10 Time-Tested Best Practices for Successful Email Marketing

Ah, email marketing. The thrill of crafting your first campaign, the anticipation of hitting “send,” the excitement of watching those open rates… and then, the sinking feeling of realizing you might be in over your head. 

We’ve all been there! But fear not, fellow email enthusiasts. Let’s ditch the overwhelm and dive into the time-tested email marketing best practices that will have you rocking your campaigns in no time. 

Are you in?

Grow Your Email List the Right Way

You want a list of real people who actually want to hear from you, not a bunch of fake email addresses clogging things up. It’s the foundation of successful email marketing. So, you can just skip those shady list-building tactics and focus on attracting genuinely interested subscribers. 

Following these newsletter best practices will help you build a high-quality list:

• Offer tempting freebies. Who doesn’t love a good freebie? Entice sign-ups with valuable lead magnets like ebooks, checklists, or exclusive discounts. This is a classic tactic for building email subscriber lists.
• Don’t scare people away with pop-ups. No one likes being bombarded. Use exit-intent pop-ups (those that appear as someone is about to leave your site) or timed forms to grab attention without being annoying.
• Make signing up a breeze. Keep your signup forms crisp, asking only for essential information.

Omsom’s exit-intent popup is a textbook example – it offers a 15% discount just right when the visitor is trying to leave, tempting them to order. And all they need to do to get the discount is enter their email address:

Segment Your Audience Like a Pro

In email marketing, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all. Your subscribers are unique, and they expect you to recognize that! That’s where audience segmentation for emails comes in. 

Think of it this way: email segmentation best practices are all about getting the right message in front of the right people. 

You can create more personalized and effective email campaigns by dividing your subscribers into smaller, segmented email lists – based on demographics, interests, past purchases, or how actively they engage with your emails.

Here’s how your email marketing campaign can hit the bullseye with segmentation:

• Welcome new subscribers with open arms. Greet them with personalized messages based on what made them sign up in the first place. This is a part of the email nurture campaign best practices.
• Create email campaigns that speak to their hearts. Design unique email flows that cater to different subscriber segments’ specific needs and interests.
• Win back your inactive customer. Offer exclusive incentives or content to reignite their interest and prevent them from drifting away.

For example, Venmo makes sure that inactive subscribers are the first ones to learn about the new features, hoping that it will lure them to give the app a second chance:

Send Emails at the Perfect Time

Timing is everything, especially in email marketing. Sending your emails when your audience is most likely to see and open them can drastically improve your email open rates and make a huge difference in your overall email campaign optimization.

But how do you decide on the perfect time, exactly?

• Become a detective with your data. Your email marketing software has all the clues! Use its analytics to see when your subscribers are most active. This will help you determine the optimal email frequency best practices for your audience; 
• Experiment like a scientist. Try sending emails at different times of day and week to see what works best (this is called A/B testing for email marketing);
• Think global, act local: If you have subscribers worldwide, adjust your sending schedule to their different time zones.

It seems that Growth. Design is reading my mind. I always get its email around the time I’m starting to feel more hungry than productive and need something curious to concentrate on. Needless to say, I open its newsletter every Monday as soon as it drops in my inbox:

Personalize Every Email, Not Just the Name

“Hi [Name]” is a good start, but customer email personalization goes much deeper. Imagine receiving an email that feels like it was written just for you – that’s the goal!

Best email marketing campaigns use such personalization tactics as:

• Personalized recommendations. Use past purchases or browsing history data to suggest products or content that aligns with each individual’s taste. This level of personalization shows you’re paying attention and can lead to higher conversion rates.
• Dynamic content. Some email marketing platforms can automatically add product recommendations, content suggestions, or special offers based on what subscribers have shown interest in before.
• Campaigns based on engagement. Create separate email workflows for active and inactive subscribers, adjusting the frequency and content to re-engage those who haven’t been around lately.

Skillshare is a master at personalization. Its newsletter regularly offers courses based on the courses I’ve previously shown interest in. Let me tell you, it’s hard to pick which one to start first every time:

Turn Skimmers Into Readers

We’re all expert skimmers these days. Our inboxes are overflowing, and we don’t have time to read every single word. That’s why nailing your email copy is more important than ever. 

You need to grab your reader’s attention from the get-go and give them a reason to slow down and engage with your message.

Here are a few email copy best practices and email marketing subject line best practices to help you turn those skimmers into readers and boost email engagement:

• Craft subject lines that sing. Your email subject line is the first impression – make it count! Intrigue subscribers with compelling email subject lines that clearly tell them what’s inside.
• Make your emails easy on the eyes. Use bullet points, subheadings, and white space to break up the text and make it scannable. Choose effective email templates that align with these best practices for email marketing.
• Don’t leave them hanging. Guide readers toward the desired action with a clear and enticing call to action (CTA) button or link. This is a key element of any good email CTA strategy.

