10 E-mail Marketing Hacks That Every Marketer Should Know

E-mail marketing plays a vital role in digital marketing campaigns these days. But most of their process lacks proper structure. So, they fail to achieve expected success with their campaigns. With 81 new mails reaching inboxes at an average, 84% of them being spam, you need something to make your mails stand out.

Before you can access your click-through rates, revenue generation or any other business growth metrics, your prospects need to open your e-mails. For this, your mails need to be special, the kind that generates curiosity in the reader’s mind. Here are some ways digital marketing companies can improve those e-mails and get great customer response and better revenue generation.

1. Create a Short, Intriguing Subject Line

The difference between your e-mails being opened or reaching the trash is the awesomeness of your subject line. Avoid those dumb, boring clichés and go for something that can generate curiosity, subconsciously forcing the reader to want to know more. Try to keep them as short as possible for better open rates, but not too short that the reader doesn’t understand what it is.

Don’t say more, but just enough to invoke curiosity. So are your subject lines really good to get you those valuable open rates?

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2. Make the message a personal one

Adding a personal touch to your e-mails can take you a long way. Using your client’s, company’s or the industry’s name in your subject line is good method of creating response. A person’s awareness heightens when hearing his/her name, which makes them feel unique and special. This will help your mails standout and that is good for business.

3. Resend E-mails

The client’s inbox may have thousands of mails and yours can easily be overlooked. So feel free to resend relevant content to those clients in case they have missed the first one. This second chance is often appreciated by the clients and you can drastically improve your overall open rate.

4. Being Provocative Can Help

Tests by A/B and Promise Media have found that subject lines with a little personality and flavour can help you get the attention that you desire from your mails. This includes controversy and humour, which are far better than most ordinary topics. But remember there is a fine line between being provocative and being offensive, so choose wisely.

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5. Know What Your Audience Wants

Create emails in a way that the readers want it. According to Science of Emails 2014 64% of the readers preferred HTML based emails rather that plain text. Studying more about the audiences you want to focus on will help you a lot. It was found that 63% of the people between age group of 18-29 use automatic email filters in their inboxes. So, choose your candidates accordingly.

6. Timing is of Utmost Importance

When to send an email is as important as to whom you send the email. People go through mails during business hours and commuting hours rather than over lunch or dinner time. Moreover be aware of the time zones and cultural tendencies in relation to time.

7. Use Active Verbs

Strong verbs can help convey action, excitement, and intrigue. Using active verbs in subject lines and if possible throughout email copy can excite your readers and engage their interest.

8. Use a Proofreader

You might think that your emails are perfect, but there is no harm in hiring an extra pair of eyes. This has proved to be an asset more often than not and makes your emails as perfect and error free as possible.

9. Emails Coordinated With Buyer-facing Messaging

Consistency in the experience across all your platforms is essential for getting satisfactory customers. This can be the message that you are trying to deliver through all your blogs, tweets, posts, emails, offers or sales calls.

10. Go Past Open and Click Rates

The executive team may not care about opens or clicks. For them revenue is what is important. Find ways to connect your email marketing campaigns with leads transferred to sales to deals closed and revenue earned. This can be good for both your company and your career.

Also Read: This is Why Marketers will love Facebook’s New Sign-Up Ads

10 Best E-Mail Subject Line Formulae to Rock Your E-Mail Marketing Campaigns

As a retailer, e-mail campaigns will be one of your most important tools in marketing. They are a great way to generate leads. But for this to happen, your e-mails should be read. For the e-mail to be read, it needs to be opened.

More often than not, people do not even bother to open or click-through your e-mails. There are even instances of unsubscribing and complaining as spam.

So, the very first step for your e-mail marketing campaigns to be a success would be to get people to open your e-mails. With everyone’s inbox flooded with tons of e-mails every day, there is so much to go through, let alone open. So, amid coupons, newsletters, daily deal sites, password resets, social media notifications and more such stuff, how do you make your e-mail stand out?

The key here is your subject line. Yes! Unless you have a rocking subject line, you cannot expect the reader to take that extra step and open your e-mail. Here is a list of best e-mail subject line tactics that will help you rock your e-mail campaign.

