Email has been a trusted communication tool for decades. Unlike social media platforms that are constantly changing, email offers a consistent channel that gives you nearly full control, and it remains one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience.
However, we’re all too familiar with overwhelmed inboxes and constant promotional emails. In the inbox competition, there are things you can do to create an effective and engaging email campaign. At Green Loop, we’ve seen great results from our own email campaigns. Here are four proven tips to boost your open and click-through rates.
Exclusive, thought-provoking content
Your monthly email newsletter campaigns should center around a content piece, whether that’s a new blog sharing thought-leadership industry updates, a note from the CEO with valuable insights, or just sharing interesting resources or advice specific to your industry and audience. This will serve as a hook for your audience and drive your subject lines. It’s important to position yourself as an industry expert for your audience, and this is the perfect place to do it.
Offering exclusive content can entice people to subscribe and keep opening, especially if they know they’re getting valuable, insider information. For example, each month we include a new blog (like the one you’re reading now!) in our newsletters to share with our other marketing friends and subscribers on what we are learning and doing to lead successful marketing campaigns.
What your team is working on
Here’s the chance to show off your work and industry expertise in action. Share your latest client updates or partnerships. Shoutout upcoming events or programming. Tell stories from your customers, clients, or partners. Welcome a new client or highlight a past successful case study. Regardless of how you choose to present your work, this is your chance to brag about the amazing things your company is doing and invite your audience to get involved.
Fun and personable updates
Now it’s time to get personal! Don’t worry, you don’t have to share your deepest secrets. Instead, focus on lighthearted, fun moments: team celebrations, new hire spotlights, or even a seasonal photo dump. This is a place for your audience to get to know your team better outside of the wonderful work they do.
You could highlight a new team member each month, celebrate work anniversaries, and share your colleagues' accomplishments outside of the office. Personal updates also help humanize your brand and build trust, giving your audience a chance to find fun connection points.
A great subject line to spark action
All of this great email content means nothing if your audience isn’t opening the email. This is where the hard work comes in - creating a killer subject line that stands out from the rest and gets your subscribers to click! Mailchimp, our favorite email marketing tool, suggests that subject lines be no more than nine words or 60 characters. That means being short, sweet, and to the point.
In our monthly email campaigns, we focus the subject line on the exclusive content found inside the email, making it more enticing to open. Another great tip is to use an emoji, but use them sparingly. These are great for standing out in email inboxes and adding a visual element to an otherwise text-only subject line. Browse through and see what might fit best with the content inside your newsletter and drop it in after your thoughtfully crafted, descriptive subject line.
Here are a few of our subject line examples:
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Tie it all together
Email is a fantastic way to communicate with your audience consistently and effectively. It’s not subject to changing algorithms and lands directly in your audience’s inbox. A great monthly email newsletter campaign is just the thing to keep your audience engaged and informed on your expert industry knowledge, your team’s work, and any other fun personal updates you care to share. Tie that all together with an eye-catching subject line, and you’ve got a successful email campaign outline to stay connected with your audience! Start implementing these four tips in your next newsletter and watch your engagement grow.
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Amelia Lynas
MARKETING MANAGER