Back to Basics: Fundamentals of a Successful Marketing Email

Creating a successful marketing email is more important than ever before. So much data is out there with even more companies fighting to get our attention. Most marketers should know to never blast their list but surprisingly it still happens. Email marketing should be used to target a specific audience with relevant, interesting and helpful content. It should pique interest and drive engagement; not just get the word out.

In this article, we’ll show you how to get the most out of your marketing email whether you’re sending a Newsletter or Blog Posts.

Why a Good Marketing Email is Essential

Email is still seen as one of the most important marketing tactics and for good reason. The forecast for email users globally is said to rise to 2.9 billion by 2019. Here are some jaw-dropping stats before we continue:

Third most influential source of information for B2B audiences only behind referrals and industry-specific thought leaders
Nearly 60% of marketers say email is their most effective channel in terms of revenue
80% of retail professionals indicate that email marketing tops their customer retention rates
Segmented email campaigns have a 14% higher open rate than non-segmented campaigns
CTR (click-through rate) is also 100% higher in segmented email campaigns
In the UK, every pound spent on email marketing has an ROI of £38 and in the US it’s $44
A study of 1 billion emails revealed that including video in a marketing email increases CTR by 96%

Read this article for more email marketing statistics and information.

Creating The Perfect Marketing Email

At times our inboxes are flooded with emails and often we simply move it to Trash or mark as Spam. For this very reason, every marketing email you send must count and provide value to your audience. Make the content about them to increase engagement and your following will continue to grow. You could even be considered an expert in your field but everything depends on quality content. Take a look at these proven content ideas you could easily implement today.

Repurposed Blog

Depending on the size of your blog, you could repurpose the content and actually create a marketing email series. Take away a few key points, relevant to your audience, change the format and click send. One example is to turn your blog post into a ‘How To Guide’ over a few weeks. This approach can apply to nearly any business especially if you’re giving advice to your audience, such as web design principles or essential guide to pet care.

E-Newsletter

We use the term ‘Newsletter’ loosely but it is a powerful marketing tool when used correctly. It should include 3-4 content pieces, i.e. latest and most popular blog post, a company announcement, industry-specific news and helpful tips. Design and visuals are even more important for a Newsletter so be creative and imagine yourself being a customer. What would you like to see and read about?

Personal or Business Announcements

Announcements can be used in various ways and depend on the business and their audience type. It can include things like a company announcement of new premises, product launch, sponsored sporting event, a Webinar or even a new client acquisition. Almost anything goes but, once again, it must be interesting and relevant to your audience.

Offer Free Downloadable eBooks and White papers

eBooks have fast become one of the most popular ways to get information and connect with the audience. The potential is incredible and has rightly earned the title as one of the most powerful forms of content marketing. Offering a digital version of a book sounds simple but you need to ensure the format is user-friendly to facilitate skimming and scanning. The length also needs to be right (12-40+ pages) and visually attractive. Here’s a closer look at what a good Lead Generating eBook looks like.

White papers are similar to eBooks but there are fundamental differences. White papers tend to be long and linear, data-centric and often based on formal research. They don’t usually contain visually impressive images or graphics although you might find the odd exception. Some might include graphs or other graphical representations of data.

Important Action Items

Don’t forget to add a clear, concise and powerful CTA (Call to Action) button or image. This should ideally be above the fold or at least repeated throughout the copy to ensure its effectiveness. As far as possible, try to end your email with a request. Encourage them to sign up for your blog or get in touch if they have any questions or comments.

Adding share buttons will also make it easier for the reader to post your content on their social media channels. The easier they can ‘spread the word’, the better for your business.

For the love of everything that’s holy, remember to include contact information. Your name, email address, contact number and website. Some might say your social media links should also be included but that’s not a deciding factor.

Golden Rules of Email Marketing

One last thing and possibly one of the most important aspects; make sure your email template is mobile friendly. More and more people are accessing emails on mobile devices so format your design accordingly or pay the price of lost opportunities.

The golden rule of email marketing is not to just send and forget; keep a close eye on your analytics. Knowing what the email open rate is, engagement, number of bounces and unsubscribes can help you determine what works and what doesn’t.

Perhaps you’d like to share your wisdom with our readers on what a successful marketing email has done for you or your business. Please get in touch if you have any questions or need help with your email marketing campaign.