In 2013 The Radicati Group reported that approximately 4.9 billion people would use email services in 2017. Incredible numbers, aren’t they? Today, email marketing is still one of the most effective channels to communicate with clients. This strategy should be used to its maximum advantage in any business. Professional email marketers help to collect email addresses, build lists, and increase the number of contacts as well as keep them updated. No doubt, it’s continual and scrutinous work. But the quality of the email list defines if the marketing strategy is going to be successful or disastrous. In this article, you are going to learn actionable ways to collect email addresses from website users. You’ll also discover the methods which popular brands use to attract potential subscribers to their newsletters. (more…)

Picture by Philippe Put on Flickr Professional marketers probably know that stably high open rates demand a lot of effort and creativity. The strategy to improve open rates usually includes individual content for every subscriber segment, creating a catchy and meaningful email title, regular A/B testing, and some other tactics that work surprisingly well as a whole. But what would you say if an email service provider can increase your open rates in addition to your own efforts? Nowadays, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic literature concept and has successfully infiltrated our everyday lives. SendPulse has implemented artificial intelligence technology and allows their clients to reach open rates of at least 60% for newsletters. Let’s talk in detail about the functioning of SendPulse's artificial intelligence feature and the advantages it provides. (more…)

Millennials have surpassed baby boomers to become the largest generation in the world. Businesses of all types and sizes will have to remodel their marketing strategy to appeal to millennial. We know that millennial generation is totally into the technology and devices. This is evident from the following facts from a study by Nielsen.

• 83% of millennials sleep with the mobile phone right next to them in bed
• Millennials prefer texting over making a call
• 32% said that they browse social media on phone from the toilet

Social media might get more attention in this survey but millennials are equally big on emails. According to a study by Adobe, 98% millennials check their personal email every few hours at work. Another survey by Mapp discovered that the majority of millennials prefer to get the messages from their favorite brands through email and not on social media or any other channel. However, they are not interested in the typical emails and newsletters. Millennials have a very peculiar set of likes and dislikes. In this article, we will share some research to highlight their preferences and how you can use it in email marketing campaigns. Keep it short: A team of researchers carried out a study on "evolution of conversions in the age of overload". They found out that younger generation prefers sending short and quick messages. The average reply length for this age group is just 17 words, compared to mature users who use at least 40 words. This is a clear indication that millennials like to-the-point communication. There's a reason that they are called "The impatient generation". They don't want to waste time and they are quite fast scrollers, according to Graham Mudd, the director of ad product marketing at Facebook. Their research suggests that younger generation is able to browse and consume content much quicker than the older people. Businesses have better chances of conversion if they are sending short and direct messages. Using lengthy introductions and unnecessary repetition will only annoy the younger ones. Make a good first impression: The first impression counts a lot when you are trying to impress the millennials. Still, many businesses fail to make a good first impression. This was revealed in a study by Ciceron. According to the study, 83% of brands did not make a good first impression. The same study found that no welcome message arrived within the first 48 hours of subscription for 41% brands. Even worse, 27% brands didn't reach out to new subscribers for 3 weeks. These stats suggest that many businesses are not even trying to make an impression, let alone a good one. The welcome email is the first step towards building trust. Small oversights like this will hurt your chances of making a rewarding and long lasting relationship with millennials. Use Responsive Themes: In the beginning of this article, we have shared how millennials are always glued to their mobile devices. Email benchmark report by Experian states that 56% of all emails are checked on mobile phones. That gets even better in the case of millennials. In a survey by Adobe, 88% millennials said that they use smartphones to check emails. 83% sleep with their phones right next to them. They are not restricted to just one device. A report by MindShareInTheLoop claims that 30% millennial use as much as 4 different devices in a day. It can be a desktop PC, tablet, smartphone, or mobile phone. They might check an email on one device and later check it again on another device. Marketers need to use responsive templates to ensure a consistent experience across all devices. If you are targeting millennials, unresponsive email means that you are simply ignoring almost 90% of your subscribers. Emails which are not responsive will result in a poor click-through and conversion rate. Rediscover the right time to email: Early working hours were considered the best time for sending emails, mainly because people used to check their emails when they sit down to work. This is not the case with millennials. In an Adobe survey, 45.2% reported that they regularly check emails while in bed. 50% check it the first thing in the morning. Most of them also mentioned checking the emails while they are watching television or movies. Predicting the ideal time to reach the younger generation is quite difficult. You will have to experiment with different timings and see what timings work the best for your target groups. SendPulse resend option allows you to change the subject line and scheduled time of unopened emails and resend. Use visuals and videos: With millennials, email is becoming more casual and less complicated. They are using emojis and visuals in emails. 77% people in France and 66% in the UK said that they use emoticons in the emails. More than 30% said that they use them in work emails too, according to Adobe Email survey 2016. Adopting a more casual approach and using visuals can help businesses connect with this generation. Millennials are also into videos and streaming services. In a recently conducted BI survey, 81% said that they use YouTube for streaming videos while 79% have subscribed to Netflix. Looking at their penchant for videos, businesses can consider using interactive emails with videos and graphics. Just a word of caution, 21% users reported being annoyed by the wait for images to load in the Adobe study. When using visuals, marketers will have to optimize the emails for speed and quick loading time. Traditional Marketing: Anatomy Media carried out a survey in which 46% participants said that they have installed an ad blocker. Remember that millennials are raised in the age of Internet. Traditional advertising channels or techniques do not work well with the millennials. They use the internet and online recommendations for everything they do or purchase. In a study by Bazaarvoice, it was seen that millennials trust people more than the brands. 51% said that they will trust recommendations and user generated content on a business website. It means that businesses need to establish relationships on a personal level. Instead of trying to "sell" products in the emails, businesses need to recommend products and explain how these products will be of help. Give Incentives: The email census by eConsultancy shows that financial incentives are the most effective when it comes to signing up. 85% people said that they will sign-up to get special discount or promotions through email. Financial incentives can also work if you want the millennials to share your message with their contacts on social media. In a survey by Aimia, 44% said that they will promote products through social media if they are getting some reward. Use these tips and your chances of succeeding at millennial marketing will increase manifolds.

