22 Best Email Marketing Strategies - Part Two
11. Tell your audience what to do next: Use a CTA
Whenever you see a link or button in any message that tells you to “Click Here”, “Buy Now” or “Learn More”, you just encountered a call-to-action(CTA). Like the name says, CTAs encourage you to take a desired action. In your emails, you need to have CTAs that encourage users to take the action you want them to. CTAs drive engagement rates in your emails. They are what enable your users to convert directly from your emails.
With that said, these tips should help you design good CTAs. Your CTA should always have clear instructions. If you need customers to buy your product, say “Buy Now” or “Purchase”. CTAs should also be distinguishable from the rest of your email. Use bold colors that are easy to spot. It’s best practice to only use on CTA in an email to keep it focused on your desired outcome.
Having multiple CTAs can easily distract your reader and you risk losing their attention. This mainly applies when you have a It’s okay to repeat the same CTA across your email a couple of times especially if it is lengthy. CTAs give results and you would be doing your email marketing a lot of harm if you do not include them.
12. Create a win-back campaign for inactive customers
This particular strategy works hand-in-hand with your email list. It is natural that you will lose a portion of your email list every year. However, the rate at which you lose subscribers can be checked. To start, you will need to define what inactivity means to you. Does inactivity mean no engagement or opens for the past 3, 6 or 9 months? Once you have determined what inactivity is to you, go ahead and create a win-back campaign for these subscribers.
The campaign should remind users that it has been a while since you last heard from them. You can add an incentive like a discount offer to entice them to engage. The ones that do can be nurtured back into the customer journey. This email from Duolingo is an example you can refer to. They remind the user that it has been a while since they logged on and urge them to get back on track.
Win-back campaigns require more effort yet are fulfilling when the results start pouring in. Also, retargeting inactive subscribers is a lot cheaper than acquiring new ones. If you have a lot of inactive subscribers, it makes more sense to convert them than to use more resources in acquiring new ones.
Other points for demographic segmentation include age and gender. You can divide your audience into different age groups and send content that appeals to them. Segmenting based on gender works exceptionally well, especially for fashion brands. Send the latest summer wear for women to your female segments. Got men’s clothing in stock? Send promo offers on men’s shirts then.
The beauty of segmentation is that only your intended target sees your email. This is likely to increase your chances for a response or sale. Extra ways to segment your lists are through purchase history and past engagement. For purchase history, separate your most frequent buyers and give them exclusive rewards and incentives to encourage them to return. For the less frequent buyers, you can send them promos and offers that will entice them to engage. It is a similar principle for past engagement. Detach your most active audience from the least active and message them accordingly.
13. Use exclusive content to build deeper connections
One strategy that also works extremely well is sending exclusive content. It is part of human nature to want to feel special. You can use this desire to to rope more subscribers into your email list. Use exclusive content to build deeper connections with your subscribers by making it only available to them via your email. Now, all of a sudden, only those on your email list are the “cool ones”. Create valuable content you know your audience would like. Then create awareness on all your channels of communication about the content. The only caveat is, that piece of content can only be accessed via email. Doing this will successfully create an appeal if the content is good enough.
14. Create FOMO/urgency in your emails
The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is a well known tactic that marketers have been using to convert leads for years. Urgency is created around a product to get the subscriber to take immediate action. Many brands do this and I am pretty sure you have come across a few. Take this example from Vodafone. Their Black Friday offer has been timed to create a sense of urgency to their subscribers. If they really want it, now is the time to act! You can often identify these type of emails by the text they use: “Hurry”, “Offer ends soon”, “Only X items left” etc.
Scarcity is also used to create a sense of urgency. By claiming that a handful of items are left, potential buyers are faced with the option of buying now or risk losing the product. This works because sometimes people need a push before they purchase an item.
15. Add user-generated content
When was the last time you bought an item without referring to reviews? I am confidently say that seldom happens these days. Almost every purchase is influenced by a review or recommendation. As much as 74% of customers say they rely on social media to inform their purchasing decisions. To put it in perspective, that is almost every 3 out of 4 people.
