Jesse Torres says, “Attention small business owners: Email marketing is not dead. Email marketing is alive and well and continues to blow the doors off of other digital marketing channels. In fact, according to digital marketer and blogger Abrar Mohi Shafee writing on the the Kissmetrics blog, “Your email is your biggest asset!” But how can that be with email continuing to overtake our in-boxes and with email filters more effectively screening email blasts? It would seem that the effectiveness of email by now would have taken a deep fall off a cliff. But according to the experts, a well-maintained... [...]

Stephan Hovnanian says, “Today’s email subscriber is thirsting for a value-packed and personalized experience. Companies that are creating such experiences are earning more Web traffic, signups, and referrals than the ones that still think a “batch and blast” mentality is the way to go. And although there are many ways to measure and improve the ability of your email program to deliver the goods, generating clicks and Web traffic from your emails is a primary indicator of what’s of value to your subscribers. It’s a simple premise: If your content rocks, you build... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Marketers say they anticipate that attracting new subscribers will be their biggest email marketing challenge of 2016, according to a recent report from Campaigner. The report was based on data from a survey conducted in November 2015 of 506 email marketers from the Campaigner customer base. Some 44.3% of respondents say earning new subscribers will be one of their top two email marketing challenges this year; 41.5% say creating compelling content will be a major challenge; and 26.3% cite increasing open rates. Marketers say their biggest email marketing challenges of 2015... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “More than two-thirds (69%) of retail marketers say they use engagement data (opens, clicks, etc.) to improve the relevance of their email campaigns, according to a recent report from Yesmail. The report was based on data from a survey of nearly 200 online retail marketers who attended the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org conference in October 2015. Some 60% of the marketers surveyed say they now use purchase behavior data to send more relevant emails to consumers, and 50% use demographic data such as gender, age, and location“. How Retail Marketers Are... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “When it comes to incentives for email sign up forms, ebooks are the go-to bait. They provide a great way to educate customers, and people love valuable freebies. But if you’re not an experienced writer or don’t have an archive of blog posts to repurpose, the thought of writing 15 pages single-spaced as a means to grow your email list might leave you feeling a little queasy. Fortunately, there are other content incentives you can give away to your email subscribers that won’t give you palpitations. Just take a look at Henneke Duistermaat, a professional writer... [...]

Shelley Kessler says, “Email volume for the 2015 holiday season Volume for the 2015 holiday season was almost 25 percent higher than in 2014. While the large increase in volume led to lower rates for the 2015 holiday season, it is important to note that the actual number of opens, clicks and transactions in 2015 were higher than those received the year before. Holiday email and mobile highlights As in past years, we’ve taken a special look at the holiday trends and performance of promotional emails from over 40 retail brands. This year we’re also following SMS messages of 20 of these... [...]

Jose Cebrian says, “It’s a new year, and predictions abound. I’m not interested in passively waiting to see if they come true; I’d rather take the “make it happen” approach. That means taking stock of where we are, articulating where we want to be, then prioritizing the steps it will take to get there. These are my suggestions for starting 2016 off with a plan to identify areas for improvement in your email strategy and then make those improvements happen. Figure Out Why People Are Signing Up For Your Program I don’t think enough companies really study this part of their program.... [...]

Olivia Dello Buono says, “From deliverability to open rates, email analytics give you real-time insight into the success of your campaigns. So why is it that they often get a bad rep? While these reports may seem overwhelming, they can help you make major improvements to your email strategy. In yesterday’s #emailchat, we asked marketers to share their tips for understanding these metrics: 1. The “most important” email stats are the ones determined by you. Opens & clicks are at the top of my list. They’ll tell you how effective your subj line & CTA are! @KristenWritesIt Subscriber... [...]

Mike Renahan says, “Making a great first impression on a prospect can be tantamount to the success of the relationship. First impressions, after all, are everything. But how can a sales rep get off on the right foot with every prospect? Or maybe more importantly, how can they avoid souring the relationship before it even really begins? It all starts with the first email a salesperson sends. This email sets the tone for the relationship going forward, so it’s important to get right. But many salespeople unintentionally turn their buyers off without even realizing it due to poor word choice.... [...]

Lisa Froelings says, “Email marketing promotion is one of the most essential tools for small businesses to win more clients. Having an established mailing list and consistent frequency allows businesses to gauge what strategy and messaging works best. But what are best possible elements an effective email promotion have? According to research conducted by Constant Contact, there are optimal numbers of images and lines of text small businesses should include in email marketing campaigns to optimize their click-through rates. Senior vice-president of Constant Contact Christopher Litster says... [...]