While email marketing remains a popular and viable way to reach customers, it also has the potential to cause annoyance or get flat out ignored if not handled in the right way. Emails frequently hitting customers’ inboxes that follow the same stale format or provide little to no value often won’t inspire readers to click through—if they even open the email at all. So what should email marketers do?
Here, the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the strategies businesses can use to breathe new life into their email marketing efforts and keep their emails from being sent directly to “Trash.”
1. Leverage Additional Visual Content
To drive better results from email marketing campaigns, businesses can consider leveraging visual content and not relying strictly on text-based copy. Our brains are capable of processing visual information much faster than text. So, adding visuals to emails—like images, GIFs, infographics and so on—will make your campaigns much more interactive and enable you to effortlessly engage your recipients. Plus, visual content helps you convey your message in an overall better way and has a stronger recall. So, it may help you get better results from your efforts and acknowledge a higher ROI from your campaign. – Jared Atchison, WPForms
2. Create Interactive Emails
Consider interactive emails, like quizzes or polls. They engage readers, making emails feel less boring and static. For example, an online fashion store can send a “Style Quiz” where readers select their preferences. The result provides tailored product suggestions, driving interest and sales. It would also allow you to segment your audience for personalized emails and experiences in the future. Interactive elements create a dynamic experience, keeping emails fresh and increasing your reader engagement. This approach could set you apart in the inbox clutter, especially if this is their first time getting something like this from you. – Devesh Dwivedi, Higher Valuation
3. Experiment With Humor
Use humor to create memorable experiences for the reader. Alternate between memes, witty one-liners, a funny story, clever wordplay or a smart pun to present your content in ways that offer a twist and are different but do not alienate your brand image. Since humor is subjective, experiment with satirical, sarcastic or funny themes, but avoid offensive or controversial humor. Relate to something that is trending or happening in the world. Use a call to action, images and copy all together to create a collective impact. But ensure that, like everything else, you A/B test it to analyze its demographic fit and response rate. This allows readers to open up, explore their curiosity and benefit from a positive email reading experience. – Brian David Crane, Spread Great Ideas
4. Introduce Promos For Nontraditional Celebrations
Keep in mind that, especially in e-commerce, promotions are key. Most people sign up to hear about promotions and will get bored if they keep getting stories or unrelated pieces of content. You can definitely keep promotions relevant by introducing nontraditional celebrations like a birthday or a company anniversary or even National Hug Your Pet Day. I for one look for email inspiration in frequently asked questions and from experiences interacting with customers. This ensures that you’re in touch with what people are actually looking for. While I keep things topical, I always have some kind of a call to action. – Kaitlyn Witman, Rainfactory
5. Admit To Something Negative
One effective strategy to keep things fresh in email marketing is to admit something negative. This could be an email you sent by mistake, some business change you made that wasn’t well received or some kind of problem you faced at work. Companies rarely speak out about things that go wrong. However, some mistakes can serve as a powerful and personal way to connect with customers. Send an email about something that went wrong. Acknowledge the mistake and talk about the lessons learned and remedies you’re going to apply. Such a personal take humanizes your brand and surprises people. Try this for your next email campaign and gauge the response. You’re likely to see positive engagement and an appreciation of your honesty and vulnerability. – Blair Williams, MemberPress
6. Focus On Storytelling
My tip would be to embrace the art of storytelling. Shift from pure promotion to sharing stories that resonate with your brand and audience. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look or a customer’s transformative journey, weaving narratives captivates and connects. It brings a fresh dimension to your emails, turning them into awaited snippets of inspiration rather than just more messages in the inbox. – Michelle Aran, Velvet Caviar
7. Update Your Branding And Templates
One way a company can breathe new life into its email marketing is to update its branding and templates for a fresh new look. Using the same old tired designs can make emails feel boring fast. What you can do is revamp logos, color schemes, fonts and layouts. Craft dynamic templates that pop while staying on brand. Update subject lines too, and avoid generic ones that get ignored. Clever, benefit-focused subjects boost open rates. In the end, making these little design tweaks eventually makes a big impact in reenergizing your emails and keeping them from feeling dated. – Idan Waller, BlueThrone
8. Embrace User-Generated Content
Many people believe that mass email blasts are outdated and can lead to unsubscribers, but this doesn’t mean you have to get rid of email marketing altogether. If you want your readers to connect with your brand on a deeper level, begin by highlighting their experiences, testimonials and creative contributions in your content. By incorporating the voices of people like your readers into your marketing efforts, you will create a sense of community that isn’t easily ignored. You’ll also build authenticity and trust that resonates far beyond outdated marketing messages. – Bryce Welker, Accounting Institute of CPAs
9. Partner With Other Businesses
You can add a twist to your existing email marketing campaign by partnering with other businesses in your industry. We often collaborate with other brands and publish joint promotional emails that allow us to connect with new prospects, build rapport and get more value from our email strategy. – Daman Jeet Singh, FunnelKit
10. Personalize Content Through Segmentation
Implementing segmentation is a must when it comes to keeping your email marketing efforts relevant and engaging. Tailoring email content based on subscribers’ preferences, demographics or behaviors adds a personalized touch. Segmentation ensures readers receive content that directly resonates with their needs, making emails feel more relevant and valuable. To segment your email list effectively, you will need to collect subscriber data like demographics or behaviors like purchase history and engagement. This simple shift toward personalized content prevents the one-size-fits-all approach, keeping emails from feeling generic, increasing engagement and cultivating a stronger connection with the audience. – Thomas Smale, FE International
11. Offer One-Of-A-Kind Value
Make your content truly one-of-a-kind. This means creating content that your readers will not be able to find anywhere else so they stick around as subscribers. Creating this unique content is easier than you think. For example, your email campaigns could include new feature releases or pro tips on your product or service that can’t be found anywhere else. Another example is including codes or links to special sales and discounts for subscribers. We even include a very simple embedded form in our emails that allow subscribers to suggest new features for our software. Each email we send is carefully crafted with exclusive content to keep readers engaged and subscribed. – Nanxi Liu, Blaze.tech
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