Email marketing trends 2020

Review your approach to email marketing by exploring the latest trends

How will this report help me and my business?

Email marketing is still worth taking seriously. The aim of this guide is to showcase some of the latest email marketing and marketing automation techniques deployed by brands to engage their subscribers and develop purchase intent. It pays to keep up-to-date with the latest approaches to email marketing techniques given its importance to all types of business.

In 2020, email marketing remains one the most effective techniques for digital marketers, so keeping up-to-date with the latest trends, best practice techniques, and technologies for email marketing remains extremely important.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for:

• Email marketing managers
• Marketing managers
• Small business owners

How is this report structured?

To structure the guide we have grouped into the following trends:

• Foreword by Pure360
• Introduction
• Trend One: Consumer engagement and loyalty
• Trend Two: Email design
• Trend Three: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Trend Four: Intelligent pesonalization
• Trend Five: Email experience and copywriting
• Trend Six: Subject line optimization
• Trend Seven: Continuing privacy regulation update

By, avantika

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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Email marketing is still worth taking seriously in 2018

Review your approach to email marketing by reviewing the latest trends

Email marketing is THE evergreen channel which is usually so effective in many sectors that is usually in the top 3 most effective channels driving website visits leads and sales.  So, it’s important each year to assess new email marketing techniques and the email capabilities you are exploiting.

Drilling down into your own data, and analysing it as a team, can help you get to grips with what you need to refine in 2018. But, sometimes, you need to take a breather from all that analysis and get some fresh perspectives.

In our email marketing trends guide, in partnership with Pure360, you get just that. Unique insights from some of the UK’s leading industry experts. Experienced views that will help you refocus your strategy and kick-start your planning.

With the right technology in place, email is a powerful behavioural marketing tool that can totally alter the relationship a brand has with consumers. Personalized recommendations and other automations can a turn a customer’s fleeting flirtation with a brand, to a lucrative, long-term buying pattern.

Developments in machine learning have made email a more powerful tool than ever before. This technology has allowed us to lift the lid on consumer behaviour. The data we have gives us the power to predict and influence what the customer does next.

The creative, nuanced, and personalized journeys we are able to create as a result take customer experience to the next level. With email at the core, we’re able to strengthen the bond between the brand and the customer at every available touchpoint.

The impact this has on revenue is game-changing. Email is alive and kicking in 2018.

Expect to see successful brands implementing:

• Easy-to-understand consent confirmation campaigns
• Innovations in email rendering and email features
• Device friendly emails
• Intelligent personalization
• Sophisticated segmentation
• More effective subject lines
• Better customer experiences
• Advances in the way emails are coded

Email is the most effective digital technique

In 2018, Email Marketing is one the most effective techniques for digital marketers, so keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry is super important. Our recent research on the State of Email marketing in 2017 with partners GetResponse showed that marketers rate email marketing one of the most effective digital media channels.

Email competes with organic and paid search amongst the main channels driving orders. Email marketing delivers far higher volumes than PPC (9%) or display (8%).

Given the ongoing importance of Email marketing for customer acquisition and retention in most organizations, understanding and testing the latest email options and techniques we cover in this guide is essential for businesses to stay engaging and competitive ‘in the inbox’.

But, we should also take care to get the fundamentals right. A strategy is very important, but if you don’t have a solid foundation of email techniques and best practices, there is very little point in having a strategy.

Expert contributors

We have had a range of email experts contribute to our Email Trends 2018: A visual guide report, who have provided actionable expert advice for the state of email marketing in 2018.

Trend 1. Increased Regulation

There has been an increased focus on legal regulations within the email marketing world. Marketers are currently in a frenzy with the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) because of the worry of fines. It is important to remember that this regulation is being created to protect consumers and help marketers to stay within the law. Ethical marketers will agree this is a good thing since we are responding to consumer concerns and this should improve brand perceptions.

Steve Henderson, Data protection officer at Communicator Corp

Back in 2013, while the GDPR was still in the early stages of planning, review, and rewrites, the then Vice-President of the European Commission, Viviane Reding spoke of her ambition for the GDPR to become the international gold standard for data protection. Part of this vision included1 using a harmonized approach between the EU and U.S. to set models for others to follow. While that harmony may not have progressed as anticipated, Jan Philipp Albrecht is continuing this rhetoric, holding the GDPR up to serve as the “global gold standard for every new innovation, for consumer trust in digital technologies and for an entry point to the growth opportunities of an emerging digital market.”

Lack of trust in digital economy

This year / 2017 saw a new wave of fake news, data breaches, ransomware attacks and an increase in online identity theft. Study after study2 show that consumer trust just isn’t there.

When looking specifically at email, the latest 2017 DMA “Marketer email tracking study” showed that trust is the most important factor in getting people to sign up in the first place, but that email marketers are abusing that trust “with fewer than one in 10 marketers (9%) saying all their emails are relevant to their customers and more worryingly, only two in five (42%) say that at best ‘some’ of their emails are relevant”.

Rachel Aldighieri, MD at the DMA, summed this up perfectly:

“If email is to continue to grow and thrive as a channel, then marketers need to heed consumer concerns and give them what they want.”

