Even though I think most marketers can agree that email is alive and thriving, there are still many marketers who have a difficult time leveraging it effectively for lead generation. So, why not break it down?
How to Write an Effective Marketing Email: 13 Steps
- An attention-grabbing subject line is crucial: Your email subscribers will likely see the subject line before they read any other part of your message. They have tons of emails in their inboxes, many of which will come from other companies and vendors just like yours. You should make sure your subject line is eye-catching and clear. Keep it short, but be sure to make use of your space wisely, and be sure to explain the offer as clearly and concisely as possible. Stay away from trigger words that will land you in the SPAM folder of your sender.
- Senders That Are Real, Live, Humans: To make your emails more personal, consider using a real person’s name as the “From” address. You can experiment with different approaches to customizing your email’s sender name. Test out various formats of your sender name in order to discover which one will result in an increase in open rates (e.g. First Name Last Name vs. First Name Last Name, Company Name vs. Company Name).
- A clear brand identity: Utilize an email template that creates consistency with your brand. Include your logo! Use colors that are consistent with your company’s brand. In the absence of branding elements, there is a lack of professionalism and security.
- Personalization: According to research, one-third of marketers believe that targeted campaigns are highly effective. However, the majority of marketers don’t include any elements of personalization in their campaigns. You can use data about your database to segment people into groups and develop content offers based on what they do and what they need. Lead nurturing (in particular) offers great opportunities to leverage the power of personalization. Make certain to include your company’s name and picture in your email, as well as signing off with their nickname. Additionally, consider including your data in the greeting of your email.
- Offer Context: Make sure to explain why the offer you’re making will be valuable to your recipients before letting them enter their email addresses. Keep your language brief, use engaging language, and use statistics to emphasize importance. In this section, you should also include a link to your offer.
- A clear and focused call-to-action (CTA): Make a visible CTA for your offer. Your CTA should state exactly what action the reader must take to receive the offer (in this example, “Download”) and establish an urgency (e.g. “Now,” “Today,” etc.). Don’t use vague language like “Submit,” and be sure to tie the CTA back to the offer (i.e. for a live webinar, you should say “Register Now” or “Reserve Your Seat Now”).
- Description/Value of Offer: Highlight why your email recipients should download your eBook or register for your webinar. Use bullet points to break up the text and emphasize key points. Opt-in to your offer by using your email signature.
- Links/Buttons for Social Sharing: Whenever you send an email, include social sharing links. If your readers appreciate the content in your email and feel compelled to share it with their social media contacts, you will increase your outreach, Having this option will help you to reach an even wider audience with little effort.
- Picture: Break up long text with an appealing image. This image should match the content of your offer. If you’re offering an ebook, include a screenshot of the cover page, and if you’re offering a webinar, include a screenshot of the cover slide.
- Product-focused offer: Perhaps you can offer a free trial of your product or free consultation to some of your email subscribers. Use your P.S. in the same way you would tie up your main content offer and a middle-of-the-funnel offer.
- Social Media Follow Buttons/Links: Give your recipients the option to subscribe to your updates on social media, too. Make it easy to follow you on social media by adding social media buttons on your website and encouraging subscribers to like your Facebook page, subscribe to your YouTube channel, and follow company updates on LinkedIn.
- Getting access to our privacy policies: The internet has evolved into a social and public platform, leading to an increasing concern about privacy. Make sure your email subscribers are confident and secure by including a link to your company’s privacy policies.
- Unsubscribe Link: If you don’t include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of your email marketing messages, you may be breaking CAN-SPAM regulations, losing a lot of money, and damaging your company’s reputation.
Source: HubSpot
