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Ahh, the subject line…
The first impression, the battle cry that cuts through the noise and determines whether your message gets heard or deleted in a ruthless swipe…
While some might find the art of email subject lines elusive and challenging, you should know that you have nothing to be afraid of—as long as you A/B test.
This guide will equip you with 12 powerful A/B testing strategies to optimise your subject lines, along with crucial tips to ensure your tests deliver valuable insights. So buckle up and get ready to craft subject lines that turn email marketing from a guessing game into a guaranteed win!
Why You Need to Run Subject Line Tests
Ever heard the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”?
The same goes for email subject lines. An email’s subject line is the first impression that convinces subscribers to open your message. In fact, 64% of email recipients open emails based on the subject lines alone.
That’s why A/B testing your subject lines is crucial. A/B testing involves sending two different versions of your email to similar groups of subscribers and seeing which one improves certain email marketing metrics like opens, clicks, or conversions.
Here’s how subject line testing can boost your email marketing:
Higher open rates: Winning subject lines grab attention and entice people to open your email, leading to more clicks and conversions.
Improved click-through rates (CTRs): Strong subject lines set the stage for a compelling email, increasing the chances of users clicking on your call to action.
Better conversions: Ultimately, subject line testing helps you craft emails that drive more sales, signups, or whatever your marketing goals may be.
Here, we explore 12 creative ways to test your subject lines, categorised into three key areas: Personalisation, Content, and Structure. Let’s dive right in!
Image source: Segmentify
Personalisation Testing
Let’s delve into the world of personalisation testing! Here, we’ll explore two methods to see if tailoring your subject line to specific subscribers yields better results:
1. First Name vs. No Name: Personalisation is a powerful tool in email marketing, but is a first name in the subject line always the best approach? Split testing “Hi [Name], Unlock the Secrets of A/B Testing!” vs. “How to Craft Winning Email Subject Lines with A/B Testing” will let you uncover if this type of email personalisation works on your subscribers.
2. Previous Behaviour vs. No Previous Behaviour:Segmentation based on past actions and tailoring subject lines based on this can significantly impact engagement. Subject lines that speak directly to a subscriber’s past behaviour or interests can feel more relevant and, hence, lead to higher open rates. More generic subject lines, on the other hand, might be suitable for initial outreach or reaching a broader audience segment.
Content Testing
Now, let’s shift gears and focus on the content itself within your subject line. Here, we’ll explore several A/B testing ideas to see which elements resonate most with your subscribers:
3. From [Name] vs. From [Company Name]: Who should your emails be “from”? Experiment with the sender name, considering the audience type. In B2B communication, a specific contact name (e.g., Sarah at [Company Name]) can feel more approachable. For B2C audiences, your company name itself (e.g., From [Company Name]) might be more familiar and trustworthy.
4. Benefit vs. Feature: Subject lines highlighting the “why” can be more impactful than simply stating the “what”, but there’s only one way to find out. Benefit-driven subject lines focus on the positive outcome subscribers gain from opening the email (e.g., “Unlock Higher Click Rates with Our New Email Design Tools ”). Feature-focused lines highlight a specific aspect or functionality the email content offers (e.g., “New Email Design Tools Available Now!”).
5. Clever vs. Clear: Clever subject lines can grab attention in crowded inboxes but might not always convey the email’s value. So, should your subject lines be witty and attention-grabbing (“Subject Line A/B Testing: From Bland to Grand”) or clear and informative (“Boost Opens: Master Subject Line A/B Testing”)? You know what to do to find this out!
6. Urgency! vs. No Urgency: Urgency can trigger FOMO (fear of missing out), potentially leading to higher open rates for time-sensitive offers or valuable information. However, you don’t always need urgency (Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?). Test “Last Chance! A/B Testing Secrets Revealed” vs. “The Ultimate Guide to A/B Testing Email Subject Lines” to see if you need to emphasise urgency.
7. CTA vs. No CTA: Should your subject line explicitly tell subscribers what to do next? A/B testing “CTA vs. No CTA” helps determine if a clear call to action (CTA) influences open rates. No CTA builds intrigue but might not be as action-oriented (e.g., “Download Your Free A/B Testing Guide Now” vs. “A/B Testing: The Secret Weapon for Higher Email Engagement”)
Structure Testing
Beyond personalisation and content, the structure of your subject line also plays a crucial role in grabbing attention. Let’s explore A/B testing ideas that focus on how you present your message:
8. Long Subject Line vs. Short Subject: Long lines offer more context, but short lines ensure mobile visibility. Since mobile dominates as the preferred reading environment with 44.7% and has limited screen space, testing the subject line lengths can make huge differences in email open rates.
9. Question? vs. Statement: Well-crafted questions can pique interest and encourage engagement. A/B testing “How to Split Test Email Subject Lines” vs. “Struggling with Email Marketing? How to Split Test for Success” can reveal if curiosity translates to opens.
10. Emojis 🤪 vs. No Emojis: Emojis can add a touch of personality and fun to your email subject lines, but are they always the right choice? This would depend on your audience’s psyche, devices, and overall context. Since their overuse can appear unprofessional, do split tests to understand your audience’s reaction.
11. Sentence case vs. Title Case: Even a minor detail like subject line capitalisation can affect open rates. Using the sentence case creates a casual, conversational tone, while the title case feels more formal and authoritative. By monitoring “How to A/B test email subject lines” vs. “How to A/B Test Email Subject Lines”, you can determine which capitalisation resonates with your audience.
