In 2020, email marketing will no longer be about having a one-size-fits-all approach to market your products. As the number of email accounts and email users rapidly increase, brands are willingly investing to develop a powerful email strategy to take advantage of the changing market dynamics.
We already know the impact email marketing has on customers and how it influences their purchase decisions and brand engagement. That is why 59% of marketers still consider email to be one of the most effective ROI-driven marketing tools.
As we move into 2020, here are some proven email marketing practices that will help brands increase email conversion rates and boost revenue:
Build an Engaged Email List
The success of email marketing greatly depends on the quality of your email list. Sending email campaigns to a list of engaged subscribers helps fetch long-term dividends for any brand.
A healthy email list can help generate more ROI for your business. Here is how to build an engaged list of email subscribers:
- keep your signup forms simple and place them strategically throughout your website, including your homepage, blog section, etc.
- Always get customers to confirm their email subscription by using the opt-in method.
- Include relevant data fields in the signup form to collect the right data required for communication.
- Keep your list updated and verified regularly.
Building an email list that has the right data is indeed crucial for your email campaign success. That is why, John Caldwell has deliberately said,
“To get the right message to the right person at the right time you first need to get the right data to the right database at the right time.”
Focus on Creating Catchy Email Subject Lines
Your email subject line determines whether it is worth clicking or not. This is how customers sort emails in their inboxes. If the subject line is not catchy and engaging, then the reader is less likely to be interested in opening your email. According to research conducted by the Business2Community, around 47% of email recipients open emails on the basis of the subject line only.
Short, interesting and descriptive subject lines work wonders in boosting your email open rates, ultimately leading to lead generation and conversions. You can use your segmented email list to craft customized subject lines for every reader.
Stand Out with Minimalist Email Design
In 2017, around 281 billion emails were sent worldwide every day as per estimated reports. That figure is expected to reach 347 billion by 2023. However, even though the number is increasing, most emails still go unread or unopened. Have you ever wondered why this happens?
The design of your email campaigns plays a crucial role in overall engagement. The more simple and clear your email design is, the better your chances to get noticed by customers and to stand out in the inbox crowd.
While many think bright and colourful images in an email make it eye-catchy and help to draw attention, the reality is completely opposite. Your customers engage with emails that are authentic and which establish an emotional connection. In 2020, your email strategy must focus on creating minimalist email design that optimizes email load time, delivers a brand message in plain text and concentrates more on the offer.
Optimize Emails for Mobile
Mobile devices have come a long way. From smartphones to tablets, people are using various mobile devices for convenience and flexibility of use. Considering the growing number of mobile users, it is predicted that the number of mobile users is likely to reach 7.26 billion by 2020 worldwide which confirms the need for brands to optimize their emails for mobile devices. Failing to do so will result in missing out on reaching this growing mobile user base.
If customers can’t read your emails on their mobiles, then they end up getting deleted or lost in the inbox. A well mobile-optimized email can result in more clicks ,help increase your open rate and thus, purchases and ultimately drive a high ROI. Keep these simple points in mind when designing emails for mobile devices:
- Don’t use too many images and files because it will increase load time.
- Use short texts instead of long ones.
- Make use of responsive design.
- Include call-to-action buttons and not links.
Personalize to Enhance Your Email Engagement
When it comes to planning your email strategy for 2020, personalization is a must because it has been proven to be very effective. Not targeting all customers with the same message works. Today’s customers have varied needs, and individual approaches to suit specific subscribers is a must strategy that every brand should implement. Statistics show that personalized email marketing generates a median ROI of 122%. Consumers are keener to receive personalized products that address their concerns.
Here is a guide on how to personalize your emails:
- Do not send brand emails from addresses like noreply@abc.com.
- Include the subscriber’s first name in the email subject line.
- Greet your subscriber by their first name to give a personal touch to your communication.
Following these tactics will help you better engage with your email subscribers and make them feel valued and connected with your brand.
Track Email Marketing Performance
Lastly, do not forget to track the performance metrics of your email campaign. No matter the email strategy you implement, if you don’t keep an eye on the results, then you are likely to miss out on valuable insights.
Your strategies may or may not work, but tracking performance indicators such as email open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and overall ROI will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Hence, in 2020, make sure to analyse your performance data to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing strategy. This will help improve your marketing approach and help in driving better revenue generation for your business.
