Power Up Better Email Conversion with this "Secret Sauce"
Fifteenth in a series
If you’re disappointed with your email marketing results, it’s time to review what you have now and rework it using the latest proven techniques. Read on as we spill the “secret sauce.”
We shared email marketing trends last time. Now let’s examine the specific elements that are being used in today’s most successful email campaigns so you can incorporate them into your own marketing. These aren’t difficult actions to take and yet, so many don’t get it right.
Start with the best subject line.
If you lose your reader when they’re skimming subject lines in their inbox, it doesn’t matter what else you provide in your email. Do your absolute best at writing something so compelling they won’t delete you without even opening your message.
What’s compelling? Research says your subject line should be short for easy scanning and to make sure it isn’t cut off by Outlook or similar tools. In that limited space, use meaningful words, especially ones associated with action. Try to create a sense of urgency such as “Today Only,” “Last Chance,” or “Going Fast.” By the way, stats say (and you probably already know this!) that a negative message gets people to respond more often than a positive one.
Once you’ve done you’re very best, do it again. Now take those two and test them against each other. Use the one with the most opens. Better yet, improve on it and test again. Getting folks to open because of your subject line is your biggest challenge.
Map out your email content.
Once you have caught your recipient’s eye, don’t squander the opportunity! Your email content needs to fulfill the interest you piqued – and the sooner the better!
Identify the pain that your product or service will relieve and make that possible transformation clear right up front while you still have their attention. For example, instead of introducing your real estate business, point out how irritating it is to work in a small, outdated kitchen and how you can find them that new, spacious kitchen they long for.
You can include more details later, but organize your content so that it’s easy to scan. Use bullet points and headlines to highlight the most important parts, but be careful not to go overboard because when everything is “important,” nothing stands out anymore.
Take care when creating your Call to Action and only include one per email. You want to be crystal clear about what you are asking your reader to do so it is easy for them to do it. Like the subject line, test your two best efforts to see which resonates better.
Connect with your prospective customer.
This is where your customer persona research comes in handy. Knowing your audience fully is crucial for creating email marketing that they will respond to. Consider the tone of your message, the types of images, even the best time of day to reach them.
Personalization is currently really big in marketing. Addressing your recipient by name is one way to connect personally, but so is acknowledging where they are on the buyer’s journey. Your message for previous customers should be different than that for new ones. You might also want to segment your list by age or location or some other trait for personalized messages.
Earn respect by being respectful.
The last ingredient in this “secret sauce” is maintaining an impeccable reputation so you aren’t banished as spam. Good design quality is the first step, with correct grammar and punctuation. Using your logo and branding across all of your marketing from email to website to social media helps people recognize your business as legitimate. Bombarding them with mail will get you deleted, but contacting them on a regular basis establishes familiarity. Finally, don’t use just any excuse to push a hard sell. Keep your messages appropriate to the circumstance.
When you’re running an email campaign, it's smart to set yourself realistic goals. The average email conversion rate was 15.22% in 2021, which may sound underwhelming, but is far better than the 2.5% conversion rate of paid advertising, so it’s worth the effort. If you’re interested in launching an email campaign but need help, the Sprocket Websites team is standing by to assist you. Just give us a call to talk it over.
Read the next post in this series.
Photo by Mikhail Nilov
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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