We send hundreds of emails a year here at ROI Revolution and have done a bevvy of split testing and multivariate testing to help us make more informed decisions for everything from subject lines to email content and creative.
Email marketing is often the most lucrative marketing channel for many brands, mainly because it doesn’t have an investment other than time if you’re sending to your own database. So without further ado, here are my top five email marketing tips to help you improve open rates and generate more clicks from your emails.
1. It’s all about them
It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to sell – no one cares about how great you think your brand is. If your copy relies too heavily on promoting your own company and isn’t focused enough on what the reader wants, you’re going to lose them fast.
Try to think about how you can reframe your copy to be more reader-focused. For instance, instead of saying, “We have 10,000+ happy customers and our customer service is top notch!”, you’d want to reframe to something like, “We help thousands of brands just like yours to overcome complex challenges. We’re always here to put your needs first, as amazing customer service is our number one priority.”
2. Use bulleted lists when appropriate
We’ve tested this many times in the past with ROI’s own database, and everything we’ve seen supports bulleted lists as being an excellent way to break up your copy. Other than a subject line (and possibly a header image if you have one), bulleted lists are the next area that the eye is naturally drawn due to the change in margin and formatting.
Keep in mind, however, that bullets are not always the answer. If there isn’t a natural need for bullets in your email, don’t arbitrarily add them. Use them when they’re appropriate and when they will help to break up the copy of your email.
3. Be explicit with your subject line
A super generic subject line like “Join us tomorrow!” or “Are you prepared?” doesn’t give the reader enough information to compel them to click. That isn’t to say you can’t leave them wanting more, but make sure you’re at least giving enough information so that the reader knows what you want them to do – for instance, “Join us for tomorrow’s live webinar!” or “Is your 2021 ad budget prepared?”
The other advantage is that these types of subject lines are much more conversational and sound like a natural statement or question that someone would asks, making them more relatable and actionable.
4. Use visuals and create a consistent brand experience
I can’t stress this enough. Your emails should have some sort of consistency to them. The style of your images and design should have a consistent theme throughout, and your messaging should equally be consistent.
Remember, going from brand new prospect to customer/client is a process that takes time. Building trust and familiarity through consistency and thematic branding goes a long way to becoming memorable when it comes time to make a purchase decision
5. Know your audience
None of these tips matter if you don’t understand who your target audience is. You need to have an intimate understanding of who you are trying to reach, what they are looking for, and the communication style that resonates with them.
For example, if you’re a retailer selling a hot new fashion brand, a sarcastic, humorous approach could be exactly what your target audience wants. Conversely, that same sarcastic approach might fall flat on its face if your target audience is the C-suite of Fortune 500 companies.
Here at ROI Revolution, we offer more than just email marketing tips. We’re a full-funnel digital marketing agency that helps with everything from lead gen and brand awareness, to customer acquisition at scale. If you have any challenges or pain points with your advertising and marketing, you should reach out to get connected to one of our experts who can uncover hidden opportunities that you can leverage right now to grow your profitable revenue.
