Definition of Email Marketing
Email marketing is a way to promote products or services through email (Gunelius, 2018). This type of marketing relies on email to deliver promotional messages directly to the inboxes of current and potential customers. Email marketing can be exceptionally useful in promoting sales, introducing new products or services or sharing meaningful non-sales content with the audience (Maday, 2021). It ranks at the top of the digital media channel and carries considerable importance for customer acquisition and retention. According to Gunelius (2018), 'email marketing is ‘an essential part of integrated marketing strategy'. The reason for that might be that it is the email itself where most people prefer to receive updates about companies, brands or sales.
The power of email marketing has been evolving over the decades. The first message sent by email dates back to 1971. The pioneer mass email message was delivered in 1978 to 100 people. However, it was not until the 1990s that email became widespread (Gunelius, 2018; Hanna et al., 2015). The initial stages of the development of email marketing were challenging due to spam practices. Therefore, email marketing used to have a bad reputation. However, since some data protection laws were passed (e.g., in 2003 in the UK), email marketing has become one of the most reputable marketing strategies (Hartemo, 2016). Also, due to its low-cost, high return on investment and possibility of reaching a large number of people (Maday, 2021; Ghani, 2019), email marketing has been widely used by companies and businesses to promote their products and services. However, an effective email campaign requires the application of some of the best practices, that help the emails to get across to the target audience and achieve the objectives.
Best Practices of Email Marketing
Segmentation
A successful email marketing strategy must imply segmentation - a division of email subscribers into smaller sections created according to set criteria. Segmentation ensures that the most effective messages are sent to an accurate audience. The division is based on their interests, purchase history and geographic location among others (Nica et al., 2019). By creating segments, it is easier to accurately respond to each of the different email lists and their characteristics, instead of creating one universal message for everyone. It is crucial to take into account that each of the subscribers will have different expectations for the brand. Therefore, mass messages do not always support the goal of the campaign. Through email segmentation, the marketer is able to determine common characteristics among the people subscribed to the mailing lists and create personalized emails based on their shared interests, which will help them to achieve their goals related to the particular company or business. One of the effective ways of segmenting the audience is referring to their stage in the purchasing journey (Šinko Morandini and Dobrinić, 2018). If they are new to the marketing list, they should receive some welcome emails including the content to introduce the brand. After the purchase, the customers should be sent follow-up messages to keep them engaged.
Types of Segmentation
Segmentation can be performed according to several criteria. Some of the examples are:
· Demographics – considering age, gender, marital status or professional life of a subscriber.
· Geographical - targeting customers according to their location. This type of segmentation can significantly influence purchase decisions, especially when the shoppers are encouraged to visit psychical stores.
· Email engagement – this division is based on open rate and click-through rate that are default tracked. Different messages will be sent to people who rarely open the emails than to those who followed a specific link (Nica et al., 2019; Sigh et al., 2019).
Implementation of segmentation tactics can significantly improve customer engagement and, resultantly, positively affect their experience. Through receiving adequate messages, customers will perceive the particular marketing campaign as valuable and useful content. They are likely to develop brand awareness, positive brand associations and loyalty. Hence through segmentation, the business takes the time and effort to build customers’ trust and meet their needs (Šinko Morandini and Dobrinić, 2018).
Figure 1. Segmentation – An email sent by Patagonia Europe, advertising an event that takes place in Europe. The target audience it then based on this continent.
Personalisation
Following segmentation, marketing emails can be even more engaging. Personalisation is the next step to achieving that. Regarding email marketing, personalisation refers to targeting an email campaign to a particular subscriber by leveraging the data and information stored about them (Grech, 2020). The information could include their first name, the recent purchase they made, their location etc. The simplest tactics of email personalisation involve using a subscriber’s name in the subject line, which makes the reader feel, that the message is created especially for them.
