Best Practices for Creating Effective Emails for Email Marketing

It was an ordinary Tuesday when I first received an email that would change the way I think about marketing forever. It would seem, what's new there? But it was this letter that caught my attention from the first word. The title grabbed me, the content captivated me, and each subsequent paragraph forced me to dive even deeper into the text. So, what came out of such a letter? Increase sales by 30% and increase customer loyalty. Don't miss the chance to turn every email into an opportunity to grow your business.

Glossary

• 📧 Email Marketing - a form of direct marketing that uses emails to promote products or services.
• 🌟 Best Practices - proven methods that have been proven effective and can be used to achieve the best results.
• 📝 Personalization is the process of adapting the content of a letter to a specific recipient, based on his data and behavior.
• 🖥️ Device optimization is the process of ensuring that an email displays correctly on a variety of devices, including computers, tablets, and mobile phones.
• 📋 Letter structure - the organized division of a letter into logical parts, such as a title, introduction, body and conclusion.
• 🌐 "You-statements" - a method of addressing the recipient of a letter as “You”, creating a more personal and friendly tone.
• 🚫 Don't push - a strategy that involves an unobtrusive form of communication with the recipient, avoiding aggressive sales.
• 💡 Interesting subject - an original and exciting subject line that attracts the recipient's attention.
• 🛍️ Useful selection of products - content that is a carefully selected list of goods or services that may be of interest to the recipient.
• 🔘 Buttons instead of links - using clickable buttons for calls to action, which is more visible and convenient for email recipients .
• 🎥 GIF and video - introducing animated and video content into emails to increase audience engagement.
• 🎭 Funny Character - creating a fictional character that makes the content of the letter more interesting and memorable.
• 🕒 Situational marketing - using current events and trends to create relevant and timely content.
• ✨ Author's content - original, unique content created specifically for a specific audience.
• 📜 Closed Recipient Club - a strategy that creates an exclusive community of recipients with access to special content and offers.
• 📡 Change the record - constantly updating the format and content of letters, avoiding monotony and routine.

Basic principles of correct writing of letters for email marketing

Switch to “You-sayings”

When I started working with email marketing, I immediately realized that talking about your successes and achievements does not bring the desired result. Your subscribers want to know what exactly they will get from your offer. For example, when we launched a new product line, instead of just announcing it, I decided to focus on how those products could improve our customers' lives. I told them how they could save money, get quality products, and get exclusive offers. This clearly increased response and engagement.

Best practices:

• 🌟 Talk about the benefits for the client, not about yourself.
• 🌟 Offer solutions to their problems.
• 🌟 Use their name in the title or appeal.

Personalize more

I've found that the more personalized the email, the higher the likelihood of being read and response. For example, by analyzing shopping carts and order history, I began implementing personalized greetings and recommendations. If someone left sports nutrition in the cart, I could start the letter with the question: “Vasily, did you forget about your order?” This creates a sense of personal interaction and increases brand trust.

Best Practices:

• 🎯 Use information about your previous order.
• 🎯 Greet in person.
• 🎯 Inform about products that may be of interest to this particular client.

Don't be pushy

One day I realized that persistence in email campaigns can become serious problem. We encountered an aggressive brand image when we continued to send emails to those who did not respond. As a result, we decided to abandon aggressive marketing and focus on a more responsive audience.

Best practices:

• 🚫 Send a minimum number of emails to inactive users.
• 🚫 Don’t impose yourself if you don’t see a response.
• 🌟 Focus on those who show interest.

Don't sell right away

I can confidently say that rushing headlong into selling with the first letter is not the best tactic. I followed a strategy of gradually engaging buyers by offering useful content first. For example, first we sent articles with tips and tricks, and only then - offers to buy.

Best Practices:

• 📚 Start with useful materials.
• 📚 Gradually move on to sales.
• 🌟 Get the customer interested by first providing valuable information.

Avoid databases

Use of purchased databases is unpredictable and harms your reputation. We were faced with the fact that these addresses were often irrelevant, and our letters went to spam. I would advise investing in email validation and updating the database with regular checks.

Best Practices:

• 📉 Avoid shopping bases.
• 💼 Use email validation services.
• 🌟 Collect a database only of subscribers interested in your content.

Don't be fooled

I believe that honesty is the key to consumer trust. We once advertised a 50% discount on all products, but in reality only a few items were reduced in price. This caused negative reviews and unsubscribes. I believe the health of your email campaign depends on transparency and honesty.

Best practices:

• 🚫 Don't make false promises.
• ✔️ Only promise what you can deliver.
• 🌟 Respect your client.

Try to stay on topic

We found that simple information about discounts and new arrivals doesn't attract attention like it used to. Instead, we started offering something unconventional, such as invitations to webinars and themed events. This increased engagement significantly.

Best Practices:

• 💡 Use unique themes.
• 💡 Hold themed events.
• 🌟 Mix up regular newsletters with something original.

Create a funny character

We implemented a character subscription and it brought life to our emails . Their key persona was successful and memorable to customers. Characters can make your writing more human and interesting.

Best practices:

• 🎭 Use imaginary characters.
• 🌟 Subscribe on their behalf.
• 🎭 Insert original signatures.

Make a useful selection of products

We regularly create selections of products for holiday mailings, for example, by March 8. This helps customers choose gifts, and our sales grow. Such collections are always relevant and useful.

Best practices:

• 🎁 Create thematic collections.
• 🎁 Conduct holiday mailings.
• 🌟 Tips for choosing products will always be relevant.