12. Capitalisation vs. no capitalisation: While it might seem unconventional, ditching capitalisation altogether can yield interesting results. Yes, no caps feels informal but you can’t deny that it does stand out in an inbox. Try A/B testing “Time to Learn How to A/B Test Subject Lines!” vs “time to learn how to a/b test subject lines”, especially if your audience is on the younger side.
Isolate the test variable: Test only one element at a time (e.g., first name vs. no first name) to isolate which change drives better results. This makes it easier to analyse the impact and refine future tests.
Test with purpose: Don’t run A/B tests mindlessly. Always have a clear hypothesis behind each test variation. What are you hoping to learn about your audience? This focused approach helps you understand what resonates with them.
Maintain consistent timing & frequency: Don’t introduce additional variables. Send test emails to similar groups on the same day and time to ensure a fair comparison.
Sample size matters: Ensure sufficient subscribers receive each test variant. This allows for statistically significant results, meaning the winner is truly the better performer, not just a random fluctuation.
Find the optimal test duration: Run your tests long enough to gather enough data but not so long that the content becomes outdated. Aim for a timeframe that reflects your typical email frequency (e.g., a week for a daily email campaign).
Embrace continuous optimisation: Analyse your results, identify the winning subject line, and understand why it performed better. Use these learnings to inform future subject line creation and keep optimising your email marketing efforts.
Subject Line Testing is An Ongoing Process
Don’t feel overwhelmed by the 12 A/B testing ideas presented here.
Start with a few that align with your audience and campaign goals. As you gather data and witness the power of these tests, you can gradually explore additional strategies.
Subject line optimisation is a continuous journey, not a one-time fix. By embracing A/B testing and iterating based on results, you’ll refine your subject lines into captivating first impressions that unlock inbox dominance and propel your email marketing to new heights.
So, buckle up, experiment, and enjoy the ride!
Much like courting, email marketing thrives on the delicate balance between rhythm and tempo.
Send too many love letters, you overwhelm your lover. Send to few, you appear distant and disinterested.
Striking the right balance, finding your ideal email marketing frequency, is crucial for fostering strong customer relationships and driving results. So, this article will explore how to find your ideal email frequency to maximise customer engagement and avoid the pitfalls of both extremes!
Key Takeaways
Sending emails too frequently can overwhelm your audience, like a barrage of love letters, leading to email fatigue and decreased engagement.
On the other hand, sending too infrequently can leave them feeling neglected, potentially causing them to forget about your brand.
Finding the ideal email marketing frequency is an ongoing process that requires continuous testing and refinement. By understanding your audience and utilising data-driven insights, you can strike the perfect balance between staying relevant and avoiding email fatigue.
Avoiding Email Fatigue: The Art of Balance
Sending emails too frequently can lead to email fatigue, a state where subscribers are overwhelmed and less receptive to your messages. Email fatigue can manifest in:
Decreased open and click-through rates: People simply stop paying attention.
Increased unsubscribes: Frustrated subscribers choose to opt out altogether.
Damage to your email sender reputation: Frequent complaints can impact email deliverability.
Here’s how to easily avoid email fatigue:
Focus on quality over quantity: Ensure your emails are relevant, valuable, and engaging.
Personalise your emails: Speak directly to your audience’s needs and interests with personalised emails.
Offer clear unsubscribe options: Make it easy for users to opt out if they no longer wish to receive emails.
Read more about the new email sender requirements by Yahoo and Gmailhere.
Finding the Ideal Email Marketing Frequency: Key Strategies
1. Understand Your Marketing Goals
You’re sending those email campaigns to get your subscribers to take action. Decide what that action is before you begin.
Are you just letting them know their favourite shampoo is back in stock so you can drive sales? Or do you want to drive traffic to your blog? Knowing what you want to achieve will influence your frequency.
2. Understand Your Target Audience and the Customer Lifecycle
Before crafting your email strategy, remember: It’s not about you; it’s about them. Understanding your target audience and their specific needs is crucial for crafting relevant and engaging emails.
Always consider factors like demographics and industry. Age, income, and location can influence how often individuals prefer to receive emails. And different industries have established different norms for email marketing frequency.
But perhaps most importantly, consider tailoring your email frequency based on the customer’s lifecycle stage.
The customer lifecycle is divided into three stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision.
And here’s the kicker: You can’t hit folks in all three stages with one-size-fits-all messages using the same frequency. People in the awareness stage might appreciate more frequent updates, while those in the decision stage might prefer targeted, personalised emails.
Welcome emails and purchase confirmations might be more frequent, while post-purchase follow-ups or educational content can be sent at a slower pace.
3. Analyse Industry Benchmarks
While industry averages can offer a starting point, remember that your audience is unique. Don’t let averages dictate your strategy; focus on your specific goals and audience preferences.
4. Leverage Email Analytics
Be vigilant about monitoring email marketing KPIs like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates to understand how your audience interacts with your emails at different frequencies. Look for trends over time to identify which frequency generates the highest engagement without causing email fatigue.
5. Conduct A/B Testing
Don’t be afraid to experiment! A/B testing allows you to experiment with different frequencies to smaller email segments. This lets you compare performance metrics and see firsthand which frequency resonates best.
