Hey, email marketer: Have you forgotten what it was like starting out? Do you remember the mistakes you made? The basics still apply.
Dotmailer
has devised a cheat sheet for helping beginners and veterans alike. Keep these best practices in mind.
'Friendly from' name — They’ll think it’s spam if
they don’t recognize it.
Subject line — You have to tell them what to expect in the email
Pre-header text — This, too, can tip off the
reader on what to expect. It’s the short summary that follows the subject line when the email is opened.
Headlines — Headers have to be actionable. Tell readers
what you’d like them to do while revealing the content.
Bulletted points — They’re easier to read than paragraphs, and work better on mobile devices.
Get personal — Demographic and behavioral data will help you tailor copy to grab their interest. Dynamic content also works well when based on transactional and social interest
data.
Segments — Some are simple: i.e., male or female, age, locale and subscribers who have never opened an email campaign. Others are more complex — for
example, males or females ages 16 to 25, living in New York, who have not opened any of the emails sent in the last six months.
Landing pages — A targeted landing page
can drive sales and customer relationships. Offer mobile responsive, fully personalized pages.
Results — You need a reporting template that can summarize the following:
- Number of emails sent
- Deliverability rate
- How many emails were opened
- The number of recipients who clicked through
- How many people
unsubscribed
- Conversion tracking and return on investment — you can’t argue with the numbers.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is when you have the right
tools. Here are some additional tips:
- Try a humorous, personal or emotional approach to stand out. Discounts and local references help too.
- Keep the copy short and
sweet.
- Use plain text— some email clients and apps can’t handle HTML — and some people turn it off.
- Make sure yo ur call-to-action button contains copy that
makes them click. Use verbs like “register” or “download.”
- Test. You can do simple A/B tests on things like subject line variations, different copy lengths and the
best time of day to send
- Look at the full picture. You may be getting a good open rate but few click-throughs. And don’t forget to leverage your reporting.