Email Marketing: You’re (Probably) Doing It Wrong
While it’s far too late to start working on a product launch for Black Friday/Cyber Monday or some other big splash in time for the holidays, you can employ proven email marketing tactics so that your message stands out. Why does that matter?
More email will be sent in the next 60 days than at any other point in history.
That striking analysis comes from Jay Schwedelson, president and CEO of Worldata. Jay’s company constantly analyzes emails—in fact, their research is based on 6 billion messages every year. His findings about email marketing tactics that work are likely to surprise you and contradict the way you’ve been marketing to your database. But, these are not normal times, so it’s time for abnormal tactics. As you’re putting together communications plans for the rest of the year and beyond, here are a few tips that should help you see better outcomes in your outreach.
Send on Mondays. Except for November 2, the day before the general election, there are no bad Mondays for B to C emails between now and the end of the year. The same isn’t quite true for B to B messages, but Mondays are still very strong for that segment. Don’t assume Mondays are useless for your messages.
Send more, not less. Jay is bold in asserting that everyone can and should send emails more often, regardless if you’re B to C or B to B. His rule of thumb is: Are your unsubscribe and open rates steady? If yes, then send more! As you send more and unsubscribes start to spike or open rates decline, then it’s time to back off. Jay’s data show that companies that send at least six times a month have better open rates—up 17% for B to C and 22% for B to B. As an example, Jay reports Nike went from 1.8 emails per week in July to 4.2 in September, which is a massive increase.
Start promoting holiday sales now! People are working from home and they want some sort of diversion from the craziness of 2020. What better diversion than holiday shopping?! Jay’s data shows emails with a holiday offer in the subject line have a 38% better open rate than other emails. You can’t ignore that!
Create some suspense. An email subject line that asks a question or leaves the reader in suspense have 34% better open rates for B to C. Another enticing tactic is to include “checklist” in your subject line, which helps to pique interest and boost open rates (17% better for B to C).
Use emojis in subject lines 😊! Yes, it works. Emojis increase open rates by 21% for B to C and 22% for B to B.
Reinforce exclusivity. Any sort of “just for you” messaging in the subject line increases open rates by 25% for B to C and 34% for B to B!
Maintain branding on landing pages. If your offer sends readers to a landing page, make sure the email and the landing page have a similar look and feel. You don’t want to confuse your audience with dissimilar branding.
Send two days in a row! Offers sent on back-to-back days, rather than over four days, have a 28% higher response rate for B to C and 24% higher for B to B.
Yes, a lot of emails will hit inboxes between now and the end of the year. Stand out with these tactics. Don’t be afraid to experiment with several at a time. Be inviting, be understanding, and be in their inbox!