Emails have grown over the years to become one of the most popular forms of digital communication in the world. Companies have improved and increased the budgets to their email marketing strategies because they’ve understood the massive returns it can bring them when done right. For example, for $1 spent on every email campaign, companies can look to receive $32 back. A direct 32X jump is a good bet for anyone looking to start on digital, and this is one of the main reasons emails are a smart way to do business online.
As far as emails are concerned, having a good engagement rate is vital. It helps in increasing awareness of your brand on digital and also ensures that you’re able to make sales to grow your revenue. Hiring email marketing specialists is commonplace for many digitally-driven enterprises as they play a significant role in putting customers in perspective when it comes to actions on your site.
Having a good email marketing strategy ensures you can keep your customers interested in your brand with smart use of different templates. The many templates available online improve email engagement and also get your message across in an effective way. If you’re able to find the right mix of emails for various scenarios – sales, celebrations, offers and more, you can win the battle online and start making good revenue.
Why Do You Need to Reach Out to Your Audience Via Email?
Emails have become one of the most preferred ways to communicate with customers online, en masse. Digital marketing has grown over the years and finding out unique methods with which you can gain new customers is always a challenge. Up to 93% of marketers use emails to distribute content online, going to emphasize how highly regarded they are.
There are other methods to reach out to audiences as well, like social media marketing, but emails are the undisputed king. Up to 40% of B2B marketers have admitted that an email newsletter is critical to their business, and they depend on them to get their online revenue.
Emails that are structured well can get amazing responses, with 59% of respondents having their purchase decisions influenced purely through emails.
Brands also come across as polite if they reach out via email. Cold calling can sometimes be misconstrued as intrusive and emails are an effective way of countering that. It is essential to understand what the right template is before proceeding, and this can set a precedent for any future emails being sent out as well.
Text-Based or Image-Based Email?
Text-based versus image-based is a debate with plenty of supporters for either side, so deciding which one to use requires some thought. Before you delve into either one of the two, it is crucial to understand their advantages and disadvantages before making the decision.
Text-based emails: Good text-based emails can get your message across faster as well as ensure faster downloads as well. Brands that use text well in their emails can make it work to their advantage as it is to the point and explains their business proposition clearly.
It takes lesser time to download and it’s easier to go through a spam filter which generally curbs certain emails with images.
Text-based emails require the designs to be appropriately aligned to ensure they don’t look too dull either. A bit of designing must go into these emails to ensure that they are well received by your final audience.
Image-based emails: Emails based around images are popular because they represent your messaging and delight customers visually. We see this a lot in restaurant email marketing with the promotion of food and drink products. It makes it easier for customers to grasp what you’re trying to sell with the help of visual aids and well-designed ones can form a lasting impression in the mind of your consumer as well.
However, image-based emails make it harder for spam filters to let messages through because sometimes they aren’t able to decipher if a link is deemed safe or malicious. Apart from this, many email service providers sometimes have default software where image-based messages cannot be downloaded, making it harder for you to communicate.
Basic Prerequisites for Nurturing Your Audience Effectively
You will be able to keep customers interested and generate great leads if you follow a few prerequisites when it comes to nurturing your audience online. Engaging them in great content is crucial and having a small checklist before sending out any company-based communication is a great way to go about things.
1. Relevant Email list: Emails can be segregated into smaller lists based on customer action points on the website or the online store. These include the likes of “Products Viewed,” “Add to Cart,” and more. These are a great way to indicate whether or more importantly, how a customer interacts with your brand. With a relevant list, you can also generate better results with the help of pinpointed online targeting.
2. Good content: Content is always going to be the differentiating factor in email marketing as it is the crux of the efforts you put in. If you can genuinely create content that delights, you can generate sales at a massive growth. A good creative team can ensure that over time, your emails stand apart from the rest.
3. High-converting templates: High-converting templates make it easier to design stunning emails online as they have a proven track record of success. Creating emails which have a higher chance of converting is always a safe way to start your email marketing strategy and ensure successful transactions for your brand and you.
Finding the right template requires a good amount of research. Thankfully, there are a lot of great template collections out there for you to choose from.
A Few Examples of Great Newsletters
Here are some great examples of engaging email campaigns with intuitive design:
1. Uber
Uber is known to be direct and efficient in getting their message across. The above emailer talks about lower fares with the help of their ride pass and the way they’ve structured it ensures that only what needs focus is highlighted. The cost of the pass along with discount offerings makes it an enticing email campaign for anyone who travels often.
2. Buzzfeed x Tasty:
This collaboration between the two millennial-inspired websites is just a simple and powerful way to grab your attention. It shows how you could improve your cooking skill with Tasty, and the images are straightforward and appealing.
3. Flock:
Flock is a great example to go with if you’re looking for good examples of engaging emails. They provide timely reminders, making it simpler for you to click and complete the task.
4. Headspace:
Headspace smartly utilizes images to ensure that you do not just skip their emails. Their cute imagery is excellent for engagement and a great way to ensure that you do click and choose the offers they provide.
5. Starbucks:
Starbucks is a great example of restaurant email marketing done correctly. The company does a fantastic job of engaging customers by making them feel special. Here, they’re enticing customers to join because they will receive exclusive updates on any sales or offers on their coffee. Driving foot traffic is what it is all about in restaurant email marketing, so this is an effective way to do it. This is a great technique for anyone who plans on opening a restaurant.
6. Airbnb:
Airbnb is simple and only requires individuals to complete the survey once they have finished and concluded their stay at the homestay or hotel. Building up a sufficient number of reviews is an important element of hotel marketing, as guests need to trust that your hotel or homestay will deliver a good value and experience.
7. Aesop:
Aesop is a body and wellness brand that uses arresting imagery with compelling text to pull in the reader’s attention. Their use of product imagery gives the customer a teaser before they decide to go ahead and purchase.
Top Email Template Designs:
We are sure that the above examples have pushed you enough to get started with your email campaigns right away! So, if you are planning to go ahead and create your template, then here are some great sites which can make your job easier!
1. Template Monster: Template Monster is an excellent choice for anyone looking to create emails even when they’re offline. They offer an option to download raw files which can be re-edited online by your designer before going ahead and deploying them online.
2. Email Octopus: Email Octopus has options for themes and intricately designed templates which can then be used to create some beautiful emails. These emails consist of various types depending on the template you wish to use – with 4 themes and 11 designs to choose from.
You can get email templates on:
- Blog Updates
- Email Opt-in
- Transactional
- Newsletter
- Product Launches
3. Cakemail: If you’re looking to go with cute and eye-catching imagery, Cakemail is one of the best. They have effective templates which have a proven track record of converting customers, so choose the one that works best.
4. SendX: SendX is one of the more effective websites out there, with templates that are clean and easy to use, even for a beginner. Further, they have also segregated close to 1,500 effective templates to choose from so you can begin designing your emails right from scratch.
Conclusion
So, it’s safe to say that for a great email marketing strategy, knowing your audience well and executing a plan based on what your company is best known for, is the key to success. You can go and check out the top Mailchimp Alternatives and get started from there. With time, you’ll notice an upward trend in responses from customers, which shows you’re on the right path.
****This is a guest post from Rohan Mendiratta. Rohan is a bearded marketer, currently working on growing SendX: Email Marketing Software. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter. ****
