Email Marketing: Best Practices and Techniques
Email Marketing: Best Practices and Techniques In a digital world filled with the buzz of social media, the instant ping of messaging apps, and an overwhelming array of marketing gadgets, there’s a quiet superhero that refuses to retire: email marketing. The timeless tool empowers businesses, big and small, to forge genuine connections with customers and propel their products or services to the spotlight. Amidst the ever-evolving digital landscape, email marketing is the powerful force of online communication. Why? Because it boasts a fantastic ability to reach, connect, and convert. But here’s the twist: with inboxes bursting at the seams, the key to success is mastering the art of personalized, attention-grabbing emails. Picture this: Your message cuts through the inbox clutter, landing in your recipient’s heart. How? By unleashing the secrets of email marketing’s prowess! The Enduring Relevance of Email Marketing Before we dive into the nuts and bolts, let’s address a critical question: why is email marketing still relevant in the age of social media dominance? The answer lies in its unique advantages: Unmatched Reach: Email marketing stands out as the undisputed reach champion in an era where the digital landscape is crowded with various communication channels. With a staggering 4.3 billion email users worldwide, it possesses an expansive and unparalleled reach that no other digital channel can match. To put this number into perspective, it’s nearly half the world’s population. Email marketing’s universal reach connects diverse users worldwide, spanning ages, professions, and cultures. Personalisation at Scale: Email allows for deep personalisation. You can segment your audience, tailor content, and deliver targeted messages, ensuring your emails resonate with each recipient. Conversion Powerhouse: Research consistently shows that email marketing has one of the highest conversion rates among digital marketing channels. A well-crafted email can lead to action, whether purchasing, signing up for a webinar, or downloading an ebook. Cost-Effective: Email marketing is cost-effective compared to many other forms of digital advertising. You can reach thousands of subscribers with a single, well-crafted email. Email Marketing Best Practices 1- Build a permission-based email list To build a permission-based email list, you need to collect email addresses from people who have permitted you to contact them. You can do this in a number of ways: – Add a sign-up form on your website where people can enter their email addresses to subscribe to your list. Make sure to let them know what they can expect to receive in your emails, such as exclusive offers, discounts, or new product announcements. – Promote your email list on your social media pages and encourage your followers to subscribe. You can also run contests and giveaways where people can enter to win a prize by subscribing to your email list. – If you own a physical retail store, you can collect email addresses from customers at the checkout counter or by offering them a discount on their next purchase in exchange for their email address. Once you have collected email addresses, you must send a confirmation email to each subscriber to ensure they want to receive your emails. This email should contain a link the subscriber must click to confirm their subscription. When a subscriber confirms their subscription, you can send them emails. Send them regular emails with valuable content, such as blog posts, articles, and special offers. You should also give them the option to unsubscribe from your list anytime. 2- Segment your email list This means dividing your email list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics like interests, demographics, or purchase history. This will allow you to send more targeted and relevant emails. 3-Personalise your emails People are likelier to open and read emails addressed to them by name and containing relevant content. You can use personalisation in your subject lines, email body copy, and images. Here is an example of a personalised email- 4-Write clear and concise subject lines Your subject line is the first thing people see, so making a good impression is necessary. Write subject lines that are clear, concise, and relevant to the content of your email. Here are some examples: Exclusive Offer Inside ???? Last Chance to Save 20%! Webinar Invite: Join Us Tomorrow Your Weekly Digest: Top Articles Breaking News: Exciting Updates! Your Invoice #123456 is Due Today Important Account Update Required Unlock Your Free Trial Now! Your Opinion Matters: Take Our Survey 5- Use mobile-friendly email templates More and more people are reading their emails on mobile devices, so using them is significant. Your email templates should be easy to read and navigate on all devices. 6-Include a clear call to action In email marketing, your message is only as effective as the action it inspires. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store or an online presence, guiding your subscribers toward a specific course of action is fundamental to success. Tell your subscribers what you want them to do. Make your call to action (CTA) crystal clear, concise, and clickable. Use action-oriented words that convey urgency and purpose. Phrases like ‘Shop Now,’ ‘Discover More,’ ‘Grab Your Deal,’ or ‘Register Today’ can nudge your subscribers in the right direction. Craft a compelling and concise CTA with action-oriented words like ‘Shop Now,’ ‘Discover More,’ ‘Grab Your Deal,’ or ‘Register Today.’ A compelling CTA is your bridge to engagement and conversion. 7-Test and track your results Testing and tracking your email marketing results is necessary to see what’s working and what’s not. You can test different subject lines, email body copy, and call to action to see what resonates best with your audience. Effective email marketing is a continuous process of improvement. Monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Use A/B testing to experiment with different elements (subject lines, content, visuals) and refine your strategy based on data-driven insights. 8-Use email automation: Email automation allows you to send emails to subscribers based on certain triggers, such
DIGITAL MARKETING: THE FUTURE FOR SMES
