The end of the year is quickly approaching, and that means it’s time to start thinking about your email marketing strategy for the fourth quarter. Are you prepared to close out the year with a bang? In this blog post, we will discuss 17 email marketing tips that will help you boost your conversions and increase sales. Let’s get started!
#1 Keep Your Lists Clean
From all of the emails you send in the fourth quarter, it is crucial to make sure that you are sending your messages only to those who have opted-in to receive them. Cleaning up your email list regularly helps improve open and click-through rates because it ensures that those on your list want to hear from you.
This means removing inactive subscribers, bounced emails, and spam traps, as well as verifying addresses on the email list. Keeping your lists clean will improve your deliverability, and, in turn, make your campaigns more successful.
#2 Personalize Your Emails
Never underestimate the power of personalization. Personalizing emails with a recipient’s name can help increase open rates, engagement levels, and conversions.
Personalization also goes beyond names and titles. You should add dynamic content to your emails that are tailored to each individual user’s interests or past behaviors. This will make it easier for customers to find the content that is most relevant to them.
#3 Always Be Compliant
No matter if you are sending cold emails to prospects or messages to subscribers, it is important to make sure that they are compliant with the law. Despite there being numerous anti-spam laws, people fed up with unsolicited emails are often taking action into their own hands in small claims court.
Washington state has one of the strictest anti-spam laws, allowing people to sue for $500 per unwanted message. However Californians have even greater power, and can file a small claims court action to sue your business for up to $10,000 for breaking state spam laws, or sue for liquidated damages of up to $1,000 per email.
Make sure therefore that the physical address of your emails is valid, as well as giving recipients an option to opt-out of receiving further emails from you. This can be done by offering an unsubscribe button on all of your emails.
You should also avoid using any deceptive or misleading language in email messages, as this could land you with hefty fines or court cases if not corrected promptly. Discover the synergy of email marketing and content strategy to elevate your year-end results.
#4 Optimize Your Emails for Mobile Devices
It is no secret that more and more people are accessing emails on their mobile devices these days. This means that it is essential to make sure your emails are optimized for mobile devices.
Your emails should have a single-column design and use large, easy-to-read fonts. You should also make sure that all of the links work properly on both desktop and mobile devices.
Additionally, you can also generate a QR code and include it in your emailer, so that it’s super easy for your audience to switch from desktop to a mobile device. This will help you ensure that your audiences can access the content they need quickly and easily.
#5 Offer Incentives and Promotions
In the fourth quarter, it’s important to incentivize your customers so they are more likely to make a purchase. Offering discounts, promotions (such as game deals if you're in the computing sector), or special offers like subscriptions can give your subscribers an extra push to convert. You can also use incentives to increase click-through rates, too.
You should also be sure to highlight any changes or updates that your customers need to know about. This can help them stay in the loop and boost their engagement with you.
#6 Write Great Subject Lines
Subject lines can make or break your email campaign. Your subject lines should be short, sweet and to the point, as well as eye-catching. They should also provide a sense of urgency so that recipients are more likely to open your email. You can also use ready to use email marketing templates for every email campaign that you work on.
You can also use emojis in subject lines to stand out from other emails in someone’s inbox. However, you should be careful not to overuse them—only use an emoji when it truly makes sense.
#7 Test Your Emails Thoroughly
Before you send any emails, you should always make sure to test them out first. This will help ensure that everything looks and functions properly before it gets sent out. You should also double-check your emails for any typos or grammatical errors. There are several free grammar and plagiarism checkers available online for a quick review of your content.
You should also test out different variations of your emails to see which ones perform the best. A/B testing can help you determine what subject lines, content, and call-to-action buttons work best with your audience.
#8 Look At Your Competitors
How about taking a look at what your competitors are doing? This could help you come up with new ideas and strategies for your own email campaigns.
You can also use competitive analysis to compare the performance of your emails against those of other businesses in your industry. This can be beneficial for identifying areas that need improvement, as well as seeing what’s working well and can be replicated.
Your competitors can bring you a lot of food for thought, especially if they are doing something that you hadn’t thought of before. Plus, it can help you stay ahead of the competition by seeing what they’re up to and staying one step ahead.
You might also take a look at their subject lines for cold emails and get inspired.
#9 Create Various Signup Forms
Having multiple sign-up forms can help increase your email list and reach a larger audience. You can create different types of forms, ranging from the traditional newsletter subscribe form to an opt-in form to get access to a freebie or webinar. Or, even your affiliate program. Make sure that each form has a clear call-to-action and is properly optimized for mobile devices.
You should also be sure to keep your sign-up forms simple and easy-to-follow. This will help ensure that more people are willing to complete the form, which in turn can significantly boost your email list.
