As the back to school season is now upon us, it’s a great time to reevaluate your email marketing strategy. You’ll want to be using email to connect with your audience, and using marketing analytics to figure out what’s working and what needs to change.
But how do you make the most of your back to school email marketing? We’ve been collecting data on over 100 million emails and identified key patterns and practices that can help you improve your strategy.
1. Use Behavioral Analytics To Get To Know Your Audience
In the past, marketers used demographic and psychographic data to segment their audiences. But a consumer’s identity can change, as can their interests and behavior. Today, marketers use behavioral analytics to understand how consumers are interacting with content – whether that’s website, social media, or email.
This allows marketers to 1) create personas based on actual data, and 2) optimize the content and strategy based on real behavior, not assumptions. For example, if you notice that users are engaging with your product announcement emails more than your sales or marketing emails, you can bet they’re interested in your product – and you should steer clear of selling them anything else. If you’re not sure what behavioral analytics are, ask your marketer or someone from marketing.
2. Personalize Your Subject Lines
When someone receives an email marketing blast from a brand, the first thing they see is the subject line. Using AI generated subject lines will make your emails more memorable and interesting.
The catch is that 70% of all emails are opened with the subject line, so you want to make sure that it’s both relevant and compelling. To do this, first consider the interests of your audience – what do they care about? What do they want? And second, make sure that the subject line is neither too long nor too short. Using an acronym or number to grab attention is another great way to go.
3. Measure The Right Metrics
Depending on how you utilize email marketing, you’ll either measure success or failure. It’s important to measure the right metrics based on how you’ll use the information. For example, if you’re using email marketing to drive traffic to your website, then you’ll want to consider how many clicks you’re getting, how much traffic you’re sending to specific pages, and whether or not your efforts are converting.
But if you’re looking to use email marketing to generate leads, then you’ll want to consider your open rates, click-through rates, and closed rates – as well as whether or not your messages are being delivered and perceived as spam.
4. Test Different Formats
In the world of marketing, there are different ‘formats’ that can be used to send email marketing. These include but are not limited to:
- HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – Which is the default for any email
- Text-only – With just text, you can’t have the fancy styling like tables or bold text
- Clipart – For when you want to keep it simple but vibrant
- PDF – For those who prefer reading documents in easy-to-understand formats
Each of these formats has its perks and quirks – and one thing is for sure, different formats attract different audiences. If you want to know what works and what doesn’t, you have to test different versions to find out. So while some prefer seeing graphics in their emails, others might prefer a plain text version.
5. Create Content That’s Relevant To Your Audience
With all that being said, it’s important to remember that your email content will never be ‘just’ about your product or service. Your audience is interested in your brand and what you have to say, so you want to create content that’s relevant to them – whether that’s newsworthy material or a stimulating debate. Creating engaging content is an important part of an effective email marketing strategy.
Want to learn more?
With every industry changing at the speed of email marketing, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and techniques – as well as the ones that worked in the past.
Make sure that you’re keeping track of your email marketing performance using marketing analytics, taking into consideration all the different metrics (e. g., opens, clicks, unsubscribes, etc.). With the right measurement and tracking mechanisms in place, you can then work to improve your strategy and drive qualified leads to your website.