• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Write For Us
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

YFS Magazine

  • Plan
  • Launch
  • Grow
    • Back Office
    • Business Law
    • Customer Service
    • Finance
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Sales
    • Operations
    • Technology
  • Lead
  • People
    • Podcast
    • Savvy Startups
    • Success Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Culture
    • Travel
    • News
    • Gift Guides
      • Gift Guide – Holiday 2016
      • Gift Guide – Girl Boss Edition
  • Editors’ Picks

5 Tips for Successful Email Marketing

  • by Clancy Clarke
  • in Grow · Marketing & Sales
  • — 5 Aug, 2014
Photo: Percept Newsletter; Source: Percept Brand Design

53 Shares
Tweet
Buffer
Share
Share
Pin


Are your marketing emails producing results? If not, chances are your email marketing design leaves a lot to be desired. All too often, companies give little to no thought to the content of the emails they send. Merely sending occasional messages to a list of potentially interested people isn’t enough. Those marketing messages need to be designed in a strategic and effective way. Sound complicated? Maybe so, but the truth is you can get superior results by keeping a handful of things in mind.

 

Essential Email Marketing Design Tips

 

  1. Design

    When referencing the design of a marketing email, it refers to how it looks when it is opened in an email client. More than anything, it needs to be approachable and easily digestible. Therefore, it should be broken up into several small paragraphs with short, relevant subheadings. The content can also be broken up by images. When opened, a reader should be able to scan the email and get the gist of it before actually reading it. These days, people are accessing their emails across an array of devices, all with different screen sizes. So, it makes sense to ensure your email template utilizes a responsive design for proper display on any device. Also, the look and feel of the email should be consistent with your company’s brand, logo, and with the color scheme used on other marketing materials.

  2. Calls to Action

    You’ll notice that I’m not talking about just one call to action, but several. Indeed, your email should be punctuated by several prominent calls to action to ensure recipients know what to do when they’re ready to act. Your calls to action should include words that drive, well, action. They should be set apart from the rest of the content so that readers aren’t left wondering what to do next.

  3. Content Relevance

    More than anything, your emails should be relevant to those who receive them. The best way to ensure this is by using segmentation. You can segment your audience based on virtually anything, including e-commerce data, location, and basic demographics. The overall tone of your email should be personal and friendly. People should not feel like they’re receiving a hard sell, but more like they’re reading a message from a friend. Finally, keep social sharing in mind. Include a link to a web version of the email, and provide social sharing buttons so people can spread the word.

  4. Promotions and Incentives

    It’s crucial to communicate a sense of urgency in the emails you send. The best way to do that is by including special offers and promos in your emails. They shouldn’t be open-ended, though. Make a point of highlighting the fact that they will expire soon.

  5. Timing

    As with so many things, timing is everything when it comes to email marketing. If you’ve promised subscribers a regular email newsletter, be sure to follow through. Establish a publishing calendar and stick to it. Also, have a goal in mind for the emails you send. Only send them when it makes sense to do so. They should have a purpose. For instance, send new emails in the days leading up to a big sale or to alert subscribers to a new product or service. Whatever you do, don’t overdo it. If you barrage readers, you’re going to alienate them.

These five tips are easy to implement, so don’t wait! Put them to work for you right away. What effective techniques have you used to get traction form your email marketing campaigns? I’d love to hear them in the comments section below.

 

This article has been edited and condensed.

Clancy Clarke is the Organic Search manager at DesignCrowd, a design crowdsourcing platform making crowdsourcing more accessible for small business. Clancy has over 7 years of online marketing experience, a passion for analytics and a degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of New South Wales. Connect with @designcrowd on Twitter.

 

© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.

   
53 Shares
Tweet
Buffer
Share
Share
Pin

What do you think?

comments


Tags: email marketingmarketingonline businessonline marketing

— YFS Small Business Contributors

We are a diverse group of early adopters, innovators, entrepreneurs, startup enthusiasts, influencers and small business aficionados. Stay connected to YFS Magazine as we share our unique perspectives on startup, small business news and entrepreneurial culture.