Marketers need data to make sure emails continue to be welcome in the inbox. Consumers want an enhanced, but safe online experience. Trust is going to determine whether both marketers and consumers get what they want.

We know that 2018 will see the GDPR coming into force, but is this going to change anything and will it be the promised gold standard?

To view more email marketing trends for 2018 – download our free resource: Email Trends 2018: A visual guide.

By, avantika

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

Read more

Email marketing is still worth taking seriously in 2018

Review your approach to email marketing by reviewing the latest trends

Email marketing is THE evergreen channel which is usually so effective in many sectors that is usually in the top 3 most effective channels driving website visits leads and sales.  So, it’s important each year to assess new email marketing techniques and the email capabilities you are exploiting.

Drilling down into your own data, and analysing it as a team, can help you get to grips with what you need to refine in 2018. But, sometimes, you need to take a breather from all that analysis and get some fresh perspectives.

In our email marketing trends guide, in partnership with Pure360, you get just that. Unique insights from some of the UK’s leading industry experts. Experienced views that will help you refocus your strategy and kick-start your planning.

 

With the right technology in place, email is a powerful behavioural marketing tool that can totally alter the relationship a brand has with consumers. Personalized recommendations and other automations can a turn a customer’s fleeting flirtation with a brand, to a lucrative, long-term buying pattern.

Developments in machine learning have made email a more powerful tool than ever before. This technology has allowed us to lift the lid on consumer behaviour. The data we have gives us the power to predict and influence what the customer does next.

The creative, nuanced, and personalized journeys we are able to create as a result take customer experience to the next level. With email at the core, we’re able to strengthen the bond between the brand and the customer at every available touchpoint.

The impact this has on revenue is game-changing. Email is alive and kicking in 2018.

Expect to see successful brands implementing:

• Easy-to-understand consent confirmation campaigns
• Innovations in email rendering and email features
• Device friendly emails
• Intelligent personalization
• Sophisticated segmentation
• More effective subject lines
• Better customer experiences
• Advances in the way emails are coded

 

Email is the most effective digital technique

In 2018, Email Marketing is one the most effective techniques for digital marketers, so keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in the industry is super important. Our recent research on the State of Email marketing in 2017 with partners GetResponse showed that marketers rate email marketing one of the most effective digital media channels.

Email competes with organic and paid search amongst the main channels driving orders. Email marketing delivers far higher volumes than PPC (9%) or display (8%).

Given the ongoing importance of Email marketing for customer acquisition and retention in most organizations, understanding and testing the latest email options and techniques we cover in this guide is essential for businesses to stay engaging and competitive ‘in the inbox’.

But, we should also take care to get the fundamentals right. A strategy is very important, but if you don’t have a solid foundation of email techniques and best practices, there is very little point in having a strategy.

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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Airbnb – Hosting Onboarding sequence

Check out how Airbnb onboards new suppliers who want to list their house on the platform. In this onboarding sequence is shown how to set up your account. Show you how much you can earn in a week, by comparing other houses in the same area. Provide you with a calendar tool and they have more tips and tricks. Like ways to improve your listing, and how to deal with reviews and set up a good insurance.

Use this for your own inspiration! Want more information? Check it out on www.airbnb.com

See also: Onboarding email | Tripwire email | Cart Abandonment email | Follow email | Virtual Summit email | Flash sale email

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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The Ultimate Guide to Google Analytics Resources

Are you ready to get the most out of Google Analytics? If so, we’ve collected the ultimate guide to Google Analytics resources you can use, including the top official Google Analytics channels, Google Analytics integrations, tools for Google Analytics, and articles about Google Analytics.

Official Google Analytics Channels

Stay up to date with the latest Google Analytics news, and get support when you need it via these official Google Analytics channels:

• Google Analytics Blog – The official Google Analytics blog for news and features updates.
• Google Analytics Help Center – The official Analytics Help Center where you can find tips and tutorials on using Google Analytics and answers to frequently asked questions.
• Google Analytics Developers – The Google Analytics developer platform provides access to the resources used to collect, configure, and report on user interactions with your online content.
• Google Analytics Product Forums – Use this group to ask and answer questions, search for existing answers to questions, discuss this product, and meet other Google Analytics users.
• Google Analytics Academy – Improve your Google Analytics skills with free online courses from Google.
• Google Analytics Training & Certification – Educational resources for users of Google Analytics and those who want to become Google Analytics certified professionals.
• Google Analytics Partners – Whether you need the help of an implementation or analysis expert, or you are looking for a turnkey solution for your business, Google Analytics technology and certified partners are ready with a solution.
• Google Analytics Solutions Gallery – This solutions gallery contains in-product solutions (such as dashboards, custom reports, and segments) to deepen your use of Google Analytics and accelerate your learning curve. Whether you’re a newbie or guru, they will help you learn more about your data through the power of Google Analytics.
• Google Analytics URL Builder – The URL builder helps you add parameters to URLs you use in Custom Campaigns. Then, when users click on one of the custom links, the unique parameters are sent to your Google Analytics account, so you can identify the URLs that are most effective in attracting users to your content.
• Google Analytics on YouTube – The official channel for all videos about and related to Google Analytics. Learn more about Google’s web analytics and online advertising products.
• Google Analytics on Google+ – Follow Google Analytics on Google+ for the latest news, tips, and trends from the Google Analytics team and friends.
• Google Analytics Academy on Google+ – The Google Analytics Academy provides a foundation for marketers and analysts seeking to understand the core principles of digital analytics and improve business performance through better digital measurement.
• Google Analytics on Facebook – Community page for Google Analytics. Please keep discussions on-topic. For customer service inquiries, please contact Google directly.
• Google Analytics on Twitter – News, tips & trends from Google Analytics.

