Have Your Best Email Marketing Year Ever by Focusing on Engagement

• Updated on: 2018-02-26
• Read original article here

As you may have seen in the news, Google recently announced the introduction of its Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) capabilities to email. AMP for email will enable developers to create more engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences, from being able to continuously update information like flight times to being able to RSVP for an event directly within the inbox. The possibilities that AMP for Gmail holds are incredibly exciting, and it will provide companies even more ways to capture attention and provide complete brand experiences in the inbox.

Email marketing has been and continues to be the number one generator of ROI in digital marketing, which means it’s time for marketers to revisit their strategy to ensure it’s both producing results and meeting consumers’ ever-changing expectations. The recent Google news is an excellent example of that. Inspired by Google, the following article will take a look at ways to maximize subscriber engagement in the year to come. The tips presented here will help marketers have their best email marketing year ever.

If you want to have your best year ever, then you have to focus on one of your greatest untapped resources: your existing customers. According to Marketing Metrics, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is somewhere between 5-20%, the probability of selling to an existing customer is between 60-70%.

To maximize results in the coming months, you’ll have to spend more time marketing to your current customer base than trying to acquire brand new customers. A lot of marketers have this flipped, devoting more time and energy to get their brand name out there while existing customers remain an afterthought. However, there’s nothing more powerful than word of mouth, and your customers can be your best advocates.

A key part of maximizing engagement for your customers is making sure that you’re using a mobile-optimized email design. We’re addicted to our phones, so mobile optimization is no longer a “would be nice to have” thing. It’s an absolute must-have. Don’t be afraid to mix up your content, too, to keep your subscribers on their toes. Send a blog post one week, followed by an invitation, followed by an infographic, and so on. Variety keeps things fresh and keeps subscribers engaged.

If you’re looking to boost your engagement rates, also consider incorporating a video in your next email campaign. According to Email Monks, simply including a video thumbnail in your email can lift your ROI by as much as 280% – just be sure to choose an image from your video that will encourage your subscribers to click through. Similarly, incorporating a GIF in your design is another great way to lift your click rates and freshen up your content. They add some movement to what’s traditionally been a static medium in the email.

Google’s email updates have gotten the industry excited for what’s to come for email. While email has always been the powerhouse of digital marketing, developments like this have us convinced 2018 is going to be one for the books. By focusing on your existing customer base, optimizing for mobile, mixing content up, utilizing video, and even incorporating quirky GIFs, you’ll have the secret sauce to ensure 2018 is your best year yet.

Also Read:  Emma Unveils New Features for End-To-End Email Marketing Campaign Optimization