Despite growing interest in TikTok and Clubhouse (i.e. the latest “shiny toys” of marketing), tried and true methods of email reign supreme. Especially when we’re talking about ROI.
Statistics have shown that businesses can expect an average return of $42 for every $1 spent on email marketing. If you’re a small business owner with limited resources to allocate across channels, prioritizing this type of investment makes sense.
However, falling within the average (or exceeding it) isn’t a given. As with any marketing tactic, success is wholly dependent on the quality of content and strategy put forth. Keep this idea and the following email best practices in mind when using email to grow your business.
Individualize Emails by Customer Journey
Segmentation is a popular word among digital marketers for a reason. Speaking to email marketing specifically, those who segment their campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
Simply speaking, think of your current contact list in the context of many lists. Every individual sign-up is there because they want to be (in theory) but that doesn’t mean every sign-up is at the same stage of the customer journey.
Some may have purchased from your business before while others may need further convincing. Dig into your CRM to narrow your contacts further so you can cater messaging more specifically to their needs and interests.
Avoid Purchasing Contact Lists
Purchasing contact lists for email is like buying followers for social media. A large volume of any type of account doesn’t mean much if the engagement isn’t there. In other words, it doesn’t matter how big your contact list is if no one is opening your emails.
The email marketers seeing a $42 return on their $1 are nurturing relationships built through thoughtful awareness and lead generation campaigns. Spend time thinking through what you have to offer an email subscriber and how to incentivize sign-ups rather than money on people who didn’t specifically ask to hear from you in the first place.
Make Sure CTAs and Landing Pages Align
Emails drive interest and clicks. The landing pages you drive readers to convert.
With this in mind, you should be paying just as much attention to your email subject lines as you do CTAs and landing pages. The easiest way to lose potential customers is to push them to a page with misaligned messaging. Or a page that takes forever to load. Or a page that isn’t optimized for mobile viewing. Create a positive and cohesive experience for customers from beginning to end.
Don’t Bury the Call To Action
With email copy, engaging readers is less about what you have to say than how you say it — and where you position your messaging. You shouldn’t bury a single CTA at the very bottom of a lengthy email.
Instead, be upfront with what you’re pushing readers to do from the start. Incorporate CTA buttons towards the top and bottom of your emails to encourage clicks and pique interest sooner rather than later.