In the exciting world of digital marketing, there’s one strategy that truly stands out – email marketing! It’s like magic (excuse the pun – there’s lots of them to come). Effective email marketing allows you to forge strong connections with your audience and achieve incredible results. So, join us as we delve into the enchanting realm of effective email marketing, and with a little help from the fabulous Jo H, owner of The Digital Marketing Fairy we note some quick email marketing wins you can use on your next campaign.

There’s nothing about email marketing that Jo doesn’t know, from the best-suited platform for your needs, the format your emails should be, down to the best time to send them, she’s the only person we trust with email marketing for our clients. 

Personalisation is Key

To start us off, Jo emphasises the importance of personalisation; gone are the days of generic, one-size-fits-all emails. By tailoring your content to the specific interests and preferences of your audience, you can create a magical experience that resonates on a deeper level. Whether it’s addressing recipients by name or recommending products based on past purchases, personalisation adds a touch of warmth and sincerity to your emails and also ensures they’re relevant and will appeal to that particular person.

People like to feel unique and valued and personalisation can be a quick email marketing win to help with that, just as we predicted it will be a big trend in 2024.

What Type of Emails will you Send

There are four main types of emails you could be sending:

1. Relational email – a personalised message aimed at nurturing connections, fostering engagement, and building trust, such as welcome sequences, surveys, or contest announcements
2. Transactional email – the least ‘sexy’ but the most practical. They facilitate an expected transaction between a sender and a recipient e.g. new sign-up, a purchase, a ticket etc.
3. Promotional Emails – these can be used to drive sales, signups, and new product offerings for your business. These emails typically serve the purpose of converting subscribers into customers, and customers into brand fans.
4. Retention Emails – targeted, trigger response messages sent to an existing customer to increase engagement, loyalty, and satisfaction. It helps bring customers back again and again

Before you do anything though, you should always consider what type of email you’re sending, its purpose, the point of it and how you can help your customers. Without a plan, your email is likely to be just noise.

Content for Effective Email Marketing

Now that you know the point of your email, you need to consider what exactly you want to say and how you’ll say it.

Are you trying to promote a sale, thank customers for signing up, sending a regular newsletter full of content? The content (words and images) should have a point to get your message across.

Make sure you include useful things such as CTA’s (calls to action e.g. links to purchase), how they can unsubscribe (a legal requirement) and importantly, who you are (your branding).

If it’s suitable, make your content stand out in some way, that could be by adding emojis or interesting subject lines (but be careful you don’t get flagged for spam).

Each email you send should be like a little gift for your audience – whether it’s sharing helpful tips, sharing funny stories, or giving them special deals they won’t find anywhere else. When you send content that makes their day brighter, you build a bond of trust and loyalty, creating a community of eager followers who can’t wait to connect with your brand!

Craft Captivating Subject Lines

In the inbox, think of your subject line like a special charm – it is the first thing your viewers see and is responsible for grabbing their attention! Jo suggests making it interesting and exciting to make people want to open your email. Whether you ask a fun question, hint at something special, or create a sense of urgency, a great subject line can really make a difference in getting people to click and read what’s inside! 

Spam

No one wants to be flagged for spam – it means your emails aren’t getting through, and more importantly, if you’re flagged too many times, you can get a ‘black dot’ against your account and be constantly considered spam.

Email providers such as Outlook, Gmail and Yahoo Mail! want to provide its customers with the best experience possible and will automatically flag any incoming emails as ‘spam’ before they even reach the inbox. This means the emails could automatically get put in the bin, in the spam box, or even worse, simply blocked. This is not what you want.

There are a few things you can do and check against your marketing emails ensuring they’re not flagged as spam. These can include checking the content and messaging, how many emails you send at once and even the quality of your database.

Optimise for Mobile Magic

In our modern world, where everyone’s glued to their smartphones, Jo gives us a friendly nudge about the magic of mobile optimisation. Since lots of people open emails on their phones, it’s super important to make sure your emails look awesome no matter what screen they’re on! Jo suggests using responsive design as a standard and keeping your writing short and sweet. That way, your messages can sparkle and shine on every device.

Don’t be Scared of Unsubscribes

People unsubscribe, it happens. Things in their life may be different, they may no longer be interested and that’s OK. If anything, an unsubscribe can be a good thing as it’s one less person adding up your email list and it means that those who you ARE still emailing, are still interested in what you have to say. 

Where to Send from

Choosing the right email marketing platform is crucial. MANY places can help you, and they all have different features and costs involves, but these are the top three players:

• Mailerlite – for creating, sending, and tracking campaigns, popular among small to medium-sized businesses.
• Brevo – easy to use, high-value marketing and sales toolbox. 
• Klaviyo – Excellent at building funnels and integrating solutions.

  What makes the price plans different usually depends on factors such as:

• How many emails do you send
• How many templates you’ll have
• How many subscribers you have (emails in your database)
• The level of support you need
• A/B testing capabilities

Test, Learn, and Adapt

As we wrap up our marvellous adventure in the world of effective email marketing, Jo shares one last gem of wisdom – the joy of continuous improvement. With the enchanting magic of A/B testing and data analysis, you can peek into what works best with your audience and tweak your strategies as needed. It’s like trying out different spells until you find the perfect one that works like magic!

Guided by Jo, the Digital Marketing Fairy, we’ve unlocked the secrets to crafting campaigns that truly enchant and captivate our audience. Now, armed with newfound knowledge and skills, it’s time to embark on your own magical adventure. So, grab your digital wand and let’s cast spells of success together!

I’m proud to call Jo one of my friends and relish whenever we get the opportunity to meet up, support each other and work together to help our clients. If you’d like to embark on a project with us both, please do get in touch, or sign up to Jo’s newsletter ‘DM Fairy Flyer’.