Did you know that 205 billion emails are sent every single day? Whether it’s spam, offers, advertisements, or letters from Nigerian princes, peoples inboxes are filled to the brim daily
However, email marketing is a handy tool that every company needs to utilize. A 2015 study from the Direct Marketing Association found that every $1 spent on email marketing yields a return of $38. Furthermore, 61% of consumers like getting weekly promotional emails and 38% of those consumers would even like those messages more often. Sending out messages leads to big returns.
However, it’s also easy for your email campaign to crash and burn. You might get flagged for spam, which can have legal consequences and bring your business to a halt. You can get fined thousands of dollars per violation. That money adds up quickly if you’ve spammed a lot of people.
Knowing how to properly create messages and send emails goes a long way. Here are some great tips to maximize your mailing campaign:
Follow basic practices.
Your headers need to be honest. Don’t include “RE:” or “FWD:” in the title if the email isn’t a reply or a forward. (Some spammers do this to trick people into opening them.) Your company’s name needs to be on the email as representing a company that you aren’t a part of can get you in trouble. You must also include an unsubscribe link in the email or else you’ll get reported for spam. Some laws also require you to list your company’s physical address in the email.
Don’t use purchased lists.
Grow your mailing list organically. Buying a pre-filled mailing list is an awful idea for many reasons. First, the customers have no idea that their information is being sold so they will likely report any of your messages as spam. Second, many of these lists contain trap addresses. If you send an email to one of those addresses, it could go to an authority figure who knows that you bought their list. This tactic is used to counter spammers. Finally, many lists contain inactive or fake addresses. The provider already has your money, so they likely won’t care how well the list works for you.
Try a double opt-in method.
MailChimp provides what’s known as a double opt-in. This means that when the customer has signed up for your mailing list through a web form or something else, they will receive an email asking them to confirm that they want to be a part of your list. This technique makes sure that the customer truly is interested in your marketing campaigns.
Personalize your message.
In 2013, Experian Marketing Services released their 2013 Email Marketing Study. The company found that personalized promotional messages were six times more likely to result in transactions when compared to non-personalized emails. Yet, 70% of the brands studied didn’t personalize their emails.
Luckily, you don’t have to do this process manually. Many email providers such as MailChimp will automatically personalize your emails when you send them.
Include a call-to-action.
A CTA is one of the most essential parts of your message’s content. You need to convince subscribers to click on something that will lead them to making a transaction or visiting your website.
Mind your subject lines.
According to Return Path, the best subject lines are between 61 and 70 characters as they have over a 15% read rate. You can also follow practices such as using numbers in their numeric form rather than spelling them out.
Consider your timing.
Timing is everything. People usually don’t want to receive a new email every other day or they’ll get tired of you an unsubscribe. However, you should send messages consistently enough so that customers remember your brand. Imagine signing up for a mailing list and getting an email three months after. By that time, you’ll likely have forgotten signing up for the list. Ideally, you should give subscribers the option to choose how frequently they would like to receive messages.
Also, beware of different time zones. Not everyone wants to get messages at 3 AM.
Conclusion
Email marketing is an incredibly powerful way to win new customers and engage with your audience members. The proper techniques can earn your company an amazing amount of money. However, bad practices will cost your company its money and reputation. You might even get banned from email providers like Constant Contact and MailChimp. Be wary of what you do and always follow these guidelines.