Email Marketing Secrets: The Latest Hacks to Maximize Your ROI

Did you know there's a marketing channel that analysts expect to have 4.7 billion users by the end of 2025? That's more than half the global population. And no, it's not some futuristic platform or emerging technology. Get this it's Email marketing strategies come and go, but the one thing that's been proven to be true is that email is still one of the best ways to reach your customers. In fact, 73% of millennials prefer email communication from businesses, and it has an average ROI of $36 for every dollar spent. That makes it one of the most cost effective strategies, especially for small businesses. Even though it's an old standard, it's constantly evolving and you don't want to get left behind. So let's dive into some of the best new ways to maximize your email strategy. First of all, the way marketers collect information about their customers has changed dramatically these last few years. Third party cookies are getting phased out, so businesses are turning to customers to provide key data without compromising privacy. Email is the perfect place to ask your customers for information in a way that feels organic because it lets the customer tell you how to market to them. Some things to consider about building data collection into your strategy according to the State of Email Workflows by Litmus Number one Consider what data you already have. If you've got a lot of info on the type of products customers are interested in. For example, if you maybe it's a good time to collect their ideal price range, which ties directly into Number two Determine the data points you want to collect. Customer time is valuable. You don't want to waste it by asking for data you've already got. And one of the most important tips Number three Make sure it doesn't feel like an interrogation. Keep it casual. Ask for one additional bit of info in an email communication about something else. It shouldn't feel invasive. It should feel like by responding they're going to make their experience more tailored to to their preferences. And number four, set your current priorities based on your current database. Basically, make sure you're asking for data relevant to the audience you've already got. In other words, don't ask customers of a fashion outlet about their preferences in IT consulting. Okay, that's all cool, but here's the real meat of things. What can you actually do with all of that data? You use it to create dynamic content that can be personalized at scale. We're a long way from just putting a customer's name in the subject line of an email to and calling it a day. Here's an easy example. Take the personalized subject line and engage customers using personalized images instead. This puts their names into the actual graphic design elements that make the entire email feel custom. Like this one for Mama and Papa's for their Black Friday campaign. Or maybe a live poll allowing customers to vote in some sort of this or that campaign. This can be something they actually impact, like deciding a new ice cream flavor or or just a different way to collect some journalized data. It's a fun method of engaging users, especially when they can see refreshed polling results every time they open the email. Here's another real example from Studio's Black Friday email campaign Countdown timers are an effective strategy to build hype for a specific event, like a big clearance sale or the launch of a new product. And like polls, they'll always be up to date when the user opens the email. Here's another quick example from Bulk's two hour Black Friday sale One of the coolest dynamic features of modern email campaigns is content and automation. It can leverage the info you've gathered about customers to send personalized recommendations for new products based on past purchases, like this example from New look or events based on their interests or location. There are other location based dynamic options as well. There's simple things like weather widgets which is absolutely super convenient if your business is seasonal or dependent on particular weather. And that's absolutely crucial for stuff like the ski resort snow report. It'll snow. Yeah, it'll snow. Or if you got a brick and mortar location, a closest store widget that will show the user the closest location to their current whereabouts. You can even include it at the bottom of a standard email like Puma did, just for customer convenience. You can also incorporate your social media feeds to encourage customers not only to follow your accounts but also to talk about your brand online. Check out this example from Mamas and Papas that incorporates their Instagram content and some personalized email tactics. Or take advantage of social signals like a dynamic display to show how many people are currently shopping your products. Like this sample from a Kate Spade or Black Friday sale. This lets you build excitement, invite community and utilize an age old marketing trick that never fails. Fomo. These all sound like great ideas, right? But what if you're a small business with a skeleton crew or even just managing a one person operation? The good news is integrating AI tools into your email marketing can streamline certain tasks and actually increase your ROI by up to 70%. This can be a huge help with things like quality assurance from minor typos to massive errors like broken links, and even utilizing predictive analytics to help with your optimal email layout and to make it all manageable. Incorporating an email program like the one I mentioned earlier, Litmus Personalize, can be a massive time saver. It'll help streamline the workflow to make sure the email building process is optimized across the board, whether you just have one employee or 500. Even though the landscape of email is constantly evolving, it's undeniable that it's one of the most profitable methods of marketing. In fact, it's tied for second place as the channel that provides the highest roi. That's pretty incredible for a tool that's been around since the conception of digital marketing. Times are always changing, but it's possible to change with them. In fact, HubSpot's free 2024 state of marketing Report goes into great detail about the things we cover today, plus other prongs of a marketing strategy that can provide some incredible insight for your small businesses. So check that out at the link below. Seriously, so much value in this. Can't believe we give this away for free. Do you have any success stories with Dynamic content within your email campaign? I'd love to hear about them, so let me know in the comments below. And as always, subscribe to the HubSpot YouTube channel for more tips, tricks and how to's on all things in the marketing world. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go get Dynamic with my emails. Until then, I'll see you next time.