Jul 11, 20218:53 AM - edited Aug 12, 20219:34 AM
Inbound Professor
Components of an Optimized Email
In order to convert more leads from your email marketing, you have to first get your readers to open your emails, and click through on them. This is why, as email marketers, we’re all but obsessed with our open rates and clickthrough rates -- because increasing those metrics gives us more opportunities to convert our readers into leads.
So how do you optimize your emails to ensure you’re audience is excited to open and interact with your marketing emails? What advice would you give?
For example, one of my favorite ways to optimize an email is through personalization! Show your audience that you understand their problems and that you are there to help them solve them.
In that way, personalization goes beyond addressing the email to the person’s first name. Leverage the demographic and behavioral data you have about your readers by including it in your emails.
You can use their company name, their location, their role at their company, the pages they’ve viewed on your site, items they’ve previously purchased, and so much more. Be creative! Mass marketing isn’t effective anymore. Find ways to show your readers that you’re customizing your message to them.
Personalization is important, but if the subject line itself is not engaging, people will not even open the email. So, taking an effort in phrasing and testing the subject is the first step to success. Of course, the content of the emails should then fulfill the promise from the subject, be to the point, relevant, and engaging. As with landing pages also the template/content structure should be laid out for the best user experience and guide the recipients to conversion.
Optimized emails have the following components: Subject Line, Sender Name, Personalization, Body Image, Call-to-Action, Social Sharing Links and an Unsubscribe Link. Also, it's key to run A/B tests to evaluate the performance and fine tune any parts of the email that can be improved for the next release.
I truly believe that for email optimization, the head copy and image are the most important. Also, 60% of people watch their email through their phones, which means, videos can be catchy, but not very optimum.
A couple of vintage quotes from David Ogilvy that apply to this conversation:
"Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want your recipient to do."
It's also super-important that you optimize for RESULTS. You're interrupting someone's day with this message — why is it important to them, and what should they do about it.
Every optimized email have the following components: Subject Line, Sender Name, Personalization, Body Image (we can ignore this also), Call-to-Action, Social Sharing Links, Unsubscribe Link
Highly effective emails have copy that is clean, concise and easy to read. While not fully conversational, your emails shouldn't try to do to much or sound too fancy. Effective communication will cut through more than fancy vocabulary.
I have found the best performing emails are ones that cut out the jargon/schpeal and get to the point of 'what's in it for you' - as well as providing just one clear CTA (which is hyperlinked on images and at least once elsewhere in the email)
I like to use subjectline.com to make sure my subject line is optimized and useful. Then I make sure the message iteslf is enticing and valuable to my prospect. I am a big believer in segmenting my lists to make sure I am sending the right message to the right person.
Know your audience, talk to your customers to understand the importance of their position in their business. We did an exercise of talking to the back office of an organization and got an open rate of 86%. Yes, personalization is more than just their first name. A consistent tone and voice should be reflective of the brand.
For B2B companies, segmentation certainly helps as different industries may be more responsive than others and offer relevant content. Having complete records with their name and company goes a long way than getting an email that says, "Hi there."
