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We can hardly believe that there was a time when we did not have the luxury of sending emails. And now, in 2021, it is the most popular method of communication for businesses with their customers. In fact, email is the primary channel for customer acquisition and retention for 80 percent of small businesses.

People may open an email, but they may not interact with the content if they do not engage with it. Check out these critical email marketing do’s and don’ts to make the most of your email marketing efforts and maximize your results.

The To-Do Listing

Onboarding emails should be optimized.

Your onboarding email is the one that can make or break a future loyal customer’s decision to purchase from you… There’s no need to rush! The fact that your customers must create an account and provide their contact information aids in the onboarding process. After acquiring a first customer, there is a risk that they will abandon you because they do not recognize the value you will gradually add to their lives.

When it comes to onboarding, the 90-day clock is a useful indicator to consider. Several industries were investigated, and it was discovered that the average mobile app retention rate after 90 days was barely 20 percent. To put it another way, the majority of businesses lose 80 percent of their customers after only three months of having them on board.

Additionally, onboarding emails allow you to establish a connection with new subscribers. Encourage visitors to click through at the beginning of their journey and watch your click-through rates rise.

A/B testing (also known as split testing)

We are all aware of the importance of tests; we may not always enjoy them or even appreciate them, but they are necessary for personal development. A/B testing is exactly what it sounds like: a basic controlled experiment.

This is a fantastic technique to find out what works best for your brand in terms of consumer response. What should you put to the test now? Everything. When it comes to A/B testing, the subject line, picture placement, open rate, bounce rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and inbox placement rate are all important factors to consider.

If you have the opportunity to test something, do it!In general, the more data you can collect and analyze, the more strategic you can be in your decision-making in the future. It makes sense, doesn’t it?

Lists should be segmented.

Setting up segments in your mailing list is a good approach to ensure that you are only sending out material that is relevant to each of your subscribers. They will always look forward to receiving and opening your emails if you do it this way.

The majority of the emails in your database should not be sent to every single person in your database. The result would most likely be that you’d be sending emails that were quite general in nature and would still be responsible for making them relevant to all of the recipients. You must segment your listings in order to ensure that they are relevant. In order to achieve your aim of communicating the correct message to the right person at the right moment, you need put this approach into action.

Grouping your email list into segments allows you to target certain groups within your mailing list and deliver them more personalized messages that are tailored to their group’s interests.

Make it personal.

It’s time to get down to business! We are all aware that first impressions are important. This holds true even in the case of email marketing. After all, why wouldn’t it? In accordance with research, tailored emails increase click-through rates by 14 percent while also increasing conversion rates by 10 percent.

When you send generic emails, you are only hurting your conversion rates. What matters is that you are representing something, whether it be a large brand, a small firm, or even your own personal brand. Having everyone of your subscribers treated as a friend is the most effective method to do this. Ideally, you want it to be welcoming, but not overly welcoming (think more co-worker and less BFF). On that note, you would not send your coworker an email address that is not returnable. At the very least, we hope this is not the case.

Sending a no-reply email will only lower your deliverability, raise your chances of being labeled as spam, and prevent your consumers from responding to your message.

Most popular email marketing solutions include email templates, as well as the ability to personalize emails with things like recipient names and other information. Make use of an effective email template and select the option to automatically add the names of the recipients to all of your emails.

You’ve compiled a list. You’ve got a lot of readers who are interested in what you’re saying. You have everything you need to send out fantastic emails. However, there is still something missing that is preventing you from achieving the desired level of engagement.

According to 59 percent of marketers, email marketing gives the best return on investment. If this isn’t the case for you, it’s time to zoom out and figure out what’s going on.

How do you get back to the email marketing best practices that sparked your interest when you initially started building your list? Here are a few suggestions.

Start split-testing anything you send out from now on.

Split testing is definitely something you’ve heard about before. It entails sending out various versions of the same email to see which one receives the best reaction.

You could, for example, isolate the email subject. The emails are identical, but the subject lines are different.

Which one has a higher rate of open? Which one makes the most revenue? That’s the approach you should take with your next campaign.

