Email marketing is a powerhouse for connecting with audiences and driving sales. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is constantly checking their phones for new emails and updates. That’s why email marketing is such a game-changer – it delivers your messages straight to the inbox of your ideal client.
But not all email campaigns are winners. Knowing the best practices is key to making your emails truly stand out and click with readers.
In this post, we’ll explore the must-know email marketing tips for 2024. From irresistible subject lines to nailing personalization, we’ve got you covered to ensure your campaigns fire on all cylinders.
Build Your Email List
Building an email list provides a direct line of communication to your ideal clients’ inboxes. It allows you to share your messaging, promotions, and updates directly with individuals who have expressed interest in your business. Growing that list from scratch can seem challenging, but these simple yet effective strategies will help you cultivate it proficiently:
- First, offer a compelling incentive that motivates people to provide their email addresses. Consider what truly resonates with your audience – perhaps a free ebook, discount code, or exclusive content access. Whatever it may be, ensure it’s an enticing offer they’ll find difficult to refuse.
- Next, make the sign-up process seamless. Incorporate sign-up forms across your website, social media bios, and any live events. Implement creative tactics like pop-ups or slide-ins judiciously to avoid disrupting the user experience.
- Remarkably, you can also target audiences similar to your existing subscribers. Facebook’s “lookalike audience” tool identifies potential new subscribers with similar interests and demographics as your current list.
- However, the true differentiator is personalization. Tailor the sign-up experience to each individual. Use their name, reference their interests, and foster a connection that makes them feel understood.
- Lastly, capitalize on welcome emails. As new subscribers join, provide a warm welcome with a friendly message. Consider extending a special offer or exclusive content to cultivate appreciation and engagement from the outset.
Crafting Compelling Emails
In a recent survey, 73% of users said email is their preferred marketing channel. When it comes to email marketing, creating engaging emails is essential for grabbing your audience’s attention and encouraging them to interact with your content. After all, if your emails fail to pique their interest, they’ll likely end up in the trash or spam folder.
- Write concise emails using short paragraphs, bullet points, and section headers to make them easily scannable.
- Personalize your content by segmenting your email list and tailoring messages to specific interests and needs. Include clear, compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) like “Buy Now” to encourage people to take action.
- Incorporate relevant, high-quality visuals like images, GIFs, or videos to add excitement.
- Use a conversational, friendly tone that aligns with your brand’s personality.
- Craft attention-grabbing subject lines by leveraging tactics like actionable language, personalization, emotional words, numbers, or emojis.
- Ensure the email content delivers on whatever the subject line promised.
- A/B test different subject line variations to see which perform best.
- Create urgency with phrases like “limited time offer” to compel people to open and act quickly.
- Optimize for mobile by keeping subject lines under 50 characters and using a simple email layout.
- Avoid potential spam trigger words like “free” or “make millions.”
- Consider using AI writing tools to generate subject line ideas.
Optimizing your Email Campaigns
Email marketing has changed, from reaching everyone through one device to connecting with individuals across multiple devices. Businesses that tailor or “segment” email content to specific audiences see nearly double the sales conversions compared to generic, one-size-fits-all emails. Personalized, segmented emails that make people feel special on any device are much more effective nowadays than the same message for everyone.
Timing and Frequency
Getting the timing and frequency right is crucial for email campaign success. Send emails when your subscribers are most likely to engage – typically mid-morning or early evening on weekdays. But test to see what works best for your audience. As for frequency, a general rule is 1-2 emails per week to stay top-of-mind without overwhelming inboxes.
Testing and Split-Testing
Never stop testing and optimizing! Use A/B testing (split-testing) to try out different subject lines, email copy, CTAs, visuals, send times, etc. Analyze the results and let the data guide your approach. Even small tweaks can have a big impact.
Mobile-Friendliness
With most emails now read on mobile devices, your campaigns must be optimized for small screens. Use a responsive email design, keep content concise and easy to scan, make CTAs tap-friendly, and test how it all looks on multiple devices.
