3 Ways To Optimise Your Email Marketing Strategy
When it comes to digital marketing, there are numerous ways in which you can reach your target audience.
For some, it can be effective social media campaigns, others may be directed to where you want them through optimised SEO. Of course, there is also the avenue of emails.
Do not overlook this particular form of marketing, email marketing actually makes the most money!
Intrigued? You should be, but you are most definitely not the only one trying reach the right customer with offers, promotions, news updates, and more. The key is cutting through all that noise and get your email opened.
Here are 3 way in which you can optimise your email marketing strategy and achieve that goal.
1. SIMPLICITY IS KEY
The first step is always knowing what your objective is. Are you hoping to drive sales for ecommerce? Is it all about informational content due to an upcoming sale or promotion? Or are you angling for new sign-ups for a new service?
The gist of your email should always be targeted at that goal, while maintaining simplicity and clarity. An email filled to the brim with information is not going to hold attention, much less get your objective met. According to research by Jakob Nielsen, people will only read approximately 20% of the text on a page.
Just imagine you are writing for someone who does not have all the time in the world to read their emails. You are looking for copy that is short but impactful, maintaining that engagement. No long paragraphs or run-on sentences.
Break up the text with subheadings and pointers, allowing for easily digestible pieces of information.
Lastly, you want a clear call to action. Include a prominent button, or make sure you are linking with the right anchor text. If you have multiple CTAs, be sure to direct them all to the same place and maintain your focus in email marketing.
2. IRRESISTIBLE SUBJECT LINES
First impressions matter, which is why you need to consider how you write your subject lines. 47% of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on its subject line.
It does not matter how great your copy is if the email does not get opened in the first place. Even with a loyal and established following who open every email, it is still important to use an engaging subject line to draw interest.
Ideally, a subject line has to do the following:
- Intrigue the reader
- Convey your purpose
- Reflect brand’s personality
- Prompt action
Crafting a good subject line can sometimes be the hardest part of writing an email! So how exactly do you come up with the perfect subject line? Here are some approaches to consider when it comes to email marketing.
Drive a sense of urgency
Subject lines that include words like ‘urgent’, ‘important’ or ‘breaking’ have proven to increase clickthroughs. Achieve this by stating an offer is valid for a limited time only or saying that x product is close to selling out.
Example: “[WEEKEND ONLY] Get this NOW before it’s gone…”(Digital Marketer)
Tap on curiosity
Ask a question in your subject line that can only be answered by opening the email, or share something unusual so that your reader just has to know what it means.
Example: “A faster donkey”(The Hustle)
Solve a problem with a solution
Determine what your user’s pain points are, then craft a subject line that promises to fix their issue.
Example: “Your beauty issues, solved” (Sephora)
Retargeting your customer
A highly effective way of reminding a user that they’ve failed to complete an action is to give them something that motivates them to return to it.
Example: “The price dropped for something in your cart” (Target)
It is crucial that your subject line is always relevant to the email copy. Do not resort to clickbait in the hopes of getting subscribers in. For whatever short-term gains, you could ultimately be losing the trust of your audience and decrease the clickthrough rate in the long run.
3. MOBILE-FRIENDLY
Optimising email content for mobile devices is absolutely essential if you want to boost your clickthrough rate and drive engagement. A massive 88% of users actively check email on their phones, so failing to optimise for mobile would mean losing an overwhelming majority of your audience.
When crafting an email optimised for mobile, subject lines should be kept short. There is limited real estate on a mobile screen, and being aware of that is important. Your viewers will only see a segment of your email due to the size of a smartphone’s screen. Be strategic in your design and include your most important takeaway “above the fold”, where your readers can easily see what the email is about without scrolling down.
Larger fonts can help readability, and a call to action should always be clear and prominent. Stick to single column layouts and use images sparingly, as many email readers will often block images by default.
On mobile, we also get the benefit of a second subject line of sorts called the pre-header text. This is basically a short description below the subject line that is displayed on mobile. It can act as a further teaser to grab your subscribers’ attention.
The next time that you craft an email for subscribers, be sure to keep these three simple tips in mind; we guarantee that you’ll start seeing tangible results in your clickthrough rates before you know it.
IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE EMAIL MARKETING
While competition is definitely tough, you should always be looking for a competitive edge. The three ways shared here will hopefully help you get those emails opened and bring in the sales.
If you need any help or have any questions about your email marketing, reach out to us to speak with a Digital Strategist today!
