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Test your email expertise

Email marketing is a great tool for growing your business … but only if your messages get to contacts’ inboxes, and then generate opens and clicks. 

Before you hit send, you might want to ask yourself: Is everyone on your list interested in coming to your in-person launch party? Have they already taken the course you’re promoting? And would they really like a coupon on a product for cats, if they’re allergic and have only shopped aquarium products?

These questions are critical, since mass (or blast) emails involve sending the same message, at the same time, to a broad list. While it’s a great way to quickly reach your audience, it’s best reserved for emergencies (“our site is temporarily down”) or particularly time-sensitive information.

Where email blasts go wrong:

Search engines and mobile apps have trained us to expect a personalized experience. AI has made it easier than ever to anticipate what a particular user is interested in. 

So when you send one-size-fits-all messages, you’re literally telling your customers you don’t care enough about them to only share info they want to receive. 

Here’s why that matters: 75% of consumers are more likely to purchase from businesses that remember their name, recommend options based on past preferences, or know their purchase history.

Plus, spam folders keep getting better at weeding out mass emails. Even if they hit the inbox, customers can spot email blasts, quickly hitting delete, move-to-spam, or unsubscribe. Each of these actions detracts from  your email sender reputation, leading to even fewer messages reaching your target.

What Should You Send to Your Subscribers?

We know email marketing works. With an average return of investment (ROI) of $42 for every $1 spent, there is no denying its efficacy. To further optimize your marketing strategy, make sure all of the business emails you send fit this criteria:

1. Timely.

  • Are you responding to questions within an appropriate time-frame? No customer will care to receive an answer to a question weeks after they’ve asked. Customers appreciate quick responses.
  • Salespeople who contact a customer within an hour of receiving a query are 60 times more likely to earn a sale than those who wait 24 hours or longer before contacting them.
  • Are you sharing something on-trend before the fad fades away? It doesn’t pay off to be a step behind the times.


2. Relevant.

  • 61% of customers report that a positive experience when merchants share relevant information
  • If your news is relevant but not timely, remind them why you thought they’d be interested.


3. Requested.

  • This is critical: did they sign up (literally) for the information you’re sending?
  • This is where blast emails to generic lists completely fail to measure up. Every step of your subscribe/send process should be designed for your audience to tell you what they do (and don’t) want to receive. 

What can you do?

In 2020 alone, 306.4 billion emails were sent and received daily. This figure is expected to jump to 361.6 billion in the next four years. This means that every internet-using person on this planet, which is approximately half of the population, can expect to receive a rough estimate of 95 more emails on a daily basis in 2024. 

While customers are being bombarded with emails, email marketing has not lost its effectiveness. 60% of consumers report that they have made a purchase as a direct result of a marketing email they received. These statistics illustrate the value of segmenting your audience. 

With just a little effort, you can use your email marketing tools to learn more about your audience.

  • Ask for the types of emails they want to get once they sign up - or provide an email preference center.
  • Track the types of emails and links they click on.
  • Periodically ask them for feedback
    • What do they enjoy receiving?
    • What would they prefer seeing more (or less) of?

You can do even rudimentary segmentation with most free systems - and the more advanced, the better you can tailor content people actually want to see in their inboxes! 

Need some help getting started? We can help! Just click here to schedule a call.

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