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Think email is old news in the era of TikTok and Instagram? Think again. A solid email marketing strategy is your ticket to loyal customers and skyrocketing conversions. We’ve put together 14 steps to ensure your email marketing campaign meets its mark.
Today’s competition for consumer attention is fierce, and having an effective email marketing strategy is essential for any brand to thrive.
Email marketing gives you a direct line to your audience, engaging with your customers personally with messages that match their needs and interests. Regularly sending valuable content, exclusive offers, and important updates helps you stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds.
The impact of email marketing is undeniable. Studies show that email marketing can generate an average return of $36 for every dollar spent, making it one of the most cost-effective tools in your marketing toolkit.
But it’s ultimately about more than just the numbers. A well-executed email marketing strategy helps you build meaningful, long-term customer relationships. Segmenting your email list allows you to create personalized experiences that foster loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. Additionally, you can gain invaluable insights into customer behavior through metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through 14 essential steps to creating a powerful email marketing strategy to help you transform and grow your customer base.
Before we discuss how to implement a successful email marketing strategy, it’s helpful to understand why email marketing has become a must for brands looking to stay competitive. A look at the numbers reveals just how impactful a well-crafted email campaign can be for any business. Consider the following statistics:
Email marketing is a powerful tool that allows businesses to connect directly with their audience, drive conversions, and build long-lasting relationships. However, the key to success lies in creating a well-crafted strategy that resonates with your audience and adapts to their needs. Below are 14 comprehensive steps to help you develop a winning email marketing strategy that delivers results.
Before crafting your emails, you should lay a solid foundation with a detailed plan. This plan should encompass your objectives, target audience, key messaging, and how email integrates with your overall marketing strategy. Think about what your audience values most and how your emails can deliver on that promise. If you have an e-commerce website, you might create a series of automated emails to welcome new subscribers, followed by segmented campaigns that highlight products based on browsing behavior. This systematic approach ensures that your campaigns are cohesive and aligned with your broader business goals. According to a study by CoSchedule, marketers who plan their campaigns are 356% more likely to report success.
Setting clear goals is fundamental to guiding your email marketing efforts and measuring success. Your goals should be in lock-step with your overall business objectives and broken down into actionable steps. For example, you might aim to increase your email list by 30% in the next quarter or improve your click-through rate by 15% through more personalized content. Establishing these benchmarks keeps your strategy focused and gives you a concrete way to measure your progress. A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that 70% of the most successful marketers are guided by well-documented goals, demonstrating the importance of clear goal-setting for effective marketing.
The design of your emails is the first impression your audience will have, so it should have great visuals and be consistent with your brand. An ideal email design features a clean layout, easy-to-read text, and visually engaging elements that reflect your brand identity. A luxury brand’s emails might incorporate high-quality images, elegant fonts, and a minimalistic color scheme that resonates with the premium nature of its products. You should also keep in mind that over 50% of emails are now opened on mobile devices. Ensure your emails are mobile-responsive to ensure a smooth experience across all devices. Research reveals that 42% of consumers will delete an email if it’s not optimized for mobile.
Building a high-quality email list is critical for the success of your campaigns. Rather than relying on purchased lists, focus on growing your list organically by providing real value to your audience. You can achieve this by offering incentives like exclusive content, discounts, or access to webinars in exchange for sign-ups.
Software companies often offer free trials or detailed e-books to attract new subscribers. These offers don’t just encourage sign-ups; they also ensure that your list consists of engaged individuals who are genuinely interested in your brand. Marketing research consistently shows that email lists built organically have a much higher engagement rate than purchased lists, so it’s worth investing time and effort into building your audience from scratch. It will pay off in the long run.
Never underestimate the power of an eye-catching subject line. It is the first thing your recipients see, and it plays a significant role in whether they open your email. Crafting a compelling subject line can significantly increase your open rates. A study by Zippia found that 47% of email recipients decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone.
A great subject line is usually between 6 to 10 words long and gives a clear idea of the content while piquing the recipient’s curiosity. For example, online retailers often use a subject line like “Don’t Miss Out: Your Exclusive 20% Off Inside” to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
Customer segmentation is one of the most powerful tools you can use in your email marketing campaign. It allows you to send more targeted and relevant emails by dividing your list into smaller groups based on specific criteria. Email segmentation types commonly include demographics, purchase history, engagement levels, or customer lifetime value.
Segmenting your list lets you tailor your messaging to different audiences with laser precision, leading to higher engagement rates. According to Mailchimp, segmented email campaigns can result in a 14.31% higher open rate and a 100.95% higher click-through rate compared to non-segmented campaigns. Clothing retailers usually create segments based on gender, past purchases, or geographic location, allowing them to send personalized recommendations that are more likely to resonate with each group.
Personalization is more than just addressing the recipient by name; it involves customizing your emails’ content, offers, and timing based on user behavior and preferences. For example, Netflix regularly suggests new shows based on what a user has previously watched, and it’s common practice for e-commerce sites to suggest products related to past purchases.
