Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of digital marketing in Jamaica. It has been beneficial for businesses of various sizes. Due to how many people regularly check their email daily it has become one of the best ways for companies to meet their customers where they spend time online. According to HubSpot:
- 4 out of 5 marketers said they’d rather give up social media than email marketing.
- 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months. (2021)
- 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers
Due to its effectiveness, it has become a widely used method to reach and most importantly engage with audiences online.
However, if your business is now starting your email marketing journey, there are some things to consider:
1. Email Sign Up Etiquette
One of the practices businesses use to ensure they have an engaged email audience is to use the “double opt-in” standard. Double opt-in simply means that after a user signs up for an email marketing list or newsletter, they receive an email that asks that the user clicks a link to confirm the subscription. Only until that confirmation is the user officially on the list.
Similarly, when someone does sign up for your email listing, it is important to send a welcome email that tells them what they can expect. For example, exclusive offers, weekly highlights or new products. Similarly, you should also inform them of the frequency of your emails whether it be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Meeting all these measures ensures that you have an engaged customer audience on your list.
2. Avid Spam “Trigger Words”
Certain words will automatically put your emails in the SPAM folder. Therefore, it is important to avoid using them in the email subject line and reduce them in the body of the email. Some of these words include:
- Free
- Cheap
- Apply Now
- Clearance
- Act Now
Here is a detailed breakdown of SPAM words to avoid in general and those related to your industry.
3. Optimize for Mobile
Many companies create their email marketing without verifying how it appears on mobile. Due to how many people use their phones to check their email it is important to make sure that the content created fits within the mobile format. This includes:
- short headlines (most mobile devices only show 25-30 characters in email subject lines)
- Concise copy
- Prominent CTAs (call to action) for example, “Learn More”, “Shop Now”
Many email marketing services such as Mail Chimp, allow users to test their emails and this is a great tool to verify that everything appears and works as you wanted it to.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to build engaged audiences online in Jamaica and once the basics are covered you can then let your creativity and overall marketing strategy speak for itself.
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