As mentioned in our first lesson, Email marketing is still one of the most successful marketing channels and is a key component of a solid digital marketing plan. In this lesson, we’re going to give you practical tips and advice that you can use today to maximize your email ROI.

•  Best Practice #1: TEST, TEST, TEST

  • For any email campaign, the easiest element to test is the subject line, which is a great start. However, if you want to take your email marketing to the next level, you should be conducting tests on all the following elements:

    • Email messaging/content

    • Layout and images

    • Calls to action and buttons

    • Day of the week & time of day

    • Personalization

    • The landing page you’re sending people to

    • Target Audience

    • Device responsiveness

• Best Practice #2 – Aim like a Sniper

  • Too many marketers rely on “Spray and Pray” for their email marketing strategy, they send emails out to as many people as possible and hope for results. In reality, the best marketers use email as a precision guided missile, delivering relevant valuable and engaging content to a highly targeted audience.

• Best Practice #3 – Get Personal

  • Everything from the content of the subject lines to the content of the emails themselves can be personalized to the user who is receiving it.

• Best Practice #4 – Motivate & Incentivize

  • Use incentives to increase open and click through Rates: When you include an incentive in your subject line, you can increase open rates by as much as 50%. “Free shipping when you spend $25 or more” and “Receive a free iPod with demo” are examples of good, incentive-focused subject lines. The same applies to your buttons, and calls to action.

• Best Practice #5 – Keep it Simple

  • Email readers have short attention spans. After I open your email, you have less than 3 seconds to convince me to keep reading or to visit your landing page, so simplicity is key. Don’t stuff your emails with too many messages or objectives, one is enough. The same applies to the layout of your email. Make it easy for me to navigate and find my way.

• Best Practice #6 – Make it Mobile

  • In today’s world, the vast majority of emails are opened on mobile devices and tablets. Are your emails designed to adapt to different device screens? Responsive layouts have become a key driver of email performance, and those who haven’t made the transition are now suffering because of it.

• Best Practice #7 –Build a Pyramid

  • Structure your email like a pyramid, with key content taking center stage at the top of the body, and support it with a wide foundation of details at the underneath. Your most important key messages and calls to action should be located above the fold, where the user doesn’t need to scroll down in order to see it, and every message should contain the key information you wish to share, answering the five Ws (who, what, where, when and why).