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
10 Ways To Find New Content Ideas That Never Fail
Have you ever run out of content ideas, or maybe you have some pictures that need to be revised? Unfortunately, this is probably the worst experience regarding your digital marketing. What if I tell you that there are many trusted ways to gear up your content ideas and shine even brighter? Content marketing has a medium through which so many businesses become successful. This alone is enough reason to find insightful ways to develop stunning ideas that never fail on your website and social media channels. Nowadays, there are lots of businesses that operate only online without any physical stores. Therefore, producing the wrong content for such or similar companies can take time to convince people your products are good, even if they are. After looking at why excellent content is essential, let us jump into nine ways to find new ideas that never fail. Peep Into Websites with Content Ideas There are websites you can get free content ideas from. A good example is Quora asks random questions across different industries and topics. Searching for a title or industry name would be best, and many questions and answers will pop up. Then, you can generate content ideas from these results. Create a Huddle of Topics One of the most significant ways that content fails is when made quickly. Although some may be successful, they can be stressful and have a higher probability of failing. The best way to do it is to create bunches of ideas before time. Pictures that will last for a month or two. Brainstorm through them and make the possible adjustments/corrections. This practice will help you reduce multitasking and give you enough time to find engaging strategies. Have a Tour Around Social Media Another excellent source for legit ideas is social media. There are almost limitless chances on social media. Millions of people spend hours online daily, many of whom may be your customers. Social media keeps developing. What works today might not work tomorrow. Also, what’s tending today may go dumb tomorrow. So an excellent way to start is by looking at your followers, what interests them and the people following them. Know who to tag and the hashtags that work. All this information can be vital in generating fail-proof content ideas. Keep an Eye on Competitors’ Websites You aren’t stealing, but yet, you are stealing. In the same way, you can extract ideas from social media, and you can also get ideas from competitors’ websites. Look into their blogs/news section, check for pictures you have yet to think of, check the comments and see what’s working for them. This is important because you are both targeting the same customers. However, it would be best if you did not do precisely what they do. You want to know what works for them and find a way to do it better. Use Suggestions by Google Have you noticed a variety of similar topics popping up when you type something on the Google search bar before clicking enter? These suggestions are based on top searches from the niche of what you ordered. An excellent idea for your next topic may be from Google; give it a try. Connect With Current Events Keep an eye out for events around your community. Find events that you can relate your brand with. This strategy works best on social media. Stick to events around your niche and avoid being controversial. This will help you spot new developments and ideas around your industry and turn them into a blog or news. Use Blog Idea Generator Have you ever tried any blog idea generator for your web content? If yes, check how the content is performing; I’m sure it’s smiles all around. Topic generator platforms help you with blog ideas that people are searching for. They can help you with blog topics for months and even up to a year. However, it may not provide a different issue than you want, but it’s a good starting point to come up with stunning content ideas. Try Interviews and Podcast An interview or Podcast session with enthusiasts in your niche is an excellent way to create content ideas. Short clips can go on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. The entire session can be turned into content ideas for several weeks. Do Product Review This is another great way to generate excellent content. Reviewing products vis videos or tweeting praises goes a long way. The best tip for this type of idea is to think about what people use daily, which can be helpful for your audience. You can also ask your followers about products they can’t do without. A monthly product review can turn out to be your most valuable content.
Expert Tips For Stepping Up Your Social Media And Content Marketing Game
There are over 4 billion active social media users on the earth we live in today. In 2022, Instagram is almost 90% becoming a marketing platform with over 1.3 billion active users. Moreover, many new qualities and tools are regularly stacked up on social media platforms, making them more business-friendly. The mindset of cute and sassy photos on social media is still alive but has only got a little shift because people now check out cute images of what to purchase and sassy videos of how to use or where to find what they require. With the number of individuals on Instagram and how fast it keeps rising, I’m sure you are already considering tapping your business into it if you haven’t. Whether you have or are thinking of doing so, below are marketing tips on Instagram that work well for businesses. Don’t Leave Out Any Social Media Platform Even if your business is small doesn’t mean you should still include some platforms. Instead, start by opening your business account across all social media platforms for effective content marketing. Social media keeps evolving every day. So the platform you’re thinking of omitting today may give you the highest number of clients tomorrow! Use every platform strategy to boost your brand. Different Strategies Work For Different Social Media Platforms Different social media platforms have different strengths and weaknesses. As a result, different strategies work best for each platform. For example, Facebook is great for building relationships and connecting with potential customers, while Twitter is better for sharing quick snippets of information and generating leads. Before you start using any social media platform for your business, it’s noteworthy to understand how it works and what kind of content is most effective on that platform. Know and understand the tactics that best work for every platform. For example, hashtags have been a vital tool for most businesses on Instagram. Also, LinkedIn has been proven not to be for personal use but to go well with companies. Don’t Stick To Only Photos Or Videos Using all possible categories (text, photos and videos). Doing so gives you a greater chance of reaching more potential users. People view different categories daily; you’ll never know where someone new will first see your post before checking out more about your business. Keep An Eye On The Insights This business profile feature lets you know the posts that work best for you. You see the engagements on your posts, impressions, etc. Also, you get to see a stat of your followers, when they are most active, and their gender, age range, and location. The more you know the posts that best work for you and your followers’ age range and locations, the better you can adjust and deliver what’s best. Go For Sponsored Ads An average video or image post is seen only by your followers or people who visit your profile, but sponsored ads allow you to reach beyond your followers. You can target your audience through ads while keeping an eye on how much you want to spend on them. The higher your budget on ads, the more audience your post reach. Another cool thing about ads is that you can do it for both stories and feeds, so if you notice any of your existing post performing well, you can turn it into an ad for more potential engagement. A good hint on ads: run ads for multiple posts and different target audiences concurrently for best engagement. Influencers Lead To Wider Reach A couple of people have built a large audience and trust on the platform. If you partner with these people and let them advertise and promote your products, it is among the easiest ways to reach more potential customers. Moreover, many people buy products based on what their trusted influencers advertise. So if you get along with the right influencers for your product, your brand will be boosted to a new level. In conclusion, social media and content marketing are two of the most effective tools in a digital marketing arsenal. To stay ahead of the game, keep up with the latest trends and best practices. Our blog is an excellent resource for tips and advice on social media marketing and digital marketing. Whether you’re just starting your social media marketing or are a seasoned marketer, we can help you reach more fans, clients, and customers with the right content. Follow us to learn more about how to step up your game in these areas.
