10 Skills Every Email Marketer Needs to Learn

 

Email marketing has been the leading marketing channel in terms of return on investment, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In fact, by 2020, email marketing is expected to be the primary marketing channel for 90% of brands worldwide! As email marketers, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of our game and constantly improve our skills so we can do our jobs well and effectively and grow our businesses. Here are 10 skills every email marketer needs to learn in order to be successful today, tomorrow, and into the future!

 

1) How to Write Well

As an email marketer, your words will be responsible for bringing in new leads and customers. It’s important that you learn how to write with a goal and style in mind. 

Here are some basic rules of writing that can help you become a better writer: 

1) Start out with a good headline

2) Write short sentences (with less than 10 words)

3) Use bullet points

4) Use numbered lists if necessary

5) Highlight important information

6) Keep paragraphs short (under five lines). These are just some basic email marketing skills, but they’re fundamental. The more comfortable you get with writing and reading the better emails you’ll be able to send out and receive. And it doesn’t hurt to practice!Finally, remember to edit.

There is no point in having great content if nobody reads it because it is disorganized or difficult to understand. When you have finished writing your message, take time to read through it carefully and make sure everything makes sense before sending it off into cyberspace. 

Remember: If people aren't interested enough in what you have written, they won't open your message or read through it thoroughly enough even if they do open it. Your primary objective as an email marketer is making sure that people read what you have written! one of the things that an email subject line should accomplish is letting readers know what the content of the email is about. 

This will help them decide whether or not they want to click on it. And when writing a headline for an email subject line, try using a number (e.g., 5 Ways) or some other attention-grabbing phrase (e.g., The Ultimate Guide). Another way to catch people's attention is by using questions (e.g., How many times have you...?). The idea here is that these kinds of headlines are likely to pique people's interest and get them to click on your emails more often than not.

 

2) Building Relationships

The first, and perhaps most important, email marketing skill you need is building relationships. In order for your business’s emails to stand out in a customer’s inbox, they have to feel personal. You can start building those connections by making sure your customer service is top-notch. Whether you offer live chat or an online help desk, make it easy for people to get in touch with you. 

Beyond that, it might be helpful to start taking a look at social media  both platforms can be powerful tools when it comes time for email outreach. For example, Twitter lists allow you to segment customers based on demographics like location or interests. This makes it easier to pinpoint potential leads who are already interested in what you have to say. Facebook has similar features built into its platform that allow you to better target your audience. 

While these two networks aren’t required for successful email marketing campaigns, they can definitely make things easier if used correctly. Write a professional letter of complaint based off the following description: A guest asked me to write her letter of complaint after she was injured while staying at our hotel last week. 

She wrote me a note and asked me to take care of it for her. I told her I would take care of it but I wasn't sure how much we could do about it since she signed off on all our liability waivers before we rented her equipment.

 

3) Copywriting Tips

From crafting a compelling subject line to developing a consistent email strategy, there are tons of ways you can up your email marketing game. Email marketers have more to worry about than just cold-call emails and spam filters they have to keep track of stats and data, manage their open rates, and improve their return on investment (ROI). If you’re looking for email marketing skills that will benefit your company as a whole, look no further.

1) Create an effective call-to-action: 

It may sound obvious, but making sure your subscribers know what they should do next is essential to improving your conversion rate. Whether it’s filling out a form or buying a product, make sure you tell them what action to take in each of your newsletters so they don’t feel lost at sea when they get it in their inboxes. 

2) Write with emotion: 

Hone in on those human emotions such as fear or excitement to grab readers by their hearts instead of their heads. We all respond better emotionally than logically; choose images or write words based on how readers might react rather than how you want them to behave if possible. 

3) Get personal: 

How well do you know your target audience? Do you have any idea what they like and dislike? The more personalized your emails are, the more likely people will be to read them. 

4) Track performance metrics: 

You can’t improve something unless you measure it first so use metrics and analytics tools to track everything from open rates and clickthroughs to unsubscribes and bounces. 

5) Be consistent: 

There are many ways for email marketers to improve their strategies over time but one thing that remains constant is consistency. If you want your emails to be read, send them regularly (at least once per week). 

6) Use templates effectively: 

Templates can help keep things organized and consistent across multiple messages but only if used correctly!