Remember, the best way to learn is often by doing —so don’t hesitate to “shoot your shot” and test different approaches. By analysing the results, you can fine-tune your strategy and find your email marketing frequency that truly hits the mark.
6. Implement Preference Centres
Empower your subscribers by offering them a preference centre where they can choose their desired email frequency. This demonstrates respect for their preferences and fosters a sense of agency, ultimately leading to higher engagement and a more positive relationship with your brand.
The Road to Finding the Ideal Email Marketing Frequency is Neverending
Finding the ideal email marketing frequency is an ongoing process:
Test and refine based on your audience and goals.
Monitor your engagement metrics consistently.
Don’t be afraid to adjust your email marketing strategy as needed.
By implementing these tips and staying true to your audience-centric approach, you can find the sweet spot for your email marketing, fostering strong relationships and driving meaningful results.
Ready to take your email marketing to the next level?
Segmentify can help you create personalised email campaigns that resonate with your audience and achieve your marketing goals. Contact us today!
Notice how everyone, and I mean everyone, talks about omnichannel marketing strategies these days?
And yet, all that talk feels…hollow.
Sure, it’s the difference between mere engagement and remarkable customer experiences. But it’s remarkable how many brands still struggle to get it right.
Well, I’m here to tell you there are 2 sides to a stellar omnichannel marketing strategy, which often coincide with one another.
You’ll see.
1. The Practical Side of an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy
Data and Analytics
Collect and integrate data from all channels
Omnichannel marketing commences with a robust data strategy. To understand your customers, you must gather and integrate data from all touchpoints. This involves not just online interactions but also data from in-store purchases, email responses, and even social media engagements.
A comprehensive data integration strategy grants you a 360-degree view of your customer’s preferences, behaviours, and historical interactions, empowering more personalised and effective marketing.
However, beware that as the amount of data you collect through various channels rises, the need for unified data becomes more and more important.
Implement advanced real-time analytics tools
Once data is gathered and integrated, advanced real-time analytics tools come into play. These tools provide actionable insights into customer behaviours and preferences.
By leveraging data analytics, you can segment your audience effectively, gauge campaign performance, and optimise your marketing efforts. Analytics tools reveal customer trends, pain points, and engagement opportunities, all of which are vital for crafting personalised marketing strategies.
Customer Segmentation
Create detailed customer personas
Data collection alone is insufficient. Brands need to create detailed customer personas based on the collected data.
These personas should delve deeper than basic demographics, encompassing insights into customer preferences, behaviours, and pain points. By comprehending various customer segments, you can tailor your marketing strategies to cater to the unique needs of each group.
Image Source: Segmentify
Personalise messages and offers
Once you’ve established customer personas, you can fine-tune your messaging and offers to resonate with specific segments. Personalised marketing messages are more likely to capture customers’ attention and drive engagement. This personalisation extends to product recommendations, discounts, and content, creating a profound connection between your brand and the customer.
Technology Stack
Select the right omnichannel marketing software
Choosing the right omnichannel marketing software is pivotal. These tools facilitate the efficient management and orchestration of marketing campaigns across various channels.
Look for software that offers customer data integration, automation, and analytics features. It should be adaptable to your brand’s unique requirements and scalable to accommodate future growth.
Integrate CRM, CMS, and other systems
To offer a truly seamless customer experience, it’s imperative to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) systems, content management systems (CMS), and other relevant technologies. Integration ensures that customer data is seamlessly shared across various systems, allowing consistent and cohesive customer interactions.
Your omnichannel marketing strategy thrives on consistent brand messaging. Customers should encounter a unified brand identity across all touchpoints, from the website to social media to physical stores. Establishing a style guide and ensuring that all content aligns with it is essential for building a strong and recognisable brand presence.
Optimise content for various channels
Different channels have distinct content requirements. Long-form blog posts might excel on your website, while shorter, visual posts are better suited for social media. Brands must optimise their content to align with the specific characteristics of each channel. This includes considering content format, tone, and timing.
2. Customer Touchpoint Mapping
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the two sides of building an omnichannel marketing strategy often overlap. Customer touchpoint mapping also fits perfectly into the data and analytics, and customer segmentation steps mentioned previously.
However, I believe it’d be better for comprehension to also look at it separately and in more detail:
Identify All Customer Touchpoints
This will be repeating myself, but the first step to mastering omnichannel marketing strategy is identifying all the touchpoints where customers interact with your brand, both online and offline.
Common touchpoints include the website, mobile apps, social media, email, physical stores, customer service, and more. Mapping these touchpoints provides a comprehensive understanding of the entire customer journey.
Collect Data at Each Touchpoint
Once touchpoints are identified, data collection at each touchpoint becomes crucial. This includes tracking user behaviour, purchase history, contact information, and any other relevant data. Standardising data collection across all touchpoints ensures consistency and accuracy.
Analyse Customer Behaviour
With data from various touchpoints, brands can analyse customer behaviour. This analysis yields insights into how customers move through the sales funnel, which channels they prefer, and what types of content or offers are most effective. Understanding customer behaviour is fundamental for creating more relevant and engaging marketing campaigns.
Create a Comprehensive Customer Touchpoint Map
To fully understand the customer’s journey, you should create a comprehensive touchpoint map. This map visualises the customer’s interactions across all channels and identifies key touchpoints and moments of truth.
By connecting the dots on this map, you’ll gain a holistic view of the customer’s experience and can refine your marketing strategies accordingly.
