Madelyn Gardner

What will NY152 say today, I wonder? I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: ‘You’ve got mail.’ 

While most people aren’t as excited to receive an online message as Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), brands can still pique their customers’ interest with thoughtful email marketing campaigns. But what exactly makes an email click? And what happens when you don’t have any creative ideas left in the tank? Don’t sweat it! We’ve got a few suggestions up our sleeve.

Ready to upgrade your email marketing for better results and ROI? Here are some tips for setting up a successful campaign and ideas to inspire your next send. 

How To Execute an Effective Email Marketing Campaign

To get the right people’s attention and receive your desired metrics, it’s not as simple as just sending out a one-off message and hoping for the best. It requires an email marketing strategy and a well-thought-out campaign. But don’t think this work is for nothing — direct and digital marketing like email can be pivotal for your business, helping you build stronger relationships with existing customers and turning potential buyers into long-time partners of your brand. 

Define Your Goals

Know what you want to achieve so you have a way to measure success. This gives your email campaigns purpose and helps you stay focused on what’s most important. Your goals should be measurable and time-sensitive, allowing you to determine if your efforts are working or if you need to reassess your email marketing strategy. 

Some examples of goals you might have for email marketing include:

  • Driving website traffic.
  • Requesting donations.
  • Sending updates about your business.
  • Spurring online or in-person sales.
  • Promoting products or services.
  • Welcoming new members.

Know Your Audience

If you don’t know who it is you’re trying to reach, you’ll have a hard time getting anything out of your email marketing campaign. Gaining an understanding of your audience is critical because it allows you to tailor your content to meet their needs and solve their problems. 

To do this, develop customer personas so you know exactly who you’re talking to. Consider factors like age, location, gender, occupation and interests. The more you narrow down your reach, the straighter the shot toward your target audience. 

Build Your Email List

Your email list is your collection of the most relevant and purchase-ready people; your starting lineup, if you will. You don’t want to spam individuals who aren’t interested in your brand because it can turn them from potentially curious to annoyed very quickly. Collect email addresses through opt-in forms on your website, social media, events and other channels.

Just note that list-building isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it activity. One-off or limited-promotion style email campaigns will need lists created for them ad hoc based on certain contact criteria.

Create Compelling Content

You could have the most engaged audience and well-defined goals, but without quality content, your campaigns are not getting very far. You want people to actually read the emails you write, so you need to keep it short, sweet and interesting from subject line to call to action (CTA). 

Craft engaging and relevant content that resonates with your audience. This includes attention-grabbing headers, personalized messages, valuable offers and clear directions for readers.

Email Marketing Tips for Strong Campaigns

Your email marketing campaign should focus on one CTA. While you can provide multiple types of information in a single send, you must always lead to a specific ask for your customers. Here are some email marketing tips for the best possible email copy and performance.

Personalization

Tailor the content for your audience’s preferences, behavior and purchase history. This includes addressing recipients by their names and creating content to fit their preferences and past interactions. You can also use dynamic content to show images or offers based on user data. 

Use Compelling Subject Lines

According to HubSpot, 65% of marketers say that subject lines have the greatest impact on open rates. Take advantage of this fact by creating attention-grabbing subject lines that entice recipients to open the email. Generally, they should be concise and intriguing to encourage openings. 

Here are some examples of great email subject lines:

  • Uh-oh, your subscription is almost up
  • A sneak peek of our newest products
  • 5 ways to improve your email marketing

Make Emails Mobile-Friendly

Pretty much everyone checks their email on their phones. That said, design emails that display properly on various devices for the best customer experience. Use responsive email design and test how they appear on different devices so people have a consistent experience, however they choose to interact with your company. 

Utilize Active Voice and Be Direct

Miscommunication can easily lead to someone jumping out of your email without reading it. Be clear and direct for the best performance. This includes using straightforward messaging that’s active and in your brand’s tone of voice. 

15 Email Marketing Campaign Ideas

Figuring out what type of email marketing campaign to use is important because it can help you determine what will best resonate with your audience and meet your goals. Need a hand coming up with some campaign ideas? Here are some to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Interactive Emails

Include interactive elements like quizzes, polls or survey emails that encourage recipients to engage directly within the message. You could also add images or carousels to showcase multiple products or features. 

Why this works: Sometimes reading information isn’t enough to capture an audience. Interactive elements like buttons or image rollover effects can be more engaging and make an email memorable. 

2. Company or Industry Updates

If you want to send readers informational emails rather than sales-focused ones, sending company updates or industry news can keep people informed and interested in what’s going on. 

Why this works: Being a resource to your subscribers is one way to stay on their to-be-read list. Not only does this mean people don’t have to search for the news they want, but it also makes people feel in the loop. 

3. Re-engagement

When it comes to re-engagement, the email content does exactly what the name suggests: it gets inactive contacts to interact with your brand. Do this by incorporating special deals, enticing offers or helping them solve a problem. 