#10 Automate Your Email Messages
Who has time to send out email campaigns all day manually? Automating your email messages can save you time, while still providing your customers and clients with the content they need.
You can use automation to deliver timely messages, segment audiences, and measure performance. This can help you make sure that your emails are reaching the right people at the right time. However, finding the right balance between content automation and personalization is important, especially when it comes to email marketing.
#11 Don’t Be Scared of Using Rich Media
Standing out from the competition is key. Hence, try to use interactive emails. Like, rich media can help you do this, and it’s an effective way to engage your customers. You can use GIFs, videos, images, infographics, and other visuals to grab people’s attention and help draw them into your message.
Rich media also helps break up large blocks of text, which can make your emails more visually appealing and easier to read. Post your rich media on Instagram using schedule Instagram posts features which are used by so many businesses now-a-days. This matters in particular for mobile users, as they are more likely to skim through emails rather than read them thoroughly. You can for example learn how to transcribe audio to text and add it as a sneak peek, for example.
Using rich media can have a great impact on your email campaigns and help you reach your goals for the upcoming year. So don’t be afraid to experiment with visuals in your emails and see how it works out!
#12 Use Alt Text For Images
Alt text for images makes your emails accessible to everyone, regardless of their device or browser. It also helps ensure that your message still gets across, even if images aren’t loading properly.
Alt text should be brief yet descriptive and relevant to the image in question. You can also use it to your advantage by including long-tail keywords that will help boost SEO according to keyword research tools (e.g., starting a SEMrush free trial).
Moreover, call-to-actions like "how to invest in stocks" can be both an anchor for your CTA, and ALT for a link to a relevant landing page, for example 409A valuation services in this case. As such, with alt text, you can make sure that everyone in your audience gets the message you’re trying to convey.
#13 Work On Sequencing Your Emails
In email marketing, there is nothing worse than bombarding your subscribers with too many emails. This is why it’s essential to plan out your email sequences and focus on delivering quality content rather than quantity.
Planning the timing of your emails can help you stay in control and ensure that your messages arrive when they should. You can also use automated sequences to send out timely messages for holidays and other special occasions. Consider implementing a campaign management platform to help manage and monitor your email sequences for warm leads. When it comes to cold leads, you can use email sequence software.
You can even think of exporting some leads from Sales Navigator on LinkedIn and capitalize on them with your sequences.
#14 Befriend Formatting
Formatting can make or break an email, so be sure to spend some time making your emails look their best. Break up large blocks of text with headings and bullet points. Bullet points can take large chunks of information and make them easier to digest. You can also use formatting to draw attention to certain elements.
Formatting can help boost engagement and ensure that your emails look professional. So be sure to take the time to format your emails properly before you hit send!
#15 Use Call To Action
It’s essential to make sure that each email you send has a clear call-to-action. This could be anything from subscribing to your newsletter, or downloading a freebie.
Your call-to-actions should be easy to find and click on—ideally, they should be highlighted with contrasting colors or stand out in some other way. Be sure to use actionable words in your calls-to-action and keep it short and sweet.
No one will click through if they don’t know what to do, so make sure you add call-to-actions to your emails. This will help ensure that you see results from your email campaigns as the year comes to an end. You could add your business phone number tied to your virtual call center software, but most of those contacts will just click through.
#16 Link Your Emails with Other Marketing Activities
Email marketing isn’t a one-way street. You can use it to link your other online marketing strategies activities, such as writing high quality blog content and driving traffic to them.
Connect all of the multiple social media accounts you manage, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn (you can use Agorapulse alternatives to edit them from one place), with your email campaigns. Think about how you can use email to direct people to your website or other platforms. And don’t underestimate the power of video content—embedding videos in your emails can really help engage people, as well as attaching certificates.
Link up all of your marketing activities and get people excited about what you have to offer. Your business will benefit from more eyes on it and the year will end on a high note!
#17 Test & Measure Constantly
Testing is key when it comes to email marketing. You should always be testing different strategies to see what works for your audience and what doesn’t. Just like when you are developing a website, you hire a backend development team for them to test your product, so here – you need to test your strategies.
Testing and measuring send you valuable information about how well your emails are performing. You can use this to adjust and optimize your campaigns, as well as plan better strategies for the future.
By testing and measuring constantly, you’ll be able to make sure that every email you send out is worth it—allowing you to seal the year off with maximum success.
Don’t forget about you email authentication protocols. Use the email header analyzer to highlight vulnerabilities in your email’s security posture (e.g. missing or invalid DMARC records, an absent SPF record, syntax error in your DKIM record. etc.).
Conclusion
How many times have you sent out emails and hoped for the best? Don’t let your emails go to waste! Optimize your email campaigns and follow these 17 tips to leverage your email marketing efforts so every message you send is worth it. Good luck!