Like any other field, email marketing has its own collection of best practices. These are the larger strategies and smaller tactics that are repeatedly proven to get results. For any organization that is either building an email marketing campaign or looking to improve an existing one, consistently using best practices can be the key to success.
While a list of email marketing best practices could easily number in the hundreds, we want to help by limiting to some of the most important ones our experts have encountered. Take a few moments to read over the following information and find out how these tips can work for you and your marketing efforts.
Successful email marketers always do these things
No matter how large or small the campaign is, or its intention, the following best practices can increase your chances of success:
- Have clear goals — Before you collect a single email or draft a subject line, you have to be clear on why you’re launching an email marketing campaign. You also need specific and measurable goals for what your emails will accomplish, whether it’s brand awareness or a sales goal.
- Build an authentic list — While it’s tempting to buy an existing list, there is no substituting for capturing emails from leads and targeted prospects. This will give you a much higher chance of conversion if you know you’re speaking to a genuinely interested audience.
- Optimize for mobile devices — Mobile devices are starting to outpace desktop computers, including in email usage. If mobile users are unable to read your email or have to pinch and zoom, it won’t help your open rates and engagement.
- Don’t overlook subject lines — Subject lines are arguably the most important content piece of an email campaign, or will at least get your foot in the door. They need to be attention grabbing, short and well written to ensure people will open your emails.
- Write simple yet engaging copy — Even if you utilize a newsletter format, people are usually in a hurry when they read emails. Your messaging should be clear and get right to the point. An effective tactic is to link to longer-form blogs, videos and articles that people can bookmark and consume later.
- Be ethical with opt-outs — Even though the last thing you want is for people to drop off your list, if it is too hard to unsubscribe from your list, people may mark your email as spam. This can be far worse and may result in entire domains blocking your emails.
- Test, test, test — The best way to refine your campaigns and build your audience is to always be testing. This can help you determine which subject lines are most responsive, which offers are more profitable and what types of content is more likely to be forwarded. Like other marketing efforts, your email campaigns should always be based on sound data.
Run effective integrated campaigns with Burg & Co.
Want to learn more best practices for email marketing and other digital channels? Our team knows them! From content marketing to search engine optimization (SEO) to social media, we have decades of combined experience and a proven track record of success.
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