Google Analytics Integrations

Do you know that many of the tools you use likely integrate with Google Analytics to help you collect insights about the people who interact with your business? Be sure you try the following search to find out how you can get more out of your products:

your product “google analytics” integration

This search will generally take you to the add-ons and instructions to help you configure your product to work with Google Analytics. Examples of some popular tools that integrate with Google Analytics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• 3dcart
• AddThis
• Authority Labs
• AWeber
• Brightcove
• CallRail
• Campaign Monitor
• ClickTale
• Constant Contact
• Drupal
• Eventbrite
• FastSpring
• Formstack
• Freshdesk
• GetResponse
• Gigya
• JW Player
• LiveChat
• Magento
• MailChimp
• Mashshare
• Oktopost
• Olark
• Optimizely
• OrgSync
• Qualaroo
• Raven Tools
• ShareThis
• Shopify
• SnapEngage
• Squarespace
• Tapstream
• Uberflip
• Unbounce
• Usabilla
• UserReport
• VerticalResponse
• Visual Website Optimizer
• Volusion
• Wistia
• WordPress
• Wufoo

Tools for Google Analytics

The following are tools that can help you get more out of Google Analytics and use it in different ways:

• Mobile Apps – Get your Google Analytics data on your iOS and Android devices.
• Quill Engage – Are you struggling to understand what’s driving your site performance? Let Quill Engage do an analysis and deliver the most important and interesting insights from Google Analytics right to your inbox.
• Cyfe – In Google Analytics, you can create dashboards within each of your website profiles. In Cyfe, you can create one dashboard with Google Analytics widgets from all your websites.
• Segment – With Segment as your customer data hub, you can focus on building incredible products and attracting more customers. Send your data to Segment once, and we’ll take care of managing and mapping your data to the apps you need, so you can get back to business. Segment integrates with 130+ data providers for advertising, analytics, marketing, sales, support, developer, and user testing platforms.

Helpful Articles on Google Analytics

Are you looking for helpful articles that cover Google Analytics? Here’s a collection of some of the more helpful and popular articles covering a wide range of topics, most of which have been shared directly by Google:

