Did you know that email marketing is ten times more effective than posting to your social media accounts? Specifically, your message is five times more likely to be read when it’s shared as an email versus a social media post. 

You may be nervous to add email marketing to your digital marketing strategy — and you’re not alone! Maybe you’re unsure about the technology involved (don’t be scared!) or concerned that it’s more work than it’s worth. In truth, email is a great way to engage with active audience members. You can add value to your business with consistent communication and quality content that hits their pain points and offers solutions. The opportunity to grow your client list or customer base is the cherry on top. 

In today’s blog post, let’s take a closer look at seven of the best practices for email marketing.

1. Don’t purchase contact lists.

The success of your email campaigns depends on the open rate, and if you’re sending it to non-organic subscribers whose information you bought, chances are, your performance will suffer. Instead, seek to build a list of invested subscribers who want to know more about your business. Use your social media channels and client list to grow your contact list. Remember: You own your email list, so make it work for you!

2. Clean up your mailing list each quarter.

You may notice that some subscribers don’t opt-out of your emails but never open them. To ensure that your open rate remains high and properly reflects the success of your campaigns, consider reviewing and removing subscribers as needed. 

If you’d rather not remove them, you can instead slowly move them to a less frequent email list based on activity. For instance, if a subscriber doesn’t open a weekly email for three consecutive weeks, move them to a monthly email and monitor their open rate then.

3. Be thoughtful with your design.

The less clutter in your email, the better. We recommend that you stick to two or less fonts to avoid distracting your readers. To ensure that your email is readable on all devices, use 10-point to 12-point font sizes. Additionally, add visual appeal with photos and videos when it makes sense. Don’t overdo it though; readers actually prefer fewer images. 

4. Keep your subject short and sweet.

You want your email — both the design and the content — to be an extension of your brand. When it comes to your subject line (the first impression for your readers!), find a formula that works and stick with it. Maybe you prefer all lowercase letters or three emojis only. Or you might want to use a simple command with a single emoji that your social media followers already associate with your company.

5. Personalize your greeting.

Chances are, you’ve received an email that begins with “Dear Subscriber” or something similar. Not the warmest opening, right? Instead, personalize each email with the subscriber’s first name to catch their attention right away. Depending on your email platform, there is usually simple coding involved to make this switch. Just be sure to double-check it prior to your first big send to make sure it’s set-up correctly!

6. Be sure the main message and call-to-action (CTA) is above the fold.

It’s no secret that we have limited attention spans. Above the fold refers to the content visible to readers before they scroll down. One research study found that consumers spent 57 percent of their viewing time on above-the-fold content. Meanwhile, only 17 percent of consumers view the information after a scroll. That’s a big difference, right?

Given this data, begin your email with the most important details, including any relevant links and CTA (whatever action you want your subscribers to take next). Note that someone is six times more likely to click on a link shared in an email than a link shared on social media. You can add it as a button to really make it pop. You can also run A/B testing to explore different ideas and determine what works best for your contact list. 

7. Include an email signature.

Even if the email is being sent on behalf of the company, always include the email signature of a single employee. In a recent marketing study, 41 percent of people surveyed used email signatures for branding and visibility. The second most common reason was to maintain standard sign-offs company-wide.

Better yet, it adds a personalized touch. People are more likely to engage with an email if they know it came from a human being as opposed to a marketing team. Want to create a new email signature? Design one in Canva! Check out our best tips. 

If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.