Marketing emails. We all get them, and (as communications professionals) we’ve all sent them – to varying degrees of success.
In 2020, just over 80% of B2B marketers reported that their primary form of content marketing was via email newsletters, according to the Content Marketing Institute. As the marketing landscape has continued to shift over the past three years, it is clear that senior fintech marketing professionals still see the value of email, with 30% of industry CMOs surveyed by Forefront Communications in 2022 saying they planned to increase investment in email marketing and automation.
In an environment where you are competing for time, attention and space in your audience’s inboxes, how can you ensure your message is well-received?
At INBOUND 2023, HubSpot’s annual event for marketing, sales and customer service professionals, Jay Schwendleson, CEO of Worldata Group and email marketing guru, dropped key insights on what it takes to leverage this medium successfully. From his session, we’ve selected four straightforward, actionable tips that every fintech CMO can look to implement.
When executing an email marketing blast or campaign, consider the following before you hit “Schedule”:
1.) Is Your Subject Line an Afterthought? – While marketers tend to emphasize the content and aesthetics of their email, Jay cautioned against leaving the subject line and preheader as the last items on your to-do list. Sadly, the truth is that it’s not the eloquent prose within that will spur prospects to open your email.
When fighting for eyeballs in a cluttered inbox, you can capture the attention of a potential lead by personalizing the subject line – and no, we are not talking about simply inserting their name. As Jay noted, you need to make your audience feel seen and understood; for instance, by incorporating a prospect’s industry, role or specific interest into your subject line. Another tip for crafting a winning subject line is to lean into prospects’ pain points. Phrases such as “Is your”, “Feeling”, or “Struggling with” have the potential to increase open rates by up to 29%, according to Jay.
2.) Have You Considered Aspirational Marketing? – Similarly, Jay explained how you can capture your audience’s attention by telling them who they want to be. If your database is comprised of directors, talk to them like they are C-suite. At the end of the day, whether you’re leveraging their pain points or aspirations, the key to improving your email marketing ROI is to consistently show your audience that you not only know them but can also deliver value.
3.) Timing: Is It on Your Radar? – It’s likely that you have never sent an email at a seemingly random time like 8:22 am or 10:17 am. That said, it’s a tactic worth considering.
According to Jay, 80% of all marketing and promotional emails are sent on the hour, meaning your message is usually just one of many hitting recipients’ inboxes at the same time. By intentionally picking an unconventional send time, you can stand out from a sea of spammy emails. In addition to increasing visibility, this tactic also exudes a human touch rather than an automated one.
4.) Are Your Emails Optimized to Drive the Desired Action? – Whether you’re promoting a blog, a press release or a whitepaper download, relying on just one compelling CTA button often isn’t sufficient to encourage the recipients to take the intended action.
During a lively debate on the importance of email opens vs. responses, Jay noted that 19% of all email click-throughs are on a company’s logo. The takeaway? Ensuring that your logo, banner and any imagery within your email link to the desired landing page, rather than a generic destination like your homepage, can make a difference in generating the desired level of engagement with your content.
Enjoying our limited series “Insights from INBOUND”? Check out the insights from our previous installment HERE.
