The most important facts in brief:
- Informing potential readers about products, news, discounts and services
- Numerous professional providers
- Strengthen customer loyalty via their e-mail address
- Optimizations required so that e-mails do not end up in the spam folder or recycle bin
- Optimizations required so that e-mails do not end up in the spam folder or recycle bin
- Opportunities for direct marketing
- Effective tool for marketing campaigns
- used in online marketing for decades
Definition:
Email marketing is a form of marketing in which potential customers are contacted directly by email using an email list in order to communicate products, services or simply news (customer loyalty) relatively unobtrusively, whereby numerous aspects (including legal aspects) should be taken into account.
Understanding email marketing basics
Email marketing is a marketing strategy in which companies use emails to communicate with their customers, inform them about products, offers or news and encourage them to take actions such as buying a product or visiting a website.
Through targeted and personalized emails, companies can address their target group directly and thus strengthen their customer loyalty. It is important to offer relevant and interesting content in order to attract the attention of recipients and build long-term relationships.
Email marketing is an effective online marketing tool for reaching customers by email and increasing sales. By analyzing user behavior, companies can also continuously optimize their email marketing and increase the effectiveness of their campaigns.
By evaluating the open and click rates of emails, for example, companies can recognize which content is particularly well received by customers and align their future marketing accordingly. A/B tests can be used to test different variants of emails to find out which work most reliably.
This way, companies can improve their marketing strategy across the board and maximize the success of their campaigns and take advantage of the benefits of email marketing.
These are the types of email marketing
There are different types of email marketing that companies can use to interact with and inform their customers. These include:
- Newsletter marketing: E-mails sent regularly to inform customers about new products, offers or company news.
- Automated emails: These are sent automatically based on the customer's behavior, such as purchases, visits to the website or unsubscribing from a newsletter.
- Reminder emails: These emails are sent to remind customers of an action, e.g. an incomplete purchase or leaving a review.
- Personalized e-mails: By using customer data, e-mails can be personalized to address the customer individually.
- Promotional emails: These emails contain promotional offers, discounts or campaigns to encourage customers to make a purchase.
- Survey emails: Companies use this method to obtain customer feedback and improve their offering.
Through targeted and personalized emails, companies can address their target group directly and thus strengthen their customer loyalty. It is important to offer relevant and interesting content in order to attract the attention of recipients and build long-term relationships.
The importance of a strong email list
An extensive email list is crucial for successful email marketing as it allows you to connect directly with a target group that is already interested.
People who actively register to receive emails have already shown an interest in the sender’s content and are therefore more likely to respond to the emails and take action.
A strong email list also increases the reach of marketing campaigns and enables targeted and personalized responses to recipients. This promotes customer loyalty and ultimately increases the success of email marketing.
Best practice tips for building a large email list
- Offer an incentive for signing up, such as a discount code or a free e-book.
- Create high-quality and relevant content to arouse the interest of readers.
- Use social media platforms to promote your email list and encourage followers to subscribe.
- Use pop-ups or call-to-action buttons on your website to encourage visitors to sign up.
- Add a sign-up form to every page of your website to make it easy for visitors to sign up.
- Offer exclusive content or promotions only to subscribers on your email list.
- Use advertising to attract new subscribers.
- Use email marketing tools to send automated emails and improve engagement with your list.
Advantages of email marketing at a glance
Email marketing offers a number of advantages for companies. The most important advantages include:
- Cost savings: Email marketing is more cost-effective than other marketing channels such as print advertising.
- Direct communication: With e-mail marketing, companies can communicate directly with their customers without having to rely on intermediaries.
- Targeted approach: By segmenting email addresses, companies can specifically address their target groups and send personalized content.
- Measurability: The success of email marketing campaigns can be easily measured and analyzed in order to optimize future campaigns.
- Rapid dissemination: Emails can be sent to a large number of recipients within seconds, allowing information to be disseminated quickly.
- Automation of marketing channels: With the help of an autoresponder, companies can set up automated email sequences to target customers at specific times.
Overall, email marketing offers an effective and cost-efficient way for companies to get in touch with their readers and build long-term relationships.
Weigh up the disadvantages of this marketing strategy
One disadvantage of email marketing is that many emails end up in the spam folder and are not read by recipients. It can also be perceived as intrusive if emails are sent too frequently.
