Email marketing remains one of the most effective methods for nurturing leads and driving conversions. It is clear why – people don’t like being sold to and many consumers are going ad blind, meaning they simply block out ads (and some even use ad blocking software). Organic reach on social media is declining, PPC ads can be ineffective and expensive, native advertising may work, but it won’t work the first time. And half of qualified leads aren’t ready to buy right now.
Email, however, gives you a direct line to your consumers. It allows you to cut through the noise and communicate directly with your audience.
If you have started an email campaign, but aren’t seeing the results you want, this article is for you. I am going to share eight methods you can leverage to increase your email conversions. But, since not all email campaigns are equal, I am also going to break down who should be using each method.
Clean Up Your Email Lists
For: Lists with low open rates or purchased email addresses
The best way to protect against low open rates is to build an intentional email list. Email marketing is only effective when you are contacting people who WANT to hear from you. Do not purchase lists. Period. Besides being unethical, it is also in effective. But, if you have low open rates or if you purchased a list in the past and want to clean up your act, you need to clean up your email list.
Your email marketing platform (MailChimp, AWeber, etc.) should NOT be used to clean up your list. This is because high rates of spam complaints or unsubscribes tells them you are likely doing something shady. In addition to being ineffective, it can also get your account suspended. No good.
So, you will want to clean up your list using a third party service like BriteVerify or Email Answers. Alternatively, you can export your list into Excel and use an outside email to clean up your list.
Set Up a Welcome Email
For: Newbies to Email Automation
You can do some seriously awesome stuff with email automation, but if you’ve never implemented automation, a welcome series is a great place to start.
What happens when someone signs up for your email list? Do you add them to your list and forget about them until your next sales blast? A welcome email introduces your new lead to your brand, sets expectations for the relationship, and can be used to build trust.
Set up your welcome email to send to all new subscribers and include a short introduction to your brand and a how they contact you, as well as an enticing offer. This could be a download of your newest e-book or a checklist you put together. Just make sure it is valuable.
If you want to take it up a notch, consider developing a welcome series that drips out over the first few weeks.
Create a Purchase Follow-Up Series
For: Automation Probies (you’ve done one or two automations)
What do your clients really think about your product or service? What are they complaining about to their friends that they aren’t telling you? A follow-up series will help you get that information so you can offer solutions and begin warming them up for their next purchase.
A purchase follow up series can be as simple as “Hey, how is that laptop you bought working out? Here are a few resources about it, let us know if there is anything you need!” to recommending a related protect or doing a survey.
Your goal should be to provide additional support and move your current customers towards an additional purchase. What your follow-up email will look like will depend on what you sell (product versus a service) and your client base. Here are a few ideas to consider for purchase follow-ups:
- Additional Resources: Blogs, e-books, training videos, etc. related to the product or service they purchased
- Thank You Email: A heart-felt thank you with a survey to help you uncover pain points
- Related Products: Share related products and consider offering a small discount
Create a (Useful!) Weekly Newsletter
For: Most Lists
Give your subscribers something to look forward each week by sending out a non-sales newsletter. This could include industry news, training, videos, or any other number of useful resources. The goal should be to build brand trust and offer something useful. This will keep your brand on the minds of your customers.
A/B Test Email Subject Lines
For: Those with low open rates or low conversion rates
Really, anyone who doesn’t have 100% open and conversion rates should A/B test titles. This is generally done through your email platform and allows you to send half of your subscribers one email title and the other half another. The goal is to see which titles increase open rates. Testing consistently surprises me – it gives you hard data about what is actually working. Stop relying on gut feelings about what your subscribers want and start testing to see what actually works. Here are resources on how to test from the most popular email marketing platforms.
Segment Your Email List
For: Lists with low conversion rates
If you are sending all your subscribers the exact same emails, you are missing a huge opportunity. Segmenting your list allows you to offer more personalized messages, which are more likely to be opened and create conversions. Your contacts are unique individuals at different points in the sales funnel. You wouldn’t want to send a person who just purchased your premium package a message about your lowest tier package, would you? But, a contact who downloaded your white paper two days ago, might be very interested in purchasing your lowest tier package.
Segmenting allows you to create personalized campaigns that perform better. Here are a few ideas on how to get started segmenting your email list.
Test Your Email on All Devices
For: Lists with good open rates, but low click throughs
More than half of all emails are opened on a mobile device. What does your email look like on an iPhone? What about an Android? Samsung? Mobile usage continues to increase, and email marketers need to be paying attention to this. Most email providers will allow you do this, or you can use a third-party tool like Email on Acid.
Clarify & Test Your CTA
For: Lists with solid open rates, but low conversion rates
If people are opening your emails but not clicking or buying after, it is time to look at your messaging, specifically your CTA. Is it clear? Are you leading your contacts to the next step? Are you asking them to do anything? Are you asking too much too early? Start by making sure the next step is crystal clear.
- You bought a new laptop? Don’t’ forget to purchase the extended warranty.
- You purchased a new pair of snow pants? Here is our downloadable guide to the best skiing spots in the world.
- You loved our weekly newsletter? Awesome, don’t forget to grab our free planner.
And so forth. Most people have an innate desire to please – but you must tell them what the next step is.
If your CTA is clear but still not working, it is time to start A/B testing to see what works.
Final Thoughts on Email Marketing
You have a limited marketing budget, which means you need to be as effective as possible in all your marketing practices. Email marketing can easily be one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies – if done correctly. If you have a solid contact list but aren’t seeing results, use these tips to increase your conversion rates for email!
