Planning your next email marketing execution? When it comes to the art of conversion, few marketing channels can match email marketing campaigns in target persuasion.

Emails are excellent digital weapons, but most businesses approach them incorrectly, resulting in poor customer experience and high email unsubscribe rates. The right email marketing operation can precisely target ready-buyers who are already interested in your brand.

But to do this, you’ll need a deep level of customer understanding, a foolproof email plan, and interesting content. Read on for more insights on crafting email marketing campaigns that convert. 

What is an email marketing campaign? 

Email marketing, or Electronic Direct Mail (EDM), is a direct marketing method in which a business shares new products, company updates, and promotions with its customers via email.

An email marketing campaign is, therefore, your plan of attack for using emails to convert leads to customers. Because customers opt-in to receive emails from a business (more intel on this later), the conversion rate is typically higher than that of other marketing channels. 

Email marketing is a growing force in inbound marketing among Australian businesses. It's forecasted that ad spending for email marketing campaigns in the country will reach US$250.10m in 2024, which leaves us with our mission today: how does one get started with email marketing? 

How to Run a Successful Email Marketing Campaign

Setting clear goals 
The path to successful email marketing always begins with a plan. So before you start sending out emails to your clients, think about your goals. Who are you sending it to? What type of email content does your audience want to see? Are you hoping to increase sales or build customer relationships with this email? 

It’s crucial that you set S.M.A.R.T. goals for your email marketing campaign. That is, they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and have a specific Timeline. Here are some examples of S.M.A.R.T goals you can set for your business. 

In general, Australia has an average open rate of 20.6% and a click-to-open rate of 14.8%. So be realistic with your goals based on your resources at hand. 

Knowing your audience  

We’ve discussed at great length how your customer persona should dictate most, if not all, of your marketing actions. By understanding what your customers want and what type of content they gravitate towards, you can begin crafting the right messaging that gets their attention and improves your email marketing performance. 

Gone are the days when businesses could get away with sending one email to their entire consumer database. Instead, the best email marketing strategies target specific consumer segments with personalised messages. The more personalised your email is, the better it’ll perform. 

Here are some of the ways you can segment your consumer email list. 

Your email content is one of the most crucial parts of your email marketing campaign, capable of dictating its success or failure. Typically, the three most important pieces of content in your email are the subject line, actual content, and call to action. Here’s an example of the different content pieces highlighted in one of Digital Assassin’s newsletter emails.

Your email subject line should ideally be less than 9 words or 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut out. It should also have a clear and concise call to action with a button that leads consumers exactly where you want them to go. 

Here are some examples of popular email content for email marketing campaigns. 

Email design is how your email looks on desktop and mobile. Many businesses forget to optimise their emails for mobile devices, but with over 41% email views coming from phones, it's a crucial exercise. 

Keep your call-to-action buttons front and centre in your email and that your copies are broken into short paragraphs, highlighting keywords and phrases where necessary. Ideally, your email should always begin with an appealing image with a catchy headline. 

Email builders such as Mailchimp and Klaviyo are simple, easy platforms to create visually appealing emails. Using the platform's existing templates, you can simply add in your text, visuals, and a call-to-action button that can optimise your click-to-open rate. 

Test and refine 

Once your email marketing campaign is fully operational, it's time to test and refine its success based on the mission you identified in the first step. How well did your email fare in open rates, click-to-open rates, and conversions?

Most email marketing platforms allow you to view your email performance and compare it against past results. True masters of email marketing will typically launch A/B testing, in which two similar emails are sent to split customer groups with a difference in one element (e.g., subject line, call to action, visual element). The results for both emails are then analysed and optimised to refine future emails.   

Comply with email marketing laws 

Deception is not the way with email marketing. Australian laws compel businesses to legally get customers' permission before sending them marketing emails. Additionally, any marketing emails sent should always have clear contact information from the business and a visible way for consumers to unsubscribe. Otherwise, it will be marked as spam. 

The assassin’s way is to create a double opt-in email database with your consumers. This means that the users must sign up for your mailing list and confirm their subscription by clicking on an email link sent to them. 

It may seem tedious, but a double opt-in email subscription ensures that you’re targeting customers who want to hear from you, thus increasing conversion chances. It also protects your emails from getting flagged as spam or your account being banned from violating email laws. 

Key takeaway

Email marketing campaigns present an opportunity for personalised, direct communication with your customers. However, to truly master your email campaigns, you should have a clear understanding of your goals, customers, and email laws. With the right skills and knowledge, you can begin crafting an email marketing campaign that truly aligns with your overarching business goals. 

Digital Assassin provides affordable digital marketing plans for Australian businesses to build and manage their online marketing with ongoing tactical content and SEO best practices. To learn more about how to build a great website, read our eBook, So You Need a Killer Website. Alternatively, speak to an assassin today.