Email can be an effective component in your marketing and communication strategy by creating an opportunity for an ongoing conversation with your audience. If done correctly, this conversation can turn interested audience members into buyers, and one-time buyers into loyal customers. Here are a few tips for making the most of your email marketing.

  1. Grow your list – Don’t make people jump through hoops to join your mailing list. Add a sign-up form to your website, promote it on social media, and enable sign-ups on landing pages people land on when clicking on digital ads. If people are already engaging with you in those places, they’re likely interested in the content you share. Similarly, promote other ways to connect with your brand in your emails, such as your social media or mobile app.
  2. Make your content about your audience – The better your content matches what your audience is looking for, the more likely your emails are to be opened and read. Look at website and social analytics, Google trends, and paid search performance when developing content.
    1. Bonus: Give people more of what they want – Consider sending an automated follow-up email to subscribers who click on specific content in your email newsletter. For example, if you’re a financial advisor and your newsletter contained an article about budgeting, send a follow-up email about your upcoming budgeting workshop to people who clicked on that article.
  3. Give people a reason to subscribe – If your email includes just the same information people can get elsewhere, there’s no reason for them to opt-in. Look for opportunities to make signing up for your email feel like joining a special club. Maybe there’s a special offer just for subscribers; they could be the first to know about new products or sales; or you could include bonus content that’s not available elsewhere.
  4. Pay attention to design – Make your emails visually appealing and skimmable. Design your email so that your message is clear, displays well on mobile and desktop, and makes it easy to take action, such as clicking through to read the full article, making a purchase, etc.
  5. Include video – According to research, video traffic will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2021, and videos shared on Facebook have a 135% increase in organic reach on average compared to other types of posts. People like video content. Experiment with ways to incorporate video into your email strategy and see how it impacts your email engagement.
  6. Consider how email fits into your overall marketing strategy – Which audience members does your email marketing target? How is it filling gaps that other marketing platforms can’t? For instance, if you notice that people often buy from you once and then don’t come back for a second purchase, your emails could focus on building loyalty in first-time purchasers.
  7. Look at the conversation as a whole – Email is an opportunity to conduct an ongoing conversation with your audience. Considering the various stages of the conversation, and specifically what you want to communicate, makes for a much more intentional and engaging experience for your audience.

As you look to improve and expand the scope of your email marketing, don’t forget to look for ways to use email as a touchpoint with your audience outside of planned marketing promotions. Email is a great way to connect more personally by sending birthday or customer anniversary emails, service reminders, and purchase follow-ups.

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View similar posts: Best Practice, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Strategy