Email Marketing: Best Practices for Better Engagement

We live in a digital age. 

Everything from vast amounts of information to your order of weekly groceries to the love of your life can be found online if you know where to look. 

That’s why, whether it be for work or for pleasure, so many people find themselves in front of a digital screen of some type on a daily (perhaps hourly) basis. 

With so many people sitting in front of a screen every day, it makes sense that we – as marketers – would try to get some type of real estate on that very screen. After all, if our goal is to get your message in front of a customer, what better way to do that than to post it right in front of their face? 

It’s for this very reason that digital marketing has seen a rise in popularity over the past few years. 

No longer are we limited to throwing half-page ads in LIFE or People magazines and crossing our fingers in hopes that our months of hard work manage to land in front of the right people. 

Today, through the help of resources such as targeted email marketing, we now have the power to reach exactly who you want to talk to and drive conversations with them directly. 

A very powerful tool to be sure, but one that comes with its very own list of regulations and moral responsibilities. 

Here are some best practices to improve your engagement and make the most out of your email marketing campaigns: 

1. Build a quality email list: Focus on growing an engaged and opt-in email list. Avoid purchasing email lists, as they often result in low engagement and can harm your reputation. Instead, use organic methods like website opt-ins, lead magnets, and social media to build a quality list of subscribers who are genuinely interested in your content. 
2. Personalize your emails: Segment your email list based on relevant criteria such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. Use this segmentation to personalize your emails and deliver targeted content that resonates with each group. Personalization can significantly improve open rates and click-through rates. 
3. Craft compelling subject lines: Your subject line is the first thing subscribers see, so make it attention-grabbing and compelling. Keep it concise, clear, and relevant to the email content. Avoid using spammy or clickbait-type subject lines, as they can negatively impact your open rates and overall engagement. 
4. Focus on valuable content: Provide high-quality, relevant, and valuable content in your emails. Offer educational resources, exclusive discounts, product updates, or helpful tips that address your subscribers’ pain points. Make your emails engaging and informative to keep your subscribers interested and encourage them to take action. 
5. Optimize email design: Create visually appealing emails that are easy to read and navigate. Use a clean and professional design that aligns with your brand identity. Make sure your emails are mobile-responsive, as a significant portion of subscribers open emails on mobile devices. Test your emails across different devices and email clients to ensure they display correctly. 
6. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA): Clearly state the action you want your subscribers to take in each email. Whether it’s to visit a product page, make a purchase, download a resource, or sign up for an event, your CTA should be prominent and persuasive. Use compelling language and design to draw attention to your CTA button. 
7. Optimize send frequency and timing: Find the right balance between sending enough emails to stay on your subscribers’ radar and avoiding overwhelming them with excessive emails. Monitor engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates to gauge the optimal frequency. Also, consider your audience’s time zones and behaviors to determine the best time to send your emails. 
8. A/B test your campaigns: Test different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, CTAs, email copy, visuals, and send times, to see what resonates best with your audience. Conduct A/B tests to compare the performance of different variations and iterate on your campaigns based on the results. 
9. Monitor and analyze metrics: Pay close attention to email metrics to understand how your campaigns are performing. Track open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates to evaluate the effectiveness of your emails. Use this data to identify trends, refine your strategies, and improve future campaigns. 
10. Maintain email deliverability: Ensure your emails reach the intended recipients’ inboxes by following email deliverability best practices. Use a reputable email service provider (ESP), authenticate your emails with DKIM and SPF, maintain a clean email list, and avoid using spam trigger words or engaging in spammy practices.