Final Words on Omnichannel Marketing Strategies
Whether you’re an established brand or a budding enterprise, the power of seamless, personalised customer experiences cannot be underestimated. Yet, it’s astounding how many fall short of its promise. The quest for a seamless, personalised customer experience is a challenging one, but it’s far from impossible.
By following the crucial steps outlined in this chapter, you’re well on your way to mastering omnichannel marketing. It’s a journey, one that can be significantly smoothed by the right business partner.
In this pursuit, consider the pivotal role of Segmentify. With its advanced personalisation and analytics solutions, Segmentify is the key to transforming your omnichannel marketing strategy from ordinary to extraordinary.
Elevate your omnichannel marketing with Segmentify and discover what it truly means to deliver a seamless, personalised experience. Don’t wait; start your journey to excellence today. Try Segmentify and watch your brand soar!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Never Mind the Bo**ocks, a whitepaper on omnichannel marketing, and has been edited to fit this medium.
Among the various tools that enhance customer interaction, the search box stands out as a critical element.
Unlocking the potential of the search box as a dynamic space with personalised content has the transformative power to revolutionise and reshape the entire customer journey. This approach doesn’t just raise the bar; it sets an entirely new standard for user-centric engagement.
This article explores the concept of “Before Search” and how it can revolutionise the user experience by providing personalised content right from the moment a visitor engages with the search bar.
Anatomy of Search Box Personalisation: Explaining “Before Search”
“Before Search” refers to the moment a visitor activates the search box by clicking on the search bar.
Before Search is the preliminary phase where the search box transforms into an interactive gateway, offering users a glimpse of trending products, popular brands, categories, or frequently searched terms.
However, the uniqueness lies in the ability to customise the search box further, incorporating non-product elements such as blog posts or campaign banners to guide visitors through a multifaceted journey.
For first-time visitors, the search box presents a curated selection based on comprehensive data analysis, including geographical relevance, search analytics, website analytics, and insights from similar users. Including the first user source and medium refines this initial display, offering a sophisticated blend of contextual recommendations.
The initial interaction acts as a foundation for the algorithm, initiating a learning process from the user behaviour. Subsequently, whenever the search box is activated, the algorithm refines its suggestions, delivering a truly personalised experience.
2 Elements You Need for Website Personalisation Before Working on the Search Box
Before diving into the intricacies of perfecting the search box personalisation, laying the groundwork is imperative.
Understanding user behaviour and preferences through analytics provides the necessary insights, while segmentation allows for categorising users into distinct groups, enabling targeted personalisation strategies.
5 Search Box Must-Haves for a Functioning Before Search Experience
The success of the Before Search feature hinges on incorporating certain elements into the search box for personalisation and engagement. Here are five essential components that elevate the Before Search experience:
1. Search Analytics Connected to Website Analytics
A seamless personalised search experience relies on integrating search analytics with the entire website. This ensures that the recommendations provided align with the overall content and preferences of the users.
More often than not, the customer journey starts with the search box but doesn’t necessarily end in a sale. Even when they find the exact item they were looking for, visitors may need additional decision-making time.
Recognising this dynamic, advanced customer engagement platforms like Segmentify leverage the power of search analytics and browsing data for dynamic retargeting campaigns.
By linking search analytics directly to recommendation features and outreach channels, Segmentify empowers businesses to craft a nuanced and personalised experience.
This interconnected approach not only refines the search box experience but extends its influence across the entire user journey. It contributes to a cohesive and engaging customer experience beyond the initial search and resonates throughout the conversion funnel.
2. Popular Brands/Categories
Enriching the search box with information on popular brands and categories creates a well-rounded user experience. Users are not only guided by their preferences but also exposed to trending and sought-after items within the platform.
Image Source: Segmentify
What’s more is that with the right algorithm, you can empower the system to identify the sweet spot where the general popularity across all users intersects with the unique preferences of the individual user. This strategic fusion enables the search box to present a curated showcase of popular categories and brands tailored precisely to the user’s distinctive taste.
This intersection point serves as the nexus of user satisfaction, where the user is not merely exposed to what’s universally sought-after but is guided towards options that align with their preferences.
3. Different Personalised Recommendation Algorithms
Crafting a truly personalised search box experience necessitates using diverse recommendation algorithms, each tailored to cater to the unique preferences of users.
This multifaceted approach encompasses an array of recommendation algorithms, ranging from trending algorithms and popular item suggestions to frequently searched terms and category-based recommendations.
As previously highlighted, the integration of search analytics with website analytics further refines and elevates the search box personalisation in this regard.
Embracing an interconnected approach, you can seamlessly embed your chosen set of personalised recommendation algorithms into the search box. The result is an enriched and tailored user experience that transcends conventional search mechanisms, resonating with users profoundly.
4. Product/Content Badges
Visual cues such as badges help draw attention to specific products or content, increasing the likelihood of user engagement.
Take your product listings to the next level! Get your FREE Product Badges Guide to learn how to use product/content badges effectively.
While the most common product badges like Bestseller, Trending, New, and Free Shipping are undoubtedly an inseparable part of the eCommerce experience, there exists an opportunity to be creatively strategic:
Start by thinking about what you are and who your customers are.
Consider the cosmetics and beauty industry as a prime example. Within this niche, customers have distinct concerns and priorities. Consequently, the application of product badges in the search box should be tailored to address these specific considerations.
