Email marketing is a tried-and-true method of generating leads for your business. But since most people use email clients rather than webmail, it can be tough to know what content will land in inboxes instead of the Spam or Junk folders.
Your email marketing strategy will help you reach your audience, continue to nurture a relationship with them, and have conversations that help you and your customers grow. Email marketing is now more than ever rooted in every part of our inbound strategy. Focusing more and more on data and segmentation, your email marketing is fueling your inbound strategy by syncing closely to your CRM and contact database as well as the information on your website.
Here are some best practices that can help you maximize your results from each campaign.
Best Practice
1) Don’t purchase contact lists.
This first tip should not come as a surprise, but it bears repeating given the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Email campaigns depend on a healthy open rate. If you’re contacting people whose information you bought – rather than earned from a previous interaction – you’ll quickly see your emails’ performance drop.
The GDPR also requires each European recipient’s consent before you reach out to them, and purchased email lists usually do not come with that consent.
2) Avoid using ‘No-Reply’ in the sender’s email address.
Most people associate emails from this address with being spammy or irrelevant, so adding “no-reply” to your email’s username will only hurt you in the long run. It also clarifies that you send bulk messages rather than targeting a specific individual.
3) Stick to fewer than three typefaces.
Most email clients have trouble displaying more than three different typefaces, so using more will reduce the chance that your message gets read. And since you do not want your message to be skipped over or sent directly into a person’s spam folder, it is best to stick with only one or two typefaces if possible.
Always Optimise
4) Optimise the email’s preview text.
Many people look at their emails on the go, so your email must be catchy and easy to scan. That means using descriptive header text and including a call-to-action in your preview text — ideally with an offer that entices the reader to open the whole email.
5) Include an email signature.
A high-quality logo, your contact information and a simple message are all it takes to improve your chances of landing in inboxes (and not Spam folders). Email signatures also show recipients that you are using email as a professional marketing channel, which can help to build trust.
Email Marketing on Mobile
6) Keep your email between 500 and 650 pixels wide.
Most email clients today are either in a landscape or portrait view, so you must design your email with this in mind. Fact is, there are very few people using their phones to read emails these days — so keep your message between 500 and 650 pixels wide to be on the safe side.
7) Keep your main message and call to action above the fold.
On average, most people will only read half of what is in an email, so it may not get read if you have essential content lower down. That is why it is vital to keep your main message above the first fold — so you can snag attention, encourage more reading, and maximize conversions.
8) Personalize the email greeting.
According to some experts, using a person’s name in an email is one of the most effective ways to gain their attention. And if you have multiple people on your email list, it is worth using first name personalization to make your message more relevant.
Email signatures are another effective place to use full names, as well as your company’s name.
9) Encourage readers to reply or act.
Make sure you always include a call-to-action and relevant link in every email. Whether it is asking for feedback, sharing a blog post, or encouraging people to sign up for an event, your email should have a clear objective in mind.
10) Include at least one image.
Even in this day and age of fast internet connections, it can take some time to load an image using mobile devices, so using images is an effective way to grab attention. That is why it is best to include at least one image in your email, which will give it a better chance of being read.
11) Email is only the beginning.
Do not forget that email marketing is just one part of an overall content marketing strategy — so make sure you have a lot of other activities going on to help improve conversions and visibility.
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