Top Tips For Optimizing Your Email Marketing Strategy

Email remains at the center of digital marketing. With approximately 4 billion email users worldwide, it has an incredible reach. It also has an impressive ROI, returning approximately $32 for every $1 spent.

However, in order to fully leverage email, marketers must first master the fundamentals. So, here are five email marketing tips to help you capture subscribers’ attention every time you press send.

1. Perfect Your Timing to Maximize Engagement

Marketing via email is all about increasing open rates. However, this is not as simple as creating high-quality content that captivates and motivates customers to make a purchase. It is also about timing.

For example, BtB marketers targeting network managers in the power sector may want to send newsletters between Monday and Friday, preferably early in the working day. This allows them to catch subscribers before they become overwhelmed by their workload.

BTC marketers looking to attract fashion lovers may employ a different strategy. If they post during working hours, they risk missing out on the prime time of day when people want to unwind and read for pleasure. Weekends and early evenings may be better options, but lunch breaks are also worth considering.

2. Tips for Subject Lines: Create Tags that Really Shine

Marketing via email is more dependent on titles than almost any other marketing discipline. It’s amazing how much money depends on a few words. When trying to persuade customers to open your email, even putting a character in the wrong place can be fatal.

Getting subject lines right is crucial. Firstly, think outside the box. Choosing subject lines which are a little bit wacky, fun, and humorous is a great way to grab attention.

Secondly, use subjects that make readers feel a sense of urgency. It’s often helpful to link email marketing efforts to deadlines which makes readers less likely to put the email to one side. So, highlight a sales event and how limited the window is. When readers know that time is short, their brains are much more likely to want to find out more.

3. Stand Out from the Flood of Spam

Email marketers today must not only compete with other companies in their industry, but also ensure that their content is not mistaken for phishing emails or other forms of spam.

When writing newsletters, put yourself in the shoes of your email subscribers as they decide which ones to open. If they are paranoid about malware and sensitive to scams, they will avoid anything that appears suspicious.

Check your headers for grammar and spelling errors, maintain a consistent style, and ensure that any links you include are completely secure and accurate. This will not only help you gain credibility in the eyes of your readers, but it will also prevent your email newsletter from being automatically sent to spam folders.

4. Get Your Email Newsletter Formatting Right Every Time

The formatting of your marketing materials is just as important as the content itself. Take mobile campaigns as an example. Nowadays, almost every company must appeal to smartphone users, which necessitates that their newsletters be mobile-friendly.

Some formatting tips are applicable to all content. First, ensure that the headers, images, and body text are properly arranged with no overlaps. Any visual flaws will be a major turnoff for casual readers. It is always advisable to thoroughly test each newsletter to ensure that the layout functions properly.

Similarly, make sure that your content fits into the standard email client displays. This is easy to overlook, but it is crucial. Messages that force users to scroll sideways to read each line are never well received.

Finally, achieve the ideal balance of content and images. Don’t use images that are too large and dominate the newsletter. Make sure to include key text “above the fold” so it is the first thing readers see. The text is more appealing to them than the images.

5. Content is Crucial: Make Every Word Count

Our final tip is probably the most important: whatever content you include in your email marketing newsletter should be relevant, concise, professional, and addressed directly to your target audience(s).

If you use images, make sure they are clearly related to your brand identity and the subject of the email. Don’t just use them as decoration. When writing body text, focus on providing relevant information. Tell readers why you wrote to them and why they should continue reading.

Don’t go on about your products or sales. Lead the readers clearly from an above-the-fold welcome to an introductory paragraph, then concisely cover the information on whatever you’re trying to communicate before concluding with a tasteful call-to-action. Emphasize the call-to-action with links or graphics, but don’t skimp on the body text. The body is the meat of your newsletter, and it has to be written professionally.