Many people think that email marketing is a bit of an outdated way to keep in touch with clients and prospective clients. Social media is more important, right? Well, that’s not entirely true. In fact, email marketing can be just as effective as social media, as long as it is done properly. Here are 11 quick tips to help you improve your email marketing techniques.

11 Quick Tips to Improve Your Email Marketing Techniques

1. Combine the Worlds of Email and Social Media

There are a couple of ways to combine social media and email in order to improve networking and increase your business. One is to include an option on your email list sign up form for your followers to sign up through Facebook or other social networks. That is easier for subscribers and gives you another way to keep in touch with them.

For instance, mention any contests or coupons that are only available on your social media profiles.

2. Streamline Both the Sign-Up and Unsubscribe Process

Don’t ask people to fill out a lengthy signup form. A name and email address are all you need. Similarly, make it easy for people to unsubscribe when they want. Don’t ask them to fill out lengthy surveys to unsubscribe. A simple email address and reason for leaving are all they should have to give.

3. Tell People Why They Should Sign Up

Ask yourself what benefits people will get from being a part of your mailing list. Then convey those benefits on your sign up form so people know why they should join your mailing list.

4. Cater to Short Attention Spans

Keep both your sign up form and the emails themselves short. You may only have a few seconds to capture a reader’s attention. Lead with an interesting point, use tiny paragraphs, incorporate bulleted lists, and make it easy for them to get the message quickly.

5. Improve Conversions with More Information and Product or Service Suggestions

If want sales, then getting people to click links in your emails is only half the battle. You can increase your actual sales conversion rate by making sure that you provide useful information both in the emails and on the websites they lead to, not “fluff” or “clickbait” information that is not useful to them.

Additionally, pay attention to the types of products or services your subscribers like and use that to get a sense of what you need to offer. Amazon.com does that quite well by emailing people product suggestions based on their past purchases. But, even if you can’t implement that level of tracking, the information can still help you tweak your email offerings.

6. Little Details Make a Big Difference

Pay attention to the little things, such as including ALT tags on images in your emails in case your readers have email providers that don’t display images properly. Also, be sure to give your sign up form, confirmation email, and marketing emails a personal tone that doesn’t sound overly automated.

7. Prepare in Advance

Before you start an email campaign, prepare in advance. Have a plan of what you want to do with the campaign. You should have a few months’ of emails ready ahead of time if you can. That will keep your mission on track and on schedule.

8. Make Your Plan Clear and Stick to It

Your readers should always know what to expect from you. If you promise one email per week, be sure to send one email per week. Remember more isn’t always better. If you start sending too many emails, some people might feel bombarded by your business and unsubscribe.

9. Adjust Your Email Campaign Regularly

Watch your email campaign statistics and tweak things as needed. How many people have subscribed or unsubscribed recently? How many conversions did you receive? You should monitor those stats and metrics with an email intelligence tool so that you can adjust accordingly.

10. Join Email Lists Yourself

One way to improve your own email marketing campaign is to join other email lists, especially those of individuals or companies that offer similar products and services to what you are offering. Watching competitors can give you good ideas to improve your own business.

11. Stay Informed About New Marketing Strategies

Finally, stay informed about new email marketing strategies. Email marketing tactics can change with the times. Keeping informed on what’s new in your industry, so you can help your subscribers succeed.