Effective email marketing can be a great resource for small to large companies alike. Used correctly, you can sell products, test product lines, receive feedback, and improve your business. Yet, most companies aren’t able to capitalize on this resource as much as they would like. 

While small businesses are turning to social media (and rightfully so), that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leverage your email list. An effective email marketing campaign can provide great returns, but only if it is done right. 

You don’t have to have millions of subscribers to your email lists to start generating revenue. In fact, a smaller dedicated email list of followers can be more effective for your business. But how can you reach them? Here are 6 ways to have effective email marketing that will turn your email list into a source of revenue:

1. Make your email marketing a priority on your website
2. Have a great subject line
3. Use photos
4. Don’t spam your users
5. Include calls to action
6. Use surveys

Make your email marketing a priority on your website

You need to put your email signup on the front page of your website. You need to make sure it is easily accessible on almost any page within your website, and that you offer incentives for signing up. Provide real value for signing up. That can come in the form of:

• Discounts when making purchases
• Free ebooks
• Recurring coupons that will be sent out in your email
• Ease of access to new products

This is a marketing strategy you can implement easily and automate. The important thing to remember about this step is that you make growing an email list a top priority for your business. On top of that, you provide incentives just for signing up. Email signups are one of the best ways to digitally market your business during Covid or reach out to clients who are on the fence. 

When coming up with incentives for people to sign up, think about successful business tactics you have used in the past. What makes customers choose you over others? How can you ensure that when they click on an email, they will be getting real value? Beth Hayden at CopyBlogger came up with 13 email incentives you can use for almost any company.

Have a great subject line

The subject line is usually the first piece of information a potential customer sees when opening your email. 

Make it count.

That doesn’t mean it needs to be click-bait. Most people are annoyed by emails that seem like ads or have ads within them. Instead, focus on what your customers need and want to hear. For instance, let’s say you sell home improvement tools. A good example of a subject headline might look like:

“5 Tools to Make Home Renovations Easy”

A bad subject headline might be:

“Here are some tools to help you on your next home renovation project” or “ 5 Tools That Will Change Your Life!!!!”

Be specific, clear, and straightforward with your email headlines. Let your readers know what you will be talking about, but entice them. Business Insider has 15 guidelines that can help you craft the perfect subject line.

Use photos

Photos are a great way to entice customers to buy products and have effective email marketing. The photo doesn’t have to be large; in most cases, it should be about ¼ of the content in the email. It should be clear and illustrative of the purpose or intent of the email.

You can find free photos to use on sites like Pixabay, purchase stock photos, or create your own. However, your photos should be tailored to the message you are trying to send. Choose a high-quality image that is clear and concise.

Don’t spam your users

A lot of small businesses make the mistake of spamming their users with emails until the customers eventually block their email. You don’t want that to happen, and there is one trick to cut down on email blocking. 

Give people the choice to receive an email daily, weekly, or monthly. Then, tailor this email for that specific preference. Most people will choose weekly or monthly, and that’s okay. You want to allow people to choose how they see your content, and you don’t want to be overbearing. 

Also, some email services offer email tracking to know when customers are more likely to open your email. Services like SendInBlue track the data of email open rates and the best times to send an email. Using tools like this, you can track when the best time to send an email is and how many subscribers are likely to view your email.

Include calls to action

To have more effective email marketing, don’t leave your reader wondering what to do after they open their email. Include a call to action that is specific to what you want. A call to action may take the form of:

• Purchase Now
• Contact us today
• Customize your product
• Take survey now

Include links to a single action that can be taken by the customer. While your email can contain multiple bits of information, it needs to have one clear call to action. Even if you are using your email newsletter to showcase your blog, have a clear call to action like “read now” is going to give you much better results.

Use surveys

Lastly, use surveys in your email marketing. Find out what your customers want and don’t want. You can do a survey with simple “yes or no” questions, “fill-in-the-blank”, or “most to least likely”. Test out new product ideas and changes to your service. Letting customers have a say in what products or services they want is only going to boost your engagement and lead to more sales.

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