5 Tips to Step Up Your Email Marketing Game

Email marketing mastery is not something you learn overnight. Like Miyagi taught Daniel-san—”wax on, wax off”—you’ll have to practice, practice, practice. Yeah, I know I’m mixing movie metaphors, but this totally fits.

And above all else, as Yoda would say:

“Patience you must have, my young Padawan.”

Did you know that although 91% of people actually enjoy receiving marketing emails, most campaigns suffer from low open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), and conversions? Why? Perhaps, for these three reasons:

1. You aren’t reeling people in. Either your subject lines are boring, or your emails don’t hold people’s attention all the way down to the call-to-action (CTA).
2. You’re sending too many emails or, worse, irrelevant emails, which means you’re landing in their spam folder (ouch!).
3. You just don’t know what works. The tons of email marketing blogs you read online have made you confused, and you’re just losing money with your marketing emails.

Actually, here are some of the top reasons people unsubscribe from emails:

Source: MarketingSherpa

Do any of these reasons ring a bell? Worry not! Help is on the way! Oops. I did it again! Another mixed movie metaphor alert!

Keep on reading, and you’ll learn all Marketing Moxie’s tried-and-trusted email marketing tactics to transform you from a meek Padawan into a full-fledged Jedi.

Let’s get started moxie-fying your email marketing so that you too can become a master.

5 Tips to Step Up Your Email Marketing Game

When it comes to sending emails, it’s not enough to craft a persuasive message and send it to your subscribers’ inboxes. You need to make sure people are opening your emails and eventually converting into customers. How do you do that? Here are a few tactics to help you:

1. Personalize Your Messages

Personalized email marketing doesn’t mean that you email every single recipient individually. Personalization means that you use the subscriber’s data to craft a bespoke message.

For instance, Amazon sends really personalized emails. Instead of writing “Dear valued customer,” they write “Dear First Name.” And it’s not “You might like these [insert randomly generated suggestions]” but “You might like these [insert suggestions based on user’s purchase history].”

Guess what? Personalized emails offer 6x higher transaction rates! In fact, personalization can yield $20 in return-on-investment (ROI) for every dollar spent.

Source: Red

The simplest way to personalize an email is to address the recipient by name. If you wish to increase open rates by at least 2.6%, customize your email with the reader’s first name.

Source: MarketingLand

2. Avoid the Dreaded Spam Filters

How does it feel when you design a beautiful email template, craft a compelling message, and lovingly hit the send button only to find that your emails go straight to recipients’ spam folders? Pretty tear-jerking, right?

Save yourself from heartbreak and follow these best practices:

• Ensure all readers have actually subscribed to your list.
• Deliver the email campaign from an IP address that has never been used by someone else to send spam.
• Send emails via verified domains.
• Use a clean template code for your emails.
• Use merge tags to customize the email’s “To:” field.
• Educate recipients about whitelisting your emails. Ask them to include you in their contact list.
• Do not unnecessarily use “salesy” language. For example, some spam trigger terms include “buy,” “clearance,” “discount,” and “cash.”
• Do not “bait-and-switch” by adding misleading subject lines.
• Mention your location as well as a simple way for recipients to unsubscribe.

3. Add an Enticing Subject Line

Your email subject lines are everything when it comes to open and click-through rates. They can make or break your campaign. No kidding!

Follow these tactics to craft appealing subject lines:

• Build curiosity, but don’t overdo it. Make the subscriber inquisitive enough to open and click, but don’t be so mysterious that they have no clue what you are talking about.
• Throw in some figures. There’s something about figures that grabs attention.
• Talk in a sociable and relaxed manner.
• Use the language and tone that your recipients use, particularly the way they speak with their close ones.

Since 47% of all emails are opened due to the subject line alone, these tips are a surefire way to get more eyeballs to your campaign.

4. Make Your Emails Mobile-Friendly

Did you know, a whopping 67% of all emails are viewed on mobile devices? You just can’t ignore your mobile users if you truly wish to become an email marketing Jedi!

Make your email responsive and always include easy-to-load media. Avoid using lengthy subject lines, as they may get truncated on mobile devices due to small screens.

Source: Poppulo

Below are extra tactics for creating mobile-friendly emails:

• Use simple formatting (single-column and a width less than 600px).
• Use a large font size that’s easier to view on smaller screens.
• Do not assume pictures are being shown. For instance, Android doesn’t show pictures by default. So, ensure your email looks good even without images.
• Add small pictures to decrease load time.
• Include a large CTA button that’s easier to tap with a thumb.
• Avoid placing multiple links too close to one another. This will prevent the recipient from accidentally tapping the wrong link.

5. Craft Awesome Content. Every. Single. Time.

Once a recipient clicks on your campaign, you’ve won half the battle. To win the other half, you must focus on the actual email content.

Why? That’s because your recipients are more likely to open your emails in the future if they are pleased with your content. Your subscribers may even start keenly waiting for your future messages.

On the other hand, if a recipient is unhappy with your content, they are most likely not going to click on your campaign again. They may even opt-out of your list.

So, how do you ensure your recipients are pleased with your email? Simple! Make your email amazing. Here’s how you can do it:

• Add links to exceptionally valuable resources, such as a downloadable eBook, an informative blog, or a free online course.
• Ensure you aren’t sending emails just for the sake of doing so. In each email, deliver content, resources, or deals of real value.
• Awesome emails aren’t just about content. In other words, focus on the design and overall aesthetics too.

The bottom line is this: The more value you offer in each email, the more devoted your recipients will become. And, ultimately, your email open rates will skyrocket.

Wrap Up

There you have it! These are 5 solid techniques to skyrocket your email conversion rates. Once you ace these tactics, you’re ready to get your Padawan braid cut off with a lightsaber and promoted to the rank of Jedi, the master of email marketing.

Now it’s up to you:

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

– Yoda

Until next time, stay moxie my friends!

The Moxie League is the official blog of Marketing Moxie, LLC., where we dare to be daring! We love to hear from you. Please comment, like, and share below.