5 ways to boost your email newsletter engagement

Are you interested in getting more subscribers to engage with your email newsletters? If so, you're not alone.

Entrepreneurs and marketers across all industries use email to stay in touch with prospects and loyal customers. When you think about the flexibility and widespread use of email, it's no surprise that 79% of marketers say email is the best place to distribute their content to existing leads.

Despite this sentiment, very few people work towards maximizing their email marketing return on investment. One of the best ways you can take action and boost your conversion rate is with a newsletter.

Email newsletters are essentially timed (either weekly, monthly, or quarterly) messages that are sent to subscribers. These emails contain educational and entertaining content, as well as special offers.

There are various objectives for newsletters depending on your industry, resources, and specific products. Generally, the goal usually involves getting users to engage with your brand.

Today, I want to share several ways you can optimize your email newsletters and drive more traffic to your site.

Make a Good First Impression

You may have heard or read this Will Rogers quote; "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." This quote is undeniably accurate in face-to-face encounters, but it also applies to your relationship with new subscribers.

If someone subscribes to your email list for the first time and is left with a poor impression, they will likely quickly navigate to your unsubscribe page.

The good news is there are a few ways you can make a memorable first impression. The first thing you should do is optimize your signup form by asking users optional questions. You can use the responses to these answers to personalize future emails (more on that later).

I also suggest sending a welcome email to all newsletter subscribers. You may be shocked to learn that these emails have the highest open rate when compared to other emails. Surveys and personal research show that over 80% of people are willing to open welcome emails.

Create Unique Newsletters for Your Audience Segments

Now, let's discuss the benefits of creating unique newsletters for your audience segments. A whopping 4 out of 5 shoppers say they are more likely to engage with a business if they use personalized marketing.

The reason people prefer personalized content is the information presented matters to them. Shoppers are more likely to read your blog posts or take advantage of a flash sale if the content or promotion focuses on something that genuinely catches their interest or addresses a pain point.

Segments are essentially subsets of your audience. For instance, a clothing store would have several segments based on the style and type of clothes each customer buys. A user who only buys dress shoes should see different offers and content compared to someone who only buys graphic tee shirts.

When creating newsletters for your segments, keep the needs of each group in mind. The more bases you cover, the more likely it is that someone will take action after reading your email.

You can easily segment your audience by creating buyer personas or asking users to share their preferences in your welcome email. A few questions can provide a wealth of information about your subscribers' expectations and needs.

Find a Balance Between Content and Offers

It's hard to stress the importance of finding a balance between valuable content and promotional offers in your newsletters. Many new business leaders put too much energy into selling their products and not enough into creating a well-rounded customer experience. As a result, they lose subscribers faster than they gain new ones.

The rule I follow is; 85-90% content to 10-15% promotions.

You can pull content from plenty of places if you need help. I recommend sharing relevant or new blog posts, showcasing upcoming free events, and sharing success stories from existing customers.

On the promotional side of things, you can give out discount codes, allow users to pre-order upcoming products, and promote paid events, like online courses.

There are countless ways to mix and match what goes into your email newsletters. Experiment with several different content to promotion ratios until you find a format that increases user engagement.

Stick with One Prominent Call-to-Action (CTA)

Every email newsletter should have at least one call-to-action (CTA). Basically, your CTA is what you expect readers to do once they are done with your email.

In some cases, you may want users to buy a product. In others, you might ask subscribers to register for your upcoming webinar. Whatever the case, CTAs are pivotal in boosting engagement through email.

Many newsletters feature multiple CTAs, which is fine. But the truth is, you should only have one prominent CTA at the bottom of your email. The other actions are all optional and could benefit the right readers. But the main call-to-action should apply to most of your subscribers for that particular campaign.

Let's say you want to promote an upcoming social media webinar. So, you decide to reach out to the appropriate segment and write a killer newsletter with your CTA at the bottom. That doesn't mean you can't include links to new posts or other offers. But the focal point of your newsletter should be on the webinar or content that's relevant to what you'll be discussing during the event.

Use A/B Testing to Fine-Tune Your Campaign

The last topic I want to talk about today is A/B testing. You may also know this strategy as split testing. Whichever phrase you use, the definition is the same. In email marketing, A/B testing is when you experiment with your messages by creating two campaigns for the same audience. Fifty percent of people get one version of your email, and the other half get the second version.

The goal is to see where users are more likely to take action. You'll also want to determine if their decision is directly tied to the changes you made.

Changes to your newsletters don't have to be bold either. Subtle changes can dramatically affect how people engage with your emails. Simply changing your call-to-action button from red to green can have a noticeable effect. Similarly, tweaking your subject line could result in a higher open rate.

You can also experiment with different types of content and offers too. It's interesting to dig in and find out if customers are more receptive to a percentage-based discount as opposed to a flat amount off their order.

There are quite literally endless possibilities for A/B testing. But you should know that the proper testing methods can help you boost your conversion rate by as much as 300%!

Back to You

Email newsletters are a valuable tool that you can use to build trust with your audience and secure sales. The tips outlined today helped us generate more website traffic and engagement, and I'm confident this advice can help you too.

The most important thing to remember is it takes time to fine-tune your email newsletter. You shouldn't expect to make a change or two and see a difference overnight. Tracking your analytics and existing campaigns can help you determine what works and what you should scrap. If you're patient and receptive to your subscribers, you will see more eyes on your future email newsletters.