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A large, almost forgotten (and sometimes believed to be antiquated) area of digital marketing is email marketing. And on another hand, with the world learning to operate in a highly virtual setting over this last year, some wonder if email marketing has been overkilled for the consumer.
Whether you believe in its scarcity or excess, email marketing is not dead. If optimized in the current digital marketing arena, it is even stronger than ever and very much so relevant today.
At Integrity, our digital marketing team has learned a lot in 20 years. Check out why email is still a smart tactic and how we can help you with every step of the email marketing process.
Email marketing can be used for many different industries. Whether your company focuses on offering a service or sells a product, a campaign strategy can be catered to your needs. This digital marketing tactic can be incredibly effective, but like any other digital marketing tactic, you can’t expect to throw spaghetti at the wall and get results.
When done correctly, email marketing can be effective because it:
While getting email addresses can be tricky, many industries are collecting emails through pop-up incentives or an engaging call to action. But beware: you want to be sure you’re adding contacts to your list without violating individuals’ privacy. Make sure you have an opt-out option for any contact who gets added and that you don’t add anyone without their permission.
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s not enough to simply do email marketing. You need to have a strategy and a goal and constantly check the data to make sure you’re on track. Best practices for email marketing in 2021 include the following tactics:
Email marketing is most effective when you tailor your message and graphic design to your audience. This can be an open-ended question, but even being able to understand the demographics can be helpful. Demographics can include age, gender, location, and interests as well as socioeconomic information. Our team analyzes and interprets the data to identify a target audience with tools such as Google Analytics.
There are really two levels of understanding your audience. One is based on who they are whereas the second is based on where they are. Email strategies tailored to where your audience is at in their journey can provide insights to what works for which client: potential, current or past client.
Our digital marketing team at Integrity can help you tailor your email marketing campaign for who your audience is and where they are at in their journey.
One powerful type of email marketing approach that correlates with the importance of knowing your audience is a drip campaign. These campaigns in particular can encourage hesitant buyers to purchase or take action or encourage repeat customers or clients.
Drip campaign or drip marketing is where emails are sent on set timing based on actions the receiver takes or changes in their status. This way businesses can keep in touch with their audience in a personalized and targeted way dependent upon the audience’s actions. You can also utilize drip campaigns to re-engage dormant audiences as well but offering new incentives based on previous actions.
Use the recipient’s name as well as other details you can obtain including products viewed or actions. Or, if your industry is program or member-based, you can track the progress and use email marketing to encourage and engage. Your audience is more likely to buy or engage in your industry if you recognize and remember them.
Emails should be designed to be scannable and to the point by using the value of proper content. As with all digital marketing, content is key, and the way you utilize the power of vocabulary will help you be successful.
Create compelling subject lines with calls to action applicable to your industry. Optimized and successful email campaigns target the relevant target audience with relevant content. Make sure your email campaigns represent your brand and website design.
Choose the right devices and email platforms to help avoid the spam folder and get seen by more eyes. Ask questions such as:
These are all questions that need to be considered when creating, testing, and sending an email campaign in order to be successful with visuals and messaging. As we always say at Integrity, “user experience is the brand.” If your recipients have a poor experience — or can’t even find your emails in the first place — you’re wasting a lot of time and energy to guarantee a very small ROI. At that point, you may as well end up in junk mail (which you want to avoid as well).
Here are some more ways to increase your open rates, if you’re curious.
We believe in data-driven actions. One of our top priorities in any email marketing campaign is to track the success of your email campaign to discover what is successful and what is not.
Some email software can help you with a brief overview of the data, but it will not analyze or interpret the data and assist with creating successful strategies for your company and your audience. We can take it a step further by applying best practices for the right audience based upon data-proven results using the tools available.
Structuring a successful email campaign for all target audiences with personalized messaging and optimizing visual design can be challenging. Our team at Integrity is here to help with any email or digital marketing strategies you’re looking to improve upon this year.
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If you need any assistance with your digital marketing or apply best practices for your email marketing campaigns, contact Integrity’s digital marketing team.
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