Email marketing is one of the most popular marketing channels in a marketer’s arsenal. The reason for that is simple – it has an average ROI of $40 for every dollar spent.
But that ROI isn’t automatic.
In order to see such mouthwatering results, you’ll have to have a robust email marketing strategy in place.
Sadly, some marketers think that the execution of an email marketing strategy is simple. After all, all you have to do is send a couple of emails, right?
Wrong.
Effective email marketing is no child’s play. There are many moving parts involved in bringing you that $40 return on your dollar.
However, if you align all the moving parts into an effective email marketing strategy, you’ll be smiling all the way to the bank.
8 Ways to Create an Effective Email Marketing Strategy that Drives Results
You’re a smart marketer. I know because you, like me, believe in email marketing best practices. That’s why you’re here, right?
Then let’s get to those email marketing tactics that will take your business to the next level.
1. Define Your Goals for Your Email Marketing Strategy
Before setting up an email marketing campaign, you will have to define your goals. After all, without defined (and written down) goals, it will be impossible to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
Some of the common goals a business may include (but are not limited to):
- Selling $X worth of a product
- Growing a subscriber list
- Increasing open and click-through rates
- Converting current subscribers into buyers
An effective email marketing strategy for e-commerce would also involve recovering abandoned carts. However, whatever your goal for your email marketing campaign, always make sure to have KPIs to help you track your progress.
Make sure to let everyone know the goals of your campaign too. Marketing is teamwork. Those who are not directly involved in the email campaign can be your cheerleaders.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
After setting your goals, the next important step is to identify your target audience.
This is where some businesses miss it. They include everyone in their target.
No matter how great your product or service is, not everyone needs it.
So, who is your target audience?
Your target audience is made up of your ideal customers. These are people who have a pain point you can solve, a product they would be interested in, or some other resource they would find beneficial.
The good part about zeroing in on a particular audience is that it will increase your ability to send personalized emails. More on that later.
The key takeaway here is that “batch and blast” is not a good email marketing strategy. By sending the same email to your entire list regardless of their preferences is a sure way to lose valuable subscribers.
3. Pick Your Tools Wisely
They say a worker is only as effective as his/her tools. For a marketer, the tools of choice make a difference between a successful email marketing strategy or a flop.
For your email marketing strategy to be successful, you will need to invest in the best email marketing tools. The first and most important is, of course, an email marketing service provider. This is software that helps you create and store an email list, design branded emails, send them to a targeted audience, and track your emails amongst other handy functions.
You will also have to augment your email service provider (ESP), with other tools that will help you optimize your campaigns. These are tools that can automate your campaigns (like Autopilot), give you feedback on KPIs, group recipients who have taken a particular action (segmentation), and provide data on various aspects of the campaign.
The need for (and use of) multiple tools is one reason email marketing is no child’s play. Sadly, some businesses think they can get by with an intern fresh from high school. And yet they expect miraculous results from their campaigns.
4. Build (or Grow) Your List
Now that you’ve laid down a solid foundation for your email marketing campaigns, it’s time to start getting your hands dirty. The first “hands-on” part of your email marketing strategy is to build (or grow) your email list.
Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it was back in the day when a simple opt-in page would draw in thousands of subscribers. The competition is now fierce as there are millions of businesses seeking attention from a single prospect.
Well, that may be a bit over the top. However, research does show that by the end of 2019, the average worker will receive 126 emails in their inbox – per day. That’s a lot of mail for one person.
What does this have to do with growing your list?
Everything.
This means you will have to create a very enticing lead magnet in order to get permission into your prospects’ inbox. The best way to do this is to look at your target audience and zero in on the one pain point that keeps them awake at night. Create a solution to it and you will not only get their attention, but they will gladly place a welcome mat for you at the door to their inbox.
If you are to succeed with the operation “Email Marketing Strategy 2019”, you will have to be resourceful in the way you ask people to surrender their precious email addresses.
5. Create a Personalization Strategy
Unless your ultimate goal is to build an email list for the sole purpose of having something to brag about, your work has only just begun.
Remember the number of emails people are receiving every day?
Because of information overload and deals galore (not to mention work and family-related mails), most emails end up in the trash – unopened.
Why?
Everyone wants to be unique.
One trick you need to employ to avoid your emails from being banished to the trash folder is to send personalized emails. This goes beyond just mentioning their name. You need to craft content that makes the recipient feel you know them. This means the subject line, preheader text, and the body of the email must make them feel “connected” to you.
How do you achieve that (especially since you’re not psychic)?
It’s simple.
Create a strategy whereby you segment your list into groups that have something in common. The common denominator could be something as simple as making the same purchase or clicking on a link in the last email. Use any small bit of data you have to show that you’re human and that you have something in common with your subscriber.
In fact, according to a report by Campaign Monitor, personalized emails enjoyed a 26% increase in open rates than those that looked generic. So, you see, personalization is not just a buzzword, it leads to a highly effective email marketing campaign.
6. Craft Email Copy that Converts
Besides investing in a good software for your email campaign, you will also have to invest in great email marketing copy.
Great copy goes beyond personalization. It provides value by being relevant, informative, or by solving a certain problem. People are busy. They don’t have time to waste on an email that has no real value to them. For an email, the result can only be one – the trash folder.
However, if you craft a relevant and valuable email copy, you will definitely enjoy higher conversion rates.
Another great way to ensure that your email copy converts well is by getting rid of jargon. While industry-related jargon may sound good to you, it just puts people off. Instead, write to your subscribers in a friendly, casual tone.
Bonus tip: Always make sure to have a maximum of one (yes, one) call to action in an email. Too many options will only confuse the recipient and they will quickly click “close” as fast as they opened the email. In fact, multiple CTAs only increase the bounce rate.
Bottom line, as much as you invest in good software, make sure to invest in great copy as well.
7. Optimize for Mobile
Before you send out your first email, make sure that your emails are optimized for mobile. More people are accessing their emails from their mobile devices (46% of emails are opened on a mobile device) each year. This makes it imperative for marketers to factor in mobile devices when designing their emails.
A few simple ways to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly include using:
- fewer characters in the subject line
- a larger font
- a single column template
Other tips include avoiding using an image as a CTA and being straight to the point in your copy.
The savvy marketer understands the power of meeting prospects where they are. In our generation, that means going mobile.
8. Test Your Emails
With all your moving pieces in place, you’re now ready to launch your successful email marketing strategy, right?
Wrong.
In order to make sure that your email campaign drives maximum results, you will have to test the most important components of your email. This is called A/B testing, a process whereby you change a certain variable in an email and send one copy to half of your list and the other copy to your other half. By analyzing which copy performs better, you gain insight into which type of email to send for better results.
The good news is that most email marketing services have this built-in them, giving you control and real-time insight over your test.
Email Marketing Strategy 2019 – The Results Are in the Action
Now that you have seen the email marketing best practices that will bring you the coveted $40 for every dollar ROI, it’s time to put them to good use.
After all, the best email marketing strategy only drives results when put into effect. So, make the necessary changes to the way you’ve been doing your email campaigns. You’ll definitely smile all the way to the bank.
Which of these tactics for your email marketing strategy resonated with you?
Share in the comments below!
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