Effective and Essential Email Marketing

Email marketing remains an essential part of any digital marketing plan. Perhaps the original digital marketing tool, email, has the highest return rates of any channel. That being said, it can be a detriment instead of an asset to your plan if not used correctly. This blog will discuss the five most essential database marketing emails and highlight the DOS and DON’TS of each.

1. WELCOME LETTERS / TRANSACTIONAL EMAILS

Welcome letters or transactional emails generally get the highest click-through rates of any communication as they directly result from customer activity. So take advantage and reach your customer when their interest is at its peak.

DO

• Create a visually attractive email using targeted images to reinforce content.
• Show gratitude. Thank your new customer and ensure them that they’ve made the right choice.
• Give the customer instructions on how to best use your service.
• Keep the message short and straightforward.

DON’T

• Send impersonal emails. This is not a good way to start a relationship; make sure to address the new customer by name.
• Forget to encourage them to engage in additional ways through social media, website, or blog posts.

2. NEWSLETTERS

By creating a communications calendar for newsletters, the user will anticipate the letter’s arrival, building a habbit and increasing brand awareness. In addition, longer communications pieces allow marketers to repurpose content that might have been missed through different digital channels: social media or blog posts.

DO

• Have a clear goal in mind. Are you educating your reader on the industry? Are you sharing relevant and interesting information?
• Track for metrics. Closely monitoring the click-through rates (CTRs) will give you information on what kind of link people are interested in, creating a clear path to successful marketing.
• Be strategic about sending. Time of day and day of week is essential to the success of a newsletter. As these are longer emails, you must pick a time and date when the reader feels like they can engage.

DON’T

• Dilute the CTA. Keep the critical information at the top with the clickable CTA visible.
• Forget the layout. Too many images can be overwhelming and sure to confuse your audience. Visuals that support the copy and are strategically placed will keep the customer’s attention and usher them through the messaging.

3. PROMOTIONAL EMAILS

People love a bargain. They’ve signed up for your email list because they perceive value in your product; now give them that product for a deal.

DO

• Personalize your subject line. Highly targeted subject lines have a much better click-through rate.
• Send a dedicated email for each promotion. Don’t bury the campaign in a message with a different purpose.
• Optimize for mobile. More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices, make them easy to read and mobile-friendly.

DON’T

• Add too many links – less is more, remember the goal is to get them to click on and take advantage of the promotion.
• Don’t use an image that is too large to promote the special. Users will automatically delete messages with visuals too big to download.

4. SPECIAL OCCASION EMAILS

special occasion emails give you a chance to celebrate your users. Maybe it’s an email to say happy birthday or celebrate an anniversary.

DO

• Offer a special occasion discount, which makes the user feel as though it was created specifically for them.
• Share advice and valuable information. Create content and visuals that give the user the feeling you are trying to help them.
• Keep the message light and celebratory.
• Make the user feel special!

DON’T

• Send the same email to every subscriber on your list. This is a special occasion, and it should feel individualistic.
• Make it too long. Keep the message and offer short and sweet.

5. RE-ENGAGEMENT LETTERS

Inactive users are not suitable for business. They can hurt your email marketing performance, so re-engagement emails are crucial. This is our opportunity to give the inactive user a little extra care and attention and hopefully win them back.

DO

• Give the user an incentive to come back, try a discount, or give away to spark their interest.
• Remind the user about the value of your product. They liked you once; remind them why.
• Create fear of missing out (FOMO), give them an update on your business and your progress since they stopped following you.

DON’T

• Forget to give them a choice. If customers want to unsubscribe, make it easy, they’ll remember it if they are considering subscribing in the future.
• Don’t forget to include a call to action. The CTA is essential in this situation. It will give you direction on what to do next. If the user clicks through, keep them on your email list; if they don’t, cull them from your database.

Remember, email marketing works as a piece of the whole content marketing plan. Social media, blog posts, and email work together to give your audience a complete understanding of your message. Email marketing alone will not engage your client, and they are likely to click unsubscribe.