But here’s the thing: there’s a catch. The same testing principles can be applied to any aspect of your campaign.

We’ve been known at Campaign Monitor to split test entire templates. The adjustment alone resulted in a 127 percent increase in click-through rate in one case.

Split-testing is an excellent method to get back to the fundamentals. Consider:

• Only 39% of businesses split-test their emails. If you start doing this, you’ll be in the top 61 percent of people in no time.
• Split-testing turns each email campaign into an ongoing learning experience. Even if your current campaign isn’t generating engagement, a split test could provide you with information to use in future campaigns.

You’ll learn about the preferences of your subscribers. Are they more likely to respond to a promo code than a customised subject line? Do they wish to participate in competitions? Do you have any useful information? Do they open an email more often if it’s “from the CEO” or if it’s “from the whole company”? Begin by narrating a tale to pique your audience’s interest.

It is critical to conduct split tests. However, if you lose sight of why people subscribe to your email in the first place, you may find yourself drifting away from your main message.

Create a personalized “welcome” email.

Since we’re discussing best practices, let’s continue with one of the foundations: crafting a decent “welcome” email.

This is the email that your subscribers receive after they confirm their subscription. Every “welcome” email should have the following two elements:

• A personal message You can be super-casual here, or simply express your gratitude for signing up. In any case, let them know there’s a live person on the other end of the line.
• An explanation of what they’re about to get. Remind them of what they agreed to. Look at how Monica Vinader’s email reminds subscribers why they signed up, then leads them to a call to action:
• Consider your “welcome” email as a piece of free real estate. It’s a chance to interact, customize, and route traffic to a CTA. Why don’t you make the most of it?
• For people who haven’t reacted in a while, you can include a re-engagement newsletter.

Avoid the “spam” folder and the “promotions” tab.

The spam bin and Gmail’s “promotions” tab are two natural predators for email marketers.

One of the most important industry best practices is to avoid spam filters. You won’t have your well designed emails read if you don’t have it.

If your emails don’t match quality criteria, email providers like Yahoo and Gmail may label them as spam. Yes, they can utilize algorithms and “scores” to assess your performance. What you’ll need to know is this:

• Aim for a high percentage of people to open your emails. It’s a good sign when people open your messages frequently. It signifies that your emails are valuable, and that when consumers find them in the spam bin, they are more inclined to move them to the inbox.
• Be important enough for people to refer to you as “not rubbish.” How often your own subscribers save you from the spam folder is one of the most important numerical indications of a high-quality email newsletter.
• Remind your readers to save your contact information in their address book. This will also help you get a better score from the email providers.

Separate your list into sections.

A segmented list has been shown to enhance revenue by up to 760 percent.

Consider the math for a moment. Two essentially identical lists can create approximately eight-to-one income differences.

What is the reason for this?

Personalization. Customers can be segmented depending on their purchasing preferences or the types of emails they wish to receive, which can help you increase conversion rates.

Here are some ideas for how to go about it:

• Segmentation based on specific behaviors. Do some buyers prefer small-ticket things to larger-ticket items? Do certain people spend a lot of time on your site while others spend less? Based on their previous conduct, you might start creating different emails and offering other things.
• Segmentation based on content. You may be able to build new segments depending on the material that your specific contacts prefer if you have data on them. If one reader wants to download eBooks and instructions while another prefers to buy products, you have enough data to build two completely separate campaigns.

Some email marketers even explicitly ask their subscribers, “Which do you prefer?”

They then request that their clients go to their link preferences page. This enables the email marketer to divide clients into several groups depending on their individual “votes.”

Increase the frequency of your email marketing.

No one wants to hear from you all the time.

Others will not want to hear from you too infrequently.

In email marketing, it’s the classic Goldilocks dilemma: how often should you send out your email blasts?

In general, 26% of respondents say they unsubscribe from email lists because they receive too many emails. 19% said they do it because a corporation sends them an excessive number of emails.

However, you don’t want to send out so few that you never sell anything.

Split testing is one solution to this problem. However, you might want to include a footer in your emails that allows customers to set their own frequency preferences.

