Email marketing is still one of the most effective outbound marketing tactics to generate leads and acquire customers. Of all the ways to receive information in an information-saturated world, email is the contact method of choice for many reasons:
- It comes straight to our inbox; we don’t have to go looking for the information.
- We can read it when and if we choose.
- We can act on it, ignore it or delete it with no social consequences.
For marketers, it’s key to remember the personal nature of email—it’s a conversation, one-on-one with each recipient. Thus, the old batch-and-blast of e-news, one message to your entire list, or broad segments of your list, just doesn’t cut it. It’s critical to personalize your messages in order target your email campaigns to deliver what is most engaging and relevant to each customer.
How To Target Your Emails
Segmenting: The simplest way is to ask users to self-select what they’re interested in hearing from you when they sign up for your list. You’ll also want to learn about your audience—spending habits, demographics, interests, behaviors, etc.—and use that information to segment, which I detailed in a previous post.
Targeting: Information you’ve gleaned will help you learn who wants what kind of content and offers. Email management programs like MailChimp let you finely control distribution of messages according to the parameters you set. Craft the copy in a personal tone, and always include the recipient’s name. Make sure to include a clear call to action—every email you send should have a goal—and if there are multiple CTAs, put the primary one at the top.
Testing and tracking: Each individual is getting their own message, so experiment: A/B test different subject lines and calls to action to see how they affect opening rates and click-throughs. Test delivery times and frequency, or different layouts to determine successful email marketing campaigns. However, don’t get too carried away—you still want messaging and voice to be consistent with the continuum of social media, website and media you have in place.
Don’t Forget Mobile
A 2013 report by Yesmail suggests that half of all B2B emails are opened on a mobile device. But, the same study also suggests that only about 7% of such emails are clicked on the mobile device itself. This data suggests we have a way to go in designing effective email marketing for mobile users.
Here are a few best practices we’ve learned so far:
- Use a single-column layout for easier viewing and scrolling.
- Use images—but ensure that content can still be read if images are blocked and/or not downloaded.
- Test the design on different devices and email programs (many preview tools, such as Litmus.com, are available).
- Ensure text is scalable and/or a large enough font to read comfortably on a smaller screen.
- Space out CTA links and make buttons large enough to press with a finger.
Email may not be the flashiest new marketing kid on the block, but study after study shows that it will get you results. Keep it fresh, keep it to the point and, even if they don’t open every one, they’ll keep you top of mind.