Why this works: People may have ridden off your emails because of dull headlines or inconvenient sending times. Change this by reintroducing your brand to them and repositioning your services in a way that’s beneficial to them.

4. Storytelling

Everyone loves a good story. Use a series of emails to tell a compelling story about your brand, products or customers. You can also use your copy to highlight behind-the-scenes content, founder stories or customer success experiences.

Why this works: Get to the heart of your company by using people’s emotional response to storytelling. This keeps your brand at the top of people’s minds and lets them know your business in a new way. 

5. Welcome Email

After signing up for your email list, make sure to make a good first impression with an introductory message. This onboarding email enables you to begin a connection with them from the get-go and encourages them to complete a CTA — most likely learning more about your company and offering. 

Why this works: When you get a new subscriber, you only have so much time to become a part of their daily email reading. Start your relationship off strong with a short and sweet welcome email. 

6. Questionnaire

Are you looking for feedback from your customers? There’s no better way than to get it from them directly. Embed surveys and questionnaires in your next email campaign to hear your reader’s thoughts straight from the horse’s mouth. 

Why this works: By giving your customers a quick and painless way to talk about their experiences, your brand can maintain a positive relationship with your customers and respond to concerns faster.

7. Newsletter 

Newsletters are a strong tool for businesses to use to share relevant and valuable information with their network. Through this type of campaign, you can provide your audience with helpful tips and best practices, eBook guides, sales information and your latest blog post. 

Why this works: Consistency is key when wanting to create brand loyalty. At Brafton, we send two weekly newsletters chock-full of information that helps educate and entertain our readers. 

8. Event Invitation

Invite subscribers to webinars, virtual events or in-person gatherings and provide all the necessary details in an engaging format. Also, follow up with attendees post-event with highlights, thank-you notes and further resources to stay involved.

Why this works: People want to be invited to events, even if they can’t attend. It just feels good to get a personalized email wishing for your attendance, right? Keep readers informed and make them feel important with event invitation email campaigns. 

9. Anniversary

Does your company have a special anniversary coming up? Let people know with a series of emails focused on the big news, whether that be a 15-year anniversary of your company’s founding or a work-iversary for your CEO. 

Why this works: People love to celebrate! Lean into this by sharing special updates and internal anniversaries that can provide a platform for fun stories and meaningful company memories your readers are bound to enjoy. 

10. Product Launch Teasers

Have a new product or service coming soon? Slowly unveil it and build anticipation with teaser campaigns that gradually reveal features or benefits. Use a series of emails leading up to the launch date, getting more and more specific as the time gets closer.

Why this works: Product teasers get people excited for what’s coming, helping your brand take advantage of the launch for marketing purposes. You could even grab new customers’ attention in the process. 

11. Autoresponders

Marketers often use autoresponders to streamline campaigns and cut down on manual work. With email marketing automation, messages can be triggered whenever a customer completes a particular action, like if they haven’t finished filling out a survey, need to renew their subscription and more. 

Why this work: Besides making email marketing easier on your team, automated emails get 152% higher click-through rates than traditional emails. 

12. Case Studies or Social Proof

Show off what great successes your company has accomplished with a series of emails focused on case studies, social proof and other bottom of the funnel content. This can demonstrate to your customers how your expertise has paid off for people just like them.

Why this works: Shoppers looking to make a purchase often want cold hard facts. Deliver this by highlighting your brand’s effectiveness and what problems you’ve solved. 

13. Product Education

Use your email as a place to educate your customers on your products and services. For example, creative interactive tutorials or demos that allow users to explore product features or benefits that readers can easily sit back and enjoy. 

Why this works: It’s one thing to type out a how-to guide. It’s another thing entirely to actually walk your customers through your products using video, GIFs or animation to make the email content more interesting. 

14. Contests or Giveaways

You know what’s better than having to pay for something? Getting it for free. Your next email marketing campaign could center around a contest or giveaway that walks readers through what to expect, including the rules and cut-off date. You can also send a series of emails reminding subscribers of the giveaway deadline and build excitement about what’s up for grabs. 

Why this works: Have some fun with your emails by introducing a way for people to engage with your brand and possibly win a prize. This can get readers talking about your company and create buzz even outside of the inbox. 

15. Seasonal and Holiday Themes

Take advantage of holidays and changing seasons with campaigns focused on what makes that time special, whether it be gathering around the table, giving gifts or spending loads of time outside in the sun. 

Key holidays to remember are:

  • Valentine’s Day.
  • Mother’s Day.
  • Memorial Day.
  • Father’s Day.
  • Fourth of July.
  • Thanksgiving.
  • Christmas.

Why this works: You can position your brand as the perfect place to shop or engage with during any season by staying up to date on popular events and traditions throughout the year.