Mastering the Inbox: 8 Proven Strategies for High-Impact Email Content

In the fast-paced world of email marketing, content is king. With 306.4 billion emails sent and received daily, it's important to create content that both lands in the inbox and stands out from other emails. This blog dives into the transformative power of email content, revealing 8 strategic tips to elevate your campaigns.

Using Text-only Emails

While visually appealing, emails with heavy graphics or templates often end up in spam folders. In fact, studies show that emails with simpler designs have a 25% higher open rate compared to their graphic-intensive counterparts. Opting for text-only emails can significantly increase the likelihood of your message reaching your audience.

Keeping a Word Limit

A study by Boomerang revealed that emails between 50-125 words have the best response rates. Keeping your email concise, with a limit of 150 words, ensures clarity and higher engagement. Similarly, subject lines should be brief (3-10 words) for optimal impact.

Using Personalization

Personalization means making something special for each person. When you do this in emails, it helps in two ways:
1. Email systems see that you're not just sending the same message to everyone, so they're more likely to deliver your email.
2. People like it when they get emails made just for them. It makes them feel special and they're more likely to pay attention to it.

Some common data points you can use to kickstart email personalization include:

1. First Name
2. Company Name
3. Designation/Job Title
4. Company/Job Description
5. About the company (taken from LinkedIn)
6. About the PoC (taken from LinkedIn)

Begin A/B Testing

With A/B testing, you can determine which elements resonate most with your audience. For instance, personalized email subject lines can improve open rates by up to 29%. Testing different elements like subject lines, call-to-actions (CTAs), and email content helps refine your strategy for maximum effectiveness.

Most tools have in-built features to add multiple variations of emails to your campaigns, this can help you see which subject line and content is working the best.

Minimize Links in Initial Emails

Limiting hyperlinks in your first email increases the chances of bypassing spam filters. Subsequent emails can include more links as your correspondence gains trust. This approach aligns with Google’s algorithm, which favours emails that gradually build a relationship with the recipient.

Effective Follow-Up Sequences

A study by Yesware shows that a follow-up sequence can improve response rates by up to 65%. It’s always good to set up a stable sequence for your email campaigns. Each mail should have a different purpose and should help in keeping your email at the top of the inbox for the lead.

A common structure suggested by experts includes:
Email 1: All the necessary value props with an actionable CTA
Follow-up 1: Nudge to previous email
Follow-up 2: Share the offer again but in a more shorter form
Follow-up 3: Short follow-up + asking if they could redirect you to the right person

And of course, always keep track of which email is performing and which isn’t

Avoiding Usage of Spam Words

The use of certain trigger words in emails can lead to them being marked as spam. For instance, words like "free," "guarantee," or "no risk" can raise red flags for Google’s Natural Language Processing AI causing you to be marked as spam. It’s essential to be mindful of language that could inadvertently trip these filters.

A few spam checkers that you can use to keep you content up to date, include:

1. Smartlead's Inbuilt Spam Checker (Recommended)
2. Mailmeteor Spam Checker
3. Folderly Spam Words Checker
4. Blogiestools Email Spam Trigger Words Checker
5. Hoppycopy Spam Checker
6. Mail Tester

Regularly using these tools can significantly reduce the chances of your emails being marked as spam, ensuring better engagement rates.

Introducing Spintax for Email Variability

What is Spintax?
Spintax, short for spin syntax, is a method used to create multiple variations of text from a single original piece. It's widely used in email marketing to generate unique versions of an email, thereby reducing the likelihood of being flagged as spam by email filters. This technique involves using curly brackets and vertical bars to denote interchangeable words or phrases. For example, {Hello|Hi|Greetings} would randomly choose one of the three options for each email sent.

By incorporating Spintax in your emails, you can:

1. Avoid Spam Filters: Since each email appears unique, it’s less likely to be marked as spam.
2. Personalize Content: Spintax can be used to tailor content to different segments of your audience, improving engagement.
3. Increase Efficiency: Instead of manually creating multiple versions of an email, Spintax automates the process, saving time and resources.

However, it’s important to use Spintax judiciously. Overuse or inappropriate use can lead to content that feels disjointed or insincere. It’s best used for subtle variations rather than major content changes.

Conclusion

By implementing these strategies, marketers can significantly enhance their email campaign effectiveness. Remember, the key to successful email marketing lies in understanding and adapting to your audience's preferences.

If you'd like to set-up or improve your email outreach for maximum deliverability, or have questions around the same, feel free to reach out to us.