The biggest change we’ll see in 2020 is the increasing effectiveness of Email Marketing presenting customers with relevant email content. The inbox of today is largely an unorganised mess, especially when compared to search engines’ ability to provide relevant information with a simple click of a button!

Whether you’re new to email marketing or a novice, you’ll probably want the same - to be able to send the best email marketing campaigns. Use the following steps to help get you started.

Use emails to build strong relationships and build brand awareness

One of the main problems that modern marketers face is the great number of offerings from competitor companies that have a similar set of features and roughly the same level of quality. Even the e-marketing templates that the competitors use may be identical (as they appeal to the same audience). In this case, only the brand values your company stands on will help you stand out.

Stay true to your chosen brand values and they will make your products, services and marketing campaigns noticeable and acknowledged.

Pro Tip: Using welcome emails to initiate engagement is a great way to begin a conversation, stay in touch with new subscribers and to thank them.

Optimise your emails to increase your conversion rate

Every marketer wants their newsletter to be at the top of the inbox. After all, most subscribers will pick the emails they see first. So when should you send your emails?

I find two timeslots tend to get the best average email open rates and CTRs: 9-11am and 3-5pm. When it comes to picking the right day, as long as you stay away from the weekend, your engagement rates should be fine.

However, your audience may respond to campaigns sent at a different time. It depends on your market, consumer trends, and your customers’ preferences. Keep an eye out for these important details in your report.

Pro Tip: Use tools like Mailchimp, Moosend, Sendinblue, GetResponse to help you schedule free email marketing services. They come with ready to use templates, landing pages, subscription forms, real-time analytics, and integrations.

Create engaging content to get more click-throughs

Content is King! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it another hundred times more.

Make sure your email is captivating and engaging enough to invoke an emotional response with your reader; make them laugh, make them care and most importantly – gain their trust!

Remember to include keywords whilst keeping it natural and always make content scannable by using bullet points or breaking up large paragraphs of text.

Pro Tip: Proofread for typos. I know this may seem obvious, but typos look terrible! Not only do they discredit you but also make people lose trust in your company.

So proofread, proofread and proofread some more and then ask a colleague to do a final review before you send it out.

Run tests and preview before hitting send

An email well tested is an email well-read. Well, that’s the plan and I reckon it’s a great first step to increasing your email conversions numbers.

Create a hypothesis for how you could improve your campaign, set it up as an A/B test, click send and see what happens. You may see an increase in opens/ CTR’s but, if you don’t, you’ll learn something about your audience that can help you create better campaigns in the future.

Pro Tip: Run A/B tests to understand which content and design layout your audience best responds to. Test your email in multiple browsers and platforms.

Email marketing and branding will always go hand in hand. Just don’t forget that building a brand is a process that you can start once but never does end. Experiment, stay positive and who knows, maybe in the near future you’ll see your company’s name as an example of “the greatest brand ever created.”

I have now shared all my recommended email marketing best practices. So, what will you focus on first?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.

And keep an eye on this article. I’ll keep it updated with more actionable email marketing tips to help you improve your campaigns.