Miro’s main audience is busy business people, so it ensures that not only its product but also the onboarding email saves them time. Notice how little text is there, how visuals help the readability, and how the arrows lead your gaze from one point to another. And most importantly, the CTA button is prominent:

Boost Deliverability by Staying Spam-Free

You’ve poured your heart and soul into crafting the perfect email, but what happens if it never reaches your subscribers’ inboxes? Sadly, many marketing emails end up lost in the abyss of spam folders, never to be seen by their intended recipients.

Fortunately, you can take steps to avoid this fate. By following email deliverability best practices, you can significantly increase the chances of your emails reaching their destination and engaging your audience:

• Avoid spammy language. Certain words and phrases in your subject lines and email copy can trigger spam filters. Do your research and steer clear of them!
• Keep your list squeaky clean. Regularly remove inactive or fake email addresses to boost your sender reputation and keep your email deliverability improvement efforts on track.
• Get permission, always. Only send emails to people who have explicitly opted to receive your communications. This is essential for compliance with email marketing laws.

Even better if you get a double opt-in like Polaroid. When you sign up for the newsletter, you get an email asking to confirm your subscription. This extra step helps maintain a high-quality subscriber list by preventing accidental sign-ups and protecting subscribers from spam.

Test Your Campaigns Before You Send

You wouldn’t launch a product without testing it first, right? The same goes for your email campaigns. Testing for email marketing helps you fine-tune your email marketing strategies and campaigns for maximum impact.

Here’s the lowdown on how to put your emails to the test and avoid low email click-through rates:

• Use email testing tools. Most email marketing platforms have built-in tools or integrations that let you preview your email in different inboxes like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo;
• Test on different devices. View your email on your phone, tablet, and desktop to ensure it looks fab on all screen sizes;
• Check links and buttons. Don’t trust anything without clicking it! Make sure every link and button leads to the right place;
• Proofread carefully. Read your email over and over again! Then, ask a friend to do the same for a fresh perspective;
• Send test emails. Most email marketing tools let you send test emails to yourself and your teammates using different email addresses and email clients. This way, you experience your future campaigns exactly like your subscribers will.

Balance Value and Promotions in Your Emails

While it’s great to tell people about your amazing products or services, no one likes being bombarded with sales pitches constantly. Strive for a balance between valuable content and promotional messages.

It’s easy! Just follow these tips:

• Follow the 80/20 rule. Aim to make about 80% of your email content valuable and informative and save the remaining 20% for promotions.
• Focus on providing value first. Before you ask for anything in return, consistently deliver content that educates, entertains, or solves a problem for your subscribers.
• Don’t be pushy with your offers. Weave your promotional messages naturally into your valuable content so they feel less like ads and more like helpful suggestions.

Like 99.99% of brands, Gossamer could have used New Year’s to promote its products. Instead, the brand chose to send a message of encouragement to the audience. 

The result? Next time someone thinks where to buy THC products, they’ll remember the positive experience they had with the brand:

Design Emails That Shine on Mobile Devices

These days, people are checking their emails on the go – on their phones, tablets, you name it. That’s why it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly email design. 

And here’s email campaign best practices for having it:

• Think like a thumb-scroller. Use a single-column layout that’s easy to read and navigate on a small screen;
• Keep it concise. Long paragraphs can be overwhelming on mobile. Stick to shorter paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings;
• Don’t forget about those fingers. Ensure your buttons and links are large enough to tap easily on a touchscreen.

Looking at Public Pool’s newsletter, it seems that the brand denies the existence of desktops altogether; the email is super mobile-friendly. 

After all, it’s hard to miss the short copy, giant CTA button, or bright image even on the smallest screen:

Use Email Metrics to Refine Your Strategy

Data is your best friend. Your email marketing software or email service provider provides information about how your subscribers interact with your emails. 

Use these metrics to refine your email marketing strategy and get even better results:

• Keep an eye on your email open rates: A low open rate could mean your email subject lines need to be more enticing. Time to get creative!
• Track your email click-through rates: This tells you how engaging your email content is. If people aren’t clicking, revamping your copy or design might be time.
• Don’t ignore unsubscribes: While it’s never fun to see someone go, unsubscribes can provide valuable insights. Analyze why people might be opting out and adjust your approach accordingly.

Offer Exclusive Perks to Your Subscribers

Make your subscribers feel like VIPs by offering exclusive perks and benefits they won’t find anywhere else. This is a great way to show appreciation and encourage them to stick around.

These tips are a sure way to make your subscribers come back for more:

• Give them early access. Let your subscribers be the first to know about new products, sales, or special offers.
• Offer exclusive discounts and freebies. Everyone loves a good deal! Reward your subscribers with exclusive discounts or freebies just for being on your list.
• Create a sense of community. Host subscriber-only contests, giveaways, or Q&A sessions to make them feel part of an exclusive club.

You can see that Stompton Coffee Roasters really appreciate its subscribers. The brand organized not any kind of subscribers-only giveaway but one in partnership with a wellness brand and a chance to win a valuable prize:

About author

Vesta Oldenburg

Author

Sender

Vesta Oldenburg is a content writer specializing in email marketing strategies. In her daily work, creativity intertwines with a strategic mindset to create content that captivates its readers.