The legal provisions on data security and data protection must also be observed in email marketing to avoid the risk of fines. Poorly designed emails or exaggerated advertising messages can also have a negative impact on the company’s image.
Another disadvantage is that it is often difficult to establish a personal relationship with the recipients. The mass mailing of e-mails often lacks individuality and therefore also the opportunity to respond specifically to the needs and interests of customers.
This can lead to recipients perceiving the emails as impersonal and irrelevant and therefore ignoring or deleting them directly.
It is therefore important in email marketing to ensure that the content is tailored to the target group and offers added value in order to attract the attention of recipients.
Define the target group of a marketing campaign
When defining the target group for email marketing, it is essential to precisely identify the potential recipients. The effectiveness of email campaigns can be significantly increased by targeting specific groups of people.
It is also crucial to know the needs, interests and demographic characteristics of the target group in order to create relevant and appealing content. This is the only way to ensure successful communication with the recipients.
By precisely identifying the potential recipients, you can ensure that the email campaigns are tailored to their needs. In this way, higher open and click rates can be achieved as recipients receive relevant and interesting content.
In addition, precise knowledge of the target group minimizes wastage and maximizes the effectiveness of marketing measures. This ensures effective communication with the recipients.
Creative subject lines that encourage people to open the emails
Creative subject lines are crucial to the success of email marketing. They should arouse curiosity, appeal to the recipient and encourage them to open the marketing emails. Avoid boring subject lines such as “Newsletter April” and instead focus on originality and personality.
Play with words, use emojis or questions to grab attention. Remember that the subject line is the first impression the recipient gets of your email – so be creative and make it stand out from the crowd.
One way to grab the recipient’s attention is to include a personal touch in the subject line. By including the recipient’s name or information from previous interactions, you show that you are responding to them individually.
For example, a subject line like “Max, secure exclusive offers just for you!” could get the recipient to open the email. This personalized approach can make all the difference and make your transactional emails stand out from the flood of other messages.
Further solutions for increasing the open rate in email marketing
Experience has shown that many emails end up in customers’ wastebaskets. The following tips and tricks can help to avoid or at least significantly reduce this:
- Optimize subject line
- Personalization of marketing emails
- Note the time of dispatch
- Relevant content for the target group
- Carry out A/B tests
- Mobile optimization
- Set a clear call to action
- Ensure operating system compatibility
- Clean and clear design
- Keep an eye on the frequency of newsletters
Email marketing requires extensive optimization in order to really reach the target group and implement this business model perfectly. It is always a balancing act between obtrusiveness (overly exaggerated marketing campaign) and customer loyalty.
Tips for writing appealing email content
When writing appealing emails as part of email marketing, it is important to pay attention to various elements. The subject line should be short and concise to immediately grab the reader’s attention. The content of the marketing emails should be well-structured, informative and relevant to the target group.
It is also important to include a personal touch to connect with the recipients. This can be achieved by using the recipient’s first name or by tailoring the content to their interests and needs.
Furthermore, appealing visual elements, such as images or graphics, are helpful to make the email more appealing.
The call-to-action should be placed clearly and conspicuously to encourage readers to take action. By following these tips, companies can ensure that their email marketing emails are not only read, but also perceived positively and ultimately lead to successful marketing campaigns.
Newsletter marketing: how the content reaches the customer
A good newsletter that is well received by the reader should contain interesting and relevant information. First of all, the topic of the newsletter should be clearly defined and presented in an appealing way. It is important to address readers directly and convince them with a personal and friendly tone of voice.
The content of the newsletter should be easy to understand and well structured. Use short paragraphs, lists and headings to present the information clearly. Make sure that the newsletter is visually appealing and possibly also contains images or graphics that support the topic.
It is also important to send the newsletter regularly to keep readers interested. Make sure that the newsletter is not too long and that readers are not overwhelmed with too much information.
Finally, it is important to pay attention to reader feedback and adapt the newsletter if necessary to ensure that it is well received. By taking these steps, you can ensure that your newsletter will impress readers and that they will be happy to open subsequent emails.
Best practice tips for building a large email list
- Perfectly structured text layout
- Write "vividly" and use figurative verbs
- Highlight important passages
- formulate short sentences
- Images and graphics liven things up, but increase loading times
- Too many visual elements distract from the actual topic
- Short, crisp newsletters tailored to the target group
The role of call-to-actions in email marketing
A call-to-action in emails is crucial to persuade readers to click on the link, take an action or buy a product. To optimize this effect, some best practices should be followed.
