Email marketing is one of the biggest marketing tools in existence. A study from 2016 found that 48% of US adults had received an email alert or a message from a brand or organization they were interested in, and that 55% of adults had opened an email successfully. That’s a whole lot of prospects who are already opening your emails!
While it’s not a bad thing to have a large and engaged audience, you want to make sure that these people are only interested in your messaging and aren’t getting spam from other marketers. Luckily, you can ensure that your emails are interesting, useful, and don’t feel like spam by following a few simple tips.
Create an interesting subject line
One of the first things your customers will see when they open your email is your subject line. According to HubSpot, customers have a 25% chance of clicking through an email if the subject line is interesting. To get that interest rate, your subject line needs to draw the reader in and make them want to open your email.
To create an interesting subject line, start with an adjective or adverb that describes the content of your email. Then, you can add a verb to make it more actionable. For example, a subject line like “Get a free sample of this new product” works well because it draws the customer in with a freebie attached.
Personalize the email
Many marketers think that sending generic emails is the key to effective email marketing. While it’s true that sending a mass email to a large audience is a quick and easy way to communicate, it’s not the most effective way. After all, the person receiving your email is not a faceless audience member. Instead, they have a name, a face, and something that makes them feel unique and valued – like your personalized email.
When you send personalized emails, you’re not sending a copy of the same email to 100 people. Instead, you’re sending a copy of the same email to one person, but with an added personal touch.
Include customer testimonials
Many people think that getting testimonials from happy customers is the key to gaining credibility as a brand or agency. A 2016 HubSpot study found that including customer testimonials in your email increased the average customer’s trust in you by 41%. What’s more, customers who received testimonials in their email clicked on your website link nearly three times as much as those who didn’t receive any feedback.
When someone visits your web page, they’re naturally curious about what it is you do. If you have a very useful and informative web page, including customer testimonials, will only increase their trust in you. Plus, having a group of very happy customers singing your praises can certainly help your marketing efforts.
Offer multiple options to contact you
If you run a business or are in a position of power or influence, you have the ability to make or break a customer’s day. The last thing someone in need or trouble wants is for a business to ignore their request or question. To prevent yourself from being labeled as unresponsive or careless, make sure you have multiple ways for your customers to get in touch with you.
Your email signature is also important. A 2016 HubSpot study found that including a phone number increases the average customer’s trust in you by 12%. Adding an email address and a physical address does the same – but including a mailing or physical address in your email signature makes it much easier for customers to get in touch with you.
Include links to social media platforms so that your customers can share the exciting news about your business.
Use call to actions
A 2017 HubSpot study found that adding a call to action (CTA) to the end of your email increased your customers’ desire to engage with your company. What’s more, the type of CTA you use can have a significant impact on your customers’ reactions. To get the most out of your call to action, ensure that it’s relevant and interesting, and that it encourages your customers to take some kind of action.
For example, let’s say you’re selling jewelry and you want to encourage your customers to pick up the phone to call your hotline. You can create a call to action that simply says “Call us today at 888-555-1212,” or you can create a more interesting and personalized call to action like this:
“The Brinks Company offers 24/7 emergency response, as well as a complete security and surveillance system to protect your home or business. If you’re looking for added security or want to keep an eye on your home while you’re away, talk to an agent today at 888-555-1212.”
(When a customer sees a call to action like this, they’ll naturally think of your product and be compelled to click on it – even if they’ve never heard of your company before. Plus, the longer the CTA, the more the customer is likely to become aware of your company and what you offer.
Use benchmarks and metrics
Finally, don’t forget to use metrics and analytics to track the success of your email marketing campaign. Using tools like Google Analytics or Honeycomb will allow you to monitor the performance of every aspect of your campaign, from the number of people opening your emails to the content of your emails.
Keeping track of these metrics and using them to improve your strategy will give you a big leg up on the competition. Moreover, with every email you send, you’ll get a report that documents the performance of that particular email – making it much easier to figure out which ones worked and which ones didn’t.
The moral of the story is: don’t be afraid to try something new. Many successful companies like HubSpot, MailChimp, and Salesforce built their business models completely on the back of email marketing. If you want to learn more, here are a few places you can start:
ListHubSpot
If you run a business, you’re bound to get email. Luckily, you can keep track of all your customer’s emails with the ListHubSpot app. With this app, you can create custom email lists based on their geographic location, website traffic, or purchase behavior. Moreover, you can send personalized messages to groups of customers based on their interests.
Another useful feature of the ListHubSpot app is the ability to send automated, personalized emails based on their list. For example, you can use their email address as a contact point to send them news about your business or product, or you can use it to simply stay in touch. The choice is completely up to you.
MarketingChimp
The MarketingChimp app is a one-stop-shop for all your marketing needs. From email marketing to social media marketing, if you can think of a type of marketing you need, the app can help you figure out the best tools to use.
The good thing about the MarketingChimp app is that you don’t need to have a marketing background to figure out how to use it. Even if you’re a digital marketing noob, you can still use this app to get up to speed with the basics of marketing automation.
Salesforce
The ultimate authority when it comes to customer support is often said to be Salesforce. With Salesforce, you can create a community of customers who are interested in your product. Through this app, you can gain feedback, get quick answers to your questions, and find the best ways to communicate with your customers.
The best part about Salesforce is that it doesn’t just stop at customer support. With this app, you can have a conversation with your customers via email, even if you’ve never communicated with them before. Moreover, you can build a community of engaged customers who want to hear from you – and are more likely to buy your product or service if they feel that their opinion is valued.
One of the best things about Salesforce is that you can get started for free. Moreover, even if you decide to upgrade to a paid version at a later date, you can do so with minimal impact to your existing customer base. Since this is such a useful app, don’t hesitate to give it a try.
PickupThePhone
As the name implies, this app is designed to make calling your business easier for your customers. What’s unique about this app is that you can actually call your customers from within the app. All you need to do is type in a phone number and a simple click of the Send Button will connect you with the person on the other end – whether it’s a customer or a salesperson.