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Building an email list of engaged customers is still among the best marketing tools any business can have in its arsenal. But with your emails jostling for space in your subscribers’ overflowing inboxes, how do you even get noticed? Here’s the lowdown.

Identify the purpose

How you approach an email campaign will depend on the outcome you want. For example, are you trying to form a relationship with your subscribers, drive visits to your blog, or sell a new product? Take time to get to know your audience, so you know what they truly desire in the first place.

Keep it short & snappy

Emails are not the place for an essay or loads of industry jargon. Your subscribers are busy and overloaded with information, so they’ll often only read scannable emails. Breaking up your paragraphs with bullet points, headings, short sentences, and a clear call to action (CTA) will achieve that aim.

Personalise & connect

Email sign-up forms ask for a first name for a reason; we all respond better when someone appeals directly to us. Incorporating a first-name field and using second-person pronouns (the ‘you’ perspective) will encourage a personal connection.

Likewise, writing like you speak will make your text easier to read and help your subscribers click with you. Focusing on how your business can benefit your readers rather than simply listing features will further forge that sense of understanding.

Tackle objections

If you’re selling something, your reader is probably looking for a reason not to buy. Get around this by answering predictable objections in your emails, backing up your assertions with social proof, such as reviews and case studies.

Sign off with a CTA

No email is complete without an action-based call to action, such as ‘call us today’ or ‘sign up now’, unless it’s purely informative. But don’t go overboard – keep to one, easy-to-spot instruction. Having a hard time deciding which CTA to use? Pick the action you most want your audience to take.

Use psychology, not tricks

Some businesses resort to overdone subject lines and ploys to catch their subscribers’ fleeting attention. But with most of us receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of marketing emails a year, audiences get tired of attention-grabbing tricks fast.

So instead of those ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘Re:’ headlines, appeal to your subscribers’ deeper needs and then offer them the solution they crave. Once they want your product or service, scarcity can motivate them to follow your CTA. For example, if you’re launching a course, maybe limit the number of spots available or put it on sale for a short time. 

Split-test your campaigns

You can tweak your campaigns for better success with A/B testing. This is when you send out two emails with a different element, such as a subject line or a CTA, to see which encourages the most engagement. Over time, this will help you understand what appeals to your unique audience.

To sum up, the best email campaigns are easy to read, personal, focus on the benefits of your product or service, and provide clear instructions.

Time to get writing or if you're struggling for time check out the campaign library with designed and written campaigns for you to use and just send!

Email subject lines are akin to front-page newspaper headlines; they’re the first thing your audience sees, so they must grab their attention. But with just 60 characters to play with, getting it right is both an art and a science.

Luckily, we have seven tips for landing the best results.

1. Declutter

While the maximum character limit for a subject line is around 60, mobile devices often only display the first 41. Cutting unnecessary words and using shorter and stronger alternatives creates more impact and ensures your email gets seen.

2. Connect

Data from software company Campaign Monitor shows that almost three-quarters of marketers gain 20% in revenue from using their subscribers’ first names in the subject line. It’s also worth sending emails with an email address that begins with your name rather than a department. After all, it’s hard to form a bond with a faceless company.

3. Intrigue

Who doesn’t have a bulging inbox these days? Find an angle that excites or stimulates your customers to stand out from the crowd. For example, an estate agent could email potential sellers news of an average price increase in their area. Questions and figures are other great ways to pique curiosity.

4. Give value

Not all emails are about the hard sell. Make it clear in your subject line when you’re offering something valuable, such as curated deals, ways to improve your subscribers’ work or personal life, or anything else that will benefit them.

5. Motivate

Most of us read and respond to the most important or time-sensitive emails first. Leverage this inclination by adding urgency, e.g. a flash sale, to your subject line. Just don’t do it too often, or your subscribers will stop taking you seriously.

6. Work with filters

Keywords and phrases that appeal to your target audience will attract their attention and get into the right inboxes. Because every list is unique, you may have to tweak which keywords you recruit by testing different options.

7. Go clickbait free

While gimmicky subject lines can initially pull in clicks, they won’t establish the level of trust necessary to secure long-term, repeat business. We’re talking about creating false urgency or importance that isn’t delivered in the email itself. Always aim to give your audience value, even when you’re trying to make a sale. That way, they know it’s worth their time to open your emails in the future.

Now that you know how to approach your subject lines, why not start brainstorming ideas?

Emojis are the cartoon-like faces and symbols that stare at us from almost every screen. Used to cut through the monotone and ambiguity that online communication often brings with it, they add a colourful pop of meaning or emotion wherever they appear.

Beyond this, emojis make a company sound like a real person, helping audiences to connect with the message, product, or service on offer. Effectively, they can reflect the mindset of your potential customer, creating a bond of trust that can lead to sales.

So, it’s unsurprising that emojis can make a measurable difference to your bottom line. Digital marketing company WordStream claims that using emojis on Twitter can boost interest by 25% while incorporating them into Facebook posts increases interactions by 57%.

But what is the best way to use emojis in your marketing – and is it always a good idea? Firstly, let’s focus on the when and how. As long as it’s appropriate for your tone and audience, you can use emojis to:

Of course, you can use emojis in many other ways, but before you dip your toe into this alternative language, there are a few pitfalls to avoid. For example, while emojis can help subject lines stand out, they may display differently depending on your subscribers’ email provider, so ensure the meaning is clear without them.

In addition, you should always research emojis' different connotations beforehand, as some might have a hidden meaning that could offend. Overdoing it can also alienate rather than engage, so remember, less is usually more.

To decide where to draw the line, find out where your audience hangs out online and examine what types of emojis they gravitate towards – and which social media posts they interact with most. You can also split-test your email and social media campaigns to discover the emojis your subscribers really love.

Used intelligently, emojis can improve engagement with almost any marketing strategy.

So, what are you waiting for?

If you need any further marketing advice or guidance please speak to your Customer Success Manager today.

Pareto’s Principle states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. Otherwise known as the 80:20 rule, the principle applies to marketing as much as sociology and economics.

Essentially, for every ten campaigns you put into the world, two will generate 80% of the results. Of course, this is an average or a rule of thumb rather than an exact figure.

The 80:20 rule might sound like bad news because it implies you won’t get the desired result every time. But understanding the 80:20 can also be empowering; if you’ve tried a few Facebook ads and nothing’s worked, the chances are you could still be successful if you test another handful of ads.

Once you identify the highest-performing ads within a group, you can pause the rest. This allows you to plough your resources into the ads that work, potentially snowballing your return.

Does this mean you should stop creating new ads once you’ve found a few successful ones? No. Now is the perfect time to begin tweaking your existing ads to create new campaigns alongside your current ones. If you’re paying attention to the data, you’ll soon find even better ways to engage your ideal customers.

Over time, this should help you create ads highly attuned to your audience that continue to generate solid profits for your business. New ads also prevent your target demographic from growing blind to your messaging from overexposure.

To get started, plan at least ten ads, all with a single goal, such as generating sign-ups or sales. Divide your budget into ten, so you can afford to run them all while comparing the data. Follow the plan above as soon as a couple prove their worth. Good luck!