As a small business owner, where you spend your marketing dollars is not a decision you take lightly.

You don’t have the time or resources to waste on channels that that don’t work. Luckily, there’s one reliable platform that’s not only cost-effective, but also delivers consistently outstanding ROI: email marketing. While it’s been around for decades, email remains one of the most lucrative marketing channels—generating $38 for every $1 spent. But to reap the benefits, it has to be done right. So, here are some email marketing best practices that definitely up your game!

Approach with a “customer-first” mindset to spark genuine interest

Before you even start writing your next email campaign, ask yourself: “what value will this brining to my customers?” If the answer is “none,” then it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Every email that you send should have a specific purpose designed to enhance the customer experience. You don’t want to spam your subscribers with information they neither want nor need. At best, your emails will go unopened.

At worst, they’ll be sentenced to the junk folder.

Ultimately, you want your customers to look forward to hearing from you. Emails that contain high-quality, high-value content will help your brand stay top-of-mind. Furthermore, your customers will be more likely to convert if you’re providing them with genuinely interesting content

Build your email list organically to cultivate a captive audience

Avoid the temptation to buy email lists. While the thought of having access to thousands of names and addresses might sound appealing, it’s never a good idea. Most often, those bought subscribers are empty leads that won’t care at all about your business or your message.

Trust us, email marketing is more than just a numbers game.

Don’t have a large subscriber list yet? Don’t worry! There are plenty of more honest ways to earn subscribers. The best part? They’ll most likely get you closer to your target audience and generate more viable leads!

Consider doing the following to grow your email list:

• Create bonus content available only to subscribers
• Promote a contest or giveaway that requires an email address
• If you have an online store, include an email opt-in box at the checkout.

 Create succinct, incentive-driven opt-in pages to catch the eye

As with most ad copy, the shorter the better! At the same time, you want to make sure you highlight all the amazing benefits that come with the subscription. Tell customers what they can expect. What kind of content can they look forward to? Will they get access to exclusive deals or perks? How often will they hear from you?

Then follow through!

In other words, don’t send three emails a day if you promised to only send one per week. By the same token, don’t go months without sending anything at all. Your audience will start to wonder where you went, and they’ll question the value the subscription brings their lives. So, set the expectations and then live up to them. Then, notify your subscribers to any big changes to your mailing schedule. They’ll appreciate being kept in the loop.

Place opt-in’s strategically around your site to meet customers where they’re at

Ideally, you want your opt-in’s to get in front of as many eyes as possible. To do that, you’ll want to include them on relevant pages so that it’s available the moment customers make the decision to subscribe. The most important pages to include are your Home Page, About page, and Contact page.

 Create even more value by segmenting your list into buyer personas

As your email list grows, it’s going to be harder and harder to create email campaigns relevant to everyone. So, it’s good idea to organize your

subscribers into separate lists and tailor your emails based on their shared qualities. These qualities can go beyond just demographics. For example, you can have different lists for brand new subscribers, loyal subscribers, or people who have made purchases from your website in the past.

Write killer subject lines to maximize your open rates

The subject line is arguably the most important part of an email. Just think about it, how many unopened emails do you currently have sitting in your inbox right now? Probably a lot, and it’s most likely because the subject lines aren’t compelling enough for you to take that action.

Emails that get results have subject line that pack a punch.

But how do you know which subject lines will be best suited to your audience? After all, not all audiences respond to same hooks.  The best way to find out is to experiment and find what works best for you.

That’s where A/B testing comes in.

Use A/B testing to get deeper insights about your target audience

A/B testing is a powerful tool that can help you understand what your audience responds best to. For example, you can send out the same email campaign with two different subject lines to see which one performs better. The key performance indicators can be whatever you like. Maybe you want to see which subject line leads to more opens. Or, perhaps you want to see which results in more conversions.

But A/B testing isn’t limited to just subject lines.

You can use it to experiment with different email bodies, landing pages, color use, verbiage, CTAs, you name it. All of these elements can have a tremendous impact on the success of your campaign. But be careful to test only one element at a time. More than that and it becomes difficult to attribute any positive changes to one particular thing.

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of how invaluable email is to your marketing strategy.

But, if you’re starting at square one, implementing all of these email marketing best practices can be overwhelming. At Frontier Marketing, we can help you every step of the way. From designing stunning email templates for your brand, to A/B testing for research-driven results—we can help you execute email campaigns that will take your marketing game to the next level. Call us today: (847) 254-0837