Successful Marketing Campaigns for the Email Obsessed

Email is part of everyday life, and if you’re an ordinary person, you check it at least once per hour.Now that most people have smartphones, email accounts are more accessible than ever. Smartphones are always ringing, pinging, dinging, and vibrating, causing you to glance at your account whether it’s a confirmation email, important work correspondence, or simply junk mail.The “email obsession” is only getting worse, and marketing professional should strive to understand how to use it to their advantage. Email marketing campaigns are nothing new, but understanding the psychology of checking emails can help professionals refine their campaigns – making them more effective and leading to more conversions.The Psychology of Checking Email Users constantly checking their email accounts are at the mercy of operant conditioning (Don’t worry… we had to look it up too):Wikipedia defines operant conditioning as a form of learning. In it, an individual changes behavior because of the results of the behavior in question. In the case of checking email – which is either a positive and rewarding event or a negative and punishing event – the behavior occurs regardless due to conditioned stimuli.Users obsessed with checking email is a digital marketer’s dream, but before you try to take advantage make sure your email marketing campaign is up to snuff.Constructing an Email Marketing Campaign Email marketing is a great way to attract new clients and customers. However, a poorly run campaign could see your hard work landing in junk folders. Luckily, with the following tips you can seriously stack the odds in your favor.1. Selecting a reputable email marketing provider is the first big decision. Services such as AWeber, MailChimp, and Constant Contact are great options but do your homework to see which best fits your needs and budget.2. Take the time to clean up your mailing list. Some contact info could be out of date and a waste of time trying to utilize. Verify email addresses with one of the following services: Jigsaw, D&B, or StrikeIron.3. Opt-in recipients are much more likely to open your marketing emails. Signing up for an email newsletter, adding a link to your email signature, or an opt-in field to inquiry forms will compile a list of willing recipients.4. Segment your contacts into specific fields for higher clicks and response rates. Commons fields to segment contacts include location, industry, and lead source.5. Focus each email on a specific topic or service. Emails containing a mishmash of company news, updates, tips, and promotions are overwhelming and unsuccessful.6. The simpler your emails, the more effective they’ll be, so don’t overdo the design. Remember the 80% text/20% images rule and you’re already headed for success.7. If you’re going to splurge on anything, make sure it’s the email campaign’s copy. Not a strong writer? Hire someone. You can’t put a price on delivering clean and crisp copy.8. Hook your readers early with a strong subject line. Avoid spammy world like “guarantee”, “free”, “call now”, “urgent” and “order now”, and instead make it memorable, funny, and actionable.