Has your business left email marketing in the dust to focus on social media and SEO efforts? Not so fast! In 2014, research showed that email is the most commonly used (and effective) way to generate leads. So, how do you use this valuable tool to increase customer leads? Here are some email marketing best practices to help:
Focus on Details.
When you’re aiming to increase leads or push them further through the sales funnel, the layout of the email you send is just as important as the content you write in it. Subject lines should be engaging and reflective of the content inside the email. Don’t mislead people with an irrelevant subject line in an attempt to pique their interest. Place your business’s logo prominently within the email, and keep the content clear and concise. Check how your email lays out on mobile devices to ensure nothing is being lost in translation.
Divide and Conquer.
Studies have shown that personalized emails show an open rate 15% higher than non-personalized messages. Take your email lists and create groups of similar prospects. If you’re a B2B company, divide emails into location, industry, company size, and so on. Each group should receive a unique message based on their characteristics. Don’t think it’s ok to rely on just demographic information to break up the email lists you have. Use any available data you have to segment these groups. The more relatable the content is to a reader, the more likely the reader is to be engaged with your business and move one step closer to becoming a customer.
Nail the Landing Page.
For all email marketing campaigns, the call to action should take users directly to a landing page. Once here, the prospects should not have to dig around for information on what’s expected of them. Whether you’re asking the prospect to fill out a form with more of their contact information so you can personally follow up, or buy something directly from your site, their next steps should be clearly laid out. Stylistically, the landing page should also reflect the email you sent out in order to maintain a consistent branding voice.
Watch and Learn.
As you send out emails, keep track of the individual reader’s behavior. Did this email address open the email? Were there clicks on any links? Use this information to guide your decisions when you send another communication to this user. What was it about the last email that he or she found interesting enough to open, but not enough to click through? To successfully increase leads, you must adjust your strategy as you go.