Email newsletters are one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers. If it’s done right, it is. But the problem is that many companies don’t know what they should actually put in their newsletters.
Usually, companies don’t know Why They should send newsletters. They will say they need to do this because everyone else is doing it, or because they want to “keep ahead,” but there is no other strategy. Then, responsibility is “given” to people who may not want it, resulting in a boring, lifeless email explosion that will not bring value to your subscribers or your business.
This may apply to 90% of businesses, but not necessarily to your business. With the right plan and a set of goals in mind, you can make your newsletter a diligent marketing channel for your business-we will show you how to do it.
Keep reading to discover the most important email newsletter best practices that will turn your newsletter into something people really want to read.
8 best practices for email communications
1. Use strong subject lines
yours Subject line Arguably the most important email content. Without a reliable subject line, your email open rate will be affected.
Think about the themes that appeal to you-what are their attractions? Do they use concise language? Emotional language? Bold language? Emoticons?
In our experience, the best email subject lines are short (think about 30-50 characters), compelling, and provide enough previews of the email content to make you want to learn more.
For more subject line tips and best practices, Go here!
2. Optimize your email for mobile devices
People read through Half of all emails On mobile devices. Considering that people still use their computers regularly, this is a staggering number.
Knowing this, optimizing email for mobile devices is a good idea. This means making sure your newsletter template looks good on desktop and mobile devices. This may sound complicated, but it is not.At Campaign Monitor, we have more than 80+ free mobile-friendly email templates Ready for you to use.
Optimizing for mobile devices also means testing your subject line! Neglecting to preview the subject lines of different devices can lead to disaster, so make sure to take them all into account and send as many test emails as possible.
This includes design and Email subject line.
3. Pay attention to the design of your email newsletter
The importance of design to the success of your newsletter cannot be overstated. You might think that design is just the font and color you choose, but designing an effective email is much more than that.
Designing the layout of the newsletter content will have a huge impact on how your readers participate. Making it easy to read and clear your call to action (CTA) will greatly increase your engagement metrics. In addition, a well-organized email can help increase your email delivery rate.
You still want to make sure you Designed with accessibility in mind. Did you use the right amount of color contrast? Is your font large enough? Does your picture have alternative text? These are all things you need to consider.
Look at this fascinating Email campaign design From Bezar, it uses bold color blocks to highlight products and information:
source: Very good email
Other design best practices:
- Make your CTA buttons clear and concise
- Maintain your email brand
- Include your logo, website and social media accounts
- Don’t be afraid of blanks
- Don’t forget to add pre-heading text
Ultimately, your newsletter is an extension of your brand, so you want to make sure that it aligns with the rest of your brand experience (on your website, store, etc.).
4. Use segmentation to target your customers
Although most email newsletters will enter your entire list, your organization may have a different structure.If your company serves multiple different vertical industries, it may be wise to produce different types of content Each of these industries.
Or, you may have newsletter subscribers in different regions, in which case it may make sense to provide specific content for each region.
Don’t let the newsletter lock you in a typical “This is an update from our company” box. One of the biggest mistakes companies make when publishing newsletters is to put them all aside. Your email subscribers don’t want to hear from you, they want you to provide them with valuable content, and the more private your relationship with them, the better.
5. A/B testing can increase your click-through rate
Your marketing team should have A/B testingIf they are not, they need to start now. Although we might want to say that we know our audience and the types of emails they like, we will never know our audience like our audience, and A/B testing gives your audience a chance to tell you what they like.
Compared to marketers who don’t do A/B testing, marketers who do A/B testing often see better engagement metrics, such as open rates and click-through rates, so you need to prioritize A/B testing.
The result you will know What works and what does not work With your audience, you can use it to inform your email marketing strategy.
6. Pay attention to your email frequency and timing
Sending emails too frequently may cause you to unsubscribe from the email list, but sending emails too frequently may cause your subscribers to ignore them.
Annoyingly, figuring out this information is usually completely unique to each company. There is no magic solution to this problem. You can check other companies in your industry to see how often they send in the first place, but in the end, if you test it and make adjustments, your data will tell you how often your audience responds.
7. Make a compelling call to action
Usually, when a company sends out a newsletter, they have something they want to link readers to. Maybe it’s a piece of content on a website you made fun of in the newsletter, or if you are an e-commerce company, it may be a new product. Either way, making a clear, compelling call to action will help ensure that readers get where you want to send them.
This newsletter from Zendesk includes a letter from the CEO about the new product launch and a CTA that encourages people to click “learn more” about the product.
source: Very good email
The buttons are clear at a glance and the text is clear to ensure that readers will not miss the next step.
8. Use videos to encourage people to open your newsletter
Videos can encourage people to open and click emails. The audience found them attractive, And they are an effective way to quickly convey large amounts of information.
Videos created by your organization are most suitable for inclusion in your email communications (such as operational videos, recommendations, or suggestions from executives or industry experts).
All these videos can attract your readers.In addition, they provide a real opportunity to sell to people Why they want to work with your company.
This email communication from Mitsubishi uses video to highlight the rugged features of one of their models:
source: Very good email
wrap up
These eight email newsletter best practices are your guidelines for creating an email newsletter marketing plan that will impress your customers and increase your conversion rate.
The three key points you should leave behind are:
- Use your email subject line wisely to increase your open rate.
- Use list segmentation to creatively divide your list for maximum impact. Think about this issue outside the marketing framework.
- Email frequency and timing can determine the success or failure of an email campaign, so use A/B testing to find the best time to send the newsletter.
If you don’t have an A/B test log yet, don’t forget to set up an A/B test log and put together a comprehensive marketing calendar to keep it in sync with your email activities.
Looking for an email platform to create amazing newsletters? Activity monitor With a powerful drag-and-drop editor (equipped with templates), you can create the perfect e-mail.
