14 email tactics to try in 2014
DESCRIPTION
Iterable, an email marketing startup, provides 14 email tactics to try in 2014. Tips include implementing email authentication techniques, adding gifs to email templates and A/B testing your subject lines.TRANSCRIPT
14 Email Tactics to Try in
2014
Presented by Iterable
Dynamic content is personalized content delivered based on an individual’s
data criteria. Examples include sending a coupon to inactive users or an email
with the latest women’s clothing arrivals to female subscribers. If you’re trying
to create a more relevant experience (and increase open rates), dynamic
content is the way to go.
1. Add dynamic content
All subscribers are not created equal, so it’s time to stop sending the same email
blast to your whole subscriber list. Consider creating segmented lists based on
consumer behavior (VIP’s vs. one time shoppers), life stage (single vs. parent) or
interests (indie rock vs. hip hop). There are unlimited ways to slice and dice your
subscribers so you can start creating more targeted email campaigns.
2. Segment your lists
image via AlleyWatch
A friendly sender name can boost your open rates. Try experimenting with a
couple options such as “Company Name”, “Hello from Company Name”, or
“Person from Company Name”. An Iterable client experimented with a couple
sender name variations and the winning name actually earned over 70%
increase in email open rates over the control.
3. Switch up the sender name
Is your audience more likely to check email in the morning when they go to work or
at night in bed before going to sleep? Try switching up your send times to see which
time gives you best open and click rates.
4. Vary your send times
image via Inthralid.com
The preheader is the text that appears after the email subject in the inbox,
and it’s shocking how many times it gets ignored. Think of it as 80-120 more
characters you can use to convince people to open your email. Use it as a
preview or summary for the body of the email.
5. Pay attention to the preheader
Effective subject lines are straightforward, concise and pique the reader’s
interest to open the email. Avoid using spammy words such as “Free”, “All
Natural”, “Act now”, and refrain from adding too many exclamation points!!!
If you plan on A/B testing your email campaigns, the subject line is another
great place to start.
6. Try different subject lines
DKIM, SPF and DMARC are email authentication techniques that can improve
your sender reputation and the deliverability of emails sent from your domain.
They can be activated by adjusting your DNS records.
7. Implement DKIM, SPF & DMARC
image via Neon-Das.com
Email may not be everyone’s preferred method of communicating with your
brand. Add social icons to your emails to allow your customers to engage with
you through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and other social channels.
You’ll also enjoy increased fans, followers, +1’s, etc.
8. Add social networks to your emails
image via WhoWhatWear
You’ve A/B tested the best color, font size and copy for call to action buttons
on your website, but when’s the last time you tested those variations for
email? Experimenting with different elements of your email templates may
help you uncover the option that maximizes conversions.
9. Experiment with call to action buttons
image via Marriott
Almost 50% of emails are opened on a mobile device. Therefore it’s
imperative to make sure your email looks just as good on a phone or tablet, as
it does on desktop. If you’re using a 3rd party ESP, make sure it has the ability
to preview emails by device.
10. Optimize for mobile
Allowing people to choose how often they hear from you can lower your
unsubscribe rates or save your emails from being marked as spam.
11. Let people choose how often they receive emails
image via LinkedIn
Triggered email campaigns send emails to users after a certain user action or event.
Some examples could be birthday promotion emails, Amazon’s “products you may
also like” emails or registration confirmation emails. If you are currently only
sending uniform blast emails, adding some triggered campaigns could encourage
audience interaction with your brand.
12. Create triggered email campaigns
image via Amazon
The internet is gif-obsessed, proven by the popularity of Vine, Tumblr and
Buzzfeed. Incorporating these moving images in your email can help you
showcase multiple products, highlight a product in motion, or just get your
audience to take a second look at your email.
13. Incorporate gifs into your emails
gif via American Apparel
There’s an ongoing debate about whether or not it is wise to add video to
emails, considering it is only supported by 62% of email clients. However, if
you just spent a lot of resources creating a dazzling new video, adding it to
email can help increase its reach. Just be sure to add a fallback image, so
users using non-video supported email clients can click the hyperlinked image
to view the video in a browser.
14. Use video
video via Lyft