Five Review Points for Increasing Email Conversion

By Sarah McInerney  
| March 5th 2013

Sarah McInerney

Head of Content

Sarah has almost three decades of experience in crafting compelling, engaging content specifically designed to boost sales and enhance brand loyalty. She’s also an expert in developing unique tone of voice that helps brands connect with their audiences. Her marketing and client service background has given Sarah a natural understanding of how to write content that makes readers take action. Whether it’s signing up to a mailing list, making an enquiry or donation or clicking the buy button, Sarah knows precisely how to convert with words. Pen down, Sarah is a proud member of the Essex Wildlife Trust and spends most of her free time enjoying inspiring walks through her local woodland and nature reserves, admiring everything that flaps, flutters and flowers.

Email is still one of the most cost effective marketing tools. But are your email campaigns cutting through the noise?  

If they are not converting into enquiries or sales, it is time to review just why they are not grabbing attention as intended. Here are our top five review points to help you determine where room for improvement may lie:  

1. Segment Data and be Relevant

Don’t send blanket emails to your entire mailing list. Be relevant. Segment data: filter customers according to purchase behaviour, e.g. type and frequency of purchase. If it’s a prospect or general sign-up list then ensure filtering according to preferences. If you don’t know preferences, ask!

2. Personalise

Personalising emails shows you recognise recipients as individuals. Address marketing emails personally and include features such as ‘personally selected for you’ with information relevant to previous purchases or preferences.

 3. Get the Formatting Right

Have you ever opened up an email that appears blank or has empty boxes where images should be? And did you delete it without even thinking? An email needs to capture attention, and quickly. Choose images wisely and take care with formatting. And send plenty of test emails to check how recipients will see the end product. 

4.    Make Offers Clear and Compelling

Don’t waste space with long-winded introductions: cut straight to what you have to offer. Generally readers will already have experience of who you are and what you do. Make the content easy to read and the offers clear.

5.    Make Calls to Action Obvious

Every email should have an objective. This might be to promote a particular product line, a special offer, an occasion, a competition or to drive traffic to a web page.  Calls to action need to reflect this.  Tell readers what they need to do and do it more than once by using direct verbs backed up with clear benefits, for example: “Click here to save 15%”.  Avoid distractions within the email that take the focus away from what you want the reader to do. 

Email can be a very cost effective marketing initiative, but it needs to be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure it remains an efficient sales driver. For help in all aspects of email marketing including design, list building and segmentation and increasing conversion, contact us today.

SEO results made simple

Request a Quote