Emails are an integral part of any business, big or small. In some cases, the age old bulletin has become a little stale and outdated, but done well, email marketing can be a vital part of any profitable business. 

Before we get in too deep, it’s worth remembering that like any marketing strategy, a successful email marketing strategy will mean different things to different businesses. For example, you might want to increase the number of people who’ve signed up to your newsletter, but another business might focus on improving its open rate among existing subscribers. In most cases, you’ll be aiming to increase conversions and make sure the content within your emails is actually relevant to your audience. And if that isn’t at the forefront of your mind already, start reshuffling those priorities, stat!

Here are three things to hone in on when whipping your email strategy into shape.

SEGMENTATION AND PERSONALISATION The days of inserting < first name > into the opening line of your email are behind us. Although that’s something you should still do, there are other cool ways to make your emails feel personalised to every customer. Start by understanding the segmentation tools available within your preferred email platform. You should expect to see options that let you tag and segment your database in different ways, such as via location, preferred device, referral source, down to things like shopping habits and the kind of content they’re most likely to click on. This means you can start serving (aka sending) different content to different people, without having to make an individual email template for each person. As a general rule, conversions will increase with every step you take to further personalise the content you’re putting out there.

TESTING 1, 2, 3 There are infinite things to test when it comes to email marketing, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. If your database contains less than 5,000 people, I’d recommend testing one thing at a time. If you’re swamped with sign-ups, you may want to segment your audience and then test different things within each group.

Begin by A/B testing your subject lines. This option is built into most email platforms and the review process is generally straightforward. But don’t stop there – keep testing things like different header images (first impressions count), the number of products displayed, the day and time you send your email, through to colour palettes and whether you have moving gif elements within the design. To increase conversions, try testing different ‘buy now’ buttons, changing the colour and the wording itself. Top tip: make your email content mirror what's on your social media feed, your website or even what’s in-store, as it helps customers become more familiar with your brand and product line. 

SHARE A SAMPLE We all like to try before we buy, so give would-be subscribers a taste of your email content before they sign up. This could be by linking to a preview of a previous email, or posting email content that's likely to be shared. If you’re hoping to make product sales from your email, you could also try offering an incentive to new subscribers. For example, if you’re promising discount codes and exclusive access of any kind, offer a ‘new subscriber’ discount to give them a taste of the good life that awaits.

GENERAL RULES ANY EMAIL STRATEGY SHOULD ABIDE BY
1) Quality over quantity. Please put that spam hat away!
2) Always optimise for mobile. Your customers are likely to be reading your email on their phone, so you’re aiming to make that experience as enjoyable as possible. 
3) Don’t hide the unsubscribe button! It’s in your best interest to have a database filled with folks who are interested in your products. Plus, fewer subscribers can sometimes result in higher open rates and conversions.

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