User generated content like reviews on social media can boost your conversion rates via email. The best part of this is, customers actually trust user generated content more than what you say. Let’s face it, we all have some bias towards our products. Reviews are often seen as genuine because they are offered by third parties. Use this to your advantage by including them in your emails as social proof of how good your products are. You can even spice it up further by including success stories of your customers through your email newsletters.
Reviews tend to be the deciding factor for many customers when making a purchasing decision. Instead of making them go out, bring the reviews to them in the comfort of their inboxes.
16.Add a hook to your emails
Hooks are used to create suspense especially in movies and books. They make you crave for the next chapter and leave you wanting more. Some of the best movies have hooks at the end so you wait in anticipation for the sequel. Even TV shows use hooks just before commercial breaks to cause you to sit through the advertisements. The best marketers also take advantage of this storytelling technique to keep email subscribers craving for more. Hooks can even be used at the beginning of your emails to spark the curiosity of the reader to keep on reading.
Hooks can also be used at the end of your emails especially if they are a series or a periodic newsletter. Leave your audience craving for more of a piece of content by introducing it and promising to give them the in-depth in the next email.
17. Use "YOU" - keep your audience center stage
The word “You”, as simple as it sounds, is a powerful word that plays emphasis on the reader. It is a way of drawing the reader into the email. Emails that address readers directly leave a personal touch. According to copyblogger, “You” is among the top five most persuasive words in English for copywriting. It is simple yet effective. Your subscribers inboxes are already filled with hundreds of emails that feel automated and impersonal. When sharing content via email, address the reader in the second person. They will feel like you are talking to them and them alone.
Instructions work really well with this format as well. This strategy will help with your engagement rates especially open and click through rates. Look at this example from dossier.
18. Make it straightforward to unsubscribe.
Not everyone wants to be on your email list. People change their minds after subscribing. It happens all the time and you should be fine with that. As part of your email design, you should always include a way for your subscribers to opt-out. It is a requirement by law (CAN-SPAM Act) and honestly just good courtesy. When subscribers choose to opt-out, honor their request promptly. Think about it, when you ask someone to leave your private property, you would expect that they comply. It’s the same here. tinyEmail automatically provides you with an unsubscribe link in the footer of your email so you don’t have to worry about setting it up.
19. Show genuine gratitude
Every now and then, you need to spice up your emails with different formats. Thank you emails are a good way of disrupting the flow of the usual emails you send. Let your customers know how much you appreciate them being with you. You can send out thank you emails during company milestones like anniversaries. You can also be random about it if you want to. The goal is to make your subscribers feel appreciated just like this email from Airbnb does.
20. Get interactive with your emails
Emails do not have to be static or boring anymore. Get more out of your emails by enabling your subscribers to interact, engage and conduct activities right inside the email. Ask for feedback using surveys, or add an embedded form, include an HTML5 video that plays inside the inbox, add image carousels and countdown timers. Such elements boost email activity by over 300% according to our own customers who use it. Not all email marketing providers support this however so choose your email marketing tool wisely.
21. Monitor your metrics
Once you have implemented these strategies and have actually sent some email campaigns, it is time to monitor your metrics. Before sending a campaign out, you need to know what metrics and KPIs to track. Are you looking for a particular open rate percentage or you want to get a number of unique clicks? Knowing the metrics before you start helps you to track them. In tinyEmail, you can track these metrics from the analytics provided after every campaign. Take a look at the data from the analytics and determine if you are meeting your set goals or not. Metrics also gives you insight into the overall performance of your emails.
22. Segment your audience based on your email engagement
As you send emails consistently over a period of time, you will have enough data to segment your audience based on the engagement they are showing with your messages. Being aware of how your audience is reacting to your emails and tailoring your messages for your highly engaged to rarely interacting customers will allow you increase the ROI of your overall marketing engine. tinyEmail makes this ridiculously easy by giving you a library of predefined segments.
Concluding part two
These 22 email marketing strategies will help you find the best way to communicate with your customers. With time and a little patience, you will find a combination of strategies your customers respond to the most. Most important of all, be aware of what your audience wants and cater to that.
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