Going beyond the standard badges, introducing labels like Vegan, Cruelty-Free, SensitiveSkin, or Eco-Friendly becomes a game-changer.
By aligning the product badges with the core values and interests of the target audience, you elevate the user experience, fostering a sense of resonance and connection.
Image Source: Segmentify
This way, the search box becomes more than a functional tool; it becomes a personalised gateway that not only understands the users’ needs but also anticipates them, facilitating a more streamlined and satisfying journey from exploration to purchase.
5. Pin/Remove Chosen Elements
The Before Search feature is activated the moment a user engages with the search bar, unveiling a dynamic display of content curated through personalised recommendations and behavioural analytics. With each activation, the search box adapts to showcase personalised content based on user behaviour and recommendation algorithms at work.
However, you may need to alter the search box in a way that transcends the personalised recommendations. This need can be met by the pin/remove items feature.
Image Source: Segmentify
This feature becomes the linchpin for managing sponsorships, spotlighting special offers, and ensuring universal visibility for specific products or non-product content. Its versatility extends beyond the promotional realm, allowing you to pin campaign banners strategically.
Imagine ensuring every visitor is informed about your winter sale or has access to a crucial blog article detailing how to clean a coffee machine.
By incorporating the pin/remove chosen elements feature, you’ll gain a nuanced level of control over your search box experience.
Personalise the Search Box Before the Search Begins
Of course, search results personalisation is essential and should be an integral part of any website. But why wait until you get there?
Ensuring search box personalisation the moment it is activated is easy peasy lemon squeezy, really. Here’s all you need for a personalised search box before the search begins: Segmentify’ Search Box.
Native search box design: This makes the search box a natural part of your website/app.
Interconnected search and website analytics: You don’t have to deal with search and other behavioural data being stored in different data silos. All the data you have is centralised and interconnected.
Different personalised recommendation algorithms: Since all the data is centralised, you can place your chosen recommendation algorithms based on other behavioural analytics into the search box.
Detailed retargeting campaigns: You can use search analytics for retargeting campaigns with on-site recommendations, push notifications, or email marketing campaigns.
Considering that one-third of visitors will perform an internal search, upgrading your search box is paramount.
Let Segmentify be your partner in this mission—book a demo with one of our experts for more information.
It’s an email marketer’s worst nightmare—ending up in the spam box.
It destroys your engagement metrics and email sender reputation. And it only gets worse from there.
Because even if you take the necessary steps to correct a past mistake that got you in the spam folder in the first place, that is a red stain on your reputation. And it takes a lot of time and resources to mend the said reputation.
So you need to start caring about reducing your spam complaint rate long before it becomes a problem.
This article will discuss the new email sender requirements by Yahoo and Gmail, why the spam complaint rate is even more critical now, and a 10-step program on how to reduce your spam complaint rate.
New Email Sender Requirements from Yahoo and Google
One of the biggest digital marketing trends that will define 2024 will be, without a doubt, the new email deliverability rules by Yahoo and Gmail.
Starting February 2024, all email senders who send over 5,000 emails daily to Yahoo and Gmail users are required to comply with these new rules:
Authenticate your email domain using DKIM, SPF, and DMARC security protocols.
Enable one-click unsubscribe with a 2-day processing time.
Keep the spam complaint rate under 0.3%—max 3 spam complaints per 1,000 emails.
Gmail has been recommending these as email marketing best practices for a long time, and now, organisations are required to provide a safer inbox for consumers.
You can get more information on how to comply with these new email sender requirements on Gmail’s Help Center.
Let us move on to another pressing matter: How to keep your spam complaint rate as low as 0.3%
10 Steps on How to Reduce Your Spam Complaint Rate
You’ll see that those two of those new requirements being put into action by Yahoo and Google are not really new; you already needed to comply with them to keep your spam complaint rates low.
Keeping the maximum spam complaint rate under 0.3% will be the end result of following these best practices:
Buying email lists can create serious problems for your organisation:
It violates data privacy laws, which you must comply with to keep your spam complaint rates low, as you’ll see later.
Such email lists contain outdated and inaccurate information.
Sending unsolicited emails will severely damage your email sender’s reputation.
Building your email list, on the other hand, will get you an engaged audience and reduce spam complaints.
2. Provide Double Opt-In
A double opt-in process is essentially a two-stop verification to validate and confirm email subscriptions. It is a great way to ensure you’re complying with the Internet privacy laws and regulations.
Providing double opt-in:
Ensures that subscribers genuinely want to receive emails from you,
Reduces the spam complaint rates and unsubscribes, and
Improves your email sender reputation.
3. Authenticate Your Email Domain
Used to be a strong recommendation for digital marketers to reduce spam complaint rates, email domain authentication is now a requirement by Yahoo and Gmail.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
Authenticating your email domains through these security protocols will validate and verify the authenticity of your email campaigns.
Reminder: If you don’t have a Custom Sending Domain (CSD) set up, you must do that before the email authentication step. If your emails go from @yourdomain.com, they will look more professional, and the chances of them being marked as spam will be lower.
4. Comply with the Internet Privacy Laws
Various laws govern email marketing depending on the location of both the marketer and the recipients. However, the essential data privacy laws that every marketer should be familiar with are:
Failure to comply with data privacy regulations may result in substantial penalties.
In the UK, for example, breaching the GDPR may result in “a maximum fine of £17.5 million or 4% of annual global turnover — whichever is greater — for infringement of any of the data protection principles or rights of individuals.”
