7 Ways To Master Email Marketing in 2018

A new year gives the opportunity to tell your story in a different way and perfect your business strategy. Email marketing should be at the top of that list. Now is the time to reflect on the successes and failures of 2017. Take stock of your assets, what tools you have and what you still need in order to achieve success in 2018.

The rapid growth in the use of smartphones and tablets will see consumers continue to use email as one of the preferred ways to stay in touch with their favourite brands. This means the ‘mobile web’ will continue to provide more opportunity to engage customers effectively using email marketing.

Email Marketing Tips For 2018

We’ve compiled a few ways you can master email marketing in 2018. If done right, you can inform, delight and drive your customers straight to that “buy” button. Better yet, you can avoid making customers feel you are cluttering their inbox.

First Create Your Email Marketing Strategy

You should have a content marketing strategy in place before you start sending any emails. Knowing your customers are vital when determining the type of content you are going to deliver. Nothing is ever set in stone so be prepared to make changes to your strategy especially if you find that a particular type of content is not working as well as you had hoped. Take a look at this article on how to create a successful marketing email.

Don’t Buy Email Lists

This is likely one of the greatest mistakes many marketers make and should be avoided as far as possible. Buying a lead list is likely to fail for a number reasons. First and foremost, the data quality cannot be confirmed regardless of promises made by the data collection company. The data could contain invalid, incorrect and outdated email addresses, not to mention spamtraps to curb ‘serial spammers’.

Even if the data quality is acceptable, you might have a different marketing approach, goals and targets to the leads on the purchased list. Following white hat techniques are always recommended and growing your list organically means you have more control over the entire process. Do this right and you will reap the rewards!

Make It Easy To Register or Subscribe

Email marketing starts with the creation of a subscription form. You have to make it easy for people to register while at the same time avoid asking too many questions. No-one wants to complete a form with 20 questions. The best way to encourage users is to create a one-click registration form. Create a box for first name and email address along with a clear call to action or subscription button. Once you have their basic information, you can always gather more data at a later stage.

Another great way is allowing people to register using their social media accounts. It makes it easier for them and you also get their social media account details in the process.

Provide A Clear Message And Stick To The Plan

Majority of people focus on the email subject line so not everyone will read your messages all the time. Even if they open your mail doesn’t necessarily mean they have read the entire message. As a result, it’s vital to provide a clear message from the onset. You need to assume users will spend no more than 5 seconds looking at your email so try to grab their attention immediately. Create catchy subject lines, titles and easy formats. Use headings and paragraphs and ALT tags for images as some email clients don’t show images by default.

If you are using software to send emails to your subscribers, spend some time creating clear messages. Provide them with step-by-step instructions on what you need them to do. For example, tell them to confirm their email address for double opt-in purposes or where they need to click to proceed to the next step.

The tone you use in your email marketing message can also greatly affect how your audience responds. A conversational tone could result in more personal and genuine interactions. Ask questions to get them thinking and then provide them the answers they need. This can be achieved through your CTA directing them to your content that helps or educates them.

Lastly, don’t overdo it and send too many emails. If you promised a weekly email, stick to the plan as daily emails could subsequently be seen as a disturbance. These can also easily result in more unsubscribes or even spam complaints that could tarnish your reputation.

Transparency Is Key

For the sake of transparency, don’t hide the unsubscribe button. It won’t help your cause and doing so will certainly put you on the spam list. Besides, it’s important knowing how your audience respond so you can build a better email marketing strategy for your business and your customers.

Mobile-friendliness Is A Non-Negotiable

According to numerous reports, around 51% of emails are opened on mobile devices which means having a mobile-friendly campaign is essential. It’s not just about the design and readability; you also need to build a strategy for mobile users. Make sure you test your emails in on all major mobile devices before finalising your email marketing campaign. The end-goal is to create a functional, attractive and value-adding mobile campaign for a complete customer experience.

Advanced Reporting Services

There are a number of email monitoring and reporting tools available such as MailMonitor and Google Analytics. If you are using similar tools to generate accurate and detailed reports, be sure to read them intently. Identifying areas you can improve upon is key to a successful email marketing strategy in 2018. Keeping a close eye on a weekly basis will put you in a position to adjust your strategy accordingly should the need arise.

Other platforms like SharpSpring, among others, also offer marketing automation and a complete CRM system. All of which can mean the difference between a good and a great email marketing campaign.

Contact WSI eMarketing today to discuss your email marketing strategy for the New Year. We can help tailor specific solutions for your brand including Marketing Automation, Mobile Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Management and more.