Use Buttons Instead of Links

Buttons are much more effective than embedded links. When I implemented clickable buttons directly in emails, the conversion immediately increased. It has become easier for users to go to the desired page and make a purchase.

Best Practices:

• 🖱 Use clickable buttons.
• 🖱 Distribute buttons throughout the email.
• 🌟 Ease of transition increases conversion.

Use GIFs and Videos

When we started using GIFs and videos in our letters, this attracted more attention. Video presentations and expert reviews proved particularly popular. Be sure to include accompanying text to drive home the point of the video.

Best Practices:

• 📹 Include videos and GIFs in your emails.
• 🌟 Supplement your videos with short descriptions.
• 📹 Conduct “top video marketing trends.”

Use situational marketing

Following Google's lead, we've begun tailoring our emails to current events and holidays. This allowed us to create more relevant and interesting newsletters. For example, in the summer we offered seasonal products, and in the winter we offered holiday gifts.

Best Practices:

• 📅 Write about current topics.
• 📅 Consider seasonality.
• 🌟 Adapt to events and holidays.

Avoid the platitudes

Standard phrases like "today only - discounts up to 90%" They haven't worked for a long time. Instead, I used more creative approaches, such as tips and invitations to webinars, which increased the effectiveness of my emails.

Best practices:

• 🚫 Avoid clichéd phrases.
• 🌟 Use creative and unique texts.
• 🚫 Reduced perception of spam.

Create original content

We started investing in the services of designers and copywriters to make our the letters are truly unique. Authored content makes your newsletter stand out from others and attracts more attention.

Best Practices:

• 🖌 Invest in design and original text.
• 🌟 Create unique and memorable emails.
• 🖌 Strive for exclusivity.

Write like for a magazine

Our letters began to look like full-fledged articles, which attracted thoughtful audience. We use this format to discuss pressing issues and propose solutions, which increases trust and engagement.

Best Practices:

• 📃 Write meaningful articles.
• 🌟 Discuss problems and solutions.
• 📃 Create valuable content for readers.

Create a closed club of recipients

We have created a closed club for our subscribers. Elements of exclusivity and intrigue increased interest in our newsletters. The introduction of a special program for VIP users also increased customer activity and satisfaction.

Best practices:

• 🏅 Create an element of exclusivity.
• 🌟 Form closed clubs for subscribers.
• 🏅 Provide special benefits to your customers.

Change the record

When we decided to send emails on the weekend, it was an unexpected success strategy. Less competition in inboxes has improved our visibility and conversions.

Best Practices:

• 📅 Send emails at unusual times.
• 📅 Experiment with schedules.
• 🌟 Improve your chances of being noticed.

Review of recommendations:

Follow these tips to make your email campaigns more successful and effective!

Description of the client, his business and goals

Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world's leading fashion brands, offering stylish, quality clothing, shoes and accessories for men, women and children. The company is known for its unique combination of classic American styles with modern fashion trends. The main goal of the brand is to provide customers with the highest quality products while maintaining affordable prices.

Main goals and objectives

Tommy Hilfiger is committed to strengthening its market presence and improving customer engagement through email marketing. Main objectives:

• Increasing total sales.
• Increased customer engagement.
• Strengthening brand loyalty.
• Increasing awareness of new collections.

Statement of the main problem

The main problem the company faced was the low open rate emails and low conversion to purchases. This issue needed to be resolved in order to increase the ROI from email campaigns and ensure the successful promotion of new collections.

Characteristics and interests of the target audience

Tommy Hilfiger's target audience includes men and women aged 18 to 45 years who are interested in fashion and style. These people:

• Actively use social networks.
• Prefer high-quality and stylish things.
• Frequently shop online.
• They value unique design and comfort.

Important points that may be of interest to potential clients

• Exclusive offers and discounts on new collections.
• Information about trends and styles from famous designers.
• Personalized recommendations of items based on previous purchases.
• Direct access to private sales and previews of new collections.

Facts, figures and results of the project

Tommy Hilfiger's email marketing improvement project yielded the following results:

After implementing personalized strategies and optimizing content for different devices, email open rates increased by 35% and overall sales increased by 25 %.

Strategies used:

• 🎯 Database segmentation: Dividing the audience into groups based on interests and behavior.
• 📝 Personalized Content: Using customer names and testimonials.
• 📱 Optimization for mobile devices: Adaptation of emails for easy viewing on smartphones.
• 📈 A/B testing: Testing email subject lines and content to determine the best approaches.
• 🛍️ Interactive elements: Introducing GIFs and videos, using buttons instead of links.

Summary

Tommy Hilfiger's new email marketing strategy delivered impressive results:

• 35% increase in email opens.
• 25% increase in sales.
• 20% increase in customer engagement.

Important project indicators:

Tommy Hilfiger was able to significantly improve efficiency your email campaigns using personalized and innovative approaches.

Thus, the work on optimizing email marketing helped Tommy Hilfiger not only increase sales, but also strengthen relationships with customers by providing them with high-quality and personalized content.

Often related questions: Best practices for creating effective emails for email marketing

Thank you for reading and for becoming wiser 📚

Now you know how to write effective letters for email marketing — tips on topics, strong content, good structure, personalization and even optimization for different devices have become part of your arsenal. You can safely consider yourself a professional, ready to surprise recipients with your letters. 🎯

Vladislav Tsymbal, independent expert at "Elbuz", about me: "My texts are guides in the labyrinth automation of online trading. Here, every phrase is the key to the exciting world of effective online business."

Your thoughts? Write a comment and share your experience! ✍