• The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics – Looking to skip the short articles and go straight to the massive guide? If so, this is your article!
• How to Run an A/B Test in Google Analytics – Did you know Google Analytics has an A/B testing feature built-in? That’s right – free a/b testing is now available to anyone with a Google Analytics account! See this article to learn how to run a test in Analytics.
• How to Track Conversions in Google Analytics – Tracking conversions is a necessity for marketers, and you can do it within your Google Analytics account. Here’s how.
• How to Increase Your Conversions Using Google Analytics Conversions Reports – This article will show you how to dive into Google Analytics Conversions reports so you can optimize your site for more conversions.
• How to Run a Cohort Analysis in Google Analytics – One of the more recent features Google has released is the cohort analysis. Here’s what it is, and how to use it.
• How to Use the Lifetime Value Feature in Google Analytics – When a marketer knows the lifetime value (LTV) of an average customer, they’ll know how much they can spend to acquire that customer. Here’s how to find out the LTV in a new(er) Google Analytics report.
• The Ultimate Guide to Removing Google Analytics Referral Spam – Getting a lot of spammy referral traffic? Here’s how to get rid of it.
• How to Protect Your Google Analytics From Getting Hacked – Believe it or not, your Google Analytics can get hacked. (And we’re not talking about hacking your account). Here’s how to protect yourself against it.
• 8 Simple Yet Effective SEO Hacks Inside Google Analytics – Google Analytics is still one of the best SEO measurement tools out there. You can get tons of actionable data from the platform at your fingertips in just a matter of minutes. Here’s how.
• How to Diagnose Traffic Drops in Google Analytics – Has your traffic recently dipped? Here’s how to diagnose what’s causing it.
• 5 Actionable Google Analytics Reports to Improve Your Marketing Today – Looking for Google Analytics to provide your some direction on your marketing? These reports will provide some input!
• How to Find Hidden Social Media Referral Traffic With Google Analytics – In this article you’ll discover how to create custom URLs to find what is called dark social media traffic.
• 2 Google Analytics Segments & 1 Report To Help You Better Understand Your Visitors – Segmentation is one of the most underutilized features in Google Analytics. Here’s two segments you can create to help you better understand your audience.
• Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics Attribution Modeling – This article talks only about understanding and using attribution modeling in the context of Google analytics.
• Google Analytics For Ecommerce: A Beginners Guide – This post looks at how to set up Google Analytics for your store, the basic reports you should be checking and a few other goodies to help supercharge your knowledge and drive sales.
• 10 Essential Google Analytics Dashboards for Ecommerce – Every marketer should make use of dashboards they have on Google Analytics. Here’s 10 for those e-commerce marketers.
• Google Analytics Hacks for Subscription Businesses – Working in SaaS or subscription type businesses? Here’s how to get the most out of Google Analytics.
• The 5 Most Meaningful Google Analytics Reports for Social Media Marketers – Are you a social media marketer? (Who isn’t these days). Then these reports will help you better understand the impact your social media has on your marketing.
• 5 Google Analytics Power Tips for Small (& Smart) Businesses – Small businesses owners can get a lot out of Google Analytics. Here’s 5 different things they do with it.
• 11 Google Analytics Metrics Bloggers Should Track – Are you a blogger? If so, you’ll need analytics by your side. Here’s how 11 metrics you can start with.
• Setting up Cross device tracking via User Id in Google Analytics – Learn everything about cross device tracking and measurement in Google Analytics through User Id.
• 8 Lessons I’ve Learned About Using Google Analytics at Scale – Do you run a bigger website that has more traffic? So did the author of this article, and he has some lessons he learned.
• 21 Actionable Google Analytics Tips That’ll Boost Your Sales – Looking for purely a “list” type of post that’s full of “tips”? Then this is the post you’re looking for.
• 4 Business Questions Google Analytics Can Answer About Your Website Visitors – Often times marketers need to answer to their bosses who may not understand much about analytics. Here’s the four business questions Google Analytics can answer.
• How to do ROI Analysis in Google Analytics – Tracking ROI is the key for every marketer. Here’s how you can do it.
• Is Your Responsive Design Working? Google Analytics Will Tell You – People are visiting your site on a variety of devices. And you’ll want to make sure it renders properly on every device. Here’s how to find out.
• 8 Data Lies Google Analytics is Telling You (And How to Fix Each One) – Metrics, when viewed in isolation and without context, can often be misleading. Here’s how to spot those in Google Analytics and what to do about it.
• How To Use UTM Parameters In Google Analytics – UTMs are the cornerstones of effective tracking inside of Google Analytics. Here’s how to set those up and track them.
• How to Get Actionable Data from Google Analytics in 10 Minutes – Don’t want to take a bunch of time out of your day hunting for useful data? Here’s how to get that actionable data you need in under 10 minutes.
• How to Navigate Google Analytics Like a Pro – Looking for something that goes beyond the basics? Then this is the article for you.
• Advanced Content Analysis in Google Analytics – Paying attention to which of your content efforts are working well is the cornerstone to data-driven marketing. This post will show you how to do just that.
• How to Automate Google Analytics Reporting with Google Sheets – Pulling reports and data from Google Analytics every day, week, or month can get frustrating. Why not automate it? This post will show you how.
• 7 essential Google Analytics reports every marketer must know – Looking for a mobile performance report, content efficiency report, or a keyword analysis report? This post has that and much more.
• 18 useful Google Analytics custom reports, segments and dashboards for SEO – Are you looking to gain some SEO insight in Google Analytics? This post has 18 different segments, reports, and dashboards you can use.
• Google Analytics Certification and How to Pass the GAIQ Test – Want to become so advanced in Google Analytics that you can earn a certificate? Not a bad thing to put on your resume. Here’s how to prepare for the test to earn your Individual Qualification, and how to take it.
• Google Analytics 360 Suite: What You Need to Know – The 360 Suite was released a few years ago. This post will provide some background on it, and who needs it. (If you’re in a small business, you don’t need to use 360 since it’s very expensive).
• 8 Google Analytics Reports to Boost Your SEO Performance – Want some more specific reports you can use? Here are eight, along with a new approach you can take to Google Analytics.
• 5 Simple Google Analytics Reports You Should Create for Every Client – Running an agency and looking to give your clients some useful reports? Here are five that will give extra insight into their online businesses and will take you mere seconds to set up.

In Conclusion

We’re lucky to have Google Analytics available to all of us, for free. If you work on the web, you need to make Google Analytics one of the key tools in your toolkit. It’s indispensable for know what’s happening on your website.

We hope you enjoy the Google Analytics resources we gathered together for you.

What are your favorite Google Analytics articles or integrations?

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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Email marketing strategy and tips for successful campaigns

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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A Beginner’s Guide to Successful Email Marketing

Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy based on sending emails and developing relationships with prospects and customers. An effective email marketing strategy convert prospects into customers, and turn first time buyers into recurring customers. One advantage of email marketing is that you can automate the entire process.

Is email marketing dead?

With all the talk of video, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and chatbots, it sometimes seems like email is long past its prime.

But if you think email is dead, you’re missing out on the real metrics. The truth? Email marketing is still going strong today, and is possibly the best possible strategy for your business.

The proof?

Based on 2018 data, email marketing is still ranked as the most effective marketing channel, beating out social media, SEO, and affiliate marketing.

Why is that? With all the hype over new channels, why is decades-old technology still one of the most effective marketing strategies?

I think the answer has something to do with the fact that people use email more than other platforms. After all, what’s the good of marketing to someone if they’re not there?

Data from 2017 shows that most people are on email—85% of adult internet users in the US.

That beats out search engines by 15% and social media by 22%—not small numbers in an industry that gets excited over single-digit conversion rate improvements.

