Even with the growth in social media and various messaging services, email has managed to maintain its popularity. People of all ages use email to communicate, often showing high levels of engagement when checking their messages. Many businesses still report email as their highest ROI activity, focusing a great deal of attention on acquiring new leads. It is important, though, to optimize your email campaigns, ensuring you are not simply sending out sporadic messages. Each of the following techniques can be used to grow a strong email list that is responsive and engaged with your content.
Targeting and Segmentation
One of the major advantages of email marketing is the ability to target users and segment your lists. Instead of sending the same messages to everyone, you can craft emails that will appeal to a certain part of the overall audience. The amount of information you have on each user will determine how you can target particular groups.
For example, if someone has purchased a product from you, the next promotion you send could be for a related item. Alternatively, you may choose to target based on location, sending different offers for each territory.
Personalization
Email can sometimes feel impersonal, preventing a relationship developing with subscribers. You can counteract this, though, by using personalized messages that draw a reader in. When you ask subscribers to join your list, you can set additional fields alongside the email address.
The most common example is a name, creating the option to dynamically insert it at various points in the message. Depending on the industry, you could ask for further information that allows you to personalize content and build a more meaningful message.
Brand Recognition
Email marketing can be used to increase brand recognition, helping to grow awareness through email and other avenues. When visitors come across your brand, they are more likely to then trust you and consider purchasing your products.
The sender name can feature your brand, so subscribers can feel comfortable opening your messages. Within the body, include a logo and company colors, using these across your website, blog, and social properties.
Timing
Timing can play a big part in the response rate to your emails. This timing can include what time and day you send the messages, but it also needs to consider how often you should send mail. Different markets and industries will have different responses, so you will need to experiment to see what your list likes.
However, many studies recommend targeting approximately 10 a.m. on a weekday. Some businesses get results mailing each day, but typically sending emails every few days will avoid annoying subscribers.
Tracking and Testing
Most email service providers offer various tools to help you track and test. You could create a sample group from your list, build multiple emails, and send them to segments from the group. When you can see what gets the desired result, you can then send the winning message to your whole list.
It is also possible to see which link in your messages gets clicked, allowing you to tailor emails better in the future. Tracking and testing is an ongoing process, helping you to continuously provide a better service.
Online marketing can be a distracting endeavor, with many different activities you could pursue. Techniques like social media and blogging are important, but you shouldn’t ignore email because it receives less coverage.
Email lets you capture leads and build strong relationships, so your offers are more likely to be well received and lead to high conversion rates. At its core, email marketing is very simple. However, using these techniques in your campaigns will help to maximize results, taking your campaigns to the next level.