  • Latest Must Reads

    • Photo: Chevanon Photography, Pexels/YFS MagazineDiscipline Is The ‘Secret Weapon’ For Business Success04/18/2018
    • Why It’s Time To Rethink Your Office Culture04/17/2018
    • Jewellery Designers and Goldsmiths Jana Reinhardt & Ross CuttingJewelry Designer Jana Reinhardt Built A Successful Online Business. Here’s How She Did It04/17/2018
    • Photo: Alice Donovan Rouse, Unsplash/YFS Magazine8 Ways To Unlock The Power Of Instagram Marketing04/16/2018
    • Photo: Zoe Pappas, Pexels5 Legal Steps Every New Entrepreneur Should Take04/16/2018
  • Trending

    How To Find and Select a Great Business MentorHow To Find and Select a Great Business Mentor
    From Near-Death To Business Success: How I Built My Digital DreamsFrom Near-Death To Business Success: How I Built My Digital Dreams
    4 Signs You’re A Toxic Leader, Because Sometimes The Business Problem Is You4 Signs You’re A Toxic Leader, Because Sometimes The Business Problem Is You
    What My First Boxing Match Taught Me About BusinessWhat My First Boxing Match Taught Me About Business
    How Great Leaders Defeat DistractionsHow Great Leaders Defeat Distractions
    What Losing A Business Taught Me About EntrepreneurshipWhat Losing A Business Taught Me About Entrepreneurship
    Change Or Be Left Behind: How To Reinvent Yourself When Life Demands ItChange Or Be Left Behind: How To Reinvent Yourself When Life Demands It
    3 Common Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make3 Common Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make
    5 Ways To Master Your Brand’s Instagram Stories5 Ways To Master Your Brand’s Instagram Stories
    It’s Time To Raise Your Client StandardsIt’s Time To Raise Your Client Standards
  • Editor Picks

    • Photo: © peshkov, YFS Magazine4 Signs You’re A Toxic Leader, Because Sometimes The Business Problem Is You04/14/2018
    • How to find a great business mentorHow To Find and Select a Great Business Mentor04/09/2018
    • Entrepreneurs Can Access 17,000 Online Classes For Free — Start With Our Top 10 PicksEntrepreneurs Can Access 17,000 Online Classes For Free — Start With Our Top 10 Picks11/09/2017
    • I Built My Startup To A 15M Valuation – While Living In A Van - YFS MagazineI Built My Startup To A $15M Valuation – While Living In A Van10/12/2017
    • Why every entrepreneur should take a sabbaticalWhy Every Entrepreneur Should Take A Sabbatical08/30/2017
  • Top Picks | From Our Editors

    • 4 Signs You’re A Toxic Leader, Because Sometimes The Business Problem Is You04/14/2018
    • How To Find and Select a Great Business Mentor04/09/2018
    • Entrepreneurs Can Access 17,000 Online Classes For Free — Start With Our Top 10 Picks11/09/2017
    • I Built My Startup To A $15M Valuation – While Living In A Van10/12/2017
    • Why Every Entrepreneur Should Take A Sabbatical08/30/2017
  • Read The Latest

    • Discipline Is The ‘Secret Weapon’ For Business Success04/18/2018
    • Why It’s Time To Rethink Your Office Culture04/17/2018
    • Jewelry Designer Jana Reinhardt Built A Successful Online Business. Here’s How She Did It04/17/2018
    • 8 Ways To Unlock The Power Of Instagram Marketing04/16/2018
    • 5 Legal Steps Every New Entrepreneur Should Take04/16/2018
  • Top Picks | Start A Business

    • 3 Common Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make03/19/2018
    • Your Startup Idea Sucks Until You Validate It – Follow 6 Simple Steps03/14/2018
    • Pros And Cons Of Being An Entrepreneur Vs. An Employee03/13/2018
    • From Near-Death To Business Success: How I Built My Digital Dreams02/27/2018
    • How To Accelerate Your Entrepreneurship Learning Curve02/20/2018
  • Home
  • Company
    • About Us
      • Leadership
  • Advertise
  • Write For Us
  • Contact
    • My Account
      • Help | FAQ
  • Subscribe

Monday 23rd April 2018

© 2009 - 2020 YFS Magazine. All rights reserved. YFS, YFS MAGAZINE, AND YOUNG, FABULOUS & SELF-EMPLOYED ARE TRADEMARKS OF YFS MEDIA
Terms | Privacy | DMCA

Get superior entrepreneurship advice so you can build a remarkable brand.

Fresh, provocative, and insanely addictive content delivered weekly.

Sign up for YFS Magazine’s FREE agenda setting newsletter and work smarter.

Brilliant move! Check your inbox.
Something went wrong!

Privacy

No spam. Promise!