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Email might be the oldest form of internet communication, but even in 2023, it’s still one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. According to marketing research, email generates a whopping $36 for every $1 spent on average. That’s a 3,600% return on investment! But that’s only if you do it right.
If you want to harness the power of email to generate more for your business, here are five ways to create more engaging emails that your readers will actually want to open.
5 email marketing tips to increase engagement
Use a professional email layout
Your emails are a representation of your brand. So what do you think a bland text-only email would say about your business? Likely that you and your products or services are bland, too! If you want to create more engaging emails, you need to use a professional email layout designed to wow your readers.
Of course, you’re busy running a business and likely don’t have time to build amazing eye-catching layouts from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of free small business email templates available online.
Simply choose the template that best fits your brand, fill in the information, and you’re ready to hit send. You can have professionally designed email templates designed to engage readers without needing professional design skills (or time).
Identify yourself in the “from” name
When someone calls your cell phone, what are the odds you pick up if you don’t recognize the number? Likely pretty slim! Emails work the same way. People are less likely to open emails from senders they don’t recognize. So before you hit send on your next email marketing campaign, make sure you identify yourself in the “from” name.
The “from” name shows up in the inbox as who the email came from. If you leave it blank or just as an info@youremail address, it doesn’t feel very personal. It’s more engaging to your readers if they see the email comes from an actual person or brand they recognize.
In your email marketing platform, be sure you fill out a friendly-sounding “from” name before you hit send. It’ll make your email feel more engaging and encourage more people to actually open your messages.
Write a valuable subject line
Your “from” name isn’t the only thing that encourages people to open your email. Did you know the average person gets over 100 emails every single day? Despite how the old saying goes, people do indeed “judge a book by its cover” when deciding which emails to read and which to send directly to the trash. It’s all about the subject line.
An email’s subject line tells the reader whether it’s worthy of opening or not. That’s why it’s important to take the time to write a subject line that showcases value.
To write a valuable subject line, just as yourself, “Why would someone want to open this email?” Then, make the answer the subject line.
For example, the subject line “Check out our website to see our product catalog” doesn’t contain much value. It’s very basic without a reason for someone to open.
Instead, think along the lines of “New products now available on our site!” Why would someone want to open this email? So they can see what the new products are! There’s value in that subject line that will encourage people to click.
Pro Tip: Always put your value statement toward the front of the subject line. You never know how many characters someone will see in their inbox before the rest of your subject line gets cut off.
Include a call to action at the end
Email is a great marketing tool, but it doesn’t sell products by itself. They’re typically used as a way to introduce new products or relay information to guide the reader to the next step of the sales process. That’s where the call to action comes in.
The call to action (CTA) is your final push at the end of the email. It’s what tells the reader the next steps. For example, your CTA could be a button at the bottom that says “Shop new products.” It encourages the reader to click and go to the next step of the sales process.
Without a clear CTA, readers might not know what to do next, which means they probably won’t turn into a conversion.
It’s also important to include only one clear CTA rather than cramming a few into the same message. Too many different CTAs can be confusing and hurt engagement with the reader.
Engage with your readers for more effective email marketing
In the world of email marketing, it’s all about engaging with your readers. The more engaged the reader feels, the more likely they’ll agree with what you say and follow your CTA to a conversion, whatever that may look like to your business.
To engage with your readers, be sure to use a professional email layout, use a personable “from” name, include value in your subject line, and add a single call to action at the end. If you can do all that in your email marketing campaign, you’ll be well on your way to a quadruple-digit return on investment!
Author Profile
- London Copywriter
- Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.