The human mind is a powerful machine, constantly working and responding to external stimuli. Because of the way a human’s brain is wired, everything it sees or reads elicits an emotional response. A Microsoft study made the claim that humans now have only an attention span of 8-seconds. Understanding this, emails must be written in a way that appeals to our emotions, and must quickly grab attention. Kate Harrison, a Forbes contributor, states that no one will read your story if they aren't drawn in by emotion. These simple psychological principles can help connect with email subscribers to create a lasting relationship.

The Psychology of Color

There is a significant psychological component to color. Color affects emotional response and mood. Certain colors have been known to evoke certain emotions. Take red, for example. Red can incite an energetic feeling. Green can promote relaxation. And blue can convey trustworthiness. According to Kissmetrics, blue is a favorite for both men and women, and suggests security, which is why it is often used in bank logos. GoDaddy defines the emotion associated with each color as such:

• Red: Energetic (may increase heart rate)
• Orange: Aggressive (may incite a call to action)
• Blue: Trustworthiness (suggests security)
• Green: Relaxing (also suggests wealth)
• Yellow: Optimistic and youthful
• Pink: Romantic and feminine
• Black: Powerful and slick (often used for luxury product
• Purple: Soothing and calming

The Psychology of Images

If an email gets opened, there’s reason to celebrate - but not to gloat (just yet). Eighty percent of readers are just skimming through emails. A 2008 psychology study found that adding an image of a person (when relevant) appeals to the fusiform face area of the brain. This area of the brain is also where emotional responses are processed. According to the study, “The impact of faces is shown in our impressions of people as well as in our behavior towards them, such as whom we help, whom we hire, or whom we ask for a date.” When choosing images for an email campaign, efforts should focus on choosing images that get attention, and invoke the desired emotional response. Furthermore, if sharing a testimonial via an email campaign, make efforts to include an a picture of the person behind it, so as to increase effectiveness. In reference to the call to action on an email, use visual cues to direct people to take action. There are two types of visual cues to keep in mind:

• Explicit: Obvious clues, such as creating an image that is pointing to the call to action (CTA)

• Implicit: Less obvious, like a photo of a person looking at the CTA

Targeting & Personalization

Impersonal emails lack the ability to appeal to a person’s emotions, and email blasts often fall prey to this fact. When emails are personalized, readers pay attention. As Dale Carnegie said in his bestseller, How to Win Friends and Influence People, there is no sweeter sound than the sound of one’s own name. Experian Marketing Services found that personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates, and found that personalized subject lines result in a 26% higher open rate. Furthermore, Aberdeen found that personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%. Leveraging available consumer data such as demographics, past purchases, and location can help indicate personalized information to the audience. This kind of data also provides a basis for segmentation, which can help increase open rates, engagement, and purposes thanks to increased relevance. A survey done by Sendpulse found that 62% of subscribers read emails when the subject line is interesting, and half of the subscribers are more interested in content rather than frequency of emails.

