It may surprise you to learn that businesses can generate approximately $42 in revenue for every dollar spent on email marketing. This makes it one of the most profitable forms of marketing for a small business in the home services industry.
To get the best results, however, you’ll need to use the right email marketing tools. These will ensure you connect appropriately with your audience. Let’s explore 10 of the most notable types of software.
1. Automation
Automation is one of the most important tools you can use for email marketing. It saves a substantial amount of time and minimizes the chance of human error.
Automation also helps you streamline repetitive tasks that would distract you from other responsibilities. Choose automation tools that have a variety of configuration options. The more control you have over the software, the easier it will be to make it work.
2. Audience Segmentation
Segmenting your audience is crucial for success. There’s never a situation where you would send the same email to everyone in your target demographic.
Some people are further along in the buyer’s journey than others. This has a direct impact on what type of messages they’ll be receptive to. For example, you’d communicate differently with a new customer than with someone who’s already made a purchase.
Audience segmentation also allows you to implement A/B testing. This strategy divides your audience into different groups and sends different messages to each.
You can then assess the results and determine which message was the most effective. A/B Testing in email marketing often uses different headlines, calls to action (CTAs), and promotional offers.
3. Analytics
Without insight into your analytics, you’ll never improve your future strategies. Key metrics to consider include:
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Bounce rate
- Open rate
- Unsubscribe rate
These details serve as the foundation for your campaign’s performance. If your emails don’t have a significant open rate, nobody will see your offers.
If people aren’t converting, then your offer must not be enticing enough. You can use this information to craft the perfect email marketing campaign that hits your target numbers.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial intelligence has come a long way in the past decade. It’s even seen significant development in the past few years.
AI can help you overcome writer’s block when creating email copy. It’s especially useful for short-form copy, such as headlines.
Keep in mind that AI tools are meant to be supplemental. You should never use them as your main form of content creation. AI can’t generate anything new, and it simply learns from what already exists.
You’ll never get a fully original result without using your creativity. You should also vet AI results before using them. Copying and pasting from AI programs won’t speak to your audience appropriately.
5. Design Software
The appearance of your emails is just as important as the offer you make or the headline you use. Design tools can help you add aesthetic appeal to your messages and keep users engaged. Don’t neglect this type of email marketing software, as it can be one of the most important.
6. Templates
The format of your email should depend on its purpose. Newsletters, for example, are much longer than welcome emails. Template tools have dozens or even hundreds of templates to choose from.
They’re often sorted by category, making it easy to find the perfect option for your needs. As time goes on, you can create a group of your most-used templates to streamline your workflow.
7. Scheduling
Email scheduling software is something you should never overlook. After all, imagine trying to send hundreds of emails manually.
Instead, you can create a batch of them and schedule them to be sent at different times. Your scheduling could be based on a product release or demo.
It could also consider the recipient’s time zone or past engagement with your brand. Regardless of the details, scheduling helps you stay organized and save time.
8. List Organization
Email lists can quickly get out of control. This is especially true as they grow larger.
They also typically include unresponsive accounts. This could be due to a lack of interest in your product/service. You might also be emailing accounts nobody uses anymore.
List organization tools help you prioritize the customers most likely to make purchases. You can then trim the fat and improve the overall quality of your list.
9. Social Media Integration
There are email marketing tools that allow users to easily share your email content on social media. This often comes in the form of a “share” button that handles this responsibility for them. The easier you make a task for your users, the more likely they are to do it.
Social media is a powerful component of any successful email marketing campaign. With a solid strategy, you’ll have direct access to thousands of potential customers with every post.
You can also use social media integration tools to get users to follow your accounts on different platforms. Although simple, this can add up over time and substantially improve your social media presence.
10. Email Triggers
Including email triggers in your campaign is always recommended. This ensures you reach out to your audience at the perfect time. A common situation involves sending emails when someone follows or subscribes to your account.
This trigger might send a series of emails, including a thank-you email and several follow-ups. You can also use triggers to send additional messages if the recipient never opens previous ones.
This can also occur if they never click the desired link in the email. You can use behavior-based triggers, demographic-based triggers, and time-based triggers. Take time to determine which are most appropriate for your needs.
Leverage These Email Marketing Tools
The right email marketing tools can make or break an entire campaign. Keep these in mind when building your strategy so you can achieve the best results.
Optic Marketing Group prides itself on being a premier full-service marketing agency. We understand that each client’s story is unique, and we’re here to help them effectively tell it to the world. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.