Picture this: it’s Monday morning. Your favorite caffeinated beverage steams next to you as you craft an email for your small business marketing campaign. Within minutes of sending it, your inbox is full of inquiries from both new and existing customers eagerly requesting your products and services. Your boss is thrilled. You get a raise. As humorous and far-fetched as this fantasy may seem, what if we told you it really is possible to generate a swift, positive consumer response through your email marketing? Let’s walk through a few ways to re-engage an existing consumer base while continuing to effectively generate new leads.
Learn From Those Who Nailed It
Hubspot pulled together a list of recent email marketing campaigns that were incredibly effective with audiences. Some common strengths stand out on the list. In fact, every single one of the 19 email marketing campaigns mentioned work around the same core components. When applied to your own campaign, these tips offer the potential to bring immense value to your next venture.
Create Strong(er) Content
In an age where ads are everywhere, consumers have become experts at tuning out advertising materials of all kinds. When it comes to email marketing campaigns, any email that starts with a general greeting like, “Hey, you!” or, “Dear Valued Customer…:” will be trashed (and the sender probably blocked) quickly. Your email content, including your introductory greeting and subject line, must be written better than your competitors’ in order to even get in front of your consumer base.
It’s easy to forget that not all content is written: your imagery and visual content matter, too. We’ve all heard the common saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Considering the weight visuals carry, take the time to choose them wisely. And if an image is worth a thousand words, it can be argued that videos carry even more value. When crafting video content for your next email marketing campaign, work to make the most of every single second. This way, even if consumers click away halfway through the video, they can still internalize the intent behind the message.
Commit to a Mobile-first Mindset
Given the rise of voice search, and consumers’ increasing reliance on local SEO, it’s imperative that you create your marketing content—email marketing content in particular—with a mobile-first mentality. Over 3.8 billion people utilized email in 2018, and industry leaders predict that there will be an estimated 4.2 billion email users by the end of 2022. Research shows that of these consumers, 91 percent check their email every single day, and 56 percent use a mobile device to check their inboxes.
These staggering statistics prove just how crucial mobile-friendliness is. If half of 3.8 billion users rely on their phones to check email, your mobile mindset should be a crucial part of your email marketing strategy—because good marketers know that effective email marketing campaigns are designed with all smart devices in mind. This way, whether your content is being viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone, consumers will get an identical, high-quality experience. This type of responsive design is a good indication for any recipient that you know what you’re doing, and can be trusted with their business.
Bring Inspiration Back To Your CTA’s
We’re all guilty of it, but every content creator or email marketer inwardly cringes when it comes to ending a rousing marketing email with a less-than-convincing call to action (CTA). As simple as it is to end your piece with something along the lines of, “reach out to us today for the best way to…”, we encourage you step back, and take some time to really examine your parting words. Chances are good that consumers won’t remember the middle (hundreds of) words in your emails and posts. But they will remember how you end things—even if it’s only to recall the unoriginality. Writing a good CTA is no easy feat. In fact, Small Business Insider tells that an estimated 70 percent of websites lack any form of CTA.
Having an enticing CTA on your website is wise, because it provides an opportunity to build a connection with every visitor to your website. However, including a CTA in every small business marketing email is crucial, as it invites fringe recipients to actively participate in your business. Regular customers have a high probability of visiting your website, but the best way to attract fringe consumers is to actively invite them to join in your successes.
Is Your Inbox Full Yet?
We hope these simple tips will help you re-imagine your email marketing bigger and badder than ever before. Want a second set of eyes to help ensure that your next email marketing campaign is a blazing success? Take advantage of Snap’s email marketing services and contact us today.