{"id":7223,"date":"2016-09-27T10:28:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-27T15:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=7223"},"modified":"2016-09-27T10:28:26","modified_gmt":"2016-09-27T15:28:26","slug":"5-tips-to-create-an-engaging-email-marketing-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/5-tips-to-create-an-engaging-email-marketing-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Create an Engaging Email Marketing Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 7<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Now that casual conversation has basically made the move onto platforms like Facebook and Snapchat, the primary use of email is business. But I don\u2019t really have to tell you that. You\u2019re probably no stranger to scores and scores of promotional emails from various sites (even ones you can\u2019t remember subscribing to). You\u2019re probably sick of seeing so many of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a marketer, this puts you in a difficult spot. Because you know how important email marketing is. The problem is, if your email marketing campaigns don\u2019t stand out, you\u2019ll just be another part of the deluge of content no one wants to read–which is a waste of time, effort and opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you create an email marketing campaign that people will, 1) pay attention to and, 2) actually appreciate? <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five easy to follow tips for executing an effective email marketing campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Hook them with an enticing subject line<\/h2>\n

This is a very basic tip but it\u2019s worth repeating because it\u2019s essential. When it comes to email marketing, you need to convince people that your email is worth opening in the first place.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that when it comes to email subject lines, the more straightforward, the better. If the content that you\u2019re promoting has an intriguing title, then you could simply make that the subject line. But this isn\u2019t necessarily the most effective approach. <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re promoting an article you published on your blog. If you make your subject line the title of the article, this means that when they open your email, they\u2019ll be met with the same title in the body of the email, which is repetitive. But if you pull the most shocking statistic or fact from your article and make <\/span>that <\/span><\/i>the subject line, then readers will be enticed to find out more. Then boom, there\u2019s the equally enticing title of the article. Now they\u2019ve <\/span>got<\/span><\/i> to click through to your site. <\/span><\/p>\n

Another good way to grab readers\u2019 attention is to play with their expectations. For example, <\/span>Foundr Magazine<\/span><\/a> recently sent out an email with the subject line, \u201cHow to get more done by taking a nap.\u201d Now there\u2019s an intriguing idea that I would like to learn more about. And put into practice. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably also noticed more brands sending out emails with emojis in the subject line. According to <\/span>Campaign Monitor<\/span><\/a>, brands that use emojis in their subject lines have seen an increase in open rates of 45%. But be careful not to overdo it and definitely don\u2019t use them if the content of the email broaches a serious topic. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. Offer real value to your subscribers<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not enough to simply say, \u201cLook what we have here!\u201d Every email subscribers receive is telling them to look at something. Who has time to look at everything?<\/p>\n

Real value can come in several different forms: it could be something valuable for its exclusiveness like a discount or a free piece of content like an ebook, or through; it could also be valuable information, like an article that walks readers through a process; it could even be emotional value, like an inspirational video that subscribers will want to share with their friends. <\/span><\/p>\n

a) Exclusive value<\/h3>\n

Another way you can offer real values to customers is through exclusive offers. Lots of brands try this approach but it\u2019s not always effective.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not enough to simply say, \u201cLook, here\u2019s a great offer!\u201d You have to get people to care about buying the product in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, take this promotional email from <\/span>Mixpanel<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

b) Valuable information<\/h3>\n

A company that does offers subscribers real value with every marketing email they send out is <\/span>Statista<\/span><\/a>. They have an ongoing daily campaign called \u201cChart of the Day\u201d that promotes a data report on their site. These emails typically have a short description of the data and an exemplary chart. This means that every email they send as part of this campaign offers subscribers new information, without pressure being put on a sale.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That being said, it\u2019s not advisable for every company to send daily emails. But because Statista is a site focusing on breaking news statistics, it makes sense that subscribers would be interest in daily updates. They\u2019re an exception. <\/span><\/p>\n

c) Emotional value<\/h3>\n

Value can also be emotional. For example, <\/span>Upwork<\/span><\/a> sent out an email campaign this past Labor Day that featured three videos profiling companies and freelancers who use Upwork. These stories were great morale boosters.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n3. Keep it short and to the point<\/h2>\n

While Statista\u2019s emails are like mini reports unto themselves, most marketing campaign emails should be even shorter. This is especially true if you\u2019re promoting an article or a video. Remember, the goal of an email marketing campaign is to get subscribers to click through to your site. Offer them only the smallest and juiciest piece of bait that will make them want to learn more.<\/p>\n

From my experience, a marketing campaign email shouldn\u2019t be any longer than about three sentences. Just enough to give them a sense of what you are promoting, without giving too much away.<\/p>\n

For example, take this email promoting a blog article that <\/span>Venngage<\/span><\/a> sent out a couple of weeks ago:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This article was definitely controversial, and it had a high open rate. All subscribers were given was an attention-grabbing header and some brief lead-in text to the article. The focus in the email was the big blue READ MORE button, which many people chose to follow. <\/span><\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t overdo it<\/h2>\n

While certain companies will use a daily email approach, it\u2019s not advisable for everyone to do it. Often, subscribers will get frustrated by daily emails. Scarcity has something to do with this–while you may think that frequent emails shows you are engaged with your subscribers, your subscribers probably don\u2019t want to hear from you that much. Sorry, they\u2019re just not that into you.<\/p>\n

The thing is, there\u2019s no hard and fast rule for how often you should email your subscribers. The frequency of emails that subscribers will accept varies depending on the industry and particular brand. You will have to monitor your metrics over a couple of months to see what your subscribers\u2019 behavior is. <\/span><\/p>\n

HubSpot has a <\/span>great article<\/span><\/a> on which email analytics you should monitor but the big ones you should be tracking are:<\/span><\/p>\n