It’s been revealed that 64% of small businesses use emails to connect with consumers. 

Many people think emails are old news. They’ve turned their sights to social media campaigns and Google Ads. While social media is crucial to modern marketing, there’s still power behind an email. 

Because a single email holds so much power, it’s crucial to optimize your email campaigns to reach maximum results. Creating emails is overwhelming to a beginner, so we’ll offer some guidance. 

Below is a guide to eight crucial email marketing optimization strategies. Make sure to keep reading to build the ideal email marketing campaign. 

What is Email Optimization? Why Is It Important?

If you’ve recently cleaned out your inbox, the thought of receiving another email might make your blood boil. Many of us receive dozens of emails per day. 

Because millions of emails are being sent per day, it’s important to use optimization strategies to cut through the static. Email optimization is the intentional act of improving how you construct an email … from the subject line to the signature. 

Improving your emails leads to higher ROI and greater website traffic. 

Let’s get into it!

1. Create a Catchy Subject Line

The first thing your email subscribers see from your marketing campaign is the email’s subject line. Whether they’re glancing at a phone notification or sifting through their inbox, make sure your subject lines capture their attention. 

Use buzzwords, funny phrases, and/or a sense of urgency to persuade subscribers to click on your email. You can even use fun emojis to reel in iPhone users. 

Tip: Don’t send too many emails. No matter how catchy your subject line is, people will stop clicking if you bombard their mailbox. 

2. Keep Them Interested

They’ve clicked on the email notification. They’re now looking at your actual email. You need a hook to keep them reading. 

Creating a hook or an element of surprise is crucial in marketing emails. Include a shocking opening statistic, hint at a fun incentive mentioned later in the email, or paste a funny GIF into the email body. 

Your subscribers may not read every word, but it’s important they read enough to discover your reason for sending the email. 

3. Personalize the Email

Add personal touches throughout the email to build a better bond with your subscribers. 

Personal touches communicate your company’s values and attitude. It shows subscribers your sense of humor, professional attitude, care for details, etc. 

For example, if you wish to maintain an air of professionalism in your email campaigns, use clean fonts and minimalist themes. You may find no need for extra frills. 

However, if you want to be a bit bolder with your emails, include exciting visuals and amusing graphics. Select colors and fonts that add a burst of energy to your campaign. 

Further personalize your campaigns by creating custom marketing email lists. Not everyone needs to receive the same marketing emails. 

4. Write a CTA

Getting a consumer to read your email is great, but the end goal should include an action step for the consumer to take. Show them what to do by writing a call-to-action (CTA)!

In most situations, the CTA is placed at the conclusion of an email. It’s straightforward and concise. C’mon, who likes confusing instructions?

Examples of CTAs include:

• “Click on this link to learn more about our services.”
• “Check out our site to see the other exciting products we offer.”
• “Call today to schedule a free consultation.”

Whatever you use as a CTA, make sure you’ve included any needed hyperlinks or contacts. 

5. Increase the Sense of Urgency

No one’s going to be excited about your company if you don’t appear excited yourself. 

For prime email optimization, increase the urgency in your marketing emails. It’s a sales tactic that’s worked for ages. 

Create urgency by building a feeling of scarcity or defining a time limit on a special deal. Even though you’ll probably end up extending your sale or offer, they don’t have to know that.

An example of creating urgency might look like, “Get it now before it’s too late!”

6. Make It Visually Appealing

Have you ever stumbled upon a website that made you click off immediately due to poor design, overwhelming graphics, and/or disorganization? Poor design is off-putting for consumers. 

Don’t rush your email designs. Take time as you organize the layout. Use fonts and colors that are welcoming and easy to read. 

One of the top tips we can offer for email marketing is: Always make sure to include whitespace in your emails. 

Whitespace is empty, negative space that separates your header, body, and footer. It makes the email digestible. 

Are you struggling to create an email layout? Most ESPs provide premade templates. 

7. Ask for a Second Pair of Eyes

Just like a piece of literature, revision is important before sending out the final draft. Ask for a second pair of eyes to look over your email before clicking send. 

Instruct your second pair of eyes to look for formatting errors, grammatical and spelling errors, and any other area in need of improvement. They should also click through all of your hyperlinks to make sure they lead to the intended page. 

If you aren’t able to find a second set of eyes, step away from your email for a few hours. Come back with a fresh mind to read through it yourself. 

8. Test Your Campaign

Always test your marketing emails before distributing them. Many ESPs have testing features. If yours doesn’t, create a contact list for the sole reason for testing. 

Send the email out to your testers. Ask them to open the email and click through any of the links. 

Make adjustments if the email is being sent to a spam folder or crashing upon opening. 

Drive Sales With Email Marketing Optimization 

When creating an email campaign for your business, it’s important to invest time in marketing optimization. Cutting through the static aids in boosting business and driving sales. 

To get started on your optimization, make sure to follow the above tips. You can trust us because we’re experts in email and social media marketing. 

Vertical Response is dedicated to improving your marketing strategies with our extensive list of features. Check out the features we offer, including our advanced reporting system and landing page builder. 

© 2022, Chris Duncan. All rights reserved.