Finally

Best practices for email campaigns can be so effective that it’s easy to overlook them. You believe you’ve figured out how to use email and that no further changes are required.

However, if your behaviors have grown out of hand, it’s time to come back to the basics.

With these best practices in hand, you can either start a new list or breathe new life into an old one. In either case, your readers are likely to notice. And you might get a boost in open rates as a result.

What is the definition of email personalization?

Email personalisation is a marketing strategy that involves using consumer data to deliver better tailored emails based on information about your subscribers. Personalization refers to tailoring material to your subscribers’ specific characteristics, such as their name, gender, location, birthday, interests, recent purchases, and so on.

People are bombarded with marketing communications these days, but individualized messages are far more effective at attracting client attention. Personalized emails, according to studies, have 2.5 times higher click-through rates and are 6 times more likely to result in a conversion. Furthermore, 73 percent of customers say they want to conduct business with companies that use personal information to make their experiences more relevant.

Emails with tailored subject lines are 26 percent more likely to be opened, and segmented campaigns have resulted in a 760 percent increase in email income.

It’s never been easier to provide members with the level of customisation they desire. Simply add the fields you require to your opt-in forms to aid in the collection of essential data. Then you use that information to construct customization tags and custom fields that let you to change the “From” name, subject lines, and content (including copy, images, sections of content, and more). Data from third-party connectors, such as your CRM platform or e-commerce provider, can also be used.

What is marketing automation, and how does it work?

Marketing automation is when software, behind the scenes, distributes messages to your customers and prospects depending on rules you set.

When a subscriber satisfies a pre-defined trigger, automated emails are sent out. Let’s have a look at how this works in more detail.

What methods do you use to automate email campaigns?

1. Select a Trigger

To get started with marketing automation, choose a trigger that will deliver a personalized message to that subscriber automatically.

Triggers can be based on acquired data or on the actions of customers. A trigger could be anything from a subscriber joining a specific list to a subscriber entering a segment to a subscriber exiting a segment, a specific date, an anniversary, and so on.

After you’ve chosen a trigger and a customer makes that action, Campaign Monitor will send the email associated with that trigger automatically. When a subscriber joins a list for the first time, for example, this is a standard trigger used by most businesses. Most businesses will send a welcome email in this circumstance.

Nissan is another excellent example of a corporation that sends an automated message in response to a specific trigger. Nissan knows when a car needs to be serviced and utilizes those dates as triggers to give consumers email reminders and service discount offers.

2. Establish ground rules

You can build up customized rules that will automatically send a message to certain consumers based on their activity in addition to sending automated messages using triggers.

Sephora, for example, employs VIP status as a trigger. Sephora will automatically email VIP customers exclusive offers after they have achieved VIP level. It also creates guidelines that deliver customers a more personalized offer based on how much they spend. If a customer spends more than $200, they will receive an email with a unique VIP discount code, as illustrated below.

If a customer spends less than $200, Sephora will automatically give them an offer to try new skincare products.

3. Develop content

All that’s left is to fine-tune and tie your content to your triggers and rules once they’ve been set. The best thing about marketing automation is that it only needs to be done once. Basically, you “set it and forget it.”

You can feel confident that your consumers are getting the stuff they need, right when they need it, by pre-determining triggers and rules and matching them with the appropriate email messages.

Marketing automation also helps you enhance your targeting and improve client experience by decreasing repetitive processes and human error.

What are the benefits of personalisation and automation in terms of conversions?

Now that you know a little more about personalisation and automation, you might be asking how they actually generate revenue. Here are some examples of how automation and personalisation boost profits.

1. Customers get what they want with automation.

The highest conversion rate of any sort of marketing is email marketing. In fact, the average return on investment (ROI) for email marketing is $38 for every $1 spent. This type of return on investment, however, is only achievable if clients want to hear from you.

Without automation, this is a particularly difficult task for a large organization that produces a variety of material, such as BuzzFeed. To persuade your subscribers to pay attention, you must first figure out what they want and then provide it. Consider how much time it would take BuzzFeed to send each client an email from each of their 23 distinct lists by hand, rather than using data, customization, and automation to send relevant messages.

