Making your email stand out and get your subscribers’ attention is a challenge even under the best conditions. But that difficulty gets cranked up amid the deluge of marketing emails flooding inboxes during holiday months.
In fact, companies have already sent 12 times more Black Friday emails in 2021 compared to a year ago. That’s especially remarkable considering the months-long deals and online-focused campaigns that dominated 2020.
So, how can your organization break through the noise? Here are 10 tips for helping your emails stand out this holiday season (and beyond).
Know Your Audience — The first step to any great email campaign is identifying and knowing your audience. Tailoring and personalizing your content is important (more on that later), so actually knowing who you’re talking to and what they want to read is critical.
Get Their Attention — Your subject line is the curb appeal of your email. How can you expect anybody to open the door and see your awesome kitchen if it looks like a bland and boring house from the outside? Write intriguing subject lines that draw your readers in, not push them away.
Personalize the Subject Line — One way to entice your subscribers with a subject-line is to speak directly to them. Placing their name in the subject line personalizes your email and gets your reader’s attention from the start.
Use Preview Text — Not all email platforms show preview text, but failing to prepare for the programs that do can impact your open rates. Preview text does exactly what its name implies — it gives your readers a glimpse into the email’s contents. Ignoring it means you don’t know what exactly your readers will see in that space. It could be random HTML code or the first line of your email. Take control and use custom preview text to entice your subscribers.
Provide Value to Subscribers — Getting your subscribers to open your email is only half the battle. Once they’re inside, the content needs to provide value. They’re already interested enough in your services to sign up to receive emails. Don’t send them content that makes them regret it and unsubscribe.
Flex Your Knowledge — Providing your readers with something useful begins with exhibiting the expertise that got them to subscribe in the first place. Be sure you’re sending content that’s appropriate for your organization and shows your audience you know what you’re talking about. If you’re a financial institution, that might be information about financial topics, vehicle resale values, or community involvement.
Tailor Your Content — Personalizing your emails doesn’t stop with inserting a name into a subject line or salutation. It’s important to provide your readers with content that’s relevant to them. That means using analytics, particularly clicks from past emails, to tailor content to individuals. Customized content can boost your engagement rates and keep people subscribed.
Keep It Simple (and Short) — You surely have a plethora of valuable content you want to provide your subscribers, but be sure not to go overboard. Keep your emails simple, short, and to the point.
Give Readers Something to Do — At the end of the day, a call to action is simply giving your readers something to do. That could be clicking an article link, responding to get more information, or claiming a special deal. Be sure to give your emails a call to action that will keep the conversation going and not leave your readers quickly deleting your messages.
Work With Email Marketing Experts — Accomplishing all of the above can be a challenge for any bank marketer who’s being asked to do more with less every day, let alone during the frantic holiday season. Consider partnering with an email marketing solutions provider to help you make your emails stand out and drive engagement.
Your marketing emails can play a crucial role in your organization’s growth, but they can also fall flat if you aren’t doing enough to make them cut through the noise this holiday season. What steps have you taken to help your emails stand out?