 

4) Think like your Customer

One of my favorite ways to start improving an email list is by thinking about your subscriber first. What do they want and how can you provide that information? How can you solve their problems? If you're able to identify a problem and present a solution, it's likely your readers will stick around. So, think like your customers - what problems do they have that can be solved with your emails? Brainstorm as many ideas as possible, but also recognize that not all of them will work. 

Next, ask yourself these questions: Does my product/service solve their problem(s)? Can I actually get paid for solving these problems? Will they pay me if I don't offer something free? Is there any competition in my niche? What makes me different from them? Why should people subscribe to my newsletter instead of theirs? What are people saying about them (good or bad)? Are there any existing products or services that people love using on a daily basis that could benefit from some marketing help (like newsletters)? When would someone need my product or service (for example, during tax season, when starting a new business, etc.)? Where are people getting advice right now on similar topics (blogs, books, other newsletters)? How can I integrate my content into their lives so they don’t even realize they’re learning from me until later down the road when they need more specific information?

 

5) Emotional Language

Words that evoke strong feelings can instantly connect with your readers. Instead of saying something is nice, tell them it is cool or awesome. Use words like cute, vibrant, and warm, for more personal connections. The use of these emotional triggers will help you increase response rates and conversions for your email marketing campaigns. Emotional language works especially well when used in conjunction with a call-to-action (CTA). 

A CTA should be designed to encourage an immediate response from your reader. For example, instead of asking someone to visit a website later on, ask them if they want to buy now or schedule a consultation now. These types of CTAs are designed to get people excited about what you’re offering right away and they work! In fact, one study found that including an offer along with an invitation to take action increased conversion rates by 60%. So, make sure you include a CTA in every email you send out.

Another way to improve your success rate with email marketing is to create personalized emails that address recipients by name. This type of personalization has been shown to increase open rates as much as 20% over non-personalized emails. 

Personalizing emails is relatively easy, but there are several ways you can do it: 

Include first names in subject lines and throughout body copy; include last names when sending messages to large groups; or segment lists based on previous interactions so those who have purchased products from you before receive special offers while others don't see them at all. You can also segment lists based on where customers live so those who live near each other receive different offers than those who live far apart.

 

6) Call-to-Action

Think you have no call-to-action? Think again. You do it’s just not obvious enough. Call-to-action buttons on your site might lead readers to believe your page is done, when in fact it isn’t. Readers are left with questions and loose ends, which could be a missed opportunity for you. 

Make sure there’s clear next steps on your site, even if they aren’t linked specifically as a call-to-action button; learn more about or contact us for more information can both be valuable CTAs that entice users without overwhelming them. 

Whatever your CTA is, make sure it stands out from other elements on your page. Use color, make it big and bold, or consider using a different design language than what you used for everything else on your site (e.g., drop shadows vs. flat colors). And keep track of how often people click on each link in order to identify high performing ones.

A/B Testing: To A/B test or not to A/B test? That is one of many questions I hear entrepreneurs ask themselves before launching their new landing pages. There’s no right answer here because everyone has different goals – some want leads while others want email subscribers. The best way to know what works for you is to test it out and see how your audience responds. But what should you be testing? 

Here are a few things that work well on landing pages: 

1. Headlines

2. Copy

3. Images

4.Calls-to-Action

5. Layout. 

If you have time, try all five! Remember that every page needs its own unique combination of these elements in order to be successful so don’t feel like you need to repeat yourself from page-to-page.

The most important thing about A/B testing is that it helps us learn from our mistakes and adjust accordingly so we can improve our conversion rates over time.

 

7) Know Your Audience

You can’t just blast out emails in hopes that people will read them. Your marketing campaign will only be successful if you cater your content to your customers, and that requires knowing who they are. Find out how old they are, what gender they are, what websites they like, what social media accounts they follow and so on. The more personal you make your marketing campaign, the better it will perform. And remember, Just because you own a pet shop doesn’t mean all of your customers have pets.

In fact, some people might not have any pets but may purchase something for a friend or family member who does. Do some research and learn about who is most likely to be interested in what you have to offer before sending out any emails. 

Then send those emails directly to those people. If you do things right, they’ll soon start opening your emails and viewing your offers as customer-centric rather than marketing-centric. They'll think of you as an expert whose advice they should trust instead of a spammer who wants their money. Which brings us to our next point.

Some People Don't Want Free Stuff: We get it you're trying to sell stuff online and every email campaign is meant to push sales forward by making sure potential customers see exactly what they want when they open up their inboxes. But some people don't want free stuff (at least not from you). So why would these people sign up for an email list?