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.
Building Brand Awareness
What is Brand Awareness? Brand awareness is the familiarity of consumers with a particular product or service. Brand awareness is valuable when it comes to marketing or promoting a business, especially if it’s in its early stages. Whether you own a start-up or a well-established business, your brand needs to be out there, and people need to be familiar with your brand name. That awareness or familiarity is fundamental to your business, especially in these times when we shop more online than in stores. No need to go to a store to purchase goods or services. A consumer can easily find or discover new products when going through an aisle at a supermarket; that way, a product is identified and made known to most people who go to the supermarket. However, it isn’t the same when trying to purchase a product online, as people only search for a specific brand name. Creating awareness to make your brand a popular household name would be best. There is just so much competition online. It would help if you made your way to the top. However, if you like to gauge with numbers, to know the statistics, brand awareness isn’t measured in standard numerals. It is what you could call a vague concept. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any value. On the contrary, it has much significance, like search engine optimisation or content marketing. For your business to grow, you need all the possible available tools to help you market your brand. Trust and Loyalty – Why Brand Awareness Is Important The business world is now where consumers strongly depend on research and other consumers’ opinions on a product before making purchases. Their findings will eventually build trust, which is everything. That trust, once established, builds loyalty. So your customers keep coming to you without second thoughts. Once you’ve established that trust, give your brand a personality, tell a story behind it, and make it fit for business and worth patronising. What It Does Brand awareness associates actions and products with particular brands. For instance, when buying sneakers, you say that you are a Nike person or an Adidas person. See what happened there; you associated your sneakers’ purchase action with a brand name. Another example, which is common in Nigeria, is calling any brand or kind of mayonnaise ‘Bama’ because of the famous brand, ‘Bama’ or all brands of toothpaste called ‘Macleans’ because of the renowned brand. We often do it subconsciously because that awareness and familiarity have been established already. You can do that to your brand as well. Make it so popular it becomes a ritual for people to call your brand. That awareness becomes your marketing tool. It creates brand equity. Brand equity describes a brand’s value determined by consumer experiences and overall brand perceptions. It is then your job to create positive experiences to get positive notions. Positive brand equity leads to Higher prices due to higher perceived value. Higher stock price The ability to expand the business through product or service line extensions More significant social impact due to brand name value Brand awareness creates recognition by a customer without assistance, leading to a product or service purchase, and that customer begins to prefer similar brands. It also establishes loyalty that a customer recommends your products or services to family and friends. Now, To Build Brand Awareness To build a brand awareness that will have a long-lasting impact on your customers: Be a person, not a company. You should define it as more than just a company that sells things. Let your brand show traits that will determine your success. To become famous, you should promote even things that aren’t related to your brand. You’ve got social media to do that. Interact with the audience, comment, post, and ask questions. Operate your page like it wasn’t meant for business. Show yourself more on social platforms. Research shows that over 50% of brand reputation comes from online interactions. Being social leads to greater awareness and being known. Tell a narrative. Creating a story around your brand gives something for the audience to relate to. It connects you and your brand with why the market should choose it. It’s a good marketing strategy. Here is a short read on Social Media Marketing. If you ever need someone to create your brand stories, we at Raven and Macaw will create those stories and even market your brand for you. Whatever product you are offering, make sharing your products easy for your customers. Whether blog posts, videos, sponsored content or social media posts, make them shareable for your audience. Word–of–mouth marketing is a very effective way to establish trust and familiarity among customers. Very sure this applies to you too. When someone sees a family, a friend, or even a trusted person sharing and recommending your products, services, or brand, they will likely try you. It creates a chain-like market. One shares clips with another, and it grows longer. Imagine how far a ‘click to share’ can take your brand. Let it be your aim in business to make an impact. How you impact your customers’ lives will determine how far you want to go in a part of their lives, gaining their loyalty. Here are some Brand Awareness strategies to help you: First, try to co-market with another brand to build an audience and, along the way, use the other brand’s audience to market. Advertise everywhere possible. create a presence that will not let you disappear Hire a face or a mascot for the company. If you can afford a celebrity’s face, it’s ok. Go ahead. Choose an image or symbol that represents you Create a short, catchy slogan Now you can build your brand and start creating awareness for your brand. Let people know that you are open for business. Click here to learn about Digital Marketing, its types, and its benefits to your business.