Personalization ensures your emails are highly relevant, making it much more likely for your audience to engage and eventually make a purchase. A study by Experian found that personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates than non-personalized ones. Consumers have gotten so used to personalization that it is no longer an option for success but a necessity.
Integrating social media with your email marketing campaign can amplify your reach and engagement. A study by OptinMonster found that email and social media integration can increase email click-through rates by up to 158%. So, be sure to include social sharing buttons in your emails to encourage your email subscribers to follow your social media accounts.
You can also use insights from your social media channels to inform your email content. If a particular post or campaign performs exceptionally well on social media, consider featuring it in your next email newsletter. This cross-channel cohesion strengthens your overall marketing efforts and helps you reach a broader audience.
A/B testing is a vital step in optimizing your email marketing campaigns. Simply create two versions of an email and send them to different audience segments to see which one performs better. You can test various elements, including subject lines, images, CTAs, and even the timing of your emails. For example, you might test whether a short or long subject line generates more opens or whether a colorful CTA button drives more clicks. A/B testing allows you to gather data and insights that can help you refine your strategy for better results. Marketing research studies have consistently shown that A/B testing can significantly increase conversion rates, making it an essential practice for any email marketer.
Automation is a game-changer in email marketing, allowing you to send timely and relevant messages without manual intervention. According to Campaign Monitor, automated emails generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails. By setting up automated workflows, you can trigger emails based on specific actions or milestones, such as a welcome series for new subscribers, abandoned cart reminders, or birthday offers.
Automation saves time and ensures that your subscribers receive the right message at the right time, increasing the likelihood of engagement. E-commerce brands often use automation to send a follow-up email to customers who viewed a product but didn’t complete the purchase, and the follow-up usually offers a discount to encourage conversion.
Using automation in your email marketing strategy need not be a daunting task, as there are some great, user-friendly tools to help you. CleverTap’s advanced automation offers the flexibility and intelligence to deliver highly personalized and timely communications. With advanced segmentation and real-time analytics, CleverTap ensures that your automated emails are sent at the right time and to the right audience, maximizing your campaign’s effectiveness and ROI.
Good timing is another important ingredient in the success of your email campaigns. Sending emails at just the right time can significantly boost open and click-through rates. While research generally suggests that mid-week mornings are optimal for many businesses, the best time to send emails can vary depending on your audience and industry. If you’re targeting busy professionals, you might find that emails sent during lunch hours or late in the afternoon perform better.
Use your email analytics to track when your subscribers will most likely engage with your emails and adjust your send times accordingly. Several marketing studies have contradictory findings on which day or time of day is best, but they all agree that Saturday and Sunday are the worst days for opening and click rates. Ultimately, testing different times with your subscribers will help you identify what works best.
Tracking metrics is the key to gauging the effectiveness of your email marketing strategy. Key metrics to monitor include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. Each of these metrics provides valuable insights into how your audience is interacting with your emails. For instance, a high open rate combined with a low click-through rate might indicate that your subject lines are effective, but your email content or CTA needs improvement. Regularly reviewing these metrics allows you to identify areas for optimization and make data-driven decisions to improve your campaigns.
Over time, some subscribers may become disengaged or inactive. Instead of removing them from your list, try using a re-engagement strategy to win them back. Start by sending a targeted email campaign with a special offer or simply a message asking if they still wish to receive your emails. A well-crafted re-engagement campaign can rekindle user interest and encourage inactive subscribers to re-engage with your brand. According to Marketing Sherpa, re-engagement emails have an average open rate of 12%, and 45% of recipients who receive a re-engagement email will open future emails.
Protect your brand’s reputation and avoid legal issues down the line by staying in compliance with email regulations, such as GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and CASL. These regulations require you to obtain explicit consent from subscribers before sending emails, provide clear opt-out options, and include accurate sender information in every email. Non-compliance with these regulations can result in hefty fines. For example, GDPR violations can lead to penalties of up to 20 million euros or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. Regularly review your email practices to ensure they align with the latest regulations and best practices. The extra effort will help safeguard your business and maintain the trust of your subscribers.
The journey doesn’t end with the launch of your email marketing strategy; it’s an ongoing process of learning, optimizing, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in email marketing.
CleverTap makes this process smoother by providing in-depth insights and advanced analytics. With CleverTap, you can continuously revisit your goals, uncover new segmentation opportunities, and refine your automation workflows to align with your audience’s evolving needs.
CleverTap’s multichannel integration also ensures your email marketing efforts are part of a unified customer experience, connecting email with other channels like mobile push, SMS, and in-app messages for a more cohesive strategy.
Your email marketing strategy should be a living, breathing entity that constantly grows, adapts, and improves. By leveraging tools like CleverTap, you can achieve immediate wins while positioning your brand for long-term success. Visit our demo center to see how our email automation capabilities can level up your email marketing campaigns, or contact us to schedule a personalized demo.
