Email marketing is a cost-effective way for businesses to get their messaging out there and spread the word about sales, specials, and products. It works, too: Litmus.com says it returns up to $36 per $1 spent, or roughly R675 for every R19 spent.

But not every business knows how to go about making emails deliver those kinds of results, so it can be quite handy to have a bit of outside help to guide them in the right direction.

And that’s what we’re hoping to do with the following five tips that can help any business with their email marketing. There are plenty of other things for you to try, but even if these five are the only things you implement in future campaigns, we’re confident you’ll see better results than you had before.

On to the tips!

Write effective subject lines

The subject line is your email’s first impression, and an eye-catching subject is often the difference between being ignored and your audience actually opening the mail. And because virtually every business uses email, people receive countless emails daily, so a compelling subject line is essential if you hope to stand out.

Here’s how to craft attention-grabbing subject lines:

Be concise and descriptive – Keep subject lines short, clear, and relevant to the email’s content. Highlight the key benefit or message to pique the recipient’s interest.
Personalisation – Use recipients’ names or other personalisation techniques when appropriate. Personalised subject lines can significantly improve open rates.
A/B Testing – Experiment with different subject lines to determine what resonates best with your audience. Use A/B testing to refine your approach over time.

Optimise your CTAs

Effective email marketing lives or dies with compelling Calls to Action (CTAs) – the words you use to inspire the reader to click on things in your email. And again, because the competition for your reader’s attention is relentless, your CTAs must stand out.

To be the one to grab that attention, here are some best practices to follow:

Be clear and actionable – Use concise and action-oriented language in your CTAs. Phrases like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get Started” resonate well with tech-savvy audiences.
Design matters – Ensure that your CTAs are visually appealing and easily distinguishable within your email. Use contrasting colours and eye-catching buttons to draw attention.
Mobile responsiveness – Given the prevalence of mobile devices, make sure your CTAs are mobile-friendly. They should be easy to tap on small screens and lead to mobile-optimised landing pages.

Clean your email list

A clean and well-maintained email list is essential if you want your email marketing campaigns to be successful. A bloated list full of inactive or incorrect email addresses can hurt your deliverability and sender reputation.

To keep your list in good shape:

Regularly remove inactive subscribers – Identify and remove subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails in a while. This not only improves deliverability but also helps you focus on your most interested audience.
Verify email addresses – Use email verification tools to check the validity of email addresses on your list. Eliminate any invalid or mistyped addresses that could bounce or damage your sender reputation.
Separate emails into groups – Separate your list based on engagement levels. For example, you can create a list for highly engaged subscribers and one for less active ones. This allows you to craft your messaging accordingly and increase your chances of being read.

Send more targeted marketing content

When it comes to marketing emails, one size most definitely does not fit all. Segmenting your email list allows you to tailor your content to specific audience segments, increasing relevance and engagement.

Consider segmenting based on:

Divide your list by age, gender, location, or other relevant demographics to deliver content that matches the recipient’s interests.
Analyse past interactions, such as previous purchases or content consumption, to send targeted recommendations or promotions.
Allow subscribers to indicate their preferences, and use this data to deliver content that aligns with their interests.

Re-engage active subscribers

Don’t forget about people who have already engaged with you. Re-engaging active subscribers can be just as important as acquiring new ones.

Here are some strategies to rekindle their interest:

Exclusive content – Offer exclusive content or promotions to your active subscribers to reward their loyalty.
Surveys and feedback – Ask for their input through surveys and feedback forms to show that their opinions matter.
Personalised recommendations – Use data on their previous interactions to provide product recommendations that are just for them.

Email marketing is one of the most potent tools businesses can use to connect with their audience. By crafting effective subject lines, optimising CTAs, maintaining a clean email list, using segmentation, and re-engaging active subscribers, any business can use email marketing to find new customers and drive sales.