That’s why building a successful email marketing campaign is more important than ever for entrepreneurs. But there’s a problem—most people don’t know how to do it right.

Today, you’ll learn exactly how to start an email marketing campaign from scratch.

Remember—you’re a guest in their inbox

People are inundated with interruptions, pitches, and advertisements everywhere they look.

Though you might think your email is special, there’s a high probability that to the reader, it looks the same as the rest.

This is why it’s important to remember where you are, and use your good manners as a result.

Getting into someone’s inbox is like being invited to their home for dinner. If they ask you to take your shoes off, you respectfully do so.

It’s the same with email marketing, so before we begin I’d simply like to remind you to be on your best behavior at all times and remember… you’re a guest in their inbox.

Phase I: Get permission

Of course, no email campaign was ever built without getting permission to get started, so first, we’ll need to focus on building a sizable email list.

There are many ways you can do this, of course. Some prefer to give something away for free while others simply offer a newsletter or product updates.

For example, business newsletter Morning Brew offers readers a simple benefit—their fun, interesting updates every morning.

I can’t tell you which is the right or wrong answer for your incentive, but I can tell you that it’s important to have a clear purpose when asking for an address.

This is where a strong call to action comes into play, and copywriting is super important.

Establish your credibility, explain what the emails are for, and get people interested in receiving them.

Simply posting “enter your email for updates” isn’t going to get anyone excited. Instead, consider sharing specifics.

By sharing a specific call to action or benefit to giving your email address, you can get more people to subscribe.

Some common ways to entice people to sign up include:

• Email series
• Free downloads
• Free white papers or eBooks
• Update lists, like new releases and product updates

Whatever that incentive is, make it clear and enticing, and don’t be afraid to promote it.

Phase II: Follow through with great content

Email marketing is all about expectations, and it’s up to you to set them.

If your call to action is strong, and your follow-up is consistent, then you can count on a positive campaign.

However, if you promise to send one email per week and instead send them daily, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

On the contrary, if someone is expecting daily updates or critical product updates and you don’t’ deliver, then they are likely to be just as upset in that case too.

This is why the first follow-up email is so crucial to the success of your email marketing efforts.

For example, here’s a basic welcome email from Airbnb to a new host. It explains the basics of the process and what you can expect to receive from Airbnb.

Almost all email service providers give you the option to create an autoresponder sequence, and it’s imperative that you take advantage of it.

The initial follow-up email should be sent immediately as a way to introduce yourself and detail what you plan on doing with your new subscriber’s email address.

It’s better to be long-winded and detailed than it is to be quick and unobtrusive, but if you can pull off quick and concise, then more power to you.

From here, it’s simply a matter of living up to their expectations.

When to pitch a product

You’re not running an email list just for the fun of it—you’re there to engage customers and make sales.

But transitioning from an email list that provides tons of free value into a list that pitches a product for money can be a tricky switch to make.

To do it effectively, it’s a good idea to think in advance about your pitching. You don’t want to surprise everyone with a pitch all of the sudden.

You’ll have a much more successful campaign if people expect sales pitches every once in a while.

If you’re going to get in the habit of selling often, try to put yourself in the reader’s shoes.

Ask yourself if your messaging is consistent with the expectations you’ve set. If possible, understand what the customer has shown interest in before, and send similar offers down the line.

Those that send blind offers are far more likely to lose permission to keep doing so.

Again, each business has different needs, and there aren’t any hard and fast rules as to how often you can pitch or provide content.

Just remember that an email list is a permission asset and it’s better to err on the side of caution than to play it loose and reckless.

How to write a great email newsletter

While we’re on the topic of content, let’s talk about the difference between a good newsletter and a bad newsletter.

The first sign that you’ve received a bad newsletter is that you don’t recall ever asking to receive it.

Typically, this happens when a business either fails to maintain a regular email routine or uses poor form and manually adds someone to their list after receiving a business card or personal email.

Make sure everyone remembers you—the best way to do this is not to let your emails lapse for too long. Try to send at least one a month, with one a week being closer to ideal.

I find that the most compelling newsletters are those that do a great job of mixing messaging and updates.

For example, while the email might contain a list of product updates and images, it’s balanced by a personal message or friendly memo.

As a rule of thumb, try to use your newsletter as a way to further your relationship with the reader/customer rather than to pitch them.

Save the pitch for unique updates, offers, and announcements.

Using the autoresponder

If you’re just starting out with an email list, it’s easy to imagine you’ll have time to personally respond to every new subscriber.

But once you start getting more than a handful of subscribers every day, it becomes next to impossible to keep this up.

You’ll start to get more and more complex campaigns, and following through with everyone all the time is impossible.

Yet top marketers seem to do this exact thing. How?

Their secret is autoresponders.

An autoresponder does just that—it automatically sends out emails that you schedule in advance.

By scheduling a set of emails to send in advance, you can prevent “going dark” for any length of time.

Oftentimes, companies will plan out a series of emails—ranging from a few days to a few months—that automatically deliver, warming up anyone who signs up for your list.

That way, when you do need to announce a new product or sale, you can count on the fact that you’ve already been in touch.

Since you’ve built up a relationship over several weeks or months, you’re much less likely to annoy your readers.

