Digital marketing trends change year to year. New platforms rise up, capturing the public’s attention. A few years ago, no one had teams creating content for TikTok, for example. 

But one constant has remained in digital marketing. While many social media platforms come and go, email marketing has remained one of the most trusted and productive ways to reach your customers. 

That’s because every morning, 99% of consumers check their email. Some of us check our emails more than 20 times a day! And it’s not just the older generation. A majority of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z prefer email communication from their favorite brands. 

Hopefully, you have already developed a solid email marketing list that you are using to send out updates, promotions, etc., regularly. If you’re still struggling to populate your email marketing list, we have some help for you here. If you’re a local business, we also have some helpful tips to help you build your email list from in-person visits. 

Getting your list built up is simply the first step. Once you have your audience, you must ensure you’re maximizing your time with them. There’s no shortage of brands vying for your customer’s limited time and attention. The emails you send out need to be sharp, well-crafted, and to the point. Your customers will unsubscribe if you send out too many overly wordy or off-topic emails. 

Maybe you’ve noticed this already? You might be seeing higher than average unsubscribe rates, or your last campaign didn’t deliver the results you were looking for. 

Don’t worry. That’s what we’re here to help you with today. We have 10 tips to help you craft compelling marketing emails your customers won’t instantly delete. 

Tip 1: Keep Your Emails Simple

Do you know where most people read their emails? On their phones and often on the go. 

If you have too many long sentences and paragraphs, your emails will be hard for your customers to read. Your emails should be short, to the point, and use natural language. You can get into lengthier descriptions and flowery prose on your blog (though we might recommend you avoid some of that). Your marketing emails are intended to reach a large audience, so write in a way that most will understand and appreciate. 

Tip 2: Deliver On the Promise of Your Subject Line

Of course, you want to entice people to open your marketing emails. But there’s a fine line between capturing attention and creating clickbait titles that overpromise and underdeliver. No one enjoys spammy content. 

You must also be sure to deliver on what the subject line promised. If you mentioned a sale, the content of the email better be about a sale. Like in real life, if you ask someone over on one premise and then surprise them with another, you will annoy them. Always remember, it’s super easy to unsubscribe from an email. 

Here are some extra tips on how to craft catchy subject lines. 

Tip 3: Personalize Your Emails

Subscribers know that you’re not only messaging them directly. But taking extra steps to personalize your email marketing somehow goes a long way with your audience. 

Many of the most successful companies segment their lists into different levels. That way, they can send targeted emails to specific groups of their customers. You might not be ready for this, depending on how extensive your list is and your budget. But even using “you” and “your” in the emails can make it sound like you are talking to them rather than at them. 

Tip 4: Have One Clear Objective

You probably have many different things going on inside your company that you’d love to tell everyone about. We love that passion and excitement!

Your marketing emails are not the time to share all of these. Too much information will only confuse and distract your customers. Remember earlier when we said to keep things simple? 

One of the best ways is to have one clear idea in your email that pairs with a clear next step action you want your customer to take. Think about what action you want them to take and keep the email fixated on that point. Do you want them to come to visit, buy now, or take advantage of a promotion? Write the email to get them to take that action. 

Tip 5: Make Your Emails Scannable

Folks are usually reading their emails on the go. This means they are easily distracted and won’t give your marketing emails much time or attention (unless you give them proper motivation). 

One way to help with this short attention span is to make things scannable. The email subject gets them to open, and then the formatting of your email ensures they read more. Put all your key points in headers and bullet points, so they’re easy for the customer to spot. 

Tip 6: Focus On the Benefits

When someone signs up for your email marketing list, they’ve indicated they’re interested in your brand. But, they’re usually more interested in what your brand will do for them. 

Focus on the benefits your product or service will give your customers. Write every email anticipating the thought, “what’s in it for me?”

Tip 7: Create Urgency

You don’t want to come off too salesy, but you also don’t want your customers sitting around on offers or actions for too long (they’re easily distracted). 

If you’re offering a sale or promotion, ensure they know it’s for a limited time only. Even if you don’t have a deadline, using phrases like “subscribe immediately,” “don't miss out,” and “start saving today” can help create a sense of urgency. Once a customer has closed or deleted an email, there’s little chance they’ll remember to return to it. 

Tip 8: Don’t Be Too Pushy

Many people respond poorly to being told directly what to do. Persuasion is always preferable to commanding. There’s a fine line between both in marketing emails, but it’s essential to get the balance right. 

“We thought you’d appreciate knowing about this month's unique offer,” for example, is persuasion-based, time-limited, and courteous. “BUY NOW OR CRY LATER!!!” on the other hand, is a directive that’s overly aggressive. Exclamation marks and emojis should also be used sparingly.

Tip 9: Use Relevant Images

Images are an excellent way to grab someone’s attention and communicate effectively. Often, they’re even better than words. But in a marketing email, your images must be on brand and on topic. Every second the customer spends inside the email is precious. Don’t waste their time with irrelevant images. In the same way, make sure all your images are optimized for size and quality, so they don’t take too long to load. 

Tip 10: Proofread Everything

It goes without saying, but take a moment to comb through for errors before you push something out to potentially thousands of people. 

One key point that many overlooks is taking some time between finishing an email and doing your proofreading. Your eyes are a bit more critical after a break, so come back to the email after some time has passed to give it the final going over. Sometimes, we lose the ability to see our writing mistakes. Try to look into applications like Grammarly that can help automate and give you an outside set of eyes. 

Good Luck With Your Email Marketing

Hopefully, these tips have helped you get on your way to crafting punchy and articulate emails that convert in the way you intended. An email marketing list is an essential part of any digital marketing and SEO strategy that cannot be overlooked or taken for granted. 

If you don’t have other online marketing pieces in place, reach out to us today. It’s what we love doing at Strategic Websites. 

Please reach out to us today. We’d love to hear from you.