9 Email Marketing Tips to Bring Value to Inboxes, Not Noise

Email marketing is still a favorite marketing strategy to reach new and potential customers and to stay connected with existing customers. From delivering special bargains to providing value through instructional material and recommendations, there are a plethora of ways you can use email to attract and keep clients.

How you create and manage your email, however, can determine whether clients engage with your business or if they immediately delete or add it to the spam folder. Email solicitations from other businesses are increasing in frequency for your customers too. There will be a lot of competition for their attention, so bring value to their inboxes, not noise.

Let’s talk about how to do that. Below are nine suggestions for getting the most out of your email marketing efforts.

1. Don’t spam customers.

The first thing to know when using email marketing is that you have to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act. The CAN-SPAM Act, which establishes the standards for commercial email, specifies requirements for commercial messages, provides recipients with the ability to request that you stop emailing them, and imposes severe penalties for violators.

There are several things you must do to be compliant. To begin, double-check that you’re only sending emails to those who have opted into your email list. Your website should have an opt-in form so visitors can join up for your email list. You should also make it simple for people to unsubscribe from your email list if they choose to do so. With that, ensure each email you send has a simple way for subscribers to opt out. By following these guidelines, you will not only remain compliant but will also maintain the satisfaction of your customers.

2. Make sure your email design is consistent with your brand.

Your emails should always represent your brand and be instantly identifiable. This includes maintaining your logo at the top of the page and adhering to your brand’s design rules for fonts, color palette, pictures, styles and everything in between. Similar components from your website design should be used to make your emails even more user-friendly and consistent with your brand.

3. Choose your subject wisely.

Create a brief and concise subject line for your email. In many cases, the subject line of an email has a significant impact on whether the receiver reads it or not. Use keywords relating to the subject of the email in order for it to be searchable afterward. Emphasize the benefits you can provide to let them know right away what’s in it for them. Finally, don’t forget to actually add the subject to your email. One of the most common blunders people make is failing to include an email subject line. Messages with no subject lines are likely to be ignored, and that means wasted time and effort for you.

4. Make it personal.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to catch someone’s attention via email. People don’t have time to open every email that lands in their inbox. If you target your email recipients instead of merely sending out messages en masse, you will reap bigger benefits. The more effort you put in, the more you receive out. If a business is sending out a series of mediocre newsletters to their entire email list, they won’t achieve the results they’re looking for. The effectiveness of an email strategy, however, increases significantly when a company invests the necessary time in research, targeted content creation, and sending emails that are relevant to recipients.

5. Keep it short and simple.

Write your email with clear, concise language. Short paragraphs and bullet points make it easier for the reader to skim an email and understand the primary takeaway without being distracted by unnecessary ramblings. The average length of a marketing email is 50-125 words. While this is a good starting point, consider the email’s intended audience and your brand’s voice when determining the optimal length.

6. Bring it to life!

A collection of buzz words isn’t enough for email marketing; it needs to be actionable. Incorporate graphics, photographs and perhaps embed a video into your email. Your customers want to visually see what you’re talking about. However, make sure that the images are optimized for small screens, as people may prefer to view emails from their mobile devices.

7. Include a call to action.

For the reader to understand exactly what you want them to do, your email should be as straightforward as possible. Provide a CTA that will lead them to click on a link to learn more about your products and services. You can also ask them to schedule a call with your business to speak with someone in person. Ultimately, the purpose of your email is to compel the recipient to take some sort of action. When they do, you’ll notice a greater conversion rate if you make it convenient for them to do so.

8. Keep experimenting.

People who opt in to get updates from you indicate that they are interested in you, your products or services and are open to doing business with you in the future. That is why having an email list is so beneficial. Identify the types of emails that your customers are most interested in receiving. Test and take note of how different variables in your email change the open and click-through rates. Try changing the subject line, call to action, or even the tone and voice of your email to see what happens. Keep experimenting until you discover what works best for your customer. Eventually, it’ll pay off, and you’ll have a lot more customers opening emails.

9. Generate a list of your most engaged customers.

You have a tremendous opportunity to enhance sales and brand loyalty if you can identify repeat customers or subscribers who are already interacting with your email marketing campaigns. Take the time to build relationships with these subscribers who have demonstrated a greater degree of interest in your company. One way to do this is to develop an email list that is dedicated just to these individuals. You will be able to give them unique offers and discounts to persuade them to make more purchases from your business.

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