By Joshua Snape, | 3/26/2018 6:28 PM
Ask yourself this, is your email inbox more crowded today than it was a year ago? Do you struggle in vain to achieve “inbox zero”? If the answer is yes then you appreciate what your marketing team is up against when sending emails to your target customers’ busy inbox. With that in mind, how can you break through the barriers and also compete with all the other brands fighting for your customer’s attention via email?
The key to successful email campaigns in 2018 (and beyond) is to adapt and make the email experience less demanding and more intuitive in order to stand out from the clutter.
In this article, we will show you why you should still include email in your online strategy and how you can be effective in doing so to maximize engagement and conversion rates.
7 Reasons Why You Should Include Email in Your Marketing Strategy in 2018
Thanks to mobile, email is available in your customers’ pockets 24/7. You can communicate directly with them with an increased chance that your email will be read and dealt with quickly while on the go.
Email consistently shows a high ROI for every dollar spent. In 2017, Vogel Marketing reported that for every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38. In addition, people want to stay informed. In fact, Statista shares that 44% of people check their email 1-3 times a day and it’s up to you to keep them informed! This brings us to our first tip in doing so.
Tip #1 – Relevancy 
No matter how good your email is people will unsubscribe if the information is irrelevant. Remember, relevancy is completely subjective. To keep your emails relevant and significant to your readers you must keep in mind WHY they signed up in the first place.
Were you promising weekly emails with upcoming promotions? Then do that! Did you say you were going to send monthly newsletters with tips and tricks about your industry? Then be sure you do that. The most important thing is to only give what they signed up for and what they expect.
Tip #2 – No large blocks of text
Design your emails so that information can be assimilated quickly even if your reader only has time to briefly scan the content. With clever design, you can make the content both quick to read and attractive! A great example of this is Starbucks’ email campaigns. Their simple, clean design makes the email easy to assimilate the key message. They present one or two key points and then prompt readers with a call-to-action—visit their website and social media.
Tip #3 – Include GIFs
A great way to breathe life into what traditionally has been a generally static medium is to include a compelling picture or image (GIF) in your email design. The reason you are seeing GIFs more often is not that they are trendy, it’s because they capture people’s attention and generate higher click rates.
Tip #4 – Include Video
According to emarketer.com, video in emails can increase clicks, shares, and forwards as much as 50%. However, you should not include video just for the sake of it. It should genuinely add something to the purpose of the communication. Your video will need to capture the attention of the viewer within the first 3-5 seconds in order for it to be effective. Allemande: How long should the typical video be?
Tip #5 – Be Mobile Aware
To improve user experience, make sure your email designs are mobile friendly, since the majority of consumers view email from their tablets or smartphones.
Tip #6 – Focus on Existing Customers
Do not neglect existing customers in the pursuit of new prospects! Current customers could be your best source of increased sales and revenue. In fact, it’s been shown that it costs 5x more to attract a new customer rather than keeping an existing one.
One way to encourage existing customers is by making them feel special and thanking them for their loyalty via deals or promos emailed to their inbox. This includes holidays, anniversaries, or new product launches.
Another great way to give attention to existing customers is thank you emails. Thank them for everything from signing up for your email newsletter, to filling a form out on your website. No matter the action there should be an appropriate reaction so customers are reminded that they’re awesome and they matter.
Tip #7 – Effective “Break Up” Emails
Allemande: What is a breakup email? Change the tone of your “break up” emails. Traditional emails that intend to shock the recipient into renewing their interest may no longer be as effective as they used to. In 2018 a sincere and brief email works best. Asking your prospects or customers who unsubscribe to your emails for their thoughts on what two or three things you could have done differently. You basically are thanking them for their feedback (their unsubscribing is a form of feedback), and then add that you are asking how you can make improvements for the future. Provide a checkbox of optional answers to make it easy for them to respond.
The effect of this email may well be that the prospect will think again about why they are unsubscribing or have not followed through with a purchase. The goal is to gently lead them to re-establish contact with you and ultimately complete their purchase.
People are not tired of receiving emails; they are tired of receiving emails that don’t interest them! So, is email marketing still effective in 2018? The answer is yes, if it is done right.
In addition to the above tips, if you would like assistance in crafting an effective email marketing strategy, Strategis Consulting is ready to assist you. Contact us today!
Joshua is an accomplished writer, blogger and marketing consultant. His successful track record includes sales and marketing across four continents—Europe, N. America, the Middle East and Africa. Josh is also a successful entrepreneur and established his own marketing consultancy in Cyprus, which serviced clients throughout the Middle East. He now enjoys living and working in Vancouver for part of the year, and spends the rest of his time in the Turkish Riviera working remotely to assist clients communicate effectively in a wired world. Connect with Josh at: joshua@strategisconsulting.ca.