Therefore, one of the best practices regarding email marketing is the personalisation of email greetings. Using the first names of the subscribers in the top line of emails attracts the attention of each reader immediately. Also, the most effective emails are written in the second person. ‘Second person is the best voice for email because its personal and unique (McCoy, 2021). When the marketer reaches out and speaks directly to the audience, it is easier for the customers to relate to the voice and content of a message. Also, similarly to segmentation, this tactic helps to develop brand loyalty and inspires customers’ engagement. (Šinko Morandini and Dobrinić, 2018).
Figure 2. Personalisation – An email uses customer’s name in a subject line
Pay Attention to the Subject Line
The subject line of an email is the first thing that grabs the audience's attention. Therefore, to encourage subscribers to open an email, the subject line should be intriguing, straight to the point and, most of all – short. In that way, it is more likely to attract customers' attention from among loads of emails filling their inboxes and same, boost open rates (Fernandez, 2022). Also, well-designed email campaigns include links to various site pages. Hence, creating an eye-catching subject line with a relevant offer will inspire the clients to take an action and click on the links. Resultantly, the traffic to business websites can increase and pages overlooked by customers will gain more visits (McCoy, 2021).
Figure 3. Catchy Subject Line – an email intrigues customers with a subject line. It mentions ‘something good’ but to find out what it is exactly, you need to open an email.
Choose the Right Time
Choosing the right time is one of the core principles of an effective email marketing campaign (Carmicheal, 2021). To achieve their objectives, emails should be sent at any time that best suits the subscriber, rather than within the hours when someone is available to do it manually. Therefore, a successful marketer should be familiar with planning and scheduling emails for the campaign. Leveraging email automation would help to deliver content to the right person at the right time. Between handling mass amounts of information, repetitive tasks and the ability to send emails at any time, automated email marketing software is key to getting the best results (Maday, 2021) Ideally, emails are created earlier and scheduled for an appropriate time when the audience is most likely to acknowledge and open them. Due to the number of emails distributed during the workday, it is more convenient for a subscriber to respond in the early hours of the morning (6 or 7 AM) or after work (around 7 PM) (Carmicheal, 2021, Herman, 2020). Since during off-peak hours fewer emails are sent, the audience will have more time to read them and reply accordingly (Herman, 2020). Therefore, the time of sending the message carries similar importance as its content.
Figure 4. Right Timing – This email was sent at 7pm, so it has the perfect afterwork timing
Create the Right Content
The content shared in an email must be interesting, attention-grabbing and relevant. Also, apart from supporting sales and leads, the message needs to provide value and be useful to the audience. One of the tactics to achieve that is combining sales emails with educational content. Such emails can include handy checklists, step-by-step guides or video instructions to showcase the advantages of using the product and inspire the customers to purchase it (McCoy,2021). Effective content for an email marketing campaign should highlight the features of the goods and focus on the benefits of using them. In that way, the reader is more likely to realise the uniqueness of the product and how useful it could be.
Also, when emails contain helpful tips, information or pragmatic advice, the brand fosters a strong connection with its target market and builds authority and credibility. The audience can receive value by being invited to visit blogs, websites or podcasts related to the brand. Hence, they can access and learn about topics within the specific niche, which facilitates the brand to forge trust. Another best practice related to content in email marketing is sharing positive reviews and testimonials in email campaigns to highlight to the subscribers the quality of the services or products. It is also beneficial to include a link to the site featuring customer feedback (Hartemo, 2016). Relevance is another crucial factor in determining engaging email content. Emails are more effective when they refer to current events such as seasonal festivals or special day celebrations. By presenting relevance, emails stand a better chance of not only attracting but also keeping the reader’s attention (Šinko Morandini and Dobrinić, 2018).
Lastly, email marketing campaigns should aim to be consistent and straightforward. The most effective emails are short and to-the-point. This increases the chances of maintaining the audience’s interest and also, helps to keep track of the topic throughout an email campaign.
Figure 5. Captivating Content – While promoting solo trip packages Intrepid Travel uses testimonies of solo travellers to show the audience how great experience this could be.
