When it comes to email marketing what works for one business might not work for another.
There is plenty of competition in the inbox and on the internet and there is limited opportunity to catch and keep a recipient’s attention.
Marketers have to ensure that emails are not too long or heavy with content. They also have to ascertain that emails come across as created and delivered specifically for the benefit of the subscribers to the email.
Given below are some practices which would make emails compelling enough which would give the target audience a reason to read, respond and subscribe.
Contents
Length
The length of an email has to be taken into consideration. A marketing email should be simple and clearly state its purpose. It should be succinct and its message should be on target to achieve its goals.
If there is a lot of relevant content available, then it should be put on the website of a business and the link to it should be in the email.
The layout of the email should be easy so that recipients can quickly act on it. Nonessential content should be avoided as they can be distracting.
Email Frequency
Establishing maximum frequency guidelines for emails is a must. An email list may contain 200 or 200,000 people, and they should be sent mails on a monthly basis at the very least.
Not meeting the minimum requirements puts a business at risk of diluting the permission given to it by subscribers. Infrequent messaging could result in an increase in unsubscribes and spam reports.
If a business commits to sending emails at a certain frequency, then it should ensure that it delivers valuable and useful emails on this schedule.
Too frequent email deployment can irritate subscribers.
One group of subscribers may respond positively to weekly mailing while another group of subscribers may respond better when they are mailed monthly.
Customers may also be asked how often they would prefer to hear from the business.
The From Line
Some companies experience success when they include an executive’s name in the From line. Choosing an appropriate
From line is an exercise in understanding the relationship of a business with its customers.
Thought should be given to which part of a business do recipients most identify with and recognize.
Recipients should notice the person or brand in the From line to spur them to open the message.
Frequent Email Testing
Marketers who test email campaigns are twice as likely to attain better conversion rates. Different versions of an email can be sent to a random sample of recipients to find out which performed the best.
The sample of recipients would be based on the size of the email list.
If an email contains a new creative concept, it should be tested to ensure that it is displayed properly and is received well by the audience.
High- and low-frequency recipient groups can also be compared to find out which type of frequency helps or harms response rates.
Matthew Caiola serves as CEO at 5W Public Relations, managing the overall growth, direction and day-to-day business of the Corporate & Technology Communications Divisions and Digital Marketing.
With more than 17 years of PR experience, Matthew leads teams in launching and building high-growth tech companies, disrupting industries, building global brand resonance through thought leadership, C-Suite profiling, and speakers’ programs, as well as crisis communications across a variety of industries.
