Email marketing has the highest return on investment (ROI) of all marketing tactics, so it’s important to find the right email marketing software that will support your goals and help you grow your business. . But implementing email marketing software is only the first step. Once you have the technology in place, it’s up to you to create campaigns and messages that will appeal to your audience. Following email marketing best practices will ensure the effectiveness of your strategy and the success of your campaigns.

Top 10 Email Marketing Best Practices for SMBs

1. Use your subject line and email preview text
2. Include your logo
3. Take advantage of multivariate testing
4. Personalize your emails
5. Put your CTA(s) front and center
6. Guarantee the responsiveness of the device
7. Segment your audience
8. Create automated campaigns
9. Do not use a [email protected] e-mail address
10. Include unsubscribe and contact information

1. Use your subject line and email preview text

You have a very limited time to capture the attention of your audience amidst a sea of ​​emails. The subject line and email preview text make you stand out in your recipients’ inboxes, so they should make your email irresistible to open. For example, you might want to create a sense of urgency around ordering a specific product, add emojis for a touch of personality, or ask a question that can only be answered in the email’s body. -mail.

2. Include your logo

When one of your contacts opens your email, they should immediately know it’s from you. Of course, this happens first with what appears in the “from” field, but it also happens in the body of the email itself. Brand identity in your email marketing campaigns is all about balance. Your logo should be visible at the top of all email communications, but not so large that it distracts from the content of the email.

3. Take advantage of multivariate testing

Most email marketing platforms offer support for multivariate testing. By sending two variations of the same email, you can learn things about your audience that you couldn’t otherwise. Mailchimp, for example, offers multivariate testing as an opportunity to understand what works for your subscribers, from CTA to subject line to sender name. The key to success with multivariate testing is to be strategic with what you test and track what has the best open and click rates across multiple campaigns.

4. Personalize your emails

Personalization can increase the conversion rates of your email campaigns because it makes your recipients feel like the message was made just for them. Build your campaigns with personalization opportunities, then add merge tags to have those details auto-populate. The more personalized the content, the more relevant the email will be. However, it is important to test the personalization elements of your emails to avoid a dreaded email marketing failure like the one below:

5. Put your CTA(s) front and center

The call to action (CTA) of your email has a major influence on its success. It should be very clear from the start what you want your audience to do, whether it’s placing an order, reading an article, watching a video, or something similar. You can have multiple CTAs in an email if they’re connected in some way, like the example from Target below. However, too many CTAs can pull your audience’s attention in too many directions and negatively affect your overall campaign performance. If you have too many competing CTAs, consider splitting them into multiple campaigns.

6. Make sure the device is responsive

According to an Adobe study, 85% of consumers access their email from a smartphone. With that in mind, your email should look as good on a mobile device as it does on a desktop. Limit the pixel width of the graphics you include and consider the differences between light and dark modes when creating your creative assets. The right email marketing software will allow you to preview your email on a number of device types, so you know exactly how your email will be translated.

7. Segment your audience

Similar to personalization, audience segmentation helps improve the success of your email marketing campaigns. By connecting your CRM software to your email marketing solution, you can use your audience’s funnel stage, purchase history, and other data to determine the type of message they get. receives. However, segmenting your audience into multiple lists can get a little out of hand, especially as your business — and by extension, your audience — continues to grow. CRM-integrated segmentation with a solution like HubSpot allows you to meet the unique needs of your audience without manually grouping different segments.

8. Create automated campaigns

Campaign automation is one of the most effective features of most email marketing solutions. Automated platforms like Drip allow you to set up workflows that automatically send emails based on specific criteria. Some examples of automated campaigns you can create include welcome campaigns for new customers, post-purchase follow-up campaigns, birthday celebrations, and more. Leverage this ability by strategizing and implementing automation workflows that will engage your audience, drive conversions, and ultimately save you time.

9. Do not use [email protected] e-mail address

Many companies choose to use a [email protected] email address, because they don’t want to mislead their customers into thinking that the email address they receive mail from is the same one used for customer service inquiries. However, “noreply” addresses can often trigger spam filters, meaning your message never reaches your audience’s inbox. Choosing something else before the @ is also an opportunity to reinforce your company’s brand identity, such as the “inspired” choice of Z Gallery. You can use a verb or adjective related to your business or even use your own name to add a personal touch. A more meaningful email address will land your email in the right place and improve your long-term engagement rate.

10. Include unsubscribe and contact information

The main reason why you should include your unsubscribe and contact information in your emails is that it is required by many regulations such as GDPR in the European Union, CASL in Canada and CAN-SPAM in the United States. If you are found in violation of these privacy laws, you could face heavy fines. Fortunately, most email marketing platforms are aware of these requirements and have safeguards in place to ensure you don’t inadvertently send a campaign without the correct information. In addition to the basic requirements, you can also use the footer space to include copyright information, social media links, and other ways your customers can contact you. Nisolo does it well:

Choose an email marketing tool that supports your goals

With all of these best practices in mind, it’s essential that your email marketing solution supports these goals and helps you create the perfect campaigns for your audience. If you already have a messaging platform in place, you may need to explore untapped features to maximize your potential. However, if you’re new to email marketing or looking to switch to another platform, our list of the best email marketing software and platforms will help guide you to the right solution.