If you think that email is no longer an effective way to get leads, it’s actually better than you think.

Think about it…

Email connects 85% of the world. This translates to 6.29 billion people. Of the 85% of the email account holders, 66% check their email on a mobile device. Do the math. That’s a lot of people.

Whether you’re Joe Baker or Facebook, email marketing is a GREAT way to get people to learn about you. You don’t want to email billions of people. You only want to email people who care about what you can do for THEM…and eventually become your customers.

10 Email Best Practices for Your Campaign

1. Your emails should be short, clear, and easy to read with big buttons. If your prospects open your email on a mobile device, they should be able to easily tap on any CTAs.
2. Don’t leave readers guessing what to do next. Give clear instructions or a call to action (CTA) that tells readers what the next step is and what they can expect. Your emails should move your prospects through the buyer’s journey, not confuse them.
3. Make sure you use responsive email designs (a design that displays beautifully on any size device). Services like Constant Contact or MailChimp offer easy to use templates.
4. Use short, compelling subject lines that get right to the point. Let your prospects and customers know exactly why they should open the email. Time is tight, and most people skim over subject lines. Make sure your subject line jumps out and grabs their attention.
5. Personalize your email whenever possible — the more you personalize, the better. Add personalization tokens, such as their first name or company, to personalize the experience. Send the email from a real person, not a company, and include that individual’s contact information. In other words, humanize your emails as much as you can.
6. The look and feel of your email should evoke positive feelings. Pay attention to the tone and avoid stuffing your email with multiple CTAs and images. Sometimes, less is more. If your email is too cluttered, your readers may get overwhelmed or frustrated.
7. Start conversations. Invite people to ask questions and send something back to you. This could also with a simple CTA.
8. Timing is everything. The timing of the email depends on your audience and your CTA. Don’t be afraid to send emails before or after business hours.
9. Remember to say thank you, whether in the email itself or on the CTA landing page. At that time, there should be more ways for that person to reach out to you or learn more about your company.
10. Last, and most important, test, test, TEST your email on several different platforms. Check and double check that you’re not missing anything. Did you proofread the email? Is the subject line clear? Is the personalization code working? Send a test email to different people with different phones and computers. If you like what you see, and used the above email marketing best practices, then you can pull the trigger.

As a Side Note:

This is not one of the 10 email marketing best practices because it’s not a must, but it is something to look into and read about. Drip email campaigns (or drip marketing) are an effective way to generate more leads from an email list. A drip campaign consists of a series of marketing emails that send automatically on a schedule.

Drip email campaigns help you stay connected with anyone who has NOT opened your email or has NOT taken any action. Essentially, it gives you more chances to grab their attention and convert them into leads.

The best part? After a great deal of front-end planning and setup, you can sit back, relax and watch the stats once the campaign is live.  When done effectively, these email campaigns can lead to more opens, clicks, leads and sales. And with only 20% of marketers using this tactic, there is untapped potential for lead generation.

The Golden Rule

Remember: when you reach out through email, you only have a short time to grab their attention. Make the interaction count.

Do you have any best practices or email marketing tips that help you generate more leads?

All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing program becomes more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: The Better Path to Top-Tier Tech Marketing.

Debbie MacKenzie is a 1991 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where she majored in graphic arts production management. Deb cut her professional teeth managing production and customer relations at major printing companies before coming to Schubert b2b 14 years ago. Debbie’s a versatile big hitter overseeing all things financial and operational.