5. Keep a Clean Email List
A healthy and clean email list leads to better email deliverability rates, ensuring your emails reach their intended recipients.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use email engagement metrics, such as open rates and click-through rates, to assess the quality of your emails. Since a clean email list tends to have higher engagement, this practice directly and positively affects your email deliverability.
Regularly remove inactive or invalid email addresses and promptly address any bounces.
Another important way to ensure low spam complaint rates is to enable one-click unsubscribes—something that you are now obliged to do.
6. Enable One-Click Unsubscribe
As of February 2024, you are not only advised but required to allow one-click unsubscriptions with a 2-day processing time, according to the new email sender requirements by Yahoo and Gmail.
Adopting suppression list management as a regular practice will help you greatly in this regard.
Suppression lists guarantee that you do not send emails to individuals who have chosen to opt out, allowing you to communicate solely with an engaged and interested audience. This minimises the likelihood of your messages being marked as spam.
7. Send Relevant Content
Based on what was discussed so far, this one should be obvious.
> Send people the content they wish to see (a.k.a. the reason why they subscribed to your email list in the first place)
> Get higher engagement
> Improve your email sender reputation
> Unsubscriptions and spam complaints are minimised
Adopt email segmentation best practices to take advantage of personalisation’s power and increase your email campaigns’ relevancy.
8. Optimise Email Sending Frequency
There is no universally perfect frequency for sending emails. The optimal email sending frequency varies based on factors such as industry dynamics, brand identity, and target audience.
However, irrespective of these variables, sending emails with too little time in between each can result in subscriber fatigue, higher unsubscribe rates, increased spam complaints, and diminished engagement.
Define your goals clearly—whether it’s driving sales or directing traffic to your blog.
Understand your audience by recognising the stages of the buyer’s journey and tailor your messages accordingly.
Experiment with different frequencies and analyse results to discover the optimal frequency.
9. Monitor Your Email Engagement Metrics
Besides measuring the impact of your campaigns and understanding what your subscribers respond to, closely monitoring email marketing KPIs serves as an early warning system.
By vigilantly tracking these metrics, you can swiftly identify any emerging issues or patterns that could adversely affect your campaigns, such as the changes in spam complaint rates.
This proactive strategy empowers you to make timely modifications, mitigating the risk of harm to your sender reputation and ensuring the overall success of your campaigns.
10. Utilise Spam Checkers
Spam checkers are web-based utilities that enable you to assess your emails, indicating the probability of recipients marking them as spam. While ISPs ultimately determine message filtering, spam checkers frequently reassure marketers as they plan new campaigns.
Instead, we’ve handpicked five questions straight from you that cut to the chase. But be mindful that these questions aren’t just about email marketing; they’re about showing you the ropes on how to practically wield email marketing to your advantage.
Let’s answer some questions and dish out the nitty-gritty on how to make email marketing work for you!
1. Why shouldn’t I buy email lists?
Here are a few problems buying email lists will cause you:
It violates data privacy laws.
They often contain outdated or inaccurate information.
Sending unsolicited marketing emails can and will damage your email sender’s reputation and brand image.
When you buy an email list, you’re getting a bunch of email addresses, but you don’t know if those people want to hear from you. Some might get annoyed or upset because you’re sending them emails they didn’t ask for.
That way, you’ll have a list of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer, and you can send them emails they’ll be happy to receive.
2. What are some best practices for writing better email subject lines?
Crafting effective email subject lines is crucial since they serve as the initial impression and decisive factor for open rates. So follow these best practices:
Understand your audience to tailor subject lines effectively.
Avoid misleading and clickbait subject lines; set clear expectations.
Keep subject lines concise and engaging.
Infuse your brand’s personality for authenticity.
Exercise caution with emoji usage.
Pose questions to spark curiosity.
Incorporate numbers for impact.
Use personalisation judiciously to prevent overuse.
3. Should I use first names while creating my email marketing campaigns?
The decision to use recipients’ first names in personalised email campaigns hinges on strategic placement—in the subject line or email body.
But first, consider daily conversations: While using someone’s first name grabs attention, incessant repetition becomes off-putting. Similarly, in emails, leveraging first names can be effective for ensuring attention but risks appearing unsettling if misapplied. Context is paramount.
And this falls under the category of “overusing personalisation”.
Using first names for email personalisation can work so well when you want to make absolutely sure you get the recipient’s attention. But beware of the context and what you’re trying to achieve unless you want to be known as “that weirdly sinister brand”.
Balancing personalisation with tact will ensure your email campaigns resonate positively with recipients.
4. What’s my ideal email marketing frequency and how do I find it?
The truth is there isn’t one single ideal email marketing frequency. Your ideal email sending frequency depends on your industry dynamics, brand, and audience.
But regardless of those parameters, excessive emailing can lead to subscriber fatigue, increased unsubscribes, spam complaints, and reduced engagement. You just need to find where that limit lies for you. To find the right balance:
Define your goals: Clearly understand the purpose of your email campaigns, whether it’s driving sales or directing traffic to your blog.
Know your audience: Recognise the stages of the buyer’s journey (Awareness, Consideration, Decision) and tailor your messages to each stage, adjusting frequency accordingly.
Test different frequencies: Experiment with sending emails weekly to one group and twice a month to another. Analyse results to discover the optimal frequency for better engagement.
