8 ways to improve your email marketing campaigns

I am sure you have subscribed to digital newsletters in the past. Thinking back, do you remember what made you participate in a company email newsletter?

Most likely it was one of three reasons:

1. Get information about sales and discounts.

2. To entertain yourself.

3. Learn something valuable.

Engagement-based email marketing relates to the way your subscribers interact with your email newsletter. Once they have opened it, you should still surprise them with its content.

This week, I’m sharing 8 ways to improve email engagement, from subject lines to targeting.

1. Grab them with a great subject line.

When someone scans your inbox, they are likely to see a series of promotional subject lines. You don’t have much time or space to convince them to open yours.

You want to spark someone’s curiosity by giving them a sweet, short description of what to expect. “Short and engaging” is key here, especially since about 42% of people open newsletters on mobile devices, which means a much smaller screen.

Whether it’s a massive clearance sale or must-have tip, create a sense of urgency and excitement around what you’re offering.

2. Always give people something of value.

Yes, you want to convert subscribers to paying customers, but you don’t do it by filling your newsletter with random promotions or product links.

Aim for a story, not a sales pitch. Start with a personal introduction to help your readers get to know you, whether it’s your recent accomplishment or your holiday happiness.

3. Be consistent.

If you normally send a newsletter on a Tuesday but are busy and forget it until three months later and send it out quickly on a Friday, your followers won’t know what to expect and have probably already forgotten who you were.

And you’ll miss out on valuable opportunities to reach people, making them much more likely to engage with your competitors.

Stick to a calendar so that people can count on your content consistently each week or month.

4. Add some social proof.

Social proof is a term that was coined by Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book Influence. (An excellent book by the way!) Basically, it is the tendency of humans to copy the actions of others in a certain situation.

Examples of social proof include celebrity endorsements, online reviews, and social media actions. Did you know that 83% of people trust reviews before advertising?

So, create an area of ​​your email newsletter where you can share customer testimonials or positive reviews with your followers.

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READ: How to Create an Email Marketing Campaign Your Audience Will Love

Sending consistent newsletters to your followers gives you the ability to develop a “Know, Like and Trust” relationship with them that will dramatically increase your brand visibility and market reach.

However, many business owners and entrepreneurs pass up this golden opportunity to build relationships and increase sales. You are one of them?

In this article, I share some reasons why your small business should create an email marketing campaign and offer some tips to help you increase open rates.

Read more on our website.

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5. Share valuable content.

It’s important to give your readers a reason to keep opening your emails. If you are constantly promoting your product without offering tips or advice, it will not keep your attention or loyalty.

A blog post can be a great tool for engagement-based email marketing. You can put the full article in the body of the newsletter or just have the first paragraphs of the article in the newsletter and then link to your blog.

When people feel that your advice or content is valuable, they can share it with their friends. Don’t forget to add a little note at the end of your article inviting your readers to share your content with their followers on social media for further exposure.

And keep in mind that people are now seeking reassurance around COVID-19 protocols. Your followers will gain courage and peace of mind if you tell them things like strict cleaning routines and employees who wear face masks.

6. Get people used to special offers.

I said that you shouldn’t make your email newsletter too commercial, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid sharing the benefits of your product or service.

An ideal way to do this is to have a dedicated promotion section in your newsletter, so that people get used to the idea of ​​seeing valuable content alongside promotions. That way, they won’t be surprised or offended if you suddenly promote something in your ezine.

7. Segment your lists.

Your subscribers are not all the same. You can really improve open rates and engagement by dividing your subscriber list into groups based on their demographics and behavior.

For example, targeting a specific geographic area to share news about a local event or targeting a group that spent more than a certain amount promoting higher-quality products.

8. Make it easy to unsubscribe.

While you don’t want your followers to give up, it is critical to comply with Anti-Spam and CASL laws. While this isn’t necessarily a way to improve email engagement, it’s the law, and you can pay hefty penalties if you don’t follow it.

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I know this may sound like a lot of information, but there are a lot of variables when it comes to engagement-based email marketing. But when done effectively, you can get a lot of value from leads, sales, and social media followers.

It’s worth the time and effort to create an engagement-based email marketing campaign.

As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate, so if you find that it is too much to improve email marketing on your own, contact us for help.

For the success of your business,

Susan