Get more clicks with these email marketing tips

7 quick ways to make your email marketing work  

And to boost your email open rates  

Email marketing is still one of the most effective forms of marketing for small businesses. But for many of us, it seems like just another thing to add to our to-do list, right?

I mean, with around 269 billion emails sent each day, what’s going to make yours any different?

But don’t despair! When email marketing is done right, it’s the perfect tool for building relationships with your target audience and generate leads and sales.

Email marketing is much easier to wrap your head around when you have a plan. You need to know WHY you’re doing it (and not just because you’ve been told how amazing it is). What do you want to do? Get new subscribers or re-engage with existing subscribers, boost your engagement or segment your audience to send targeted campaigns?

Having an end goal is super important before you start planning the type of email, the number of emails, and the frequency of emails you’ll send.

And when you’ve got this all planned out, the next goal is to make sure your email gets opened.

Here are 7 quick ways to improve your email marketing campaign open rates

1. Make it personal

One of the biggest things you can remember in today’s busy online world is that you’re still speaking to humans. Take the corporate speak out of your emails and start writing like you’re talking to a friend. Conversations create action.

2. Get it noticed

Think about a busy email inbox – jam-packed with emails all wanting your attention. You skim through them yeah? Your aim here is to write a short and appealing subject line that would make your audience want to open your email. You’ve got to cut through the clutter by being a little creative.

3. Keep it short

Enough said really! No one has time for irrelevant waffle so keep it short and sweet – get to the point straight away.

4. Break it up

People love visuals over massive blocks of text. And so many of us are skim readers. Break up your emailers with headings, images and infographics. But, make sure they’re relevant to your email. And a tip: use your heading to make a point and tell a story for those who are skimming your email.

5. Optimise it

Like a website, you need to make sure your email is optimised for mobiles. As most of us are on the go, we’re in the habit of checking through emails on our phones (waiting to pick up the kids from school, at sporting matches, waiting in shopping queues). Most email marketing programs should accommodate this.

6. Time it right

As with everything in life, timing is everything. Do a little bit of research to find out when your target market is online. When do they take a minute to scroll through their inboxes? Is it first thing in the morning before they start work, during lunch breaks, or after hours when they’re chilling on their couch? Choose a time that’s relevant to MOST of your subscribers and schedule your email for that time.

7. Get it shared

Ideally, when you’ve written an email marketing campaign that people love, you want them to share it. Make sure you’ve included your social links and sharing buttons at the bottom of your email to encourage people to share it with their networks.

Have you mastered email marketing?

I’d love to hear if you’ve sent a successful email marketing campaign that boosted your sales or generated leads. What did you do? Or have you received an email campaign that sucked you in? I’d love for you to share your stories in the comments below.