Phase III: Analytics and segmentation

Now that you understand the basics behind an effective email campaign, let’s talk about how to take things to the next level.

Specifically, that involves using segmentation and analytics to start refining your broadcasts and generating even better results than you would with a basic campaign.

How to understand your email analytics

We’ve talked before about the importance of analytics in web copy, and email is no different.

Every service provider I’ve ever worked with provides complimentary analytics.

Though they’re all important, the 3 most important to me are open rate, click-through rate, and unsubscribes. Let’s break down each one and see what there is to learn from it.

First, your open rate explains how many people open your emails. It’s based on a single invisible tracking pixel that loads when someone clicks on your message.

When looking at open rates, it’ll usually tell you how well you’ve built your relationship with readers. Ideally, people are excited to read your emails and open them quickly.

If your open rate is low, it usually means you have a lot of unengaged subscribers. You need to work harder on providing value and managing expectations.

Next, your click-through rate, or CTR, shows how many people clicked on a link (if any) in your email.

If your CTR is low, it means that your message is either not targeted enough, or simply not getting through. In this case, focus on improving your copy.

Finally, your unsubscribe rate tells you how many people have clicked the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of your email.

If your unsubscribe rate is high in relation to your opt-in rate, then you’ve passed the point of building value and writing good copy… you’ve got some serious work to do.

Essentially you’ve built a sieve and people that sign up eventually leave. If this is you, try to examine when people are leaving and take action based on those leaks.

If they’re leaving after a certain autoresponder email, then re-work it. If they’re leaving after marketing messages, then re-work the way you present offers.

If they’re leaving early on in your funnel, then you need to fix your original call to action so that it’s in harmony with what you’re sending.

Email analytics are critical in that if you’re paying attention, they’ll give you very specific clues as to what you’re doing wrong.

Of course, the key variable here is “paying attention.”

How to segment your list

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, segmentation is the practice of splitting up your email list into more targeted groups.

For example, the following are ways to segment a larger, more unified list:

• Customer list (in comparison to leads who haven’t bought)
• Newsletter subscribers
• Daily email list (in comparison to weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc)

In dividing your list in this manner, you give yourself the ability to send more targeted communication.

For example, some customers want both product and sales updates, while others might only want to hear about new versions.

Plus, you can even send specific emails to buyers thanking them for their purchase, like this example from Ales Nesetril.

If you don’t give them the chance to choose, you risk losing them altogether. Since customers are more likely to buy again, it’s fairly obvious why you want to keep them subscribed to your customer email list.

With segmentation, you can send a broadcast only to those that didn’t open your last message (ask them why), or to those that showed interest (a second pitch).

You can also split test messaging amongst different groups in order to refine your best practices.

As you can see, segmentation isn’t rocket science, but it is work, which is why most don’t take the time to do it right.

If you do, you’ll immediately separate yourself from the pack.

How much is your list worth?

Your email list is one of your most valuable resources, and if you learn how to treat it right, the cost of doing so will pay for itself.

Over time, you can start tracking how much money people on your list spend on average. This will tell you how much your list is worth.

If a list of 10,000 people usually spends $50,000 on a campaign, and you run two of those campaigns each year, you could average it out and say that each subscriber is worth $10 a year.

When you do the math like that, you can understand immediately how losing several hundred subscribers could be dangerous to your bottom line.

Conclusion

If you’ve been ignoring email marketing, it might be time to reevaluate your strategy.

Today, email marketing is delivering huge returns for marketers willing to get started with it. It doesn’t have to be too complicated.

First, remember you’re a guest in the inboxes of your subscribers. Your emails are always just one click away from losing their interest forever. Be polite, respectful, and deliver value.

As you get started, you’ll need to ask permission. Of course, it’s the right thing to do. But in the era of new data protections, like the EU’s GDPR, it’s also a legal requirement.

You’ll want to follow through with the promises you make. Provide people what they’ve asked for and email on a regular basis that lines up with their expectations.

There’s no formula for this—it’s all about what works best for you and your company’s voice and style.

And finally, you can move on to segmentation and analytics once you’ve mastered the basics. Start sending separate types of emails to different groups of people and always be improving.

What email marketing practices keep your readers engaged?

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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How NeilStrauss.com Increased Conversions 125% Using Exit-Intent Optins

Are you relying on timed popups to get sign ups for your email list but are worried that they affect your user experience? Learn how author and dating expert Neil Strauss switched used a single exit-intent lightbox to grow his email list and increase conversions by 125%.

Meet Neil Strauss

Neil Strauss is an award-winning journalist and seven-time New York Times bestselling author who rose to fame after publishing The Game and Rules of the Game, where he went undercover in a secretive society of pickup artists.

Neil also runs an elite mastermind for high performing industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers from the technological, entertainment, medical, financial, and self-development worlds called The Society.

Neil had experimented with popups, but wanted to increase the effectiveness of his lead generation strategy in order to drive growth to his email list.

How NeilStrauss.com Uses Exit-Intent Lightbox Optins

Before using OptinMonster, Neil was using a timed popup from NinjaPopups to generate email list subscriptions:

When a visitor had been on a page for at least three seconds, the optin above would appear. For 4% of readers, the optin was enticing enough to convince them to submit their email address. The other 96% were annoyed by the intrusion and dismissed the NinjaPopup optin.

