Email Marketing Best Practices Checklist

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Email marketing as a communication channel is being questioned every year. And yet the numbers show that it is stronger than ever!

• In 2020, an average of 306.4 billion emails were sent and received per day.
• 89% of marketers use email as the primary channel for generating leads.
• The average click-through rate was 2.6%.
• The average unsubscribe rate for 2020 was 0.1%.

So this is your guide to proven email marketing best practices.

Remember this

• The subject line and preview text have one objective: convince your prospects to open the email.
• The email body has one objective: convince your prospects to click.
• After the click, the landing page’s objective is to sell your offer.

Subject line best practices

Preview text best practices

• Keep it nice and short
• Promise a real benefit
• It should answer the question: Why should I open this email?
• Create a sense of urgency
• Don’t repeat the subject line
• Spark curiosity
• Put the most important words at the beginning
• Don’t try to sell your offer. Try to sell the email open
• Never stop testing

Sender name best practices

• Refrain from using a person’s name, unless they’re well-known
• Company/brand names are completely fine
• Do not use “do not reply”
• If one of your email lists consists of prospects that have dealt with a specific employee, test a campaign using that employee’s name. From there, measure how it compares to other campaigns that use your company name
• Don’t be afraid to test different variations

Email copywriting best practices

”Content is anything that adds value to the reader’s life’’

• When writing, imagine yourself talking to your ideal customer, not a crowd of people
• Your first sentence is crucial. If people don’t read it, they’re not going to read your second line
• Write like you talk. Don’t try to sound smart
• Keep a conversational tone
• Clarity sells. Don’t try to be too clever
• Use line breaks. Don’t write long paragraphs, think and write in short sentences.
• Don’t give the reader too many options. Stick to 1 call-to-action
• Make sure that your call-to-action is benefit oriented ?

Source: Marketing Examples

• Personalize your call-to-action according to the segmentation of the audience for better results
• Be brief. Especially in your welcome flow emails
• Don’t try to convince by using logic. Try to emotionally influence your readers
• Every sentence should seamlessly lead to the next
  Talk less about your product and more about the value your product brings. People don’t want a better toothbrush. They want a brighter smile
• Never stop testing

Email design best practices

*Visit www.reallygoodemails.com for email marketing inspiration

• Prioritize readability?

Source: Marketing examples

• Make sure that your design is mobile optimized
• Keep a consistent look. That way, your emails will become instantly recognizable.
• Add your logo to every email but don’t make it huge. (The reader shouldn’t have to scroll over your logo to read the first sentence)
• Use images to prove a point or support what you’re saying. If it doesn’t add value, don’t add it.
• In general, the more text, the better your deliverability. The more space within your email is taken up by images, the more difficult it may be to for you to reach the inbox.
• Don’t overdecorate your email. Remember that the objective is to convince your reader to click. Don’t try to make a fashion statement.
• Usually, users have an “F” pattern to scan the email. Add bullet points and short sentences for vertical scanning.
• It’s recommended to choose a different color for your call-to-action button.
• Make your call-to-action button easy to find.
• Choose a font that is easy to read. Readability is more important than aesthetics.

Your email marketing strategy isn’t providing the ROI you expected?

For an audit of your customer journey and suggestions on how to increase email marketing ROI, contact us today to speak with an expert!