Email marketing campaigns continue to generate solid returns on the time and money spent to produce them and for that reason the format remains among the most effective marketing strategies one can undertake. Email itself is a tremendously popular communication tool as evidenced by a Statista report that shows as of August 2023, 4.73 billion people globally use email. Better still for marketers, 61% of consumers prefer to hear from companies they’re interested in by way of email.

The emails you compose for campaigns require thought, as does all of the marketing content you produce for publication. As always, your objective is to devise clear and concise messages that have an easily recognizable purpose that resonates with email recipients. Your core theme is the most important component of the email, but there are other factors that shape and influence its impact. Below are eight important actions you can take to enhance the success of your email marketing campaigns and improve the odds that your customer outreach will produce the results you need and, best of all, nurture relationships with your clients and prospects.

1. Irresistible subject line

It’s more than likely that those on your mailing list receive dozens of emails each day. How do you convince these busy people to click on your message? Seduce them with your subject line! Maybe it’s amusing or maybe it’s a tad outrageous, but it’s definitely an eye-catching hook that makes the recipient curious enough to click and read.

2. Concise compelling message

Be mindful of the length of your email. Convey your thoughts succinctly. Express your message in simple language and avoid business jargon. For in-depth discussion of a topic, write a short introductory blurb, an abstract, and link to the details.

3. Call-to-action

What would you like your email readers to do, now that you have their attention? Your email needs a purpose—otherwise, why are we having this conversation? You might ask recipients to click a link and leave their contact info, so that the reader can, e.g., RSVP to attend the workshop you’ll teach, schedule an appointment with you, receive the link to a podcast where you were a guest, buy your book, or vote on election day.

4. Image or video

Readers respond to images, whether still or video, that illustrate the purpose of your email campaign. If you include a video, three minutes is your target maximum length.

5. Easy-to-follow layout and graphics

Use spacing and images to break up big chunks of text and make longer emails less intimidating. Choose one font style and use it consistently throughout the email. The idea is to visually please the recipient and literally tempt the eye to linger, look— and read.

6. Cleaned up address list

Holding on to customer email addresses from years ago is understandable — growing an email list is challenging. However, email data becomes obsolete at an average pace of 23% annually, so it makes sense to regularly monitor the accuracy of your mailing list. Check the bounce rate and either delete or correct invalid addresses. When more than 2% of emails bounce back, your company begins to look like a spammer to inbox providers and your emails will be sent to spam files as a result.

7. Follow-up with customers

Getting a reply from one of your subscribers is email marketing gold. Whether they’re writing back to share feedback or ask a question, it shows they care and want to further communicate with you. What’s more, replies are good for email deliverability as inbox providers see them as a sign of trust. Ensure you respond to all emails. Ignoring a message from a customer is unacceptable.

8. Document results

Along with the overall bounce rate and the identity of undeliverable emails, study your campaign open rate and check to see who opens, or doesn’t open, your emails. Use your email analytics and tracking to measure the success of campaigns and make data-driven improvements. Hint: monitor the open rate to discover which topics have the largest percentage of recipient opens and let that guide your content choices.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Keystone View Company (1902). A Letter from Pat in America Young Irish woman reading a letter from a relative in America to an older woman outside of a thatch-roofed stone cottage.