Many advertising strategists will have you think that email marketing is a thing of the past. Yet a study revealed that 86% of consumers prefer to receive promotional emails every month while 15% want special offers delivered to their Inbox daily.
86% of consumers would like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with at least monthly, and 15% would like to get them daily. (Statista, 2015)
Not only does this piece of information show that email marketing is not dead, it's also a testament to the fact that some businesses observe more strategic practices than others. On the flip side, 78% of email users revoked their subscriptions while 51% of marketers find it challenging to achieve success because of contact data quality.
What makes some people find more lucrative results with their email marketing efforts than others?
The secret: successful people do not hit their mark with a stroke of luck. Success is built through patience, knowledge, and the discipline to follow a strategic plan. All these boil down to a set of habits geared to achieve a certain goal.
If you want to see more positive results in your email marketing efforts, have a look at these 8 (secret) habits of a successful email marketer:
Secret #1: They set automated emails.
While it is commendable, even mandatory, to customize your email for every recipient, it is also a disservice to your company if you don't use automated emails. Do not write off automated emails as a red flag that will have people unsubscribing from or blocking your emails. The key is to make sure that automated emails are sent when a specific trigger or triggers are met.
For example, when a visitor to your website subscribed or followed your blog, you can set your email to send them a welcome message. When a customer was adding items on their cart but left without making a purchase, email them a quick reminder about the aborted transaction. Not only will automated emails increase your conversion rates and customer satisfaction, it will also save you time.
Secret #2: They diversify their emails.
Imagine receiving a ton of ads in your Inbox with blaring banners that shout SALE or 50% OFF. One swift glance and you will automatically regard these messages as spam. What's more, Google and other email providers have a default setting to filter these types of emails and file them under Junk or Spam. You will have a slim chance of reaching your target consumers if you can't even get through their Inbox.
What you need to do is diversify the emails you send out. Aside from offering promos, make sure to send appreciation emails, event invites, product tutorials and testimonies, holiday greetings, and surveys. Aside from avoiding being flung into the Spam section, sending an assortment of emails also keeps recipients interested.
Secret #3: They're not afraid to test campaigns.
A/B Testing is part of the advertising world even on the email landscape. In a nutshell, this is an experiment where a marketer sends out two different versions of a certain item to test which type was favored by an audience.
This approach can be used in your marketing tactics. Here are some email fixtures you can test:
Testing these elements will help you fine-tune your email campaigns to gain the best results.
Secret #4: They monitor results.
Keeping an eye on what works and what doesn't sounds like a basic task but many still fail on this endeavor. Here are some metrics to help you evaluate the success of your campaigns:
Monitoring results provides you important data to know which campaigns to repeat or stop.
Secret #5: They incorporate email to social media marketing.
A study shows that 48% of users check their emails through smartphones while 75% of Gmail subscribers access their email through their mobile devices.
- 48% of emails are opened on a smartphone. (Movable Ink, 2015)
- 41% of emails are opened on an iPhone. (Movable Ink, 2015)
With these findings, it is only fitting to combine email and social media advertising. Smartphones make it easy for people to navigate from one app to another and therefore, bridge your email marketing efforts to your social media campaigns. Incorporating your email to your social profiles is a sure way to increase brand awareness, double conversions, and reach more people in one go.
Secret #6: They invest on their email copy.
A well-thought-out email copy shows that the marketer has a keen eye for details.
Subject lines with the words ' thank you' show to have the highest engagement levels and emails while the recipient's first name on the subject line reveal the highest click-through rates.
These findings in marketing show that small details make a big difference between being tagged as Spam to being filed under Important.
Secret #7: They make quality checks a routine.
Typos, misspellings, and wrong grammar - these are red flags that will make any business look unprofessional, suspicious, and careless. If you want to be received well by your target consumers, make sure that covering the basics is something you commit to.
Do not send an email or set an automated message without double checking that everything is in place.
Secret #8: They personalize emails.
People are drawn to a company when they are being treated as valued customers and not just a nameless market. This is what turns customers into regulars.
If you want to retain your subscribers, segmenting your contacts and tailoring your content should be on top of your list.
You can segment your list based on:
Whether you are looking to supervise the email marketing strategy in your business or planning to hire a virtual assistant from staffing agencies, knowing the 8 secret habits of a successful email marketer will help you strategize your campaigns. Are you ready to expand your contacts list?
Catherine vanVonno, the author, is the President and Executive Director of 20Four7VA, a global Virtual Assistant (VA) Service Provider. She holds a doctorate degree in Applied Statistics, Research Design and Program Evaluation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. You can reach her at [email protected].
