The most successful email marketing campaigns go beyond the basics of brand image and creative copy.

The guide includes nine proven strategies to drive email marketing success. As you get to know your email subscribers and develop campaigns based on their preferences, the results will speak for themselves. 

What are the most effective email marketing tactics?

Email is one of the more versatile electronic communication tools, but developing an effective email marketing strategy can initially seem daunting. 

Develop your email marketing campaigns using the following strategies. From double opt-in and marketing automation to segmentation and A/B testing, there are countless types of email marketing tools to serve your business.

1. Build your email list organically 

If you deal with email in sales, you're probably familiar with the CAN-SPAM Act, which regulates unwanted electronic messages received via email or text. 

Although buying an email list doesn't violate this act, using that list to contact people who haven't consented to receive your messages is illegal. Additionally, sending unsolicited messages to random accounts can be more detrimental than advantageous. 

Think about the last time you received an email from a business you never gave permission to — you likely sent it to your spam folder and moved on with your day. Businesses that continually send emails marked as spam can damage their sender reputation scores and degrade their deliverability.

2. Rely on double opt-in 

When subscribers sign up for your email newsletter or give you their email address to download a white paper or e-book, they complete a single opt-in to receive your messages. 

A double opt-in occurs when those same subscribers click a second link in a confirmation email. It verifies that they've consented to receive digital communications from your company. 

Double opt-in is an essential best practice. Using simple sign-up forms can ensure compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act and confirm that your subscribers are fully engaged with your brand.

In addition to compliance, double opt-in can reduce errors in misspelled addresses and manage the number of spam emails that artificially inflate your metrics. 

3. Segment your subscribers

Emailing your entire subscriber list can help keep your target audience updated about general information, such as holiday closers or changes to terms. However, the best email marketing tactics employ segmentation to deliver tailored value to subscribers. 

With your subscriber list segmented into various groups, you can develop custom email marketing campaigns based on shared characteristics. As you increase your subscriber count, trends will likely emerge based on demographics, location, age, interests, and other details. 

However, the depth of your segmentation efforts depends on the quality and quantity of information you receive from your subscribers. While more information is always better, you must always balance marketing with privacy.

4. Automate standard communications

Creating automated emails that welcome new subscribers, reward first-time buyers, or thank customers for their continued patronage can help your business develop a consistent brand image and build trust. 

Most automated emails are identical between consumers, save for minor details that can quickly be filled in based on a customer's profile. Email automation can help you save time without sacrificing audience engagement.

5. Tailor your messages

Personalizing your emails helps build relationships and contributes to customer loyalty. Segmenting your subscribers can also help tailor your email messages. 

For example, if you automate certain communications — such as welcome emails, transactional emails, or lead nurturing emails — ensure the email copy remains relevant to your target audience and aligns with your segmentation efforts. A subscriber's location in the buyer's journey should also influence the emails they receive. 

Email marketing best practices like these can help foster awareness and promote consideration of your brand. Establishing your brand's value proposition over a series of emails can drive your subscriber's decision to purchase your product or service. 

6. Make your emails mobile-friendly 

Mobile-friendly emails can launch your brand toward success, especially if you use a responsive design that looks good on mobile devices and desktops. 

Pictures that fail to load or formatting that distracts from your call-to-action (CTA) deter your customers from moving down the funnel. Ensure your formatting performs well on mobile and desktop versions and that each element encourages re-engagement. 

7. Spend time on the subject line 

You've probably heard of an elevator pitch, but what about the power of a good email subject line? 

Within 30–50 characters, you must convince the reader that what's inside your message is worth their time. Failure to do so can affect your email deliverability and potentially result in an unsubscribe. 

Optimize your promotional emails with compelling language and phrasing that drives sales, whether you're contacting potential customers, new subscribers, or existing customers. 

Regardless of the type of email you send, every subject line should include active verbs that pique your recipient's interest and drive engagement. Maximize your digital marketing efforts with carefully crafted subject lines, and watch as your conversion rates soar.

8. Test, adjust, and repeat 

Each of the email marketing strategies above can positively influence your email marketing campaigns. But if you don't experiment with different versions and leverage your insights, your efforts will stall. 

Techniques like A/B testing help your brand evolve its messaging to increase open and click-through rates while reducing bounce and unsubscribe rates. Test your email marketing campaigns across multiple dimensions, from email design and visuals to email content and the number of emails subscribers receive. 

For example, try different email templates for a new product launch. Once you've found the one that works, repeat. If your first email gets blocked by a spam filter, send a follow-up message to protect your return on investment.

9. Review email marketing metrics 

Sending messages is just the first step in evaluating your email marketing efforts. Review your key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine where you can refine your email marketing campaigns, better reach your target audience, and increase conversions. 

Common KPIs and related metrics include: 

• Open rates: Higher open rates mean more of your subscribers are engaged with the emails you send out, increasing your chances of a conversion. 
• Click-through rates: Your click-through rate is the number of subscribers who (1) open your email and (2) follow through with your call-to-action.
• Bounce rates: Emails that bounce back can stem from a mismanaged subscriber list or failure to confirm an address before a subscriber is entered into your customer relationship management (CRM) system.
• Unsubscribe rates: Low unsubscribe rates indicate that your email marketing strategies are effective, but higher rates can signal that your emails don't align with your brand's positioning.

Evaluating your email marketing campaigns using KPIs requires several iterations before a trend emerges. Address these patterns by leveraging the previous A/B testing strategy to determine which components influence your subscribers to act.

The bottom line

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