Email marketing has become an increasingly popular way for marketers to engage with their clients. Generating new business is also top priority, but how can this be carried out using email in a very overcrowded channel.

Listed below are five ways to increase your cut through using email marketing. Pour yourself a coffee and digest these tried and tested guidelines to see an instant increase in the leads you get from this medium.

1. Start with your list
Eyeball your list. Yes this can be tedious but if will help you to target your email and reach the right audience. It is much better to send 150 emails to fresh, targeted subscribers than 500 emails to an outdated, unresponsive one. If you have a large list, separate it into industry, last purchases, location or gender and build an email marketing campaign around these targets. You’ll be surprised how good your response is when its targeted and refined.

2. Get personal
Using a first name in your communication will make your subscribers feel loved and wanted and therefore encourage better click through. Dear John refines your email and identifies with the subscriber and as long as the email itself provides content that John can relate to, you will engage with him right from the start. Email marketing is all about building relationships and this is a good place to start.

3. Subject line
This is a vital element to ensure your email gets opened in the first place. Avoid “newsletter issue 1” as a rule – who would open that unless they had three hours to wade through company news that no one except the sender has an interest in. Try short snappy lines with the focus on providing curiosity. Brands send great openers such as “new from the catwalk”, “try this look for the weekend” or go for the jugular with “20% off with this email”. Of course it very much depends on what your business is but the key elements of any successful subject line are: why should I open, what are the benefits and keep it short and relevant. For email marketing template tips and ideas visit our knowledge base.

4. What now?
Now your subscriber has opened the email give them something to look at and somewhere to go. Your main objective once the email has been opened is to get the subscriber to your landing page or website. The way to do this is to provide them with the opportunity to click through in the first half of the email. Don’t ramble and place a link at the bottom of the page – the reader won’t get that far. Encourage them to leave as soon as they have arrived with a strong offer or excellent article they can get their teeth into. Remember, email marketing should always be about providing benefits, your subscriber is busy and needs a very good reason to click through so give them one.

5. Keep regular
If you are sending to a list of subscribers keep it consistent. Send to your list on the same day each week or month and they will start to become more familiar. Keep your template design and branding the same and reflect this in any landing page or website you encourage your subscribers to visit. Communicate offers, news and advice when you have it, don’t send an email unless you have something to offer so plan your campaigns in advance and you will always have good content and provide benefits to your subscribers. Familiarity is the name of the game with email marketing and staying in regular but not excessive contact is a sure fire way to stay front of mind.

If you need advice on how to refine your email marketing content or template designs, give us a call at Email Blaster 01327 438077 or email us.