The Dos and Don’ts of Email Marketing

by Burke Dorman
3 mins read
Emailing on laptop

Email marketing is a staple in digital strategy in 2019, but how can you make sure that your campaign is effective? The basics of email marketing are easy to learn, and taking the time to master the fundamental dos and don’ts will ensure that you avoid sending out email spam, improve customer retention and drive the results you want the most. Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, maintaining an effective email marketing campaign is key to your overall success.

Elite has compiled the top 10 dos and don’ts of email marketing to learn how to successfully capture customer email addresses.

How to Get Started With Email Marketing

Your website will have to be optimized with not only content but also efficient landing pages. The secret to capturing email addresses from potential or existing customers is to have an all-hands-on-deck situation; your social media pages, online customer service, website design and blog presence all have to provide ample value and entice your audience.

If your content isn’t valuable enough as-is, prompting someone to provide their personal email address for more content isn’t going to bode well. Instead, take a close look at your articles and make sure they offer substance to your readers.

Many companies make the mistake of concentrating more on SEO than on their readers. If you write for Google algorithms instead of actual humans, your content is going to fall flat every single time. Email is a great way to stay in touch with your audience and establish a relationship with potential leads, but you have to provide them with something meaningful to start with. Here are the five DOs of email marketing:

DOs

Do Take Time With Your Email Subject Lines

Your email subject lines are like newspaper headlines — you want to be as enticing and informative as possible without leading people on. Clickbait is dead, and people always prefer sincerity over sensationalism.

Convince & Convert reports that 35 percent of email recipients open their emails based on the subject line alone, and 82 per cent of email marketers use subject lines that are 60 characters or less. Make sure the subject lines on your email newsletters are succinct yet engaging!

Do Try A/B Testing

A/B testing is a popular digital marketing technique that sends two forms of the same content to test which one performs better. Different trends and variables can be measured, and you can fine-tune your customer retention strategy by identifying which email variables performed best with your audience. Try out A/B testing to get a grasp on what your readers are looking to gain from your content.

Do Segment Your Audience

Email segmenting means that you send different content to different consumers. Depending on where they are in the sales funnel or what their particular interests are, you create and send targeted content that feels personalized and in-touch with your audience’s needs.

A/B testing can be especially helpful when you’re trying to figure out how to segment email lists and create the most valuable content for each audience group, allowing for a stronger connection with your readers.

Do Use CTAs

Make your call-to-actions (CTAs) actionable instead of salesy. People will be happy to click through to your site and read more if you already provided them with a high-quality email message to begin with and a CTA that makes them want to take action.

Do Experiment With Email Design

Good email design can have a huge impact on business. Take your time with your emails and make sure that they’re mobile-friendly, quick-to-load and visually engaging.

Employ a visual hierarchy to break down content into manageable, eye-catching chunks and don’t be afraid to showcase your business’s personality with some bright colors and fun graphics. Having a fun, efficient and unique email design will not only please your audience, but it will also allow you to stand out amongst the rest!

DON’Ts

Don’t Email People Who Didn’t Opt-In

If you gathered a person’s email but they have not specified that they wish to receive emails from you, refrain from sending them any content. Chances are this will be marked as email spam and never even make it to their inbox. If it does, they will most likely never open the message and may even unsubscribe altogether.

Don’t Buy Email Lists

This is an outdated and ineffective way to market your business. Unsolicited emails from random companies are the modern-day equivalent of door-to-door salesmen, only emails are easier to get rid of.

You’ll most likely damage your business reputation if you take this generic approach. Strive to get people to sign up for your emails organically using good content, landing pages, effective incentivizing and quality email marketing campaigns.

Don’t Go Overboard

Keep your emails succinct, and try not to exceed 300 words. People want emails that matter, and if your message can’t be condensed into a bite-sized format, then it may be better suited as a blog post.

Don’t Put Everything On One Image

If you design your emails like posters, it’s possible that the image won’t load and people will miss out on what you have to say. Keep text and images separate, utilizing more of the former than the latter to convey your most important sentiments.

Don’t Make It a Pain to Unsubscribe

If someone takes the time to click “unsubscribe,” they’re sure. Some companies try to run people ragged through various screens, survey questions and multiple confirmation messages before they can stop receiving emails. Not only is this annoying to the consumer, but it’s also harmful to your reputation.

Conclusion: Listen to Your Customers

Read comments, evaluate customer feedback and understand what your consumers want from your company. When you identify needs that are unmet or persistent, you can hand-craft some great email content that people will be excited to get in their inbox and repeatedly engage with time and time again. Creating a good customer experience is key to increasing customer retention. Effective email marketing has the potential to convert prospective readers into full-time, loyal customers, and turn one-time clients into forever fans!

Related Posts