Scarcity

The idea of scarcity can be a favorable thing for email marketers. The less people perceive there is of something, the more they want it. It can also invoke the concept of FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. No one wants to feel like they are missing out on a good deal. A marketer can promote the idea of scarcity by offering limited quantities of an item, or by promoting time-sensitive offers and discounts. But overusing this tactic leads to ineffective marketing. See also: The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Tapping into teachings about how the human mind works will lead to more effective email marketing campaigns. There is still so much to learn about what makes people tick, but these principles will lead you in the right direction. How do you incorporate psychological principles into your email marketing efforts? Tweet @SendPulseCom with your ideas, and we’ll share our favorites!

What's the biggest asset for a business? We are talking about something that makes more than $100 dollars for every single dollar spent. As you might have guessed, the biggest asset is the list of potential customers who subscribe to your emails. 73% of companies said that email has delivered great Return on Investment. Still, it gets just 15% of the marketing budget, according to Email Marketing Industry Census 2016. A survey by Digital Marketing Association revealed that email has an impressive 122% ROI. It means, for every $1 dollar, businesses made around $122. That makes sense because once you have the email, reaching out to hundreds of potential customers will cost next to nothing. This article will walk you through the process of building a profitable list. (more…)

Email marketing campaigns have an average open rate of 24.88%, according to email marketing benchmarks guide by econsultancy. If your open rate is falling way behind these benchmarks, it indicates there is room for improvement. Air Asia saw an 87% increase in its open rate by using personalization, engagement, and subject line testing. They achieved 27% open rate, which was almost double than the average open rate for travel industry. La fitness, a well known health and fitness business, used data and personalization to achieve an impressive 33% open rate. In this article, we will show you how to use data and personalization to maximize your open rates.

Segment Your Subscribers & Send Targeted Emails:

Segmented messages see 14.63% increase in the open rates when compared to non-segmented emails. 77% of email marketing ROI came from segmented and targeted campaigns, according to a survey by Digital Marketing Association. (more…)

Last minute checks can make the difference between an email that sucks and the one that actually converts. With click thru rates dropping (3.5%), according to Epsilon Q3 2016 trend report, it is time to get proactive and take steps to maximize results. How do you get through the massive volume of email and clutter that fills most people’s inboxes? We’ve identified 9 steps to help you get noticed and maximize your ROES (return on email spend). (more…)

The number of email campaigns Target sent between Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 rose nearly 87%, according to Internet Retailer. For digital marketers, this begs the question of which is better with regards to email sends: quantity or quality? It’s hard to get digital marketers to agree on everything, but one thing’s for sure - email is one of the top ways to reach customers. However, when planning email sends, not every brand (and the marketers behind them) seems to have enough concern with regards to the question of quantity vs quality. Is it better to send customers one giant email that’s full of quality information? Or instead, is it better to send several short emails that each address one thing at a time? The answer is not always cut and dry, but here’s how experts address the question of quality vs quantity when it comes to email. (more…)

Email communication to some may seem like a one-way contact. But as a sender, you should keep in mind that on the other side there is a real person. The person that opens your email and devotes time to reading your content. It's important to show a respectful and caring attitude in your email to all your subscribers. SendPulse has conducted a survey among our subscribers on what kind of content they want to receive in their inboxes and how often. This is how respondents answered. (more…)

The ability to keep customers is equally important for both startups and big businesses. Unfortunately, some clients just leave, and in order to keep your enterprise in the black you should understand the reasons why it happens. The name for the number of customers who cut ties with your company or service is called the churn rate (the rate of attrition). Thus, people who stopped buying things from you and no longer interact with your service shape your company’s churn rate and reduce your income. (more…)