Staying Virtually Connected – 5 Tips to Elevate Your Email Marketing

1. Segmenting your List

First things first, it’s important to keep your email subscribers list clean and up to date to ensure accurate analytics, testing, and reporting. Don’t be afraid to purge inactive subscribers and accounts. A helpful tip to be sure you’re not removing a potential customer is to send out an email blast to all inactive subs letting them know emails will be stopping before you let them go. By using a call to action, they can resubscribe and become active if they choose. After cleaning out your list you can continue keeping it updated by sending routine “check-ins” every so often informing subscribers how to adjust their subscription settings and customize what they receive and how often. This helps your readers feel in control of what they’re getting sent and thus become more inclined to stay tuned in. Another great way to organize your list is by creating segmented lists based on subscribers’ demographics and purchase history. Once you have these smaller segmented lists you can more effectively A/B test subject lines and visual placements.

2. Utilize Inspiration

With so many companies utilizing digital marketing and trying new approaches, there is an infinite amount of inspiration when it comes to concepts, design, and copy. An easy way to start looking out for inspiration is actually in your own inbox. When you receive an eye-catching or memorable email to your inbox, flag it for later and see how you can implement aspects of it into your own email marketing. Chances are if it caught your eye and stood out in your inbox, it will to your clients as well. Go further by encouraging your employees to do the same and share their ideas in team brainstorming sessions! There are also tons of great online resources that house digital marketing examples from all different industries. Both Pinterest and Milled.com are email inspiration gold mines.

3. Find Your Voice

As a brand, it’s important to nail down your voice. And that starts with knowing everything there is to know about your customer base. Keeping a consistent tone in the copy you post throughout all marketing channels and platforms is crucial, as it builds your brand’s identity and creates awareness more effectively. When it comes to email marketing it’s no different. It’s important that your tone resonates with your customers so you’ll need to start by understanding how your customer base interacts with your brand. You can picture your customer base as one single person that inhabits all aspects of your customer’s demographics, creating a target persona that works as a stand-in example for your entire following. By framing your writing to one target audience, it will be much easier to write in a consistent and natural voice that will connect to your readers. Emails should be easily digestible, so keep your text short and sweet. If it makes sense for the product and brand, don’t be afraid to add in humor as it is a good way to leave a lasting impression. 

4. Optimize for Mobile

When it comes to the design and content of your emails, mobile optimization should always be front of mind. Mobile email accounts for 67% of all email opens depending on your target audience, product, and email type. With over half of your subscribers viewing on their mobile devices, it’s crucial that all aspects of your emails are functional and visually pleasing on a smaller screen as well as a desktop. Here are some simple rules of thumb to follow when optimizing for mobile. 

• Keep formatting simple. Text, buttons, and images should be easy to view and interact with. 
• Utilize larger fonts and call to action buttons that are easily clicked with a thumb on a small screen. 
• When using images and media, keep files small for quick downloading. 
• Don’t assume all images will show up as some mobile devices automatically block media upon opening. Make sure the email will be effective without them.

 

5. Get Personal 

Adding personal touches to your emails is a great way to grab your reader's attention and be memorable. A good place to start is adding your personal name in the sender info so it reads “Alex from Blue Signal,” for example. You can also use plugin tools to pull each subscriber’s name into the email itself. To help your readers further connect with your brand, make sure you have a solid “welcome series” in place to send out to all new subscribers. Along with the initial company overview, crafting an email introducing your teammates with pictures and a short bio along with what they do is a great idea. This helps put a face and personality to who is working behind the scenes to take care of them.

Marketing is a crucial aspect of what we do in the recruiting space as we are always looking for the best way to present our candidates to our clients and vice versa. Whether you’re presenting as an individual or a company, it’s important your brand leaves a memorable impression. With so much of our typical communication with consumers switching to digital platforms, it’s essential we adjust and shift our focus towards online reach. A huge take away from the current climate we’re all facing is the validation that building a consistent and effective digital presence is essential, no matter what industry you’re in. Let this be the push you needed and get started building your digital marketing strategy today!