Maintaining a Clean List
Having an engaged, up-to-date email list is vital. Periodically remove inactive subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a long time, and make it a habit to clean your email list regularly. This improves deliverability and metrics like open rates. Never buy email lists either – quality over quantity every time.
Measuring Success in your Email Marketing
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are metrics that show how well your email marketing campaigns are performing. You can measure things like the rate at which your emails get delivered to inboxes, opened by recipients, and clicked on. KPIs allow you to track and summarize the performance of your email campaigns over time. You can compare the metrics across different campaigns, as well as against industry benchmarks for email marketing.
Delivery Rate
One of the most critical email marketing KPIs is the delivery rate. It’s calculated as:
(Number of emails sent – bounces) / Number of emails sent * 100
A high rate of around 95% indicates a healthy subscriber list. Tactics like a double opt-in process, avoiding email spoofing, and asking subscribers to whitelist you can boost deliverability. Since this metric confirms you’re actually reaching inboxes, it’s fundamental to campaign success.
Open Rate
The open rate measures what percentage of delivered emails actually get opened by recipients. It’s calculated as:
Number of emails opened / Number of delivered * 100
Avoid inflated numbers by ensuring re-opens don’t count as unique opens. A/B test variables like subject lines, send times, teasers or incentives to optimize open rates. You can even test whether including your company name impacts open rates.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
This KPI tracks the percentage of delivered emails that received at least one click, showing subscriber engagement with your content. The formula is:
Number of clicks / Number of delivered emails * 100
Businesses sending 5-10 campaigns monthly tend to see double the CTR of those sending ≤2 per month, so maintain a moderate cadence. CTR is also valuable for A/B tests revealing what offers/products resonate most.
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate shows what percentage of delivered emails drove recipients to take a desired action like purchasing or signing up. Calculate it as:
Number of conversions / Number of delivered emails * 100
This metric directly ties email performance to your core goals. Integrate with web analytics and use campaign tracking links to accurately attribute conversions.
Bounce Rate
The bounce rate represents what percentage of sent emails never reached the inbox, calculated as:
Number of bounces / Number of sent emails * 100
Aim for under 3%. Separate “soft” bounces (temporary issues) from “hard” bounces (invalid addresses) and remove the latter from your list to avoid being flagged as a spammer.
Forward/Share Rate
While secondary, the forward/share rate can help grow your list over time as satisfied subscribers propagate your emails. Calculate it as:
Number of forwarded/shared emails / Number of delivered emails * 100
Identify your most sharable campaigns to amplify that content.
Return on Investment (ROI)
To calculate email marketing ROI, use:
(Total campaign revenue – Total campaign costs) / Total campaign costs * 100
Include costs like labor hours spent. Email tends to yield High ROIs averaging $38 for every $1 spent when executed effectively.
Unsubscribe Rate
The unsubscribe rate shows what percentage of subscribers opt-out after an email deployed. Aim for under 0.5%. High unsubscribe rates indicate your content may not be resonating or providing enough value. Use segmentation and personalization to enhance relevance. Also, when sending bulk email in 2024, be sure you are in compliance with Google and Yahoo’s new DMARC and email possibility.
Conclusion
Email marketing is still one of the best ways for businesses to connect with customers and get them to buy products or use your services. By following the best practices we discussed in this article – building a good email list, creating compelling email campaigns, and continuously testing and improving – you’ll be in a great position to make your email marketing successful in 2024 and beyond.
However, developing and executing an effective email marketing strategy takes a lot of time and expertise. That’s where Obsessed with Success can be your valuable partner. Our team of marketing experts specializes in creating data-driven email campaigns that provide value, enhance personalization, and focus on the right metrics to maximize your return on investment.
Schedule a consultation with Obsessed with Success today, and let us help you with your email campaigns!
