Many people believe email marketing is a dying strategy, but that’s far from the truth. With an impressive 42% return for every dollar spent, it still has what it takes to be a leading marketing activity!
In this month’s Lunch & Learn, Gabrielle Armes (Gaby), our in-house Head of Marketing, shared the tips and tricks that have helped us grow our email list by an average of 500 subscribers monthly.
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Check out a snippet below!
Building and Maintaining a High-Quality Client Database
It all begins with a top-notch, high-quality client database.
You can build and expand the database in various ways, like linking it to email enquiries and form submissions on your website. When someone reaches out or fills out a form, they’re automatically added to your email marketing list.
We run meta ads and pack them with unbeatable value in the form of downloadable PDFs. This way, users are happy to share their details and join our ever-growing database. With an average of 500 monthly downloads, it’s a winning strategy!
Including your clients in the database is crucial for engagement and promoting new products or services. But you must comply with the Australian Spam Act 2003, which governs who you can reach and requires explicit or implied consent. Explicit consent can be obtained through a physical opt-in, like a checkbox, while implied consent requires careful consideration, as being a customer does not automatically imply consent.
Remember, people need to get something in return for their email address otherwise they don’t easily sign up. We do it by gladly sharing our knowledge with our database, no strings attached! That way we foster engagement and build trust with them.
Email Marketing Tips to Increase Open Rates and Click-Throughs
Inboxes are flooded with information daily, making it tough to get people engaged with your emails. In Australia, a good email open rate hovers around 20%. However, the click-through rate, which measures the number of people clicking on links, is only 2.3%. It’s quite challenging to entice people to click through emails and land on your website.
To ensure high open rates, there are three principles to remember.
Quality
It’s crucial to ensure that your content is what people want to read and not overwhelming. No one wants to be bombarded with junk emails, so make your emails top-notch and packed with value. This means error-free content and no broken links!
Remember, unsubscribe rates spike when your content lacks value. So, focus on relevancy and benefits for your audience.
It also provides insights like the number of first-time visitors, helping you understand your audience. And the best part? All these metrics are updated in real time, so you can stay up-to-date and make informed decisions.
One of the coolest features is the AI-powered insights that it adds to the mix – with just a few clicks, you can unlock valuable data to fuel your decision-making process and take your website to new heights.
Relevance
Nobody likes getting irrelevant emails. Do some research, analyse email campaign analytics, and ask for direct feedback from your database. It’s the best way to avoid those unsubscribes and keep the inbox interesting!
Here’s a power tip to save you time and give your content a new lease of life! Remember all that valuable content you created in the past? Well, it’s still relevant today, and you can repurpose it to provide even more value to your database. By distributing it in different formats, you’ll reach a wider audience who may have missed it the first time around. Don’t let your valuable content gather digital dust -if it’s relevant – use it!
Quantity
Customise the frequency to match your business and audience, because we all know, nobody likes clingy emails! E-commerce sites typically send a couple of emails per week, showcasing sales and new goodies. On the other hand, service-based businesses charm their audience with one or two emails per month – just enough to keep you top of mind! And remember, it’s all about quality over quantity!
Crafting Great Emails for Maximum Impact
Make sure you’ve got all the right elements in place to captivate your audience, establish meaningful connections, and turn your desired outcomes into a reality so your emails work for you.
The subject line
An attention-grabbing subject line is crucial for your emails. You want it to shine amidst all the junk everyone else is bombarded with. Sprinkle some emojis for that extra oomph! Keep it short, sweet, and charming to avoid being cut off and losing its impact. Remember, a captivating subject line lays the groundwork for a great first impression.
Imagery and Brand
Keeping consistent brand guidelines is crucial for a smooth user experience across emails and your other marketing platforms. A captivating banner image can leave a lasting impression and convey all the important info. Don’t forget to include a branded email signature to keep things professional, a pro touch that helps recipients easily spot your brand. Make sure all your visuals and branding align with your marketing activities and guidelines to create a cohesive identity. Why not sprinkle some animated images to take your communication to the next level?
Keep it snappy
Include CTAs
Remember to make it easy for people to land on your website from the email, ensure you include CTA’s throughout so that people can find more information.
Useful Tools for Email Marketing
We’ve tried a few email marketing platforms – some were overwhelming or just clunky. And we used to break into a sweat just hitting the send button! But then, we discovered Flodesk which gave us all the necessary features to create high-impact emails.
Some other useful tools we use, are:
- HubSpot for blog advice & resources for successful email marketing
- Canva to create on-brand, visually appealing media for emails
- Analytics for data-driven email campaign decisions
- Zapier to connect software or your website
- ChatGPT for assistance with content creation for email campaigns
- WordPress is a platform for customers to get in touch and use your services or products
How automation changed the game
Email marketing is a powerful marketing strategy. And automating our emails was a game-changer! Now it’s like a personal assistant, but without coffee breaks. Once set up, it runs smoothly in the background, churning out emails effortlessly.
Check out our video for a behind-the-scenes peek at how our simple email automation works.
Email marketing is still going strong and relevant in today’s digital world! Don’t underestimate its power – it lets businesses connect directly with their audience, forming valuable relationships.
It’s cost-effective and a favourite of 64% of small businesses. This timeless tool still packs quite the punch!