Even if your firm hasn’t yet scaled to the level of BuzzFeed, you’re in the same boat. You risk lower engagement and revenue if you send the wrong email messages at the wrong times.

With marketing automation, you may use tried-and-true approaches based on data and customer activities to provide subscribers exactly what they want while achieving greater success.

2. A higher level of relevancy leads to more sales.

You can send tailored emails based on triggers with marketing automation. You can also hyper-target the messages you send using the rules you specify. And you can also personalize each of these messages. It also pays off. According to Venture Beat, personalisation strategies have increased the efficacy of 70 percent to 94 percent of marketers.

Your prospects of increasing sales are better if your emails are more relevant.

3. Personalization gives customers a sense of exclusivity.

73% of customers prefer to do business with firms that personalize. 86% of customers say personalisation influences their purchasing decisions.

Despite having compelling information at their disposal, 70% of firms fail to personalize. Consumers pay more money with brands that personalize email marketing communications, so this is perplexing.

Automation and personalisation are crucial when it comes to increasing conversions through email marketing.

1. Keyword.io

Keyword.io was included in our initial list for a reason: it’s the ideal free tool for getting started with keyword research.

There will be one or two roadblocks. You’ll need to create a free account before you can begin tinkering. And it may take some practice before you master the art of comparing keywords to generate insights into search engine behavior.

Once you’re comfortable with the concept of conducting keyword research to generate content, you may want to upgrade to a more robust tool, such as Moz.

2. Canva

It’s never a bad idea to incorporate visual elements into your content. Canva remains one of the most powerful tools for quickly creating visually appealing elements without requiring a degree in graphic design. Here, you can work with templates to create advertisements, charts, and social media images, among other things. There is one caveat: it is a little too enjoyable for its own good.

3. Campaign Monitor

Does this sound familiar? In terms of email marketing and automation tools, this is a convenient and cost-effective way to get started. And one thing is certain: you will require an email platform. Not only are opt-in email lists one of the most effective ways to market to your loyal customers, but they’re also easier to build than ever.

4. Evernote

Have you ever wondered how the best content manages to compile a plethora of interesting tidbits and nuggets of information? Perhaps the writers and researchers are utilizing a program such as Evernote.

Evernote is a convenient tool for quickly taking notes on anything you see online that may be worth mentioning in your latest content. With Evernote’s premium version, you can clip quotes from the web, add your own thoughts via “Rich notes,” and even annotate research-heavy PDFs.

5. Follerwonk

If you have a sizable Twitter following but your posts are not generating much engagement, you may require additional insights. Follerwonk is the precise antidote. It analyzes your social media audience to determine their interests, assisting you in focusing on topics that are more likely to generate meaningful engagement.

6. Trello

When it appeared as though the entire world had gone remote in 2020, one thing became abundantly clear: we required effective methods for managing our professional lives. Trello is a critical component of this department. Its workspace and project management tools enable you to see an entire workflow from start to finish, even when managing a team of people.

When an assignment is created in a “card,” it is automatically updated for everyone who has been invited to the card. Consider it a way to connect everyone to the same assignments without feeling as if you’re herding cats.

7. CoSchedule

Like comedy, content marketing is all about timing. It would be counterproductive to publish an epic “The Ultimate Guide to Widgets, Part II” post prior to the release of “Part I.”

CoSchedule is a centralized calendar and planning tool that enables you to view your entire content strategy in the same way that you would plan a campaign in general. Additionally, it’s simple to integrate multiple team members if you require contributions from content pipeline writers and editors.

8. Grammarly

Not sure whether it’s “It’s” or “It’s”? Not sure if you typed “your” when you meant “you’re” by accident? You have no idea whether a single spelling or grammatical error will undermine the credibility of the brilliant points you’re making.

You are not required to have an editor following you around, meticulously scanning your every word. Grammarly automatically detects a wide variety of blunders. Its premium version assists in scanning for clarity issues that, when corrected, can spruce up your content.

