10 ways to IMPROVE your email marketing
We’re living in a state of constant email attack. With such high volumes of email, readers are forced to make split-second decisions about the value of a message. How do you avoid the trash – or worse, SPAM blocker – and grab your reader’s attention? Use these tips to stand out in any inbox and give your readers something to be remembered.
1. If you’re going to use a person’s name in the “from” line, it should be one that your readers will recognize. When in doubt, stay consistent: use your organization’s name.
2. Emails should be no more than four scrolls long. In other words, a person reading the email on their smartphone should not have to scroll (or, in the case of the iPhone, swipe) more than four times to get to the end of the message.
3. If you find that you’re getting blocked/ spammed by readers, place the “Click here to unsubscribe” link at the top of your emails. If the link is hard to find, people will click “Report as spam” in their own email system.
4. Many readers are checking emails on their smartphones. Show your readers that you speak the mobile language; make your emails very mobile friendly.
5. Images within the body of an email should be 480 pixels or less. Images larger than 480 pixels distort the appearance of your email on smartphones and make mobile reading more difficult.
6. When uploading images into an email, add “alt tags” – alternative text (a standard feature in most email marketing systems). If your image doesn’t load properly in a reader’s inbox, it will display your chosen text, not the menacing red “X.”
7. Consider a re-engagement campaign to reach out to inactive readers. Typically these campaigns involve several emails over the course of a few months. One of the emails should highlight the benefits of your newsletter. Re-engagement takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. It will clean up your lists, improve deliverability, and allow you to focus on your loyal readers.
8. There is no best time or day to send an email. Send when you want to send. If you have access to optimization scheduling, take advantage of it. Otimiza-tion delivers your emails to each reader based on their email habits over time.
9. If your email contains a table of contents, make sure to double space the links. The extra line leaves enough room for smartphone readers to click with their large, often clumsy thumbs.
10. Remember that emails aren’t websites. You don’t need to have all of the information in the body of an email. Use catchy headlines and noteworthy details, but don’t make it too long. If the reader wants to know more, they’ll click.
