As 2012 was coming to an end, a lot of our customers were interested in sending end-of-year email blasts. It got me thinking about all the email marketing our clients have done and how this has benefited them in different capacities. A year ago, I began trying different ways in approaching email marketing. As long as it’s been around, you may be thinking, “are there really new ideas and tips for email marketing”? Simply put, yes, there really are. Whether it is segmenting customer lists or choosing the right subject line, I’ve found that simply adding the voice of the customer into your email blasts will benefit marketers that much more. When creating an email blast, as a marketer, you easily remember what’s important to you (conversion, buying your product, signing up for your service, etc) but often you overlook the most obvious thing – what’s important to your audience. When an email encompasses what’s important to both you and your audience it produces the best conversion rate. As a marketer, obviously your goal is to “sell”. However, the email reader isn’t concerned about YOUR goal – they’re concerned about theirs: “Am I getting a good deal or discount?” “Is this email relevant to me?” “Is it providing relevant and interesting information?” Readers are more likely to open an email if it’s relevant to them, which actually translates into a higher conversion rate for you. Here are proven tips to best structure – and reap the rewards of – your email campaigns:
Figure 1 (Image Courtesy of Hubspot.com)- According to HubSpot’s Blog Post about segmenting lists, “39% of marketers who segmented their email lists experienced higher open rates, 28% experienced lower unsubscribe rates, and 24% experienced better deliverability and greater revenue.“ 2. Quality is better than Quantity Many marketers think in terms of quantity but when it comes to sending emails, quality customers are key. It’s better to attract customers organically, rather than buying lists.
Who should I send my emails to?
1. Segment Your List Customers are more likely to open an email that aligns with their interests. As a marketer, segment campaign/email lists based on people’s backgrounds e.g. their shopping history. As people sign up for your newsletter, separate them into lists by leads, customers, purchase activity, interest, demography or even geography. When it’s time to send emails, all you have to do is find the specific list you want to target and send (most online email marketing services allow you to easily do this). For example, I want to target women in New York. By segmenting my lists, I can filter for and target women that live in New York. Segmenting lists and sending emails to the appropriate demographic will prevent a high unsubscribing rate. Figure 1 (Image Courtesy of Hubspot.com)- According to HubSpot’s Blog Post about segmenting lists, “39% of marketers who segmented their email lists experienced higher open rates, 28% experienced lower unsubscribe rates, and 24% experienced better deliverability and greater revenue.“ 2. Quality is better than Quantity Many marketers think in terms of quantity but when it comes to sending emails, quality customers are key. It’s better to attract customers organically, rather than buying lists.- Have a subscribe form on your site, preferably on the home page or somewhere consistent on every page such as the header, footer, or sidebar.
- Add a subscribe form on your social networks if they allow tabs.
- Have a subscribe option on your checkout page when customers fill in their billing information, or even better, when they register to be a user.