You started your business with a great idea and an expectation to generate revenue over time. Ever since the pandemic, you have noticed a shift in buyer behaviour. It is things like this you did not see coming, now stress and sleepless nights are creeping in, and whenever you check your business account, smiling becomes hard, now you are probably wondering if this digital marketing thing can help you. Digital marketing can change everything. Digital marketing is the area of marketing that promotes goods and services using the Internet and other online-based digital technology like desktop and mobile computers, as well as other digital media and platforms. Digital Marketing is more than a strategy. It is a way to tell your customers you care about their purchase journey as a brand. Embracing digital marketing does not mean giving up traditional marketing; rather, it means utilizing it to enhance traditional marketing. Most small and medium-sized businesses’ first concern is to attract customers through the door. The most typical way to accomplish this is to use traditional advertising strategies such as flyers or even going door to door. When was the last time you transacted with someone who handed you flayers on the street? Digital marketing can attract not just local customers but also international ones. It can give you a constant flow of earnings in dollars. Whew, even I smiled. Who doesn’t like good things? As per Digital 2021: Global Overview Report, there is a 60% global internet penetration. 4.6 billion people use the internet for different reasons. There are a lot of prospective customers in the online market. As businesses become increasingly competitive, there is no reason for small and medium-sized enterprises to overlook this enormous market. You must take your company to where consumers spend most of their time (the internet). Digital Marketing gives SMEs a lot of benefits, Online presence, flexibility, new potential customers, a broad geographic reach, and saving money. The best strategy to increase your brand’s authority and awareness in the world’s biggest market is through digital marketing. By interacting with your target audience on social media, you may find out what they need and establish intense bonds with them. The importance of digital marketing goes beyond making sales: it is a long-term investment in the growth of your business. Digital marketing is the future of SMEs. Deep diving into the digital marketing world is understandably scary for most people, and with most SMEs confused about current forms of marketing, you have nothing to worry about, we gat you. Raven and Macaw is your answer for immersing your company in the world of digital marketing. Learn more.
7 MOST POWERFUL MARKETING STRATEGIES TO STEAL IN 2023
The year is still early; fresh minds are filled with ideas and ready to gear up the business. But then, the business world keeps evolving, and what works today may be in the history books tomorrow; this is why you always need to update your business marketing strategies. Marketing strategies are the steps that lead your business to success. These strategies include reaching out to the target audience, stating benefits, and converting individuals into customers. Every business needs to have marketing strategies; otherwise, the competitive market would be a fantasy to them. Robust marketing strategies would determine the success of many businesses in 2023. Tho the year is still early, below are seven powerful marketing strategies you should accommodate in 2023 Set Goals and Budget For every marketing strategy you indulge in, you should know how to measure the performance and when to stop. By setting goals and a budget, you are more likely to succeed in every strategy. Setting goals may sound easy, but it is more than just setting goals. What you need are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound goals, also known as SMART goals. These five components determine how successful your strategy will be. To estimate how a campaign performs, you can select up to 5 KPIs, including traffic, leads, and direct revenue. Moreover, the best way to keep an eye on the performance of your goals is through KPIs. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With the world evolving, you can’t talk about marketing strategies without including SEO. This is among the most successful marketing strategies of all time, and it doesn’t seem to be going down anytime soon. Recent studies showed that about 93% of all online acquaintances begin with SEO. This alone is enough reason why your website needs SEO. However, SEO is of two types (on-page and off-page), and both have unique ways of boosting your business in search results. SEO may not produce immediate results; however, it has been proven to be a vital marketing strategy for many companies’ long-term growth and success in terms of leads, revenue and rankings. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Are you in need of a boost in 2023? PPC is what you need. Do you know that about 65% of all high-intent searches result in an ad click? This is an excellent strategy to keep visibility on search results and boost organic SEO. PPC ads can generate leads from any location. In a world with billions of individuals searching online, display ads let you advertise across millions of other websites across various networks. This is a remarkable opportunity to reach over 90% of all internet users. Recent studies showed that for every $1.60 spent on Google Ads, a business would likely gain 3% online. So there is no doubt that PPC will be a hard hit in 2023. What is more amazing about it is you only pay when users click your ad. Email Marketing Most people think email marketing is a way-back strategy! Well, it has been around for a while, but it is still among the effective marketing strategies for boosting revenue. Email marketing is never a no-no; it can have a ROI of more than 4000%. Through email marketing, you can directly connect with existing customers through newsletters and promotional emails. What’s unique about email marketing is that you can personalise your mail. This can enhance your conversions by more than 10%. Check click rates and conversion for more successful email marketing and test the key elements. Professional Web Design A website has been a key marketing strategy for over a decade, and there is no doubt that first impression matters. Most customers will get to know you first through your website, and you surely want them to go “WOW” at first glance. Unfortunately, about 90% of online shoppers switch to competitors’ websites due to poor UX. Therefore, user experience design is vital for your website in 2023. Moreover, UX plays a massive part in web ranking. Individuals come to your website to find helpful info. Therefore, try and make it easy for them. It’s 2023. You don’t want to stress anybody! Unique Video Content The world keeps evolving. With unique video content, you have more than a 50% chance of ranking on the first page than websites with no video content. Video content is an excellent strategy to boost leads and keep users on your website/page for a long. Video marketing can be used on websites, social media, and email campaigns. People come across many marketing messages/ads daily. In 2023, video marketing for your campaign is a good idea to stand out and boost your sales. Content Re-optimization Do you know that 95% of all searches on Google stay on the first page of the results? This means you are missing more than a lot of traffic if your content does not appear on the first page. However, content marketing is more than just a do-and-forget strategy. There is always a chance for your content to rank higher and appear on the first page of search results. To rip off the maximum benefit of your content, re-optimization should be a top priority. Every content can be made fresh and boosted through re-optimization. Now that you are all caught up. Learn how to choose the right social media platform for your business here.
