PSA: email marketing isn’t dead! In fact, it’s as popular as ever. 72% of customers actually prefer email as their main channel for business communication. However, email has changed over the years. Staying up-to-date on email marketing trends is instrumental in executing this tactic well - and that is when it becomes the most effective strategy. Studies have shown that putting real time and effort into creating an effective email marketing strategy will translate directly into revenue. Email is actually 40% better at converting when compared to some social media channels. We’re going to walk you through the top email marketing tips and trends and everything your business should know.
1. Focus on Subject Lines
A key to making sure any email you send to customers gets opened is your subject line. While it should be attention-grabbing, more and more readers are skeptical of what is and is not clickbait. Be sure to still stay true to your brand and the email’s message in your subject line to build and foster a feeling of trust and authenticity with your email recipients. It should be about generating interest in your email and not just getting them to open it. A couple tips to create those killer subject lines are:
- Keep it short & sweet
- It should be an accurate depiction of what the email is about
- Try to incorporate humor
- Personalize it by adding the customer’s name
- Use questions to spark interest
2. Personalize Your Emails
Personalization in email marketing is everything. 88% of users agree that they are more likely to open and respond to an email if it looks like it's been specifically created for them. Most customers will be able to see through an email that looks like it was sent to the masses and it can actually cause
So, what does personalization in email marketing mean? One great way, as stated before, is to incorporate the respondent’s name into each email. Whether it be in the subject line or in the opening of the content as a greeting, it will be more attractive to the recipient. Some tips to get better at personalization in your emails are:
- Updating the template to include elements of personalization
- Segmenting your send lists so you can send different emails to different groups, personalizing them to their interests and where they are in the sales funnel
- Sending a welcome email after someone submits a subscription form
3. Incorporate Visuals and Keep it Short
Nobody wants to read an email that’s completely text-based. It’s boring! That’s why incorporating images and videos into your email are extremely important. 68% of millennials use and like to see emojis, GIFs, and stickers in their emails. Emojis are also a great addition to your subject lines. If you want recipients to actually read your emails (which is the goal, right?) - make them easy to read and skim through.
When you incorporate images or video content be sure they have good quality. If your image is pixelated or your video is choppy, customers will see your email as ‘junky’ and it might turn them
- Use bulleted sections
- Incorporate high-quality image and video content
- Make sure your visuals pertain directly to the information in the email
- Add an emoji to the subject line or preview text
4. Optimize the CTAs
Having a great call to action (CTA) at the end of an email can help your leads move down the sales funnel. Not to mention, it gives the email a purpose and opportunity for next step. CTAs were and continue to be an essential part of any email marketing strategy. Many emails are sent with the goal of getting a click. This could be a link to your newest blog article or to check out or buy your latest products. So what can you do to entice more clicks in an email?
- Make sure your CTA is clearly visible and strategically placed in your email
- Add links where it feels most natural
- Use enticing wording (stay away from super promotional wording like ‘Buy Now!’)
5. Make Sure It’s Mobile Friendly
If your message isn’t optimized for a phone or tablet screen - you’re missing out. When you’re updating your email marketing strategy make sure that your emails are mobile-friendly and look just as amazing as your desktop versions. Customers should be able to read your emails from any device and still have the same experience. 88% of smartphone users check their inbox on their phone. That’s a huge chunk of your audience! If your email doesn’t work for mobile, customers won’t be too happy; 70% of customers will actually delete an email if it doesn’t appear correctly after 3 seconds. Here are our top tips for making those perfectly mobile emails:
- Use a responsive template so your email is displayed at its best on any screen
- Don’t use large emails (which might mean images that are big files, or content that is too long) that take forever to load
- Test and review emails on your phone to make sure everything appears exactly as it does on a desktop version before sending it out
Making sure your business is sending out emails based on the needs and wants of customers in 2021 is so important to the success of your strategies. Nobody wants emails that are sent to the masses, impersonal, slow-loading, or don’t work on mobile. Make sure you’re paying attention to all these aspects when perfecting your email marketing strategy and, trust us, you’ll see the benefits.