Monitor engagement metrics: Keep a close eye on certain email marketing KPIs like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Identify trends over time to pinpoint the frequency that maximises engagement while avoiding fatigue and unsubscribes.
5. How can I measure the success of my email marketing strategy?
You can measure the success of your personalised email marketing strategy by leveraging data for precision. Tracking specific email marketing KPIs provides insights into the performance of elements like subject lines, content, and design. This detailed feedback enables data-driven decisions, empowering you to optimise future campaigns.
Additionally, analysing email analytics enhances your understanding of the audience by revealing preferences, behaviour, and engagement levels. This knowledge allows tailored messaging, significantly boosting relevance and effectiveness.
Moreover, email marketing KPIs serve as an early warning system, helping you detect issues or trends that could impact campaigns negatively. Proactively monitoring metrics facilitates timely adjustments, preventing potential damage to your sender reputation and ensuring overall campaign success.
What happens to the email campaigns you send? Do they get lost in the digital abyss?
How do you keep track of them?
Or are you keeping track of them?
Join us for an adventure exploring the essential email marketing KPIs for a fruitful email marketing strategy.
But be careful, some of these metrics are not what they seem! There are hidden traps along the way 🤫
Key Takeaways
KPIs, key performance indicators, are indicators of the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
Certain email marketing metrics paint a clear picture of how well specific email components perform, such as subject lines, content, and design.
Tracking email KPIs and monitoring each element can help you spot subtle changes in consumer habits.
Closely monitoring certain email KPIs helps detect any issues or trends that might negatively impact your campaigns.
Why Track and Analyse Email Marketing KPIs?
Email marketing key performance indicators, or email KPIs, are invaluable tools for assessing the effectiveness of your email campaigns. By diligently monitoring these metrics, you gain critical insights into various aspects of your email marketing efforts.
But why is it so crucial to track and analyse email marketing KPIs?
Email marketing KPIs allow you to measure the impact of your campaigns with precision. They provide a clear snapshot of how well specific components perform, such as subject lines, content, and design. This detailed feedback lets you identify what’s working and what isn’t, empowering you to make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.
Tracking email KPIs helps you understand your audience better. It reveals their preferences, behaviour, and engagement levels, allowing you to tailor your messages to their needs and interests. This level of email personalisation can significantly boost the relevance and effectiveness of your emails.
Email marketing KPIs serve as early warning systems. By closely monitoring these metrics, you can promptly detect any issues or trends that might negatively impact your campaigns. This proactive approach enables you to make timely adjustments, preventing potential damage to your sender reputation and overall campaign success.
Which Email Marketing KPIs to Track?
Time to explore the specifics of which email marketing KPIs to track for email marketing excellence!
1. Delivery Rate
Delivery Rate, the percentage of emails delivered, is perhaps the most important email marketing KPI since it answers the question, “Did my intended audience receive the campaign?”
Because if your email campaigns are not reaching their intended inboxes or going directly to the spam, there is no point to your emails’ contents. If you see a sudden dip in your delivery rates, you must act quickly to find out why.
2. Open Rate
Open Rate is the percentage of email recipients who opened a particular email. It’s calculated by dividing the number of email opens by the total number of delivered emails.
Most email marketers still go above and beyond to optimise their subject lines for greater open rates. While tracking open rate provides insight into the initial engagement with your content, it can be a highly deceptive metric.
Because high open rates don’t guarantee that the recipient read or acted upon the email’s content. For a more comprehensive assessment of your campaign’s effectiveness, it’s crucial to consider other KPIs alongside the open rate.
3. Click-Through Rate
Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of recipients who clicked at least one of the links in the email campaign they received.
Tracking CTR provides a direct measure of engagement and helps evaluate the effectiveness of email content and call-to-action (CTA) strategies. Monitoring CTR is also instrumental in A/B testing, enabling you to test different design and content elements and optimise engagement.
However, focusing solely on CTR might be misleading, as it doesn’t consider the actual conversion or the quality of clicks. If the recipient clicks on the Instagram icon at the bottom of the page and not the “Shop Now” button for your latest Black Friday campaign, is it still as important?
That’s why it’s essential to complement CTR analysis with other metrics to gain a more comprehensive view of campaign success.
4. Clicks by Link
Clicks by Link measures the percentage of recipients clicking on a particular link within an email. It’s calculated by dividing the number of clicks on that specific link by the total clicks in the email.
This is perhaps one of the most important email marketing KPIs you should track to gain granular insights into the performance of individual links and understand which elements of your emails are driving engagement.
This metric offers a clearer, more detailed picture of a campaign’s success, allowing for precise optimisation and tailoring of content to maximise results.
5. Bounce Rate
There are over 4 billion email addresses today, with many people having more than one. Unsurprisingly, not all of them are active. Who among us has never abandoned ship when the flood of subscriptions and junk mail gets too much?
There are two types of Bounce Rates you should consider:
Soft Bounce: A soft bounce is caused by temporary issues like a full inbox or server issue. Once the problem is solved, marketers can resend the email.
Hard Bounce: A hard bounce happens when the email address is invalid or permanently closed. A high hard bounce rate will reflect poorly on the sender’s reputation, making them look like an email spammer.
Removing these problematic addresses, especially for hard bounces, is essential for maintaining a high-quality email list and ensuring that campaigns reach their intended audience.