  1. Simple Is The Word: Time is always an asset in online world. So, no-nonsense, simple subject lines that are easier to comprehend are always a better option than cheesy lures. Simple, direct subject line that makes the offer clear is bound to hit the right note. Every e-mail has a specific purpose, so should the subject line.
  2. Subject Lines with Lists and Numbers: Readers love lists as shorter summaries are easier to process and understand. As our brains are naturally drawn to numbers, subject lines with numbers are sure to draw attention.
  3. Personalized Subject Lines:  Using personalization elements almost certainly grabs attention, and makes your e-mails more relevant. However, do not misunderstand personalization for incorporating the users’ name in the subject line. Most of them deem it as spam and it goes right into their junk box. Rather, try giving location specific offers or deals relevant to the customer.
  4. Usage of Punctuation Marks & Other Symbols: One of the hottest trends is usage of punctuation and symbols. Fun symbols and loud punctuations are a quick way to catch the eye, but that is not sufficient. You subject line still needs to convey a message.
  5. Mysterious Subject Lines: Mystery always intrigues. Give readers a chance to dig into a little mystery. For example, subject lines like “Time Is Running Out” or “It’s All Over..” is sure to give them a reason to open the e-mail.
  6. Funny Subject Lines: It might sound funny, but being on the lighter side certainly has its advantages. It’s difficult to be funny in marketing. But such subject lines can really stick out among the otherwise dull and dry e-mails. The cleverness of the subject line might be lost on some users. So, don’t try this unless you know your target audience and their wavelength.
  7. Urgency in Subject Lines: Creating urgency is a time tested method to build anxiety and hype.  Users respond better to the threat of losing than to the prospect of gaining. It can work pretty well when it is used creatively. Example: “Last chance to save today” or “Hurry! Offer ends today” might get you the desired response.
  8. Command: Some people just do not respond to indirect marketing. Subject line that has a command and tells the user what it is all about or what needs to be done, can strike the right note. Such commanding subject lines always start with a verb that demands action.
  9. Teasers: A teaser subject line can be very intriguing. An engaging story like beginning with a teaser of an implied promise can get you an open rate you always wanted. Your subject line should instruct as well as entertain.
  10.  Statistical: Hard hitting, statistical number in your subject line is sure to get you higher open rates. Statistic in the subject line indicating client success stories or your sales numbers will certainly grab the attention.

9 Authentic Email Campaigns to Boost Your Sales

“So long as new ideas are created, sales will continue to reach new highs”-Dorothea Brande

E-mail marketing is the foremost effective e-commerce marketing channel. There are only a few without an e-mail id of their own. Conquer success with the most effective methods.

Here are the 9 successful e-mail marketing campaigns you cannot ignore, if you want to boost your product sales;

1. Keep talking about the product you already sold to receive useful feedback or motivate them to buy related products through email

How to do it?

1. Set up Automated Personalized E-mail
2. Schedule it to 2 days of product delivery
3. Ask for reviews and rewards with discounts

Effects

• 12.5% in conversion in products with review than those without
• 83.85% increase in conversion on products with 20+ reviews

2. Use A/B testings to optimize open and click through rates

How to do it?

Preform A/B test in one of these

1. Subject Line
2. “FROM” field
3. E-mail content
4. Delivery time

Effects

Obama’s team found out that one subject line outperformed the other by generating more than 84% of donation

3. Soften those deals that were Just Abandoned

The number of abandoned carts is huge in the e-commerce industry. There might be various reasons for this. Identifying them is vital in improving customer experience, which in turn can improve the conversion rate.

How to do it?

1. Set up Cart Abandoned emails
2. Ask customers why they didn’t complete their transaction

Effects

The average order value of purchase from carts abandoned emails is 19% higher than typical purchases.

4. Reward your Most Loyal Customers

Segment your customers by loyalty and campaigns that are relevant to their level of activeness. Reward emails must be dedicated to those who spend 25% above average order value.
Categorizing the customers into five categories based on the engagement and loyalty, and targeting certain categories with gift card incentives increased their short-term revenue by $ 250,000.

5. Care for customers even when they don’t buy

It’s better to gift a life time experience to the customer even if they don’t shop. Remind them about the numerous offers that you have put forward.

How to do it?

Design an automated reactivation sequence with incentives for those who haven’t purchased within 12 months

Effects

400% success rate in reactivating lapsed customers when done after careful segmenting and powerful customizing.

“Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale”. – David Newman

6. Skip arbitrary, start being specific with free credits

Announcing discounts is not always enough. There should be some extra attractions for better sales.

How to do?

Instead of offering percentage based, give customers point based discounts or free shipping gifts

Effects

An email sent to customers with $4.25 in score credit to use within 24 hours boosted their conversions by more than 50%.

Limited period offer can boost up more customers.

7. Use your Transactional Emails for Marketing

A better customer experience can be created with transactional email marketing. These operational messages results in enormous marketing opportunity to increase loyalty and boost revenue.

How to do it?

Send personalized and branded transactional email including seasonally relevant items for cross-sell.

Effects

Adding cross-sell recommendations in shipping confirmation emails increased transaction rates by 20%

8. Getting Personal with customer

At first it might seem impossible. But it isn’t. Wishing them on their special occasions helps gain the trust of customers. Always remember, caring your customer does matter.

How to do it?

Setup milestone campaigns for Birthdays and Anniversaries and send them before and on the D-day

Effects

Personalised birthday and anniversary mails had almost 6X the transaction rate of standard bulk mailings.

9. Take your Email Marketing Beyond the Inbox

It’s not only the e-mail inboxes you can depend on. There are lot more possibilities round the corner. As we know that social media has become a part of human life, boosting your company through social media can make the magic possible.

How to do it?

Up sell and cross sell products through social media and through peer pressure, ads and recommendations.

Effects

A study by e-marketer found out that 53% of people are more likely to purchase a brand after following and engaging with that brand on Facebook than just email subscription.

Now here are some awesome reasons to switch to Email-marketing;

• People who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than people that do not     receive email offers.
• 37% said that more than 20% of their inbox comes from marketers, and 53% said they’re                happy with the number of marketing emails they get.
• 91% of people check their email daily
• 33% of email recipients open email based on subject line alone.