With so many different options available for digital marketing, it may come as a surprise that email marketing is still so commonly used. However, when you look at the return on investment — roughly $36 for every $1 spent — it’s easy to understand.
Email marketing is affordable and simple. It must also be done right, or it can easily fall into the dreaded spam folder. On the other hand, a strong marketing email can turn your leads into customers and even repeat customers. Let’s discuss some of the elements that go into a great marketing email.
#1 – A Strong Call-to-Action
Your marketing email should tell readers exactly what they can do with the information you give them. Is there a special discount going on? Encourage them to browse your shop and make a purchase. Is it a newsletter about your services? Call them to contact you to learn more information. Whatever the goal is for the email, work that into your call to action.
Your call to action needs to be expressed clearly at the end of the email, but you can also include CTAs throughout the body. It may also help to use a widget or button that will take readers directly to where you want them to go on your website.
#2 – An Eye-Catching Subject Line
Your subject line should catch the interest of your readers right away; otherwise, they might delete your email before reading. Don’t bury the lede. If there’s a sale going on, make sure your subject includes mentioning a sale. Create a subject line that they can’t ignore and that intrigues them to read further. Most importantly, create a subject line that relates to them and is relevant.
#3 – Engaging, Customized Content
Make your email engaging and interesting to read throughout. Don’t include any fluff or information not relevant to your customers. You can also customize what content goes to what demographic of customers by segmenting your email lists. For instance, if a big part of your demographic is new mothers — and you don’t want the content about baby clothes or breastfeeding to go to your single, working professionals demographic — you can send certain emails to one demographic and not the other.
#4 – Personalization
Personalization takes customization a step further. Create marketing emails that feel as though they are directly addressed to each individual reader. Certain AI tools can help you address mass emails to each contact by name. But it goes deeper than that. You can use tools to send them emails based on their previous purchases or views, or to send customized deals. You can also personalize through segmented email lists based on interests or needs of your email contacts. The more directly your email relates to the individual, the more likely you are to win them over.
#5 – Open Communication
Customers want to know they can trust the brands that they work with. They don’t like to feel that they are being manipulated or ripped off. Transparency about your process or about exactly where their money goes can really help to build that trust. It can also help to humanize your brand.
Rather than sending marketing emails as a brand, send them as a person within that brand. Remind your readers that your company is made up of people and that there is heart and soul poured into the work you do. Give them a little insight into your process or your team. This can be an excellent way to build rapport and customer loyalty.
#6 – Mobile Friendliness
Today, 81% of emails are read on mobile devices. That means it’s absolutely essential that your email is easy to read and pleasing to the eye on mobile. This can be especially tricky when you use templates, widgets, or large graphics in your emails. Make sure to test them on both desktop and mobile before sending them out to your readers.
#7 – A Coherent Theme
You don’t want your marketing emails to ramble on aimlessly. Keep them focused and coherent. If you’re sending out a newsletter, try to have a running theme throughout all the different sections. If you’re sending an email about promotions, try to make sure everything is organized in such a way that it flows from one section to the other. This makes it much easier to hold the reader’s attention, increasing the chances that they will engage with your email at the end. It also helps you express your brand and the voice of your brand through your emails in a consistent way.
