Embarking on the journey of crafting your first marketing email can indeed be daunting. The allure of a substantial return on investment (ROI) of 36:1 in email marketing is undeniable, but it demands thorough research and strategic planning from the outset. To streamline this process, we’ve compiled a concise guide on how to craft an effective marketing email.
For a comprehensive exploration of email marketing, bookmark our detailed guide on creating an email marketing campaign. Alternatively, continue reading to discover techniques for crafting an email that resonates with your audience and generates interest!
It is possible to create a marketing email without specialized email marketing tools; however, doing so can be time-consuming and costly. To simplify the process and enhance efficiency, invest in email marketing software. These tools facilitate campaign creation, execution, management, and performance tracking. Notable email marketing tools include:
EmailMarketingFX
Mailchimp
Campaign Monitor
This software suite offers functionalities such as:
Email campaign development
Subscriber segmentation
Drip campaign creation
Email dispatch
Email performance measurement
And more
After selecting your email creation tool, proceed to the subsequent steps in crafting a marketing email.
Top-performing email marketers address several critical questions prior to drafting their emails:
Who is the intended recipient of this email?
What content am I sharing, and what objectives do I aim to achieve?
Where does this email fit within my sales funnel and the current stage of my audience within that funnel?
Why am I sending this email, and why will subscribers find its value?
Answering these questions will enable you to develop a marketing email that clearly defines:
Audience
Theme
Goal
Purpose
Overlooking these questions can result in emails that miss the mark, focusing more on your objectives (e.g., driving sales) rather than the needs of your audience (e.g., assistance in selecting a gift).
Subject lines play a pivotal role in email marketing, acting as the bridge between your brand and the audience. A compelling subject line can motivate subscribers to open your email, a crucial aspect of successful email campaigns. Follow these best practices to maximize the impact of your subject lines:
Keep the subject line concise and straightforward
Personalize with the recipient’s name
Utilize strong verbs such as “get” or “start”
Spark curiosity, for instance, “3 ways cable companies get you to overpay”
Generate at least five different subject lines and conduct an A/B test to determine which resonates most with your audience.
Once you have a clear understanding of your email campaign’s objectives, draft your first version. Shorter emails often outperform longer ones; studies generally indicate that emails between 50 to 125 words yield the best results. However, use data to inform your decision, such as conducting A/B tests with varying lengths.
Proofread your email content meticulously, utilizing tools like Grammarly to identify and correct errors. Seek feedback from team members to enhance the quality of your marketing email.
With your content finalized, utilize an email marketing tool to design your email. Tools like EmailMarketingFX and Mailchimp offer user-friendly email builders, enabling the creation of responsive designs for desktop and mobile devices. Ensure your design includes:
Company logo
Unsubscribe link
Footer with physical address and website URL
Your design choice can range from a minimalist, everyday email look to a more professional, on-brand appearance. Companies of all sizes experiment with both, and you can always seek assistance from email design services if needed.
WebFX, for instance, boasts an award-winning design and development team that can create and code your email to align with your vision and ensure compatibility with your email-sending platform.
Once your email is designed, use the test-sending feature of your email marketing tool, like EmailMarketingFX, to view it on both computer and smartphone devices. Check for display errors and ensure functionality, including:
Broken links
Grammar or spelling errors
Cut-off subject lines
Missing fallbacks for personalization tags
Once these checks are complete, proceed to the next stage in creating your marketing email.
Email marketing campaigns can greatly benefit from A/B testing, providing valuable insights into your audience and facilitating data-driven decision-making. While A/B testing may not be feasible for smaller audiences, most marketers recommend a minimum of 1000 subscribers. Tools like Mailchimp, EmailMarketingFX, and Campaign Monitor offer A/B testing capabilities, and their costs will vary based on your marketing budget.
Setting up A/B testing typically involves entering your A and B variants, selecting your audience size, determining the test duration, and deciding the criteria for determining the winner, such as open rates for subject lines.
After configuring your A/B test, move on to the final step in creating a marketing email.
Email marketing tools provide scheduling features that allow you to plan, create, and schedule emails in advance. While platforms like Gmail offer scheduling options, they are not specifically designed for email marketing. When scheduling your email, provide the following information:
The send date and time
The recipient list
Some tools, like EmailMarketingFX, offer the option to notify you upon email dispatch. Double-check your send date and time as well as the subscriber list before finalizing your schedule.
Now that you understand how to create a marketing email, the next challenge is allocating the necessary time and resources. Planning, constructing, and managing email marketing campaigns can be time-consuming, which is why many businesses turn to email marketing agencies like WebFX. With over 500 experienced team members, including marketers, designers, and copywriters, we can handle every aspect of your email marketing, from design to strategy to copy, and work towards achieving your goals, such as driving leads and sales.
Contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to learn more about our email marketing services!