Based on the advice of SEO expert Stephan Spencer, Neil registered for OptinMonster and adjusted the copy of the optin to increase engagement.

The new optin focuses more on the benefits the member receives by joining the Inner Circle. The image is also more personable, featuring Neil smiling straight at the viewer, with his son in his lap.

This optin appears only when the visitor attempts to exit the site, using our exit-intent technology. Given that nearly 70% of visitors leave a site without taking any action, it’s worth your time to make one last offer to try to retain as many abandoning visitors as possible!

Neil isn’t the only expert consultant to experience huge conversions after using our exit-intent technology. Ryan Robinson increased the number of subscribers on his list by 500% using exit-intent lightboxes.

Results

After moving to OptinMonster, then changing the optin copy, image, and trigger, Neil saw incredible results:

• NeilStrauss.com increased conversions 125%.
• NeilStrauss.com increased his email email list growth by 8%.

Summary

Using only a timed trigger made for a clunky user experience and drove away potential leads. After switching from NinjaPopups to OptinMonster, Neil Strauss saw huge improvements in conversions.

By switching to OptinMonster, we were able to boost our conversions 125% and email list growth 8%. At the same time, we delivered an elegant and seamless experience to our users with a less-intrusive lightbox. OptinMonster is a much better fit for our sophisticated brand.
Neil Strauss, NeilStrauss.com

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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Email Marketing Made Simple: A Step by Step Guide [+ Examples]

Email marketing has been around forever, and for good reason. It’s the most direct and effective way of connecting with your leads, nurturing them, and turning them into customers, consistently winning out over all other marketing channels.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the entire process of setting up your email marketing funnel so that you can acquire leads and generate sales, 24/7.

What Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is the highly effective digital marketing strategy of sending emails to prospects and customers. Effective marketing emails convert prospects into customers, and turn one-time buyers into loyal, raving fans.

Pro Tip: Check out these digital marketing best practices to level up your marketing game.

This guide is for those who’re ready to commit to email marketing. If you’re unsure, you may want to read our guide on why you need to build an email list RIGHT NOW!

This is a long and detailed guide, so we’ve broken it down into different sections you can get to using the links in the Table of Contents below.

By using this definitive guide, you’ll know:

1. How to build an email list full of targeted customers.
2. How to optimize your emails for the highest open rates and click-through rates (CTR).
3. How to automate the process of nurturing your leads and turning prospects into customers.

Sound good?

Then let’s dive into the most comprehensive guide to email marketing on the entire internet.

Table of Contents

• Why Email Marketing?
• Getting Started
• Growing Your Email List
• Choosing an Email Service
• Segmenting Your Email List
• Improving Email Open Rates
• Automated Email Marketing
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Importance of Email Marketing

We’ve covered the biggest question, what is email marketing, but haven’t gotten into why email marketing is so very important for your business. Let’s talk about that now.

Despite the rise of social media and unsolicited spam email (which is never a good marketing strategy, by the way), email remains the most effective way to nurture leads and boost customer loyalty.

There are many reasons you should make email marketing one of your top priorities, but here are the top 3:

1. Email is the #1 communication channel. Did you know that at least 99% of consumers check their email on a daily basis? That can’t be said of any other communication channel.

2. You own your list. On any social media platform, your account (along with all your fans and posts) could be suspended or deleted at any time, for any reason, without notice. However, you own your email list. No one can take those leads away from you.

3. Email just converts better. People who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than those who do not receive email offers. In fact, email marketing has an ROI (returns on investment) of 4400%. That’s huge! And if you are wondering if social media converts even better, think again: the average order value of an email is at least three times higher than that of social media.

Email is simply the best way to make sales online.

How-To: Email Marketing

Wondering how to get started with email marketing? Email marketing is made up of several moving pieces, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated. Here’s how it breaks down…

You start with your list. OptinMonster has made it super easy to start collecting leads right away, even without an email marketing service, with our Monster Leads integration.

With Monster Leads, you can begin building your email list, and even begin reaching out to leads, while keeping your leads stored safely inside your OptinMonster dashboard. Then, when you’re ready…

You add an email service provider. There are a ton of them out there, but we take the guesswork out and make it really easy to choose the right one for you and your goals.

After those two steps, it’s just a matter refining your lists and your messaging so you’re reaching your audience and really connecting with them. Plus, you’ll be able to set up some automation in your email service which will make things much easier for you.

Ready to jump in? Let do it!

Growing Your Email List

What most people do when they want to build an email list is to put an optin form on their website and hope that people sign up. Unfortunately, this strategy usually doesn’t work very well.

To grow your email list, you need to attract people with a compelling offer. You need a lead magnet.

What is a Lead Magnet?

A lead magnet (a.k.a. an optin bribe) is something awesome that you give away for free in exchange for an email address. It doesn’t have to cost you anything to create; most lead magnets are digital materials like PDFs, MP3 audio files, or videos that you can create yourself at minimal or no cost.

It can be absolutely anything you want, so long as it provides value to your visitors for free.

Some popular lead magnet examples are:

• ebooks
• A cheat sheet of tips or resources
• White papers or case studies
• A webinar
• Free trials or samples
• A free quote or consultation
• Quizzes or a self-assessment
• A coupon

The possibilities are endless!

