Mastering-Email-Marketing1

1. Mastering Email Marketing: Strategies to Boost Your Open and Click-through Rates What Is Email Marketing? Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending promotional messages or emails to a mass quantity of people. It's one of the oldest forms of digital communication but remains one of the most effective marketing channels, with a user base of over 4.5 billion people. Getting Started With Email Marketing To get started with email marketing, businesses first need to build a list of subscribers who have opted-in to receive their emails. This can be done by offering a lead magnet, such as a free ebook, whitepaper, or discount code in exchange for their email address. Once you have a list of subscribers, you can start creating and sending email campaigns. Strategies to Boost Your Open and Click-through Rates 1. Abide by CAN-SPAM rules. CAN-SPAM (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing) is a law established in 2003 that sets the rules for commercial emails and messages. It gives recipients the right to stop receiving emails from a business and outlines the penalties for violating the law. To be compliant with CAN-SPAM, your emails must follow these rules: • Include a valid physical postal address in every email you send out. • Use clear "From," "To," and "Reply to" language that accurately reflects who you are. • Avoid "no-reply" or similar sender names, which prevent recipients from opting out of an email newsletter if they'd like to. • Avoid selling or transferring any email addresses to another list. If you're unsure whether your emails comply with CAN-SPAM, consult with your business's legal counsel. 2. Ensure your opt-in process complies with GDPR. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law enacted across Europe in May 2018 to better protect internet users' personal data. To comply with GDPR, businesses must ensure that their opt-in process is clear and that users are not automatically opted-in to receive emails. When a user lands on a page that solicits their personal information, they should be given the clear option to opt into your email newsletter themselves. By limiting your subscriber list to only

2. those who specifically asked to join, you can ensure that only the most interested people are receiving your messages, maximizing the chances of converting readers to qualified leads. 3. Email new contacts within 24 hours. When a user subscribes to your newsletter or signs up for an offer, they're likely to be more receptive to your brand within the first 24 hours. Take advantage of this opportunity by sending an initial email during this window. This is also a great opportunity to set expectations and establish your brand. 4. Send your emails from a real person, not your company. Sending emails from a real person instead of a generic email address can increase your email open rates. Recipients are typically more likely to trust a personalized sender name and email address. This is especially important in a world where people are constantly inundated with spam emails and may hesitate to open emails from unfamiliar senders. 5. Pre-set the preview text. Email clients like the iPhone Mail app, Gmail, and Outlook will display the first few lines of text from the body of your email alongside the subject line. This is a text preview of the content inside the email. Use it to provide a short, to-the-point synopsis of what you're offering. Keeping it to 50 characters or less can maximize engagement. When you don't set the preview text, the client will automatically pull from the body of your email, which not only looks messy but is also a wasted opportunity to engage your audience. 6. Write clear and clickable subject lines. The subject line of your email is the first thing your audience sees, so it's crucial to get it right. To make your email stand out, your subject line should be clear, concise, and clickable. Use language and messaging that your target buyer persona is familiar with and excited about, and try to include an exclusive value proposition. Avoid spam triggers like “Cash,” “Quote,” and “Save." You can even include your recipient’s first name to increase clickthrough rates or add something about their specific location. 7. Keep your emails concise. Your email recipients likely have a lot of emails to go through, so keeping your message concise is key. Too much copy can be a red flag for spam filters, so make sure your message is short and to the point. Break up longer emails into multiple paragraphs and provide visual breaks to make it easier to skim. 8. Include one call-to-action button per email.

3. Include a clear call-to-action button that's easy to spot in your email. Place your CTA in a location where it's easily visible and where it makes sense for someone to click on it. For example, if you're offering a free ebook, put a CTA to download it in the email that describes the ebook. 9. Add alt text to your CTA image. Some email clients block images, so adding alt text to your images can help your audience understand your message even if they can't see the images. This is especially important for your CTA button, as you want your recipients to know where to click to take action. 10. Hyperlink your emails' images. Hyperlinking your images to the corresponding web page can increase the clickthrough rate. People are drawn to images more commonly than text, and you want to give your email subscribers as many options to take action as you can. 11. Include noticeable text links. Link to your featured offer in multiple places in addition to the call-to-action button. Having more links increases the opportunity for engagement and you may convince your reader to click through. 12. Place at least one clickable item above the fold. Mobile users especially appreciate a clickable item near the beginning of the email. Place one or more of your clickable elements, such as a CTA button, text link, or clickable image, near the beginning of your email. 13. Add alt text to all of your images. Adding alt text to your images helps recipients understand your message, even if they can't see the images right away. Make the language in your alt text actionable, such as "Click here to download the ultimate content creation kit," so it can essentially turn every linked image into another CTA. 14. The Pitfalls of Background Images in Email Marketing Avoid background images in email marketing, especially if your target audience uses Outlook. Microsoft Outlook doesn't recognize background images, which means that you risk losing potential customers. Instead, use a background color and incorporate images in other ways to make your email stand out. Learn from Harry's email below on how to do it right.

4. 15. Tips for Formatting Your Email Marketing Campaign Formatting your email marketing campaign is key to ensuring that your emails are read and not ignored. Here are some formatting areas to focus on: make your email mobile-friendly, avoid hiding critical information in images, ensure the email width is right, and create scan able emails. By following these tips, you'll be able to improve the readability and click-through rates of your email marketing campaign. Check out the example below for inspiration. In conclusion, mastering email marketing can be a powerful tool for businesses to increase their open and click-through rates, build relationships with customers, and drive sales. By understanding the best practices for email design, content creation, segmentation, and automation, businesses can create effective email campaigns that resonate with their audience and drive engagement. It is also important to regularly analyze and optimize email campaigns to ensure continued success. With the right strategies and tools, businesses can harness the power of email marketing to achieve their marketing goals and drive growth.