[icegram campaigns=”407″]
With the success of Social Media and the increase of social media marketing, the death bell of Email marketing has been rung prematurely! Email Marketing is a topic that is consistently changing. Not only are email marketing tactics constantly evolving, but what consumers want from an email marketing campaign is very fluid. One day it’s images that get your emails opened, and the next it’s the subject line that has the biggest effect.
Email marketing is perhaps one of the most underrated forms of digital marketing, despite the popularity of other types of communication, email marketing is still a cornerstone of any successful business, whether the organisation is a niche retail site or a large corporation. There is, however, is potential spoke in the wheels of many UK & EU based companies whom are using MailChimp and other US providers. The European Court of Justice decided that Safe Harbour did not give data transfers between Europe and the US adequate protection at the start of October 2015, declaring the agreement void, but the court has given the EU and US until 31 January 2016 to agree on a new deal, there has not been any indications that this date will be met…. If this is not met the courts statement was very clear: “EU data protection authorities are committed to take all necessary and appropriate actions, which may include coordinated enforcement actions”, so it would seem that it’s time for UK based companies to look for UK solutions before January 31st 2016.
But why is email so important? Why is it a marketing strategy that you need to take advantage of?
Email is What Your Recipients are Expecting
According to Adobe’s August 2015 email marketing study, 63% of customers still prefer to receive marketing promotions and offers through email. This means that customers are not only expecting your messages, they are waiting for them! So make sure you’re providing visitors to your site with an option to subscribe to your messages, and then provide an email preference center so you know exactly which emails they’re going to open.
Email is Mobile
Our friends over at HubSpot estimate that about 53% of all people check their email on their phone and a A recent US Consumer Device Preference Report from MovableInk highlighted that 66% of all email in the US is now read on smartphones, and usage is not the only thing changing. Screen sizes are actually getting bigger to accommodate video and gaming demands. You can use your analytics program to see the devices your visitors are using for email. With this in mind, you can inform your email designs, including responsiveness, font size and the location of your CTAs. which means customers are checking email and shopping online whenever it’s convenient for them. As a marketer, you have the opportunity to create messages for the mobile experience and target people whenever they check their inbox.
Marketing email is no longer considered “junk,” and it’s definitely not “spam,” it’s simply promotional material your recipients are expecting in their inbox. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get started creating a modern, impactful email marketing program.
Email Marketing is Measurable
In a way that direct, mail, or other forms of marketing can never hope to be, email marketing allows you to determine a tangible return on investment for all of your efforts. Through email marketing, you can track who has opened your message, what mail client they use, when they engaged with your message, and what link they’ve clicked on.
So let have a look at our top tips for 2016….
Time for a clearout
It might seem a touch early for a spring clean but it’s important to keep your email database refreshed and up to date. Take some time to go through your contact list and delete any obvious “spammy” addresses that have registered. Another good idea would be to send out an e-shot to any subscribers that haven’t opened or engaged with an email of yours for a while (let’s say six months) and give them the option to unsubscribe. It might seem odd to encourage people to stop following you but it’s better to have a database full of interested, legitimate subscribers that will genuinely take interest in your email marketing.
First impressions count
Undoubtedly, an emails subject line is the most important tool when it comes to your email marketing. It’s the first thing your customer will see, even before opening the e-shot itself and can be the difference between someone opening your mailer and reading it or simply deleting. We always suggest testing subject lines where possible – most email marketing software has the functionality to split test or A/B test subject lines so you can see which proves most popular.
Linking is key
Like any digital marketing, one of your end goals with email marketing should be to drive traffic to your website. Therefore, links in emails are hugely important and if you aren’t including them, you could be missing out on a great opportunity to gain more visitors. Ensure there’s at least one link to your website within the email content itself as well as links off to your social platforms, a blog or registration page. Be careful though: over-linking can make the email look messy and too promotional. Try to stick to a maximum of four or five links per email.
Segmentation
This is one of the key ways to improve open rates. The more the written content is suited to your audience’s needs, the better your open rates. For example, if you send an email regarding a sale to someone who is subscribed to your blog but lives on the wrong continent to order your product they are not going to bother opening it as compared to someone interested in discounts and lives in an area where you deliver.
Include Social Sharing Buttons
In a study by MarketingCharts, they’ve revealed data that shows email CTR boosted 115% by adding social sharing buttons to email. Here, you can have some fun and experiment with where those social buttons will work the best. Putting them at the bottom of the email may not be the best choice for your customers. Try placing a few social sharing icons above the fold, or directly after the content you’ve included.
Include a Link to the Full Web Version
Most email services automatically include this option, however if you don’t see a link to view a web version within the preheader of your test email—be sure to add it! Some may prefer to click on that rather than download or turn on the images in the email.
Insta Email Marketing Promotion.
Create professional-looking email campaigns without needing to know any code with Insta Email Marketing software. Produce targeted subscriber lists, create responsive and dynamic emails, integrate your social media notifications, and track the results in an easy-to-use fully-hosted solution.
Watch Our Video to see how easy it is to Create an email marketing campaign with Insta Email Marketing! For more details, click here…
To see our video on Customer Segmentation in Insta Email Marketing click here