For even more lead magnet ideas, check out our list of lead magnet ideas to grow your email list.

What Makes a Good Lead Magnet?

You already know that a lead magnet needs to provide value for free. But if you want your lead magnet to be highly effective, here are 5 criteria for you to consider:

1. Easily consumed: Lead magnets are only effective when the audience uses them, so if you deliver a 300-page manifesto, you won’t gain traction.

2. Actionable: Lead magnets need to provide an actionable tool, skillset, or useful information that your audience can apply.

3. Creates noticeable improvement: People continue to buy products and services if they work well. Your lead magnet will become successful if it’s as valuable as your products and services.

4. Relevant: If you’ve done your homework about your prospects, you’ll have no trouble coming up with a lead magnet subject that solves problems.

5. Immediately available: People love instant gratification, so give it to them right then and there. Check out 4 Ways to Deliver a Lead Magnet to see how easy it is to get your lead magnet out there using OptinMonster.

Let’s take a look at a few real-life lead magnet examples.

At OptinMonster, we share a list of 12 proven strategies for converting abandoning visitors into subscribers.

How to Create an Optin Form that Converts

The purpose of your optin form is to convey the big benefit of your lead magnet, so your website visitors subscribe to your email newsletters in exchange for getting the lead magnet.

To create an optin form that converts, it needs to have the following components:

1. Enticing headline: Make sure your headline clearly describes the big benefit of your lead magnet

2. Helpful description: Is your description brief, clear and to the point? Use bullet points to help the reader’s eye quickly scan what they will get.

3. Attractive visuals: Include an image of the lead magnet if you can (like a mockup of your eBook). A photo of a person looking towards the optin form is also a great way to boost conversions. We’ve got a great list of visual content creation tools that can help you create amazing visuals.

4. Simple form: Don’t try to ask for more than a first name and email address. Asking for too much information too soon will kill your conversions.

5. Compelling subscribe button: Make sure to use a contrasting color for your subscribe button, so that it really pops out on the page. Also, use non-generic email copy that compels people to click right away (“Send me the 7 steps!“).

For even more tips on creating a high-converting optin form, check out our checklist for creating the ultimate optin form.

Once you’ve created your optin form, you’ll need to install it on your site. There are 14 high-converting places to put your optin form:

• Splash page
• Welcome gate
• Floating bar
• Your site’s header
• Blog archive page
• Within your blog posts
• Your sidebar
• In a timed lightbox popup
• In a scroll box
• Your footer
• Your About page
• Resource pages
• On a designated sign-up page
• In an exit-intent® popup

One of these is absolutely mandatory if you want to get as many subscribers as possible. That’s the exit-intent® popup.

An exit-intent® popup shows up at the precise moment the user is about to leave your website. This popup doesn’t interrupt the reading experience and only triggers when the user is leaving. This is the perfect time for asking them to subscribe because likely they’ve read your content and found your site helpful.

By, kunjal

• January 16, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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How I can organize successful e-mail marketing

Managing email marketing successfully isn’t easy, especially when you have multiple email initiatives going at once.

The value of email marketing is undeniable, so it’s not surprising that many departments within your organization want to leverage the platform. This results in lots of moving pieces to consider and many stakeholders to please. It also increases the chances of accidentally sending multiple emails to the same person in one day.

Speaking from personal experience… the fallout of this isn’t pretty.

Here are just a few pieces of the puzzle you have to consider:

• Managing your ever-growing subscriber list
• Overseeing the design and copy of every email
• Scheduling delivery times
• A/B testing
• Analyzing results

That’s just scratching the surface.

One thing is clear: if you’re going to be successful at email marketing, you need a well-planned marketing strategy in place; one that clearly establishes goals and lays out the roadmap to achieve them.

Something that can guide your team toward success.

That’s exactly what you’ll get from this post.

Download Your Email Marketing Strategy Template…

Before you continue reading, download your email marketing strategy template. This easy-to-use PowerPoint will help you document your plan and give the rest of your email team something to refer back to when they have questions.

.. Then Manage Email Marketing With CoSchedule

If you’re new to CoSchedule, it’s the only marketing suite to manage every facet of your marketing.

It even integrates with popular email marketing services giving you the ultimate visibility into your email strategy, so you’ll never send multiple emails to the same person in one day again.

With Email Marketing from CoSchedule, you can:

• Seamlessly integrate with your favorite email marketing platform. Email platforms are powerful, and you’ve grown to know and love yours. Why give it up? CoSchedule integrates with many preferred platforms, so your email marketing is no longer disjointed from the rest of your marketing initiatives.
• Write click-worthy email subject lines every time. CoSchedule’s awesome Email Subject Line Tester is built right in, so you can optimize and perfect every subject line to drive more opens, clicks, and conversions.
• Get full visibility into your ENTIRE marketing strategy. Disjointed marketing content and constantly jumping from screen to screen is the worst. With Email Marketing from CoSchedule, all your email campaigns live on your single marketing calendar — giving you ultimate visibility into your marketing strategy and individual initiatives.

By, elenore

• January 7, 2021
• 0
• E-Mail Marketing

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