- Clarity and conciseness: The CTA should be short, clear and direct. Avoid long sentences or complicated formulations.
- Call to action: Use active verbs to directly ask the reader to take action. For example: "Buy now", "Get a free offer" or "Subscribe to newsletter".
- Eye-catching design: The CTA should be visually highlighted, be it through an eye-catching color, size or placement in the email layout.
- Emphasize the offer or added value: Show the benefit that the reader receives by clicking on the CTA. This can be an exclusive offer, a discount promotion or valuable information.
- Personalization: Adapt the CTA to the recipient's specific interests and needs to increase the likelihood of a click.
By optimizing the call-to-action in emails, the conversion rate can be improved and the success of the marketing campaign increased. In addition, the CTA should be placed in such a way that it immediately catches the eye, for example at the beginning or end of the email.
This draws the recipient’s attention specifically to the call to action and increases the chance of a conversion.
The importance of A/B testing in email marketing
Such tests are an important part of email marketing. These tests can be used to create different variants of an email and send them to a subset of recipients in order to measure the reactions.
For example, different subject lines, call-to-actions or layouts are used. By evaluating the results of the tests, it is possible to identify which variant works better and optimize the email campaigns accordingly.
This can improve the open and click rate and increase the conversation rate. It is important to carry out such tests regularly and analyze the results carefully in order to continuously improve email marketing and increase success.
By constantly optimizing email campaigns using tests, you can not only increase performance, but also gain the trust of recipients. Recipients appreciate it when they receive personalized and relevant content that is tailored to their needs.
Tips for avoiding spam filters
To avoid the infamous spam filter in email marketing, it is important to observe a few important rules. First of all, the email list should be clean, i.e. the recipients should have agreed to receive emails. It is also essential that all email addresses on the list are current and valid.
Furthermore, the content of the marketing emails should be relevant and interesting for the recipient. Avoid using too many advertising messages or too many capital letters in the subject or body of the email, as this can be considered spam.
It is advisable to send personalized emails that are tailored to the interests and preferences of the recipients. In addition, companies must check the emails carefully before sending them to ensure that they do not contain any typical spam words or phrases.
Also, avoid sending emails to too many recipients at once, as this can also be considered spam. By following these guidelines, senders can avoid spam filters in email marketing and ensure that their emails reach their recipients successfully.
Typical phrases to avoid
- Exaggerations: 100%, best price, earn money, guaranteed satisfaction, no risk
- Misleading: no hidden fees, no costs, no obligations
- Urgencies: limited availability, act now, requested information
- Colloquial language: Luxury, Bonus, Certified
As soon as such phrases and terms are found in the subject line, there is a high risk that email providers will move such emails to the spam folder “as a precaution”. Or the potential reader may dispose of them directly in the trash. Every email that is not opened prevents leads and new customers.
The ideal frequency for sending marketing emails
The optimal interval for sending emails in email marketing depends on various factors. It is important to strike a balance between sending frequently enough to be remembered, but not too frequently to be perceived as intrusive.
A good guideline is to send an email every one to two weeks. This allows you to stay in regular contact with recipients without overwhelming them. It remains interesting for companies to keep an eye on the opening and click rates and adjust the frequency if necessary. The type of content also plays a role.
If you regularly offer interesting and relevant content, recipients will be more likely to open the emails and enjoy the contact. It would also be advisable to send emails at different times of the day to find out when recipients are most likely to read your newsletter.
Ultimately, however, it is important to consider the needs and preferences of your own target group and adjust the time interval accordingly.
Dealing with unsubscriptions and inactivity in the email list
This circumstance can hardly be avoided: one day, even loyal readers no longer open the e-mails or simply unsubscribe from the mailing list. The following tips are worth considering:
- Regularly check your email list: Check your email list regularly for inactive subscribers and unsubscribes.
- Segmentation of the list: Divide your email list into active and inactive subscribers to enable more targeted communication.
- Reactivation campaigns: Launch targeted advertising campaigns to reactivate inactive subscribers.
- Clearly display unsubscribe options: Make sure that the unsubscribe options are visible and easy to find in your emails.
- Personalized content: Customize your newsletters to the interests and preferences of subscribers to reduce the likelihood of unsubscribes.