6. Unsubscribe Rate
The Unsubscribe Rate is the percentage of recipients who opt out of an email list, calculated by dividing the number of unsubscribes by the total delivered emails.
Many marketers perceive email unsubscribe rate negatively, yet it isn’t the boogeyman of email marketing KPIs. Tracking unsubscribe rate helps you maintain a healthy and engaged subscriber base, ensuring your emails are reaching an audience genuinely interested in their content.
Regularly monitoring and optimising this metric can lead to more effective campaigns and stronger, long-term customer relationships.
7. Forwarding Rate and Social Shares
Forwarding Rate and Social Shares gauge the extent to which recipients share your email content. This is calculated by tracking the number of times an email is forwarded or shared on social media.
Monitoring this helps you assess the impact of your emails on brand awareness and audience growth. Encouraging readers to share content increases brand exposure and attracts new contacts, fostering list growth and lead generation.
Including social sharing buttons simplifies this process, making it easier for recipients to amplify your content across their networks, ultimately contributing to greater brand visibility and reach.
8. Spam Complaints
Spam Complaints reflect the percentage of recipients who mark an email as spam, calculated by dividing the number of complaints by the total delivered emails.
This KPI has both immediate and long-term implications. It can affect email marketing effectiveness and, more critically, your email sender’s reputation.
High spam complaint rates can significantly reduce email deliverability. Industry averages typically stay below 0.01%, so exceeding this threshold signals the need to build trust and optimise email content.
You should avoid using spam-related terms in subject lines and reduce email frequency to mitigate spam complaints. A clean email list, along with proactive list-building practices, is vital for maintaining a strong sender reputation and ensuring email success.
9. Most and Least Engaged Subscribers
The “Most and Least Engaged Subscribers” metric identifies the segments of your email list with the highest and lowest levels of engagement. It’s calculated by assessing open rates, click-through rates, and overall interaction with email campaigns.
Understanding these groups is pivotal for effective email segmentation. The most engaged subscribers are likelier to respond to promotions. In contrast, the least engaged might benefit from re-engagement campaigns or different content strategies.
By targeting each segment with relevant content, you can enhance overall campaign performance and nurture stronger connections with their audience.
10. List Growth Rate
List Growth Rate measures the speed at which your email subscriber list is expanding and is calculated by comparing the number of new subscribers to the overall list size.
You should track this KPI because it indicates the health and sustainability of your email marketing efforts. A positive growth rate signifies an increasing audience, more leads, and a broader reach.
How to Improve Email Marketing KPIs
1. Optimise Your Email Subject Lines
An email subject line serves as the recipient’s first impression of your email. It’s where they make the decision to open the email or not.
These subject lines shouldn’t be too long and should summarise the whole email. It should be eye-catching and make the person want to learn more about what is to come. Using emojis can be helpful since you can show a facial expression with one emoji; the colours are also eye-catching.
To summarise, these are the main points that email marketers should consider:
Keep the subject line short and explanatory.
Use keywords related to the email’s content.
Don’t use generic expressions such as “hello”, “good morning”, etc.
Email segmentation is a prerequisite for any email marketing strategy at this point. Inboxes everywhere flood with hundreds of emails every day. Suppose you want better results for the email marketing KPIs you’re tracking. In that case, you need to ensure your campaigns captivate your intended audience.
The campaign’s relevance holds the key to garnering your audience’s active engagement, which can only be achieved with the proper segmentation strategy. The primary email segmentation strategies are based on demographic, geographic, email engagement, and behavioural segmentation.
3. Personalise Your Emails
The era of generic, one-size-fits-all emails is behind us. Today, your subscribers hunger for content that speaks to their unique preferences and desires.
Fostering a robust bond between a brand and its audience necessitates meaningful interactions. Personalised emails provide a direct avenue to realise this objective. You can foster connections that transcend the digital divide by harnessing the power of data, technology, and creativity.
4. Keep Your Emails Short and Sweet
Your email should be brief. Keep the critical messages near the top of the email because interest in email content decreases as it goes below the fold. By optimising your headlines, you will reach out to more readers to read your whole email. Keep a headline’s opening two words informative since they are the most significant.
Get straight to the point if you want to keep your readers reading your email. Decide if it’s worthwhile to include any drawn-out introductions or pleasantries because most readers will skip them. Avoid including any crucial information in the introduction if it is required.
5. Send Test Emails Before Sending Out the Campaigns
Sending test emails before launching campaigns is a critical step in email marketing. These test emails allow you to catch and rectify various issues that could impact your email’s performance and KPIs.
This preview can identify and address problems such as broken links, typos, incorrect subject lines, display irregularities, broken designs, untracked links, and grammatical errors.
However, it’s vital to recognise that what appears perfect may not necessarily align with your subscribers’ preferences due to rendering differences. Ensuring that your emails are well-structured and rendered correctly for every recipient is paramount to achieving success in email marketing.
Wrapping Up
Tracking email marketing KPIs is an indispensable practice for achieving success in email campaigns. These key performance indicators provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your emails, enabling data-driven decision-making.
From open rates and CTRs to forwarding and spam complaints, monitoring these metrics helps maintain email sender’s reputation and ensures content relevance. Marketers should also focus on engaging the most and least active subscribers and regularly send test emails to identify and rectify issues.
By keeping a close eye on these KPIs, you can optimise your email marketing strategy and build strong, lasting connections with your audience.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 4, 2023, and was updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness on November 10, 2023.
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