Optimizing Your Email Marketing For 2021

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach your audience, even as we enter the third decade of the 21st century. You're able to reach people one-on-one in a place they visit multiple times a day.

The key is not to get complacent — you have to be willing and optimize your approach.

So, what are some ways you can maximize the impact of your email marketing efforts? What email marketing trends do you need to keep in mind? Here are some strategies that will help you improve your return on investment today.

Prune Your Subscriber List

One mistake many companies make is that they never prune their list. They value every subscriber — as they should — but they don't understand that sometimes things change. This may happen because the customer's life has changed — perhaps their kids are grown, and they no longer need your child safety seats, or maybe they are divorced, and your anniversary gifts aren't relevant to them anymore. Or this could happen because your company has pivoted.

Regardless, if someone is not opening or engaging with your emails, it's time to remove them. They aren't doing your business any good anyway!

An active but smaller list of subscribers is better than a large inactive one. It's the cardinal rule of marketing.

Review Your Subscriber Attraction Funnel

Just like getting mailing lists for direct mail marketing, you build an email list for email outreach.

The general strategy for attracting subscribers to your email list is to offer a high-value freebie in return for contact information. You can offer a variety of these and tailor your engagement and response to which freebie they opted for.

For instance, a company that sells a variety of clothes will have a different nurture sequence from someone who opts in based on their interest in men's clothes or someone interested in women's fashion.

As we kick off the new year, review your attraction funnel. Are the opt-ins still working? Do they attract those who will become your ideal customers? Does anything need to be refreshed, or should new opt-ins be created? 

Make sure your funnel is optimized for the kinds of customers you need in 2021.

Segment Your Customers

It's possible your email marketing already contains a segmentation strategy, which is excellent. If that's the case, all you need to do is review the segments, prune inactive subscribers, and make sure everything is still relevant for your company.

If not, it's time to put personalization to work for you. Group your customers based on their specific interests. If you don't know, simply send out a survey. You can say, "We want to make sure our emails are relevant to you. Please click on the categories you're interested in."

Each link can add a tag to the customer, allowing you to send them information about that specific niche going forward. 

When you nurture sequences tailored to your audience's needs, you'll improve your conversion rates and revenue in the new year.

Use Your Email List To Build A Long-Term Relationship

Does your company use email marketing solely to share sales and coupons? If so, you're missing an excellent opportunity to improve your engagement and ROI. Email is a tool that can help you get to know your subscribers and help them grow to know, like, and trust you as well. Make emails personal. Use people's names, refer to their geographic location, and more.

Next, make sure your emails are useful. Educate your subscribers about your industry, products, and the benefits of going for your offerings.

Finally, tell a story. Focus on aspirational content — show people who they can become by using what you sell. Will they be more confident, healthier, or more successful? Tell them the story and help them see themselves in it.

Test Your Approach & Focus On What Works

It's easier to throw material out to an email list and hope for the best than it is to test and measure results. This is a beginner's mistake, making your email marketing much less effective.

Take the time to A/B test different subject lines and addresses, images, and formats. You'll likely be surprised at what works and what doesn't — it's often different from what you expect. Remember, what's important is what your readers want, not what makes sense to you.

When you focus your budget and time on approaches that get you the most opens, engagement, and sales, your email marketing effectiveness will multiply.

Use Email Marketing To Boost Your Revenue In 2021

Email marketing is a crucial way to connect with your audience and is a key part of your marketing mix. To maximize the time and money you spend on email outreach, make sure you follow the tips above to optimize your email marketing in 2021.

When you have an active and engaged list of subscribers, you'll be able to make direct offers, boost revenue, and encourage people to become advocates of your brand. It's a win all the way.