To this day, email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to convert your target audience to customers. Statistics say more than 300 billion emails are sent to 4 billion users every single day. These figures prove that the reach of email marketing is incredible, but they also mean the competition is incredibly tight.
Email marketing involves targeting your audience and customers through email. Email is a great avenue for a wide range of purposes.
- Sharing website, blog, or social media content
- Promoting products
- Offering sales and discounts
- Inviting subscribers to events
- Welcoming new subscribers
- Thanking a customer for purchasing
- Asking for feedback
Still, many marketers struggle with the engagement rates of their email campaigns. These eight tips can help you increase your email marketing engagement with your audience.
1. Email marketing engagement: craft an interesting subject line
Among the billions of emails being sent every day, your email should stand out at first glance.
Although most email services display only a few details—the sender’s email address, date and time sent, and the subject line—you could encourage your audience to open and read through your email by following these tips.
- Keep it brief. Top marketers have found success with 60 characters or less in the subject line.
- Use tools to personalize subject lines, like mentioning a subscriber’s first name or including a region-specific promo.
- Use A/B testing, which involves sending two kinds of emails with one distinction like a different subject line (“Tools for Growing your Business” vs. “Tools that Raise Profits to 500%”) to see which performs better.
You can also make use of the following tactics.
- Ask a question.
- Offer a relevant promo.
- Emphasize certain words with capitalization.
- Insert emojis.
When trying to make your subject line interesting, refrain from using clickbait. Not only will you lose customer trust but clickbait is ineffective in increasing conversions.
2. Optimize your format
Your readers will not want to read a wall of text, so make your emails visually pleasing. These strategies may help.
- Break down your paragraphs into smaller blocks of text.
- Add high-quality images.
- Incorporate videos or GIFs.
- Don’t forget about mobile! 42% of email opens in 2019 were on mobile devices.
Ultimately, your emails should reflect your brand, so if you have a youthful brand, don’t be afraid to add some fun to your emails. If you have a sophisticated brand, design your email content to show that.
Additionally, make it convenient for your prospects to join your email list. Try going through the signup process yourself while noting down any problems you run into as you fill out the contact form.
3. Provide valuable content
According to research by Sinch, 40% of consumers have at least 50 unread emails in their inboxes. You could prevent this problem by creating content that your target audience will find valuable.
When you don’t know your audience well, your emails can end up in the unread pile. Meanwhile, understanding your readers and what is valuable to them can increase engagement in your email marketing campaigns.
Additionally, consistently hitting the mark helps build trust. Plan email campaigns alongside your general marketing plan to maintain consistency across channels. A variety of content also keeps things interesting and satisfies different preferences.
There are several kinds of emails you can send to your subscribers.
Welcome email
A welcome email is sent right after someone subscribes to your newsletter. This enables you to introduce your brand and set expectations about what they will receive moving forward. Additionally, rewarding new subscribers with a special gift or coupon creates a good impression.
Promo or coupon offer
When sending an offer, focus on what your readers are getting. Keep the content brief and add a large call-to-action at the bottom to grab their attention.
Content launch
Announce a content launch with a description and a link to access the content, whether it’s an e-book, an infographic, or a blog post.
Webinar invitation
Send an invite for a relevant webinar to your subscribers’ email. Include the title, date, and sign-up or registration link.
Request for feedback
Asking for feedback through email is a great way to engage your audience. Not only will you receive useful information but this also opens up a helpful line of communication.
4. Email at the right time
You want to be consistent with your communication without clogging up your subscribers’ inboxes. For most people, any more than 5 emails a week can get annoying.
So, determine how frequently you want to send out emails. Should you decide to send more or fewer emails than what is ideal or necessary, remember to keep your eye on your open and click-through rates.
You should also factor in the day of the week and time of day. The best time to send an email will largely depend on your audience’s behavior.
- 58% of users check their email first thing in the morning, but some might open their inbox after work or even during lunch.
- Friday sees the highest open and click-through rates, but the difference from other weekdays is not a lot.
People have different routines and habits, so sending everyone an email at the same time may not be the best approach. You can use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the best send time based on time zone, region, and past activity.
5. Personalize your emails
2021 email trends showed the type of content readers want to see in their inboxes. For one, audiences favor brands that try to connect with them on a more personal and human level.
Likewise, showing products, content, and information that match someone’s preferences is a great way to increase engagement. Here are some ideas you can try.
Segment your audience
There are many ways you can categorize your audience, but common ones include location, industry, hobbies, and behavior. Marketers who had launched segmented campaigns using these criteria noticed as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
Get interactive
Interactive elements like hover effects or dynamic ratings can improve the audience experience. You can also integrate real-time updates, fun quizzes, and surveys that readers can access without leaving their inboxes.
Add an email signature
Add a personal touch to your emails by including an email signature with your basic information: name, designation, company, and company address.
Set up trigger-based responses
Trigger-based responses are emails that are automatically sent when a customer performs a particular action. For example, someone who just purchased a product automatically receives a “Thank you” email along with an order summary.
You can use AI to best analyze and send automatic emails in situations when:
- Something on a customers’ wish list is on stock
- It’s the birthday of one of your subscribers
- Someone downloads an e-book
- A customer abandons their shopping cart
6. Get your audience involved
One of the best ways to interest your readers is to include content from their peers. This acts as great social proof while encouraging your audience to directly engage with your email campaign.
There are a few ways to do this.
- Testimonials – Share great testimonies and reviews from your customers. This can be in the form of text, graphics, or videos.
- Influencers – Collaborate with an influencer whose following aligns with your target audience. You can highlight the influencer’s favorite products to increase audience interest.
- Social sharing – Let your audience share your emails with someone they know by adding social sharing buttons. This simple feature can increase email marketing engagement and the reach of your email.
7. Always include a call to action
For each email, make your goal clear with a call to action (CTA). Your CTA can be anything from viewing a new product to reading a blog post. A good CTA encourages a reader to take action immediately after reading the email.
Below are the best CTA practices to guide you.
- Make the journey as convenient and user-friendly as possible. If a reader has to spend time looking for the next step, they might lose interest.
- If you want your audience to download something, place a button that is easy to find. Then, tailor the rest of the email to emphasize your CTA button.
- Switch up your CTAs from time to time. Instead of “Shop Now,” try a CTA that flows well with the email copy.
- Use visual cues like high contrast, outlined boxes, and distinct images to showcase your CTA.
8. Experiment with strategies
The best way to see what works for you and your target audience is to try different approaches. Some strategies might work rather poorly and some may be great, but you will never know until you try.
Experiment with subject lines, images, and diction by sending to two groups with slightly different emails. When testing something out, limit the variables by keeping the rest of the email the same across the groups.
From there, you can note down significant key performance indicators (KPIs) and analyze what works best with your audience.
Important KPIs include the following:
- Click-through rate – the percentage of subscribers who click on your CTAs
- Open rate – the percentage of subscribers who open the email after they receive it
- Unsubscribe rate – the rate of people unsubscribing from your email list
Shine Through Email
Email users receive tons of messages per day. Engage your audience and stand out from the competition by crafting emails that will compel one to read them, from the subject line to the main content and the CTA. With these email marketing hacks in mind, you are already on your way to increasing email marketing engagement in your next campaign.
