Five Ways to Jazz Up Your Email Marketing!

​With 91% of consumers checking their inboxes at least once a day, email is one of the most effective media for reaching customers—potential and current—in a relevant and inexpensive manner. Fortunately, many companies do not know how to effectively use the medium, giving those who do a significant advantage.

Here are a few strategies to improve your email marketing and get a leg up on the competition:
 
Differentiate yourself. Over 830 billion marketing messages are sent through email each year—make yours stand out. No one wants to read a big block of generic text. Instead, use graphics and tone to make yourself not just another marketer.
 
Use Templates. Not only will using an email template save you time and effort when crafting emails, it creates a specific brand image. Craft a layout that is highly readable and communicates the tone and values of your brand, then use this layout for all consumer-facing email blasts. The consistent formatting means customers can focus on the message not design irregularities.
 
Link to Relevant Social Media. Rarely will customers post about your business on social media without prompting. By including social-sharing buttons in your email, you facilitate word-of-mouth marketing and brand engagement. Make sure to include links to relevant social media platforms. Different audiences engage with different media. Platforms to consider include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Flickr, and G+.
 
Optimize Your Emails For Mobile. 48% of emails are opened on mobile devices, but only 11% of emails are optimized for mobile viewing. Differentiate yourself by becoming the easily-accessible and consumer-friendly competitor. Not only will your customers appreciate the friction-free communication, but studies show that mobile-optimization leads to higher conversion rates.
 
Analyze Email Metrics. If you do not track views, bounces, click-throughs and other metrics, you are missing out on a simple and valuable opportunity to improve your ROI. Use the information you gain to adjust your strategy. Do emails with videos get more views? Add more videos! Do colorful links get more click-throughs? Bring out the color swatches! Since audiences vary in their needs, this allows you to target your emails to exactly what your audience has shown they want. They (and your profits) will thank you. (If you’re unfamiliar with how to track these statistics, this article can help.)