Email marketing is one of the best tools in a marketer’s arsenal for building an ROI positive email campaign. It provides a targeted, direct way to reach your audience that allows you to build a relationship with new leads and nurture old customers. An effective email campaign can result in ROI of $44 per $1 spent. It’s considered by 80% of retail professionals to be the main driver of conversions and retention, versus 44% claiming the same for social media tactics.
An email campaign provides an avenue for fast and effective, permission-based marketing. The audience you are contacting has usually signed up and expressed interest. An email is 40 times more effective for gaining new customers than Facebook or Twitter, and nurtured leads make larger purchases than others. So how do you get involved and build your own ROI positive email campaign?
Email Campaign Do’s
Create a compelling subject line
When you include an incentive in your subject line, open rates increase to as much as 50%. Subject lines should give the recipient some idea of what to expect from your email. Keep to the point, but still entice them to open it. Try to keep these lines to 30-50 characters.
Use automation where possible
Automated campaigns can generate 4x the amount of revenue and 18x more profits. Opt ins, auto-responses, and each step of the buyer’s journey through your campaign can be automated. Email campaigns are about engaging with your prospects and customers, so ensure that each one succeeds in doing this by segmenting. Offer relevant content, discounts, recommendations or special offers to each type of audience.
Clean your email list
Any successful email campaign requires the email to first land in your recipients’ inboxes. Avoid missing out on potential customers and failing to reach people by verifying your email list using a list cleaning service. Additionally, valid email addresses ensure your sender reputation remains intact as you continue to grow and expand your email marketing strategy.
Keep it simple
Don’t overload your emails with numerous tasks or excessive design elements. Instead, keep it simple with just one or two CTAs and a simple background. A few easy-to-read fonts to add to that means you’ll have a higher chance of success. Emails with just a single CTA increased clicks by 371% and sales by 1617%.
Email Campaign Don’ts
Create an email more than 500 to 650 pixels wide
Around 54% of all emails are opened on mobile devices. As soon as your email campaign uses more than 650 pixels in width people will have to scroll horizontally to read it all. You can count on people simply not reading the email if this is the case. Format your email and content appropriately so as to avoid this mishap. Additionally, make sure everything is mobile-optimized.
Hide your Call to Action
You want your CTA to be followed, and to do that it must be seen. Keep it above the fold line and repeat it three times throughout your email. Also, keep it within the reader’s ‘eye path’. Most of us scan our correspondence before reading. Finally, keep an ‘F’ formation in mind when placing CTAs.
Standardize content
Remember that email campaigns can build a relationship with customers old and new. Good email marketers personalize their messages. Use the recipient’s name and send them communications that are relevant to the stage of their journey. Avoid emails that appear mass-produced and are void of customization. Personalized emails improve click through rates by 41% and open rates by 29%.
Forget to track, measure, and test
One of the most appealing parts of an email campaign is your ability to track each email. Is it deleted, opened, read? Did the CTA get followed? All of this information helps you measure your success as you go. Along the way test new ideas and tweak your email campaign to get the most from it.
An email campaign is certainly worth your while: 58% of businesses agree and are therefore increasing their email marketing budgets. Stick to the dos, avoid the don’ts and you’ll be building your own effective, ROI positive email campaign in no time.