If you’re sending out marketing email after marketing email, but you just aren’t seeing the results you’d like from them, it could very well be that you’re doing everything right. You’re writing awesome subject lines and great copy, you’ve got strong calls to action, and you’ve got a killer landing page just waiting for click-throughs. So why aren’t people clicking?
Well, the purpose of B2B email marketing is to drive conversions, right? So no matter how well put-together your emails are, if you’re not crafting them with a laser-like focus on making them convert, all your efforts are for nothing. To help you gain that focus, we’re sharing our top 5 email marketing secrets for boosting conversions.
1. Think twice about images. Including images in your emails can either drive conversions…or prevent them. If your particular email subscriber list responds well to the images you’re using, then by all means, keep up the good work. But the fact remains that up to 60% of your email recipients probably have their email images disabled. So if your email is too image-heavy, all they’ll be receiving is a white page full of empty frames.
There are a few ways to combat this problem. You could, of course, just send plain text emails – and many businesses do, with great success. But HTML-rich emails are undeniably here to stay and have been proven to lead to significant results – if used properly. The secret here is to choose one of two paths. You can either add enticing ALT tags to each image so that people will be persuaded to enable images to see what you’re talking about. Or you can design your email in such a way that it looks appealing and gets your message across even without the images enabled.
2. Segment your email list. Laser-like focus, remember? And what better way to focus on conversions than to break your email marketing list down into categories, and then hit each segment with emails tailored specifically to them? Better yet, individualize emails with past purchase histories, and make customized purchase suggestions. The secret here? The more closely your emails are aligned with a person’s interests and needs, the more likely they are to convert.
3. Stick to one solitary call to action. If your email is a whizzing, whirring blur of images and links and calls to action, subscribers will be overwhelmed by all the noise, and do nothing. We can’t overemphasize the importance of that focus on conversions. Focus that laser beam on the one action you want your email subscribers to take, and drive them towards it within your email. The secret is to give them just one call to action – feel free to repeat it, but make sure it’s the same CTA, not a new one. Whether you want them to read one new blog post, shop for a certain item that’s on sale, or download one piece of content, let them know in no uncertain terms what it is specifically that you want them to do. Offering too many options at once will only be counterproductive to your email marketing efforts.
4. A/B test your emails. It may sound like a lot of extra work, but it’s really not that big of a deal. The great thing about A/B testing is that you can use it to make informed tweaks to just about any aspect of your emails, from subject lines to signatures, and everything in between. If you’re really in it to increase conversions, then it just makes sense to do a little experimenting with various versions of each email you send to see which ones are the most successful, and then use that knowledge to make your entire email marketing campaign as effective as it can possibly be.
5. Don’t stop at just one email per CTA. Here’s the final secret: You don’t want more than one call to action per email, but you can send more than one email per call to action. Whether you’re having a sale or offering a free download, it’s better to send several emails urging customers to act, spaced out over a week or two, than to send only one. Vary your approach a little each time, changing the subject line and email copy, but keep that CTA the same. By doing so, you’ll be much more likely to achieve a high conversion rate than if you gave up after just one email.
You know what? The holidays are almost here, so why don’t we go ahead and give you one last bonus secret, as a gift! We are social media marketing specialists, after all, so we just can’t neglect to mention the importance of including social media share buttons in all your emails, to allow recipients to connect with your brand via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media channels, as well.
So now you’re in on the secrets to email marketing success! By putting these tips into practice, you’ll be much more likely to boost the conversion rates of your email marketing efforts. Do you have any other email marketing secrets that have worked for you? Share them with us in the comments section below!
