Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most underrated but top performing advertising tactics in the present day. Whether it’s to boost engagement, drive sales or simply create a stronger relationship with your audience, email marketing can benefit a business in far more ways than one. More than 85% of adults read or use email in the UK. Of these users, 99% check their emails daily, which for some can be up to 20 times a day. This shows no sign of changing – email marketing is here to stay.
Being the most dominant communication tool for professionals, you’d be silly to not use email for your business-to-business communication. 95% of professionals are using it daily.
Although this presents marketers with endless opportunities if done correctly, the sheer volume of emails creates noise for consumers, with people sending 281 billion emails per day this year – and it’s going up. Unfortunately, it does have its downsides. The fragmentation of audiences paired with the overwhelming amount of emails means that 17.3% of emails are classified as spam. It’s clear to see how consumers can be flippant with not reading their emails. Getting lost in a sea of emails (even if your email is fool-proof) is easy; so how can you stop this and improve your open rate?
– Subject lines
– Timing
– Tone
– Location of your audience
When it comes to subject lines – they’re the first thing a person sees. If your subject line is ineffective, odds are the recipient isn’t going to open your email. So, what makes a good subject line? It’s simple. Literally. Having a simple subject line around 6-10 words long, without continuous capital letters (worst offence out there) will get you far. Use words relevant to the consumer and avoid calls-to-action in the subject line. If you can personalise the email to have their first or last name involved, that would be even better.
Timing is also very important when trying to improve open rate. For business-to-business marketing, numerous studies have proven that Thursday morning is the prime time to send an email to a professional. 50% of people begin their day by emailing in bed. On the other hand, sending an email on the weekend is by far the worst time to do so – for obvious reasons.
If you can get the tone of your email right, then you’re already halfway there. Put yourself in your consumers’ shoes. What are they looking for? What do they want to see? What are they interested in? Adapt your tone based on the content you’re sending. If it’s a newsletter, sometimes a slightly less formal, interesting approach works far better than an office company voice.
Where is your audience? For example, when shopping online, 38% of online shoppers use a computer; however, 32% use a mobile. These people cannot be disregarded, therefore make sure your email is compatible with a mobile phone. If you use links, make sure they’re compatible with other devices.
The Pet Industry
The pet industry is an ever-growing market which has seen an exceptional increase in the last few years, with Brits currently spending £10 billion on their dogs every year. It has been described as a ‘recession-proof industry.’ Over a quarter of pet owners admit they like to pamper their pets, with one in five splurging £20 a month on outfits alone for their pups. 88% of people admit to spending up to £50 on an extravagant present for their pets; which proves that people really love their animals.
For the pet industry, emails are vital. The most opened emails are related to hobbies and passions, with an open rate of 27.35%. With most adults caring more about their pets than their kids and partners put together (not really), a relatable email regarding their beloved pet is very openable for the consumer. Not only do emails related to hobbies and passions have a respectable open rate, but they also have a click rate of 4.78% – impressive, considering the average for all industries is 2.43%.
But what do they really want to hear about? A Brandshare study shows that the most interesting topics to pet-lovers are rescue-related topics, puppy farming and behavioural advice. In short, it’s important to inform pet-lovers about industry-related news and advise them on topics which apply to them. Engaging with the consumer on a personal level is crucial.
In conclusion, email marketing can be extremely successful – if done correctly, and after some significant consumer research. To be blunt, it’s cheap, measurable and flexible. Being the #1 communication channel among professionals, the business-to-business potential is endless. It is a vibrant and powerful way to connect with people, and you shouldn’t ignore it!
We specialise in email marketing here at Brandshare, so if you are interested in running an email campaign, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01276858880, or view our page here.
