Text messaging and social media have become popular marketing networks in the past few decades, but email marketing remains one of the most valuable and efficient marketing tools. Email allows you to communicate quickly, create automation, and build relationships with your customers. Unlike traditional direct mail, email is more accessible, practical, and personal in reaching people at every stage of the marketing journey.
While social media has grown exponentially in recent years with 3.5 billion users; email marketing still reaches more people having over 4 billion users worldwide. Categorizing by age group, 90.1% of those 45-64 years old and 84.1% of those 65+ use email regularly. Besides being more popular than social media, another study found that 74% of seniors believe email is the most personal when communicating with companies.
Email Marketing Tips
Looking at the statistics, we know that email is widely used and worth the marketing effort. Unfortunately, while marketers have prioritized email marketing, around 50% say their email campaigns performed poorly. One factor could be that an average person receives 126 emails per day. That means you will need a strong email campaign to stand out among the rest, but how do you accomplish that? Here are a few tips for improving your email campaign strategy.
- Mobile-friendly: 60% of users use mobile devices to read their email so, your email should be responsive and mobile-friendly to be effective.
- Timing: While most people check their email at least once a day, the day with the highest open rate (22%) is Monday, and the day with the lowest open rate (20%) is Sunday.
- Personalization: 45% of email users will not open an email from an unknown address so, ensure your domain and address name are familiar. You may also consider adding a profile picture and social links to make it easier to connect with you. The key is to be personal, so people feel they are communicating with an actual person. Additionally, add personalization within the subject line and body of the email, such as the customer’s name or previous information they’ve given you.
- Marketing funnel: One advantage of email marketing automation is it allows you to follow a customer throughout their marketing journey. For example, you may start by sending a welcome email, later on, a follow-up email, and after becoming a customer, a thank you or feedback email. It is essential to know your audience and funnel so your emails get sent at the right time with the right message.
- Relevance & Accuracy: With over half of emails being spam, your email must contain relevant, valuable, and accurate information. Making your emails interactive with videos, gifs, and call-to-actions is one way to increase click-through rates and improve your email quality.
Industry Averages
Once your email campaign is running, the next step is to monitor and analyze the results to determine if your campaign is successful and where it needs improvements. Take a look at the industry averages below to determine if your email campaign’s performance is at or above average.
| Open Rate | Click-through Rate | Click-to-open Rate | Unsubscribe Rate | |
| All Industries | 21.5% | 2.3% | 10.5% | 0.10% |
| Healthcare Industry | 23.7% | 3% | 13.4% | 0.30% |
| Senior Living | 20.6% | 3.15% | 14.85% | 0.20% |
| Recruitment & Staffing | 21.14% | 2.53% | N/A | 0.30% |
*Full data found here and here
Running a successful email campaign takes some work, but the results speak for themselves. Stay up-to-date with the best email practices so your emails stand out in customer inboxes and accomplish your campaign goals. If you are struggling with campaign quality or need help implementing an email campaign, we would love to chat!
