Learn how leading brands are maximizing their revenue with email marketing, and why email is as relevant as ever today.
A recent study by Venture Beat found that almost 80 percent of email marketers have difficulty maintaining their subscribers, let alone growing them. That’s nearly all email marketers. And yet,84 percent of marketers think email is critical for establishing brand loyalty. So why is it so hard to market successfully via email, and how can you win a losing battle?
The first step is identifying how email marketing has changed. We get vastly more emails today than we received a decade ago, and a decade ago we received more emails than a decade before that. Email has never been more popular, which means we are sending and receiving more email than ever before. Combine booming email popularity with the advent of mobile technology. Half of emails are now read on a mobile rather than a desktop screen, making emails smaller and more difficult to read. Suddenly, you’ve got a major marketing problem.
You can still succeed with email marketing, maintain a solid clientele, and even grow your revenue substantially, but you’ll have to play the game right. Read on for a few of the essentials of email marketing that the big brands are already using.
Use the Right Technology
That’s right, email marketing is complex in the modern era and an outdated Listserv won’t cut it. The big names that are finding success in email marketing are the ones who understand how to play the game using technology that does the work for them. Accelerate your email subscriber acquisition using a confirmed opt-in call-to-action to get the most contacts that have shown interest in your brand. You can also use a mail transfer agent (MTA) for high volume, high velocity email delivery. MTAs also allow you to build a custom sending solution tailored to your company’s schedule. For instance, a time-sensitive retail promotion can be advertised swiftly and efficiently through email marketing with an MTA.
Personalize
A study by Experian Marketing Services revealed that personalized emails deliver a transaction rate 6 times higher than average, as well as 29 percent higher than average open rates and 41 percent higher click rates. Despite this, 70 percent of companies don’t personalize. Before we hit you over the head with statistics, make an effort to personalize your email marketing efforts. Include a customer name, an informal greeting and his or her preferred products or service history.
Go Mobile
Now is not the time to slack on making the mobile shift. Make sure that your emails can be read on a mobile screen to avoid being trashed simply due to poor mobile adaptability.
Unify Your Online and Email Marketing Efforts
Keeping your online presence and your email marketing well integrated helps solidify your brand in the minds of consumers and strengthens your marketing efforts. Make sure you have an option to sign up for email newsletters on your landing page, and email customers who’ve clicked on products without purchasing or abandoned shopping carts to remind them to come back.
Test Your Success
Try A/B testing to help you better understand the potential difference that a new headline could make, a different graphic, or an alternate CTA placement. Something as minor as placing the CTA above the fold rather than below can make all the difference. You should always be on the lookout for new ways to optimize your email marketing efforts to bring in as many clicks and transactions as possible.
Conclusion
While people may receive more emails today than ever before, consumers are also more eager to form an ongoing relationship with brands they trust. When email marketing is nearly a surefire way to guarantee that you’re reaching your customers or potential customers who have already expressed some interest in your brand, it’s a shame not to use all the tools at your disposal to optimize your inbound marketing. By making sure to keep your email marketing efforts up to date with the latest trends and consumer preferences, you can boost your revenue and increase your fan base with the click of a button.
What strategies will you use to optimize your email marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments below!