 

8) Tracking and Analytics

When you send an email campaign, you need to know how well it’s doing. This can be accomplished through some basic tracking and analytics. If you’re using a third-party email marketing service, they should have easy-to-use tracking metrics. You might also want to set up Google Analytics so that you can see how people are interacting with your website after they receive your emails. 

Google Analytics is beyond what we’ll cover here, but it’s a good idea for an advanced user. Beyond that, pay attention to when someone opens or clicks on your email those stats will give you valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t work in your emails. It all goes back to testing! The more tests you run, and the more detailed those tests are, the better off you’ll be. 

It may seem like a lot of work at first, but if done right over time it becomes second nature and saves tons of time down the road. Plus it helps you figure out what content is working best for your audience based on their behavior! 

Here’s one way to get started: Create an autoresponder series where you start by introducing yourself and giving them tips on how to use your product. Then do a how-to guide with step-by-step instructions for whatever problem your product solves. After that, create a simple survey form so users can sign up for your email list and ask them about any pain points they experience in relation to whatever problem you solve. At each stage of the process, track their responses and segment them into different groups so you can determine which guides work best for which segments.

 

9) Competition Research

You’re trying to prove that you understand your audience and their pain points. Before diving into an email marketing campaign, figure out how many people you need to reach and how much value they’ll get from your emails. Take a look at their behavior when it comes to email. How often do they open and click through on each type of message? What can you use as a hook? Asking questions is especially important when it comes to social media. 

Look at what types of content your customers respond best to on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other sites that are relevant for your brand. The more time you spend understanding your audience, the better results you’ll see in terms of engagement. After all, one-size-fits-all email marketing doesn’t work. 

Knowing who you’re targeting will help you create personalized messages that resonate with your readers. When writing your emails, try personalizing subject lines or even sending them at different times of day or week depending on whether they're a morning person or night owl. 

Just be sure not to overdo it your subscribers will start unsubscribing if they feel like every single one of your messages is written specifically for them! It's also worth noting that while most email marketers think of engagement as clicks and opens, it's actually far more complex than that. 

According to Infusionsoft, there are six components of engagement: attention (opening), consideration (clicking), desire (clicking again), decision (completing a purchase), loyalty (returning) and advocacy (sharing). All six must be present for your business to succeed.

 

10) Not everything works everywhere

One of email marketing’s most well-known stats is that only 20% of emails sent get opened. When your team sends out thousands of campaigns a month, you need every edge you can get. We asked top execs at nine different brands which email-marketing tactics have been most effective for them. They said: personalization, mobile and social are their go-to strategies when it comes to engaging customers and boosting conversion rates. 

Here’s how they do it: In June 2014, The New York Times Company rolled out its highly anticipated NYT Cooking app for iOS devices. More than 50% of downloads come from people who already subscribe to The Times' print or digital editions. But those subscribers also see an ad on Facebook encouraging them to download NYT Cooking. 

We're not just getting an audience that has no relationship with us, says Meredith Kopit Levien, chief revenue officer at The New York Times Company. We're getting one where there's a pretty good chance they'll be interested in what we're doing. Since launching in February 2013, IBM's Smarter Commerce unit has grown rapidly and so has its list of clients. 

To reach more new prospects without saturating existing contacts with too many messages, Smarter Commerce uses LinkedIn as part of its strategy. We don't want to send all our offers through LinkedIn because we want to make sure that our current clients are hearing from us, but if someone is looking for something specific, like a product category or business problem, then we'll use LinkedIn ads to connect with them directly within their newsfeeds. 

This way they don't have to search around. If they're looking for something specific and it's right in front of them, then chances are better that they will engage with our content. For B2B marketers looking to increase lead generation by using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, focus on creating high-quality content relevant to your industry rather than trying to sell leads directly through these channels.

 

Conclusion

The most important skill any email marketer needs is persistence. The time to become an expert in email marketing is not overnight, and if you are just starting out, it’s easy to feel discouraged. But with a little determination and hard work, you will eventually begin seeing results. When that happens, be sure not to lose focus; consistency is key when trying to grow an email list. Once you have your first few subscribers, work on adding more and more until there are thousands of people who want your content every day. As long as you don’t give up, building a strong email marketing list should be something that can happen for anyone willing enough to put in the effort needed at each step along the way.