A Guide on Using Effective Content To Complement Email Marketing
Email marketing can be very effective, with around $40 ROI for every $1 spent if utilized correctly. You can convert and engage customers through email, increasing sales and revenue. It’s one of the easiest ways to connect with your audience, and you can do it even when the budget is tight.
However, the first hurdle is making content they will care to read. So how do you write an effective email that will make customers click, read, and participate? Here are some tips and email marketing hacks you can use to write more engaging emails.
The Difference Between Marketing and Sales Emails
Some may mistake sales and marketing emails and use the terms interchangeably. However, while the two have similar functions, such as reaching out to or reactivating customers, there are some differences.
The function of a sales email is to build a relationship with the customer. Though salespeople can send these to many people at once, the end goal is to speak to a customer one-on-one to develop rapport and convert them.
Marketing emails, on the other hand, are more flexible. They represent a message from the company or brand and can have varying goals, though the primary function can be lead generation. There’s no salesperson to have a one-on-one talk; it’s up to the customer to decide if they want to engage.
Anatomy of a Good Marketing Email
The basic anatomy of writing an effective marketing email is as follows:
- A catchy subject line
Emails need to grab a reader’s attention just with the title. Good subject lines are short, catchy, and directly talk to the customer. An example is this email from Drizly:
Source: Hubspot
The first part of the subject line is intriguing enough to pique your curiosity, while the $5 is the clincher to make you want to open the email.
- A clear message
Once a customer clicks on your email, the body needs to be clear and concise. In addition, it needs to be able to convey its purpose, like telling the reader of a sale or a new blog they should read. Here’s an excellent example from Grammarly:
Source: Wordstream
Grammarly put the terms for their special offer and outlined the benefits of having a premium account. It also includes a CTA that you can easily click when you’re ready to upgrade.
- A call-to-action (CTA)
Since the primary goal of marketing emails is lead generation, a marketing email needs to spur action. Putting a CTA or call to action is a direct invitation to engage with your company and continue the interaction or conversation.
CTAs also need to stand out from the rest of the email. In the Grammarly example above, you can see the “Upgrade Now” button that the reader can easily click to continue to the website and make their purchase.
Setting up a Marketing Email Campaign:
Now that you know the basics of writing an effective email, here are the steps in setting up your marketing campaign.
- Know your audience
One of the first things you should do is know to whom you’re sending emails. Depending on what you’re promoting, you must segregate your audience. For instance, you can send discount codes to inactive users to reactivate them or alert your active customers when a big sale is coming up.
Knowing which part of your customer base to send your marketing emails to instead of everyone decreases the chances that they’ll unsubscribe because they don’t find the content relevant.
- Know your goals
When you send your email, your goal will affect its contents and how you measure the campaign’s success. What do you want to accomplish when your customers read it? Depending on what action you want your reader to take, you’ll need to tweak your wording and use different calls to action.
If you want your readers to download your new eBook, you can put a summary in the email to build curiosity. Then, your call to action could contain words to urge them to download the complete eBook. Another example is if you’re promoting a new clothing collection, you can include links that will take them directly to an item’s product page but have a large CTA that takes them to the collection’s page.
- Write good content
Now that you know the audience receiving the email and your goals, you can write its contents. You can customize the email by using a conversational tone, including relevant statistics, and staying respectful.
Some email marketing trends (in 2023) show that content engages readers, particularly if personalized. Putting their name in the subject line makes them 26% more likely to click, while having a video in the body can give a 96% click-through rate (CTR).
Even if you’re trying to personalize your email, don’t forget to keep your message clear and concise.
- Proofread and test out links
Before sending your email, you must ensure everything’s in order. Have a colleague proofread your work for typos and ensure everything flows properly. If multiple links exist, click each to ensure they work, especially your CTA.
You can also send test emails to your team members and ask them to check it on different devices to ensure it displays correctly, especially on mobile. 88% of mobile phone users check their email through their phones, so your email must be readable in that format.
If any issues arise, make the necessary fixes and rerun your tests. Go through this process until you’re sure that everything’s in order.
- Pick the proper schedule to send
Once your email is ready, it’s time to figure out when to hit send. On average, 21% of emails sent are opened within the first hour of readers receiving them.
Though the time when your customer base checks their emails may vary, a standard tip is to avoid sending your marketing email on the weekend. Most people treat the weekend as their downtime and avoid checking their email.
Also, ensure that when you send your email, you have a team on standby ready to answer any questions.
- Monitor your goals
Once you’ve sent the email, it’s time to sit back and start monitoring your goals. What was the open rate for your email? How many clicked the CTA? How much revenue did you earn through the email?
Stay on top of the numbers because they’ll show you if your campaign was successful. Even if the results are less than expected, you can see where to improve for your next campaign.
Connect and Grow With Your Audience
Source: Pexels
Email marketing is a potent tool when utilized well. Although it may seem simple to set up, much work is required to ensure it’s concise, personalized, and engages the reader. When done right, email marketing serves as the connection platform of the future, providing companies with a cost-effective way to reach their audience.
Remember to keep your audience in mind as you craft your email’s content. Make the subject line personal and intriguing while keeping the body clean and clear so readers can understand your message. Once you’ve gotten the hang of crafting content, you can try using your skills for various campaigns in the future.
