcome email as soon as possible. At the latest, it should land in your new subscriber’s inbox 24 hours after they sign up. Some companies also add a special discount for new subscribers.
2. Regular Newsletter
Sending your subscribers regular newsletters can help you build a good rapport with them. Newsletters tend to focus on providing valuable content to followers, such as company updates, industry news, or blog post previews. That said, you can still add a CTA to check out new products, visit your blog, or peruse your website.
3. Special Offer
Emails touting a special offer tend to get high open rates. Every now and then, you should show your appreciation for your followers by sending them a special offer. Part of the reason why most customers sign up for email lists is to receive special tips and discounts. Make sure you are delivering on this expectation whenever you can.
4. New Product Announcements
Are you releasing a new product soon? Send your loyal email followers an exclusive announcement! Even a short and simple email detailing your new plans can make your subscribers feel noticed and valued. They know that you are keeping them in mind when it comes to growing and advancing your brand. It’s also a great method for stirring up excitement and interest in your new product.
5. Abandoned Cart Message
If you rely heavily on e-commerce, you need to add an abandoned cart email to your arsenal. Abandoned cart emails are sent to customers who added a product to their cart, but did not complete the purchase. This could have occurred due to a website crash or even shock from seeing the total price of their products. Whatever the reason, you can reel them back in with an abandoned cart message.
6. Survey Request
Surveys present a wonderful opportunity for starting a conversation between you and your customers. Don’t be afraid to pick their brains about their likes and dislikes about your business. This can help you assess their level of satisfaction with your company and determine how your can improve for the future.
7. Free Gift or Bonus
It doesn’t hurt to treat your customers every once in a while. Popular stores like Sephora and Lush will send subscribers little birthday gifts or discounts to celebrate their big occasion!
Best Practices for Email Marketing Campaigns
Everything from the copy to the CTA button can make or break an email
A stellar email balances vibrant graphics, concise copy, and a compelling CTA to excite subscribers.
Whether you are writing a newsletter or designing an abandoned shopping cart message, you should try to stick to our recommended email marketing best practices. In general, you should:
- Avoid bombarding your subscribers with empty emails that lack any value or insight
- Write captivating and concise subject lines that subscribers will want to click
- Conduct regular A/B campaigns to see what copy and images resonate the most with your subscribers
- Personalize your emails by addressing recipients by their name
- Gather analytics on your campaigns to determine when the best email send times are
- Keep your emails quick and to the point
Email marketing can produce great returns for your company. How do you plan to revamp your digital strategy for 2021? Let us know!