- Get feedback: Ask unsubscribed subscribers for feedback to find out possible reasons for unsubscribing and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
Why all this marketing effort? For cost reasons, of course. Every email marketing tool charges according to a certain volume of emails sent monthly/weekly/daily.
What is the best email marketing tool?
Although it is possible to set up your own automated system (or have it programmed), companies generally use specific email marketing software. Some well-known tools are
- Mailchimp
- rapidmail
- GetResponse
- ActiveCampaign
- MailerLite
- Brevo
- CleverReach
- Mailingwork
- Evalanche
Providers often charge according to the number of recipients. Or as a package with a certain number of emails per month.
What matters when choosing an email marketing software provider
When choosing email marketing software, it is important to pay attention to various factors. First of all, the software should be user-friendly and easy to use. It should also have functions for automating email campaigns in order to save time and work efficiently.
It is also important that the software has predefined designs that make it easier to create appealing emails. It should also have functions for segmenting recipients in order to send targeted marketing messages.
Another important point is the integration of the software with other tools and platforms, such as CRM systems or social media platforms. This allows data to be exchanged easily and marketing activities to be better coordinated.
Finally, support and the connection to data protection guidelines should also be taken into account. It is also important that the provider offers good support and that the software complies with the applicable data protection regulations to ensure that the recipients’ data is protected.
This range of functions should optimize email marketing
- Templates and designs that also score on mobile devices
- Test function for users
- Tracking of emails (open rate, conversation rate, click rate)
- Comprehensive reports on all important topics
- GDPR compliance
- Segmentation of recipients from the distribution list
- Possibility of personalization
- Comprehensive management of contacts
- Flexible price models depending on individual requirements
Integration of e-mail marketing measures into other marketing instruments
Integrating email marketing for a marketing mix with other marketing channels can be extremely effective in developing a coherent and coordinated marketing strategy.
By linking email campaigns with social media marketing, content marketing or even offline advertising measures, companies can increase their reach and improve interaction with their recipients.
For example, by referring to email newsletters in social media posts or promoting special offers by email, you can increase awareness of your own content and strengthen customer loyalty. By linking the various channels, the brand image can also be built up and communicated consistently.
It is therefore advisable to integrate email marketing into the company’s overall strategy and to link it with other marketing channels in order to exploit the full potential of marketing activities.
These are the latest trends in email marketing
In the field of email marketing, there are currently several trends that companies are using to make their campaigns more effective. One of the latest trends is the increased personalization of emails. By using customer data and technologies such as AI, companies can send individually tailored content and offers to their customers.
Another trend is the use of interactive elements in emails. Companies are increasingly integrating videos, surveys and other interactive elements to attract the attention of recipients and increase conversion rates.
In addition, business people are increasingly relying on automated email campaigns. By using trigger events such as birthdays, companies can send personalized messages to the right customers at the perfect time. Mobile optimization is another important trend in email marketing.
With more and more people reading their emails on mobile devices, it is crucial that emails are optimized for mobile devices to ensure an optimal user experience. Overall, personalization, interactivity, automation and mobile optimization are some of the latest trends in email marketing that companies are using to make their campaigns more effective and successful.
Observe the legal aspects when sending e-mails
When sending emails (businesses via email marketing), certain legal aspects must be observed in Germany. These primarily include compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has been in force since 2018.
Senders must ensure that they only send emails to people who have agreed to receive them, i.e. who have given their active consent. In addition, each email must contain clear information about the sender (legal notice) and an opt-out option.
The company’s address, the purpose of the email and the handling of personal data must be communicated transparently. Violations of these rules can lead to high fines.
It is therefore advisable to familiarize yourself with the relevant legal requirements before sending marketing emails and, if necessary, to seek legal advice in order to avoid legal consequences.
Email marketing as the foundation of a complex strategy
Overall, it can be said that email marketing is still an extremely effective tool for businesses to get in touch with their customers and inform them about news, offers and promotions.
Companies can strengthen their customer loyalty and increase their sales figures with personalized and targeted emails. However, it is important that senders comply with data protection regulations when using email marketing and obtain the consent of recipients in order to avoid spam and not lose the trust of customers.
In addition, care should be taken to ensure that the emails are attractively designed, contain a clear call-to-action and are regularly analyzed and optimized. Email marketing certainly offers many advantages if it is used correctly.
