Email Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

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Think email marketing might not work for your business? Think again. Check out these email marketing stats that were recently released by salesforce.com.

  1. 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email. 
  2. 33% of email recipients open email based on subject line alone. 
  3. Roughly half of an email list will be active – either opening or clicking on emails.
  4. Subject lines fewer than 10 characters long had an open rate of 58%. 
  5. Personalized subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened. 
  6. For B2B companies, subject lines that contained “money,” “revenue,” and “profit” performed the best. 
  7. 64% of people say they open an email because of the subject line.
  8. 7 in 10 people say they made use of a coupon or discount from a marketing email in the prior week.
  9. 39% of marketers have no strategy for mobile email.
  10. 72% of B2B buyers are most likely to share useful content via email.
  11. Monday emails had the highest revenue per email. 
  12. 27% of consumers were more likely to say their favorite companies should invest in more email. 
  13. Emails that include social sharing buttons have a 158% higher click-through rate.
  14. Women click 10% more often than men on mobile emails. 
  15. 82% of consumers open emails from companies.
  16. 64% of decision-makers read their email via mobile devices.

So, what’s the recipe for a perfect email campaign? Here are a few do’s and don’ts to consider before sending off your next piece of communication.

– DO –

Craft a killer subject line. In email marketing, it’s almost always the subject line that causes people to open or delete your email, so putting the right combination of words together is pretty much imperative to the email’s overall success. If you’re not a marketing vocabulary genius, that’s totally okay. Here are a few tips for creating an effective subject line:

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  • In the words of Don Draper (by the way, did anyone catch the Mad Men premier last night?), make it simple, but significant. Steer clear of lengthy or overly wordy subject lines. Those with 28-39 characters typically have the highest click-through rate.
  • Ask questions. If you’re sending out an email about an upcoming event or in-store sale, a few ideas could be: What are your plans this weekend? Or Want to know about something amazing happening Friday?
  • Be persuasive. Words like free, sale, party, event make for great marketing language.
  • Include a call-to-action. What do you want your audience to do? Make it clear whether you want them to go to your website, visit your store, sign up for a contest, etc.
  • Don’t be too sales-y or pushy in your subject line. The folks at MailChimp tell their customers “when it comes to email marketing, the best subject lines tell what’s inside, and the worst subject lines sell what’s inside.”

– Make the email design attractive. Whether you use a theme or hire a designer to develop a custom template, it’s important to stand out and look clean, vibrant and exciting.

– Set clear expectations. Sometimes I’ll open an email from a business and I’ll skim all the way down without finding any real purpose for the campaign other than just to plant their name in your inbox. Ahhhhhhh. Can I just stand on my soapbox for a sec and say that annoys the living heck out of me? What a surefire way to get people to either unsubscribe or report you as spam. Please don’t be that business. Make the point of your email clear from the get-go. An attention-grabbing subhead will usually do just the trick: “There’s Lots Going On At Katie’s Photography Studio This Month…Read On To See What We’re Up To!” or “XYZ Services, Inc. Was Just Awarded Small Business Of The Year! Check Out Our Major Accomplishment”

– Include a call to action right away. OK, so they’ve opened the email – what next? Be up front and clear about this. “Visit our website now through Sunday to get 40% off all orders!” or “Like us on Facebook to be entered into our spring giveaway!” are a few examples of effective calls to action.

– Send from a real person, not a generic company account. Guys, there’s absolutely nothing personal about sending from info@xyzcompany.com or emails@hairsalonforyou.com. This rings especially true for small businesses who set themselves apart by offering community-based, face-to-face relationships with customers. Bottom line: People will recognize an email from johnsmith@smithfamilybuilders.com – making them much more likely to open it than if it were from an unfamiliar name or address.

– DON’T –

– Bombard your subscribers. Depending on the kind of business you run, keep emails to a minimum. If you offer daily or weekly specials, one email a week is ideal. If you offer occasional specials, deals or news (seasonal, monthly, etc.), once or twice a month works just fine. Any more than this and you’re taking the risk of just flat out annoying your subscribers.

– Write lengthy, wordy paragraphs. People will skim through your email, so this is not the time or place to write a novel about your latest sale, achievement, new hire, store opening, big event, etc. Keep it short and to the point. Use bulleted or numbered lists, and limit paragraphs to 2-3 sentences tops.

– Forget to include crucial information. Don’t forget to include your contact information (all phone numbers and email addresses), links or social sharing icons to your website and social media pages.


 

hayley-gable-bowermanFor the last decade, Hayley has been leaving her mark creatively on small, independently-owned businesses through editorial- and design-based marketing strategies. As a believer in the art of storytelling and the influence of a strong brand, her goal is to unlock the value that all small businesses possess and use it to their advantage using creative, strategic marketing methods.