Don’t Ignore Email Design
Essentially, emails incorporated in a marketing campaign should follow basic design rules. Some of them require that the text is not too long, otherwise, the reader easily loses interest. Also, a message should always offer the reader a choice to unsubscribe to the emailing list, which gives more control to an audience (Hartemo, 2016). Ideally, the outlook of the email should accurately respond to the interests of the target market. The more eye-catching and clear the message is, the more conversions it can inspire. The most effective email design will not contain more than two fonts or typefaces, as that can distract readers and distort the visual appeal of the message (Vaughan, 2021). Additionally, the emails should be kept around 500 to 650 pixels wide, otherwise, the message will not display correctly and will require users to scroll horizontally to read it in full.
Figure 6. Attractive Email Design – This email contains an attractive animated graphics that catches the attention of the viewer.
Don’t Forget about the Call to Action
An effective email campaign must not omit a call to action (CTA), as this is an essential means to drive traffic to the company’s site (Vaughan, 2021). It is impossible to increase the conversions lacking a clear call-to-action. The most effective way to achieve the objective of the campaign is to stick to one central CTA for each email, however, it can be adjusted to the message the email is aiming to convey. For instance, an educational email may encourage an audience to read a blog post or listen to a podcast. A hard-sell email, on the other hand, might call the viewers to follow a link to a sales page or purchase a product through a direct digital checkout page.
Also, to enforce the CTA, the email should use action-oriented words (McCoy, 2021). The language that is too passive will not encourage the audience to take action. Also, according to Matthews (2022) ’most effective calls to action focus on the customer, not the product’.
Figure 8. Clear Call for Action – This email celebrates Father’s Day and contains a clear call for action to buy gifts for that occasion.
Create Mobile-Friendly Emails
Lastly, all the emails incorporated in a successful email marketing campaign should be mobile-friendly. In other words, they should be easily readable and accessible while consumed on mobile devices. Since nowadays a large number of people read emails on their smartphones, ensuring that the messages are responsive and mobile-friendly can signify the difference between conversion or deletion (Mendez Lobado, 2021; Howard, 2018). Also, to create emails legible on all devices, web-safe fonts with sizes between 10-point and 12-point should be applied (Howard, 2018).
Email Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Buying Contact List
To sign up someone to a mailing list, their consent is needed. Adding a new subscriber without having them agree to that, is a violation of the GDPR law (Gunelius, 2018).
No-Reply in the Sender’s Email Address
If an email is sent from a 'no-reply' address, the message prevents recipients from replying and even unsubscribing to further emails. Often, such emails are recognized as ‘spam’ (Jayatilaka et.al, 2021). More audience-friendly tactics are sending automated emails from an address featuring a first name or the name of a brand or a company. The subscribers are much more inclined to open messages, knowing that they were written by a human. Also, this practice keeps the marketing campaigns compliant with email regulations, as the messages are not so prone to end up in a spam folder. Additionally, email correspondence from ‘someone’ named Do Not Reply is not attention-grabbing and can negatively affect the open rate. Messages that do not allow readers to get in touch are likely to make them search for more personable organizations to be engaged with. Therefore, it is crucial to always provide readers with a way to get in touch. This can also be executed by adding a button “Contact Us” with a link that leads potential clients to a landing page where they can pose inquiries.
Overloading Emails with Graphics
To create the best user experience, it is crucial not to overload emails with heavy-format graphics and unresponsive designs. Some of the image-heavy content might take time to load, which can discourage the audience to read the emails. Also, if a marketing campaign is centred around nothing but graphics, it might alienate readers and make the message appear irrelevant. Even though eye-catching graphics can increase conversion rates, they should be used as embellishments rather than the main focus of the campaign.
Failing to Track Campaigns
To ensure that email campaigns meet the objectives, they need to incorporate tracking programs. This tactic will help to determine what messages inspire potential customers to take action and which ones receive a low open rate. Utilizing a tracking system continually improves marketing measures and increases conversion rates. Failing to do that, will make it difficult for the campaign to be reviewed, measured and optimized.
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