By the end of 2022, researchers expect the number of emails sent and received daily to exceed 330 billion. That’s a lot of mail! And unfortunately, a lot of it ends up buried in inboxes or dumped into junk folders. So how can you cut through the chaos and harness the power of email marketing? And then, assuming you can do that, how do you keep your audience engaged enough that they don’t hit “Unsubscribe”?
Email campaigns are proven effective for converting prospects’ interest into real revenue. But there’s so much more to creating a good campaign than writing up an article or compiling a promotion — and then blasting it out to your entire database.
The key to a successful email campaign is finding your rhythm. Getting the right message to the right audience in the right order is both a science and an art — as is the timing between emails. If a prospect feels pestered or confused by irrelevant or intrusive content, then they’re likely to opt out.
Here are a few tips for optimizing your next email campaign:
What do you want to achieve, and then how will you guide your audience from Point A to Point B? Are you looking to improve traffic to your blog? Drive ecommerce sales? Schedule meetings? Close deals? Start with the end in mind, and then back out the steps your reader needs to take to get there.
Recognize each recipient’s place in their journey and respond to the things they care about at that particular moment. By utilizing the right tools and delivering content your audience wants, you can connect with them on a more personal level. Create emails that meet the recipient where they are — and don’t try to make one email do all the work.
Every audience is different, depending on your business and your industry. A retailer looking to boost sales, for example, will send more frequent emails than a specialized tech firm that wants to book meetings with decision makers. Do your research to know what will work for your readers and your goals.
Whenever possible, let your recipients choose their own email preferences. When they can control the flow, they’re less likely to get overwhelmed and walk away when their inbox gets too full.
Effective email marketing is all about guiding your reader smoothly through their journey, and then leading them to engage and act. It starts with a thoughtful strategy, a clear objective, and a compelling message. From there, you can create a highly focused campaign that invites your audience to connect on their own terms.
By working with all kinds of companies across a wide range of industries, we’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to email marketing. We’d love to chat about your ideas for engaging with your audience — and show you how an optimized email strategy can help you get there.