The weeks leading up to Christmas are a true test for marketing agencies and departments. Not only due to the sheer volume of campaigns to launch and manage in record time, but also because of the fierce competition to capture the attention of increasingly selective potential customers. Here’s an example: how do you stand out among the deluge of emails sent during this period?
The battle isn't just fought in the inbox; it’s an everyday challenge. Every day we receive a large number of advertising impressions. This highlights the immense difficulty of achieving a click-through rate that boosts conversion possibilities, let alone getting the reader to spend time reading the message content.
Given this demanding challenge, the golden rule of marketing, whether online or offline, must be followed: differentiate yourself from other companies in the sector. This requires enthusiasm and a strong dose of imagination to keep your database contacts engaged.
While it's not an easy task, some tips can be very helpful in captivating recipients. Below, we present 6 ideas that will likely bring you much closer to achieving your goal. Take a look!
Tips for Effective Email Marketing
Although there's no panacea for captivating users, our suggestions can become invaluable allies.
1) Break the Mould with Your Email Subject Lines
In addition to avoiding forbidden words in emails — unless you want your email to end up in the spam folder — the key to success lies in taking risks and surprising the user with your subject line. Using emojis, personal allusions related to specific situations — even if unknown to the company (e.g., “You looked great the other day”) — challenging questions (e.g., “What’s the best news you’ve ever received?”), or cryptic/disconcerting statements multiply the chances of securing a click. Don't hold back: few things can be worse than recipient indifference. Give it a try!
2) Boost Brand Experience
It should come as no surprise that companies like Instagram conducted numerous studies before modifying their logo. The reason, as Emma's VP and marketing expert Cynthia Price recently pointed out, is consumers' desire for a specific visual representation of the brand. This is a lesson you must apply to your email marketing. Your audience expects your emails to have the same look and feel as what they see on your website, any other advertising medium, or your physical premises.
3) Less is More
Even with emails, it's best to avoid horror vacui. The goal is to create an easy-to-read message. A true must, considering that many messages are read on mobile devices. If your email contains too much content, opt for a single-column design and ensure you include sections preceded by large, bold headlines, and with Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons. To increase the click-through rate, we advise placing the most engaging content in the upper half, as that is where attention concentrates: on web pages, Nielsen Norman Group measured 80% of viewing time in that area in 2010, and 57% in 2018. Finally, make sure the font size is at least 16 pixels.
4) Go Visual
According to a 2014 HubSpot report, nearly 2 out of 3 respondents say they prefer emails where images predominate, although in the sends analysed in the same report, emails with more images got fewer clicks. Therefore, nothing beats choosing original and striking photographs to excite your audience. Animated GIFs will be very useful (but note that some email services, like Outlook, are not optimised for this feature). An image is worth a thousand words, and this is more relevant than ever.
5) Experiment with Colour
According to a review by Satyendra Singh published in 2006 in the journal Management Decision, we make up our minds about a person or a product within 90 seconds, and between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on colour alone. Additionally, in a high percentage of cases, the purchase decision is determined by the product's colours, not forgetting that each colour evokes specific connotations in potential consumers. For example, to urge the recipient to buy, red is best. To convey trust, green is ideal, and if you want to grab attention, yellow tones are an excellent choice. It’s worth running A/B tests, varying the colours of an element, to see which is most effective.
6) Highlight Benefits
In a saturated market, more and more customers decide to buy based on the additional benefits or guarantees offered by the company (e.g., not having to pay shipping costs or being able to return a purchased product if not satisfied). If your company offers something similar, it must be highlighted. The return rate is usually very low, and this strategy genuinely helps to increase conversions.
With these six tips, you will not only improve the results of your email campaigns but also your branding. Fancy giving it a try?
Need Extra Help with Your Emails?
We know that launching an email campaign is not only difficult but also requires managing various aspects: copywriting, design, layout, planning, and sending via specific programmes like Selligent…
If you need a hand with executing these actions or through follow-up and consulting sessions, contact us or call us on 93 532 93 78. At B2 Performance, your digital marketing agency in Barcelona, we will guide you to improve your results in this area… or any other you desire. We look forward to hearing from you!
