November 13, 2018 By
Cheryl Dykstra
Even with the best email list, it’s easy for your
communications to end up getting lost in your customer’s inbox – or worse, in
spam. Not to mention that getting your emails opened is only half the battle.
Then you have to get them to click through.
That’s why in this article, we’re going to run down 13 of
the best and simplest ways to improve your emails' open rates, clickthrough
rates, and conversion potential.
Email Marketing Tips
for Growing Businesses
1. Don’t buy email
addresses
Purchasing email lists is never generally a great idea. No matter how desperate
you might be to start getting eyes on a campaign, purchasing an email list will
never get you great results – mainly because the people on the list never
agreed to receive content from you.
2. Follow CAN-SPAM
rules
This is obviously a huge one for getting your emails
delivered (and out of spam). CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault
of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing)
is an act that was passed in 2003. Essentially, it establishes the rules
for commercial email and commercial messages, gives recipients the right to
have a business stop emailing them, and outlines the penalties incurred for
those who violate the law.
Here are a few highlights:
- Include your valid physical postal address in every email
you send out.
- Give recipients a clear and obvious way to opt out (i.e.,
unsubscribe) of every email you send.
- Use clear "From," "To," and "Reply
to" language that accurately reflects who you are.
- Avoid "no-reply" or similar sender names, which
prevent recipients from opting out of an email newsletter if they'd like to.
- Avoid selling or transferring any email addresses to another
list.
All of the rules for this law are available on the FTC's website.
3. Send emails from a
real person
Sending emails from a real person versus a company account
or donotreply address will increase your open rates. Based on many A/B tests
done over the years, recipients are more likely to trust (and therefor open
emails from) a personalized sender name.
4. Email new contact
within 24 hours
Take advantage of the time you have when you’re fresh on
your prospect’s mind. By emailing your new subscriber within that 24 hr. window
of time, whether it’s with an introduction, an offer, or otherwise, you set up
expectations and build your brand.
If you don’t have an automated process for this, it might be
time to start thinking about sales and marketing automation.
5. Create a
compelling subject line
Obviously the subject line is a major reason that recipients
end up opening your email. The best way to stand out is to write compelling,
"can't-resist-this" subject lines.
[Check out our other
article: 5 Quick Tips for Better Email Subject Lines]
6. Keep your emails
focused
Everyone is busy. Why add to the clutter?
People generally like emails that get to the point and don’t drag on forever. Plus,
when scanning through their emails in a short amount of time, they're more
likely to find your intended CTA before having a chance to click away.
If your email has to be on the long side, try to break it up
into multiple paragraphs to provide visual breaks. This makes skimming much
easier.
7. Include a
call-to-action (CTA) button
Many recipients will scan through your email – that’s just
how it is. That’s why you need to have one clear call-to-action button in every
email.
You'll want to place your CTA in a location where it's
easily visible and where it makes sense for someone to click on it. For
example, you might put a CTA to download a free template in an email that
describes a situation where you’d use it.
8. Add hyperlinks to
your images
Not everyone is going to click on the obvious link or
button. Some people will actually end up clicking on your images – especially
if they are designed to resemble a sale flyer for example.
Another example would be that if you're inviting readers to
download an ebook and you’ve included a picture of the ebook. Don't just
hyperlink the text next to the image telling people to "download it
here." Hyperlink the ebook's picture, too.
People are naturally drawn to images much more than text, and you want to give
your email subscribers as many options to get your ebook as you can.
9. Add text links
It’s always a good idea to include multiple places to click
in your email.
In addition to your main CTAs and images, consider including
a noticeable text link (or two) when applicable, as having more links increases
the opportunity for engagement.
10. Optimize for
mobile
Mobile email opens have grown by 180% in the last three
years.
As more and more people use their mobile devices to read
email, surf the web, and make purchases, the more important it is for marketers
to design their emails with mobile users in mind.
In order to optimize your emails for mobile:
- Reduce your image file sizes (to help increase load speed)
- Create CTA buttons that are larger than 45-57 pixels (to
account for finger size)
- Invest in responsive email templates (so they look great on
any screen)
11. Always test your
emails
Before you hit that ‘Send’ button, be sure that you test
your email to ensure that everything ends up displaying correctly on different
screens and email client types.
Many email services offer a preview mode for different
screen sizes and email clients.
12. Monitor email
performance
Find out what works best by analyzing each email’s
performance. Find out what type of subject lines are doing amazing versus which
one is not performing as well. Is there a particular layout or CTA that gets
more clicks?
Use your email performance data to run A/B tests that are
designed to show you what your email recipients really want out of your communications,
and lean into the trends that you see work better for you.
13. Work with a
trusted company
Email marketing can be complicated. From designing the
layout to creating the marketing copy, it is tough to go at it alone.
Finding a company that can help you with this aspect of your
marketing can allow you to focus more on operating your business.
If you’re interested in learning about how email marketing
can benefit your business, or how Sales & Marketing Technologies can assist
you with your email marketing, give us a call at 407-682-2222 for a free
strategy session.