7 Ways to Boost Your Email Marketing Strategy for Greater Returns
Email marketing is one of the best ways to capture new eyes and grow your audience. After all, who doesn’t love getting a personal message from a company? It’s also a fantastic way to stay connected with your customers and build brand loyalty. With that in mind, you might wonder why your email strategy isn’t working as well as you’d like. The good news is that with just a few minor adjustments, you can transform your email marketing strategy into something that works better for you. Keep reading to discover 7 simple ways to boost your email marketing strategy for greater returns. Create a Clear Omni-Channel Marketing Strategy As email usage rises, businesses invest more time and resources in email marketing than ever. But, with the growing popularity of email as a channel, it’s unsurprising that many businesses struggle to get their strategies right. So, what’s the first thing you must do to boost your email strategy? The answer is simple: Set a clear omnichannel marketing strategy. You’ll see where your focus should be by creating a clear strategy. You’ll also know better how to maximise your efforts and increase your business ROI. So, don’t become a one-dimensional brand. Instead, consider how to use your channels to extend your business. Use Irresistible Call to Action buttons. There’s nothing more frustrating than clicking a link and seeing a bland call to action button. Your goal is to create buttons that are irresistible to your readers. To do this, look for buttons that inspire your readers to take action. You can include visual elements like images, text, and sound. You can also look for buttons encouraging your readers to share your content, engage with you on social media, or subscribe to your email list by choosing buttons that enable action while boosting your e-commerce conversions and revenue. Set Slimming Rules for Email Marketing Email marketing should be tailored to suit your target audience like any other channel. While email is an excellent channel for reaching a large audience, your goal shouldn’t be to reach everyone with your message. Instead, you should be focused on capturing and maintaining a high percentage of your existing customers. One way to do this is by setting slimming rules for email marketing. By setting slimming rules, you can focus your email marketing efforts on audiences most likely to purchase from you. For example, you might create a slimming rule restricting your company’s emails from being sent to your customers. By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid sending emails that don’t add value to your readers and increase the likelihood of customers purchasing from you. Be Consistent With your Branding and Tone Email marketing is primarily intended for a visual medium. With that in mind, you’ll want to ensure that your branding and tone are consistent between all your channels. You can create templates for your email marketing that mirror your branding and tone across all your marketing channels. By doing this, you’ll be able to create emails that look great and have the same tone, personality, and feel as your other marketing materials. This will make your emails more consistent with your brand and increase their chances of being opened. Don’t Forget About Video in Your Marketing Mix Many marketers struggle with video because they assume it requires a huge budget and team. Both of these assumptions are incorrect. Moreover, video can be incredibly effective for boosting your email marketing strategy. A study from MarketingExperiments.com found that businesses with an email marketing strategy that includes video receive 21% more leads than those that don’t. One thing to remember when it comes to boosting email marketing strategy with video is only to include it if you can’t fit it into your daily editorial calendar. By doing this, you’ll avoid interrupting your editorial workflow and ensure that the video you include is the best it can be. Always Include a Thank You Note at the End of Each Email Sequence One of the most important things you should do to boost your email marketing strategy is to include a thank you note at the end of each email sequence. By doing this, you’ll be able to build a stronger relationship with your audience. As a result, your emails will seem less like an interruption and more like a conversation. To do this, you must thank your readers for reading your emails genuinely. By doing this, you’ll also be able to express how much your readers mean to you. This will give your emails a deeper meaning, making them seem more personal and increasing click-through rates. Wrapping It Up Email marketing is a proven channel that can be used to grow your business and capture new customers. However, doing this effectively requires a strategy that is clear and consistent. First, to boost your email marketing strategy, you must be clear on your goals. Next, you must identify your target audience and the essence of sending out that email (is it to remind your customers about your products, revenue generation, advertise new products or launch a new campaign, and so on). Next, create an irresistible call to action button, use a slimming rule for email marketing, and be consistent with your branding and tone. In addition, don’t forget about video in your marketing mix. Finally, include a thank you note at the end of each email sequence. Did you know? At Raven and Macaw, we do not only give tips on digital marketing; we do the marketing for you. So contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your business. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn for digital marketing updates.