Outbound email marketing remains a tried-and-true, inexpensive method to get eyes on your brand. And with a marketing automation platform, it’s easier than ever to build, deploy, and analyze the email communication medium. What should you consider to improve your email marketing goals? It’s the little details that count!

1. Use a cliffhanger or include your offer in the subject line

With attention spans at all-time lows these days, it’s critical to nail the subject line! Those precious few seconds when the reader receives your email will determine whether they open to learn more.

• “50% off select small appliances + more home deals” from Target
• “Here are your NEW May specials!” from Hy-Vee
• “FREE Spotify Premium for 3 months” from Spotify

By including an incentive to continue reading — or including the offer itself — you can cut through the noise and gain views. (And the emoji is a nice touch!)

2. Test, Test, Test

Using simple A/B tests can dramatically build up your data over time by identifying patterns and what resonates with your audience. Try testing your subject lines, preview text, body copy, and CTAs regularly which will lead to less guesswork on your future campaigns.

HubSpot has an excellent A/B testing tracking template that you can access for free here. They have included a Google Sheet that allows for you to track your A/B tests in order to understand what is working and what is not, as well as what changes you have made over time.

3. Improve your Call to Action (CTA) performance

When developing a CTA within your email, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the CTA easy to spot and prevalent? Make it stand out!
• Is the CTA above the ‘fold’? Pushing your CTA higher up in the email gives the reader an earlier opportunity to take your desired action.
• Is it clear what is on the other side of my CTA? Think “Shop our newest designs” vs. “Click Here.”

4. Keep your content short and easy to follow

Long, bulky paragraphs can be daunting at first glance and can prematurely encourage a quick close/delete of your email. Here are a few things to try:

• Keep your copy short
• Arrive at your points quickly
• Use bulleted or numbered lists to help break up the information in easy-to-digest informational points

5. Use personalization

Emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened and 71% of consumers say a personalized email experience would influence their decision to open and read emails. A few things you can try, using simple field merges:

• Use the recipient’s name in the salutation and/or subject line. “30% off our new shoe line this weekend, Joe!”
• Segment your list by location. “15% off all clothing in our Nebraska stores this Saturday!”
• Segment your list by behavior. “Thanks for coming in last weekend, Joe! Take 20% off your next visit.”

Interested in improving your email campaigns even further? Contact us today to see how we can help.