9. Scoop.it

Often, the art of content marketing boils down to one question: how interesting are you? Scoop. It enables you to curate some of the most intriguing content available on the web. As a result, your own content marketing presence becomes a must-follow.

Scoop enables you to curate and publish curated content.

It quickly, which means you’ll spend less time on content marketing and more time soaking up the extra attention.

When you launch an email marketing campaign for your organization, there are several vital objectives to address.

1. Inform

One of the primary goals of an email marketing campaign is to educate your subscribers.

Regularly appearing in your consumers’ inboxes provides an excellent opportunity to keep them updated. You can update them about anything related to your business.

Readers should always leave your email with a fresh understanding of your organization.

For instance, you may advise them about ongoing building repairs. And then provide information about alternate parking locations while the main lot is being used.

You may also remind them about an upcoming fundraiser or a new product or service you’re offering.

You might include a link to a specific page on your website – perhaps a new blog post or a new product page.

Whatever you’re informing your readers on, you should always include photos and visuals to keep them engaged throughout the email.

2. Attract

Another goal of email marketing is to attract new customers to your business.

You may believe that because current consumers have already committed to your business, there is no longer a need to acquire new ones. The reality is that existing consumers can discontinue purchasing items or services from your company at any time. But email marketing is an excellent strategy to ensure that you constantly win them over.

This objective is especially critical in terms of potential clients.

Your emails should awe potential customers with your product or service offerings and establish your business as an industry leader.

To re-engage current customers and convert prospects into loyal customers, you should include any new testimonials, rave reviews, or accolades you’ve received.

Mentioning new honors demonstrates to email recipients that you’ve been recognized for your work, reassuring current customers that they’re dealing with the proper organization. Additionally, it will draw potential clients’ attention to your business, and if they haven’t already committed to your firm, mentioning accolades can undoubtedly assist!

Another approach is to provide bespoke graphics illustrating this information to increase reader appeal. Custom visuals are an excellent method to not only engage readers with your email, but also to demonstrate expertise.

You can entice users with personalized graphics that showcase your latest accolades, new services, or new testimonials. Always remember that it is much more effective to demonstrate than to tell — which is why it is preferable to use a graphic or video of a person speaking as a testimonial rather than a text stating it.

Additionally, here is an excellent spot to display a photograph of your CEO receiving the award or a snapshot of the award committee’s website noting your distinction.

3. Engage

Following that, your emails should engage recipients.

Not only should they be informative, valuable, and visually appealing, but they should also engage recipients, encouraging them to discover more about your business and brand as a whole.

Make your emails more interesting by include photographs, graphics, and even videos to ensure that recipients read them completely and absorb all of the information you’ve included.

Another technique to engage consumers is to direct them to specific landing pages on your website via buttons.

4. Guide

In terms of guiding, your emails should direct recipients to your website.

This is one of the most critical email marketing objectives, as it brings potential customers one step closer to converting.

Utilize links in your copy, buttons, and calls-to-action to direct recipients to your website.

For instance, if you’re discussing a new product, you might either include a link to the product page in your copy or build a button that encourages readers to visit the site to view the full description of the product.

There are numerous ways to direct consumers to your website via email, and you should do so multiple times!

5. Nurture

To convert prospects into committed, lifetime customers, you must nurture them first, and email marketing is an excellent way to do that.

As previously stated, emails are an excellent technique to ensure that you remain top-of-mind. That implies that even if a consumer is not in need of your products or services at the time they get your email, your continued efforts to stay in their inbox will ensure that your brand is the first they think of when they do.

Your emails to consumers who haven’t converted yet should highlight all of your brand’s best features, coupons and special discounts. Make sure to keep them informed of new development as well.

6. Convert

All email campaigns should aim to convert new clients and retain existing ones.

You can accomplish this by adhering to all of the aforementioned objectives and ensuring that you are easily accessible to customers. This includes supplying your contact information, your address (if applicable), and information about your social media accounts.

To convert readers, you should also inform them about your current specials and deals. Likewise, present them with coupons to urge them to purchase your products.