Is email marketing still important?

Despite the evolution of other digital marketing strategies, one question that keeps coming up is “Is email marketing still relevant?”.”

The short answer is yes. You can expand your customer base and increase sales with an effective email marketing strategy. Just as other platforms and media have changed, email marketing tools give your business the ability to reach customers easier than ever. 

Here are top 4 reasons on the importance of email marketing: 

Number 1: Almost everyone is an email user 

Ninety-one percent of consumers use email, according to a Hubspot survey. This alone should encourage you to use it. In general, email presents an incredible opportunity to reach clients (hint: your industry doesn’t make up the remaining 9%). They can share and forward those emails to anyone they wish. You can provide them with discounts, specials, new products, and more. A good email marketing strategy is to encourage customers to share offers as much as possible.  

73% of businesses rely on email as their primary form of communication in the B2B world. 

Number 2: Real-time communication with customers

Mobile devices were used to open 54% of emails according to Litmus. Any marketing strategy should take this into consideration. Mobile devices are being used more and more for accessing emails, media, and information. In addition, well-designed emails convert better on mobile than any other medium. Reach out from anywhere!

Number 3: People engage with emails 

Email has been around for quite some time, in fact, over forty years. Over time, email has evolved into one of our most common modes of communication. We’ve all been taught to respond to emails in some way. Whether it’s to reply, forward, click through to anything else contained within the email, delete, buy something, or sign up, the options are endless. We usually respond to emails in some way. Knowing this, you may use email to encourage individuals to visit your website, call you, or take any other action. In fact, email marketing was responsible for almost 25% of sales last year. 

Number 4: Increase brand awareness 

No, social media isn’t the only tool that can help a business raise brand awareness. Having a customer’s or prospect’s email address indicates that they are interested in your company. By keeping top of mind, email marketing allows you to increase that degree of interest and brand awareness. 

This does not imply that you should send four emails every day to each and every consumer. That’s a terrific way to have customers dislike you… Instead, use email marketing to highlight your involvement in the community. Too often, businesses use email marketing to try to sell their products while entirely overlooking the importance of brand awareness. They’re also preventing the ultimate prospect of gaining customer trust and giving their business a sense of personality by doing so. 

Source: Site-Seeker 

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Email signature must haves

Even if positioned at the bottom of an email, a tailored signature can add a personal touch and improve your corporate, as well as personal, branding. In general, a signature should not be too basic or predictable. Instead, it should catch the reader’s attention and convey key information. 

Here are the elements you should not miss when signing an email. 

First, your name, title and company name are essential to introduce your role to the reader.  

Contact information and links should also be included. That way the recipient will know how to reach you. It is recommended to add your business website, a phone number and relevant social media. For example, you can add your LinkedIn profile to grow your network. 

The structure and design of your email signature should be coherent with your branding, as well as visually appealing. Moreover, as more people are reading their mail on the go, test your signature and make sure it adjusts well across devices. Don’t forget to make it dark-mode friendly too.  

If you are working with contacts from several countries, make sure that your business communication is compliant with local culture and legal requirements. 

What about pictures and logos? While these tend to be considered optional elements, they can have a big impact on building relationships, as the reader will be able to match a face to your name and recognize your brand. 

To sum up, tailoring your email signature as your business card will contribute to your professional credibility. Try to keep it short and filter out irrelevant information and contact handles you are not using anymore. With a proper signature standing out in your recipients’ mailbox, you are on the way for more responses and new opportunities for your business. 

Source: TutsPlus 

Read about dark mode design in our previous blog post linked here. 

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8 S’s for a better writing

Anyone who works in business needs to be able to write well. Writing skills are crucial to communicate successfully and sell whatever ideas, products, or services you have to offer. Your writing has the power to attract your reader’s attention, whether it’s a short remark in an email or a sophisticated argument in a report.

According to Bill Richard, there are eight criteria that characterize great prose, which are summarized below here.

Simplicity

Simplicity improves the brain’s “processing fluency,” as scientists term it. Short sentences, well-known terms, and simple grammar ensure that the reader doesn’t have to work too hard to understand your message. To keep things simple, discard unnecessary words and use the active voice.

Specificity

Specificity stimulates a wide range of brain circuits. Using precise words triggers more neurons in the visual and motor-strip areas of the brain compared to general terms. For instance, CTA (call-to-action) has a stronger impact than the word “button” in a business context.

Surprise

Including a surprise element in your text can make your message stick, helping readers learn and retain information. So give your readers something new to look forward to, as creative wordplay is always appreciated.

Stirring language

Emotions are processed before logical meaning is grasped by humans. Consider incorporating words that combine feeling and thought into your next email to awake emotional neural circuits. Your enthusiasm for your message will shine through, and readers will sense your emotion if you express it.

Seduction

You can build up excitement when you structure your writing with seductive words that evoke anticipation and curiosity. Adding a question or positioning your offer as the perfect tool to solve a problem will pique people’s interest.

Smart thinking

Readers are pleased when they feel smart. Inserting some words that stimulate their brains to gather insights will give you some extra points.

Social content

Using colloquial phrases can help with the social content of an email. For example, you can create an informal dialogue and engage with readers by using the second person (“you”).

Storytelling

When you incorporate storytelling into your communications, big payoffs can result. Studies show that pitches with richer narratives reinforce credibility and business legitimacy.

References:

https://hbr.org/2021/07/the-science-of-strong-business-writing?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=linkedin&tpcc=orgsocial_edit

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How to write a proper “out of office” response

Summer is just starting and everyone deserves a vacation at this point. In order to be on top of your game at work, it might be a good idea to create an “out of office” response. Let’s have a look at how to do it properly!

What to do?

The most important thing is to know your audience. You need to consider this, because that way you can figure out whether you want to sound fun and open or professional. This is up to you, however, do check your company’s policy for this part.
Ideally, you would start your response with a “thank you” in your preferred form. This shows a polite appreciation for the other person’s time.
The next thing is to mention the exact dates when you are away. This way, the respondents are able to reach you again once you are back.
It is also important to mention the reason for your absence. Some people might try to contact you anyway (if you don’t explain yourself), however, if you mention that you are taking a personal vacation, the chances are very low.
If it’s possible, mention another contact person who can take over in case of you absence. Do this only in case the person knows about this and is willing to substitute you at your work.

What not to do? 

Don’t overshare! You never know who is trying to reach you and who will receive your automatic response. There is no need to give a lot of details. People don’t need to know in which hotel are you, simply say that you are on a vacation.
It might not be a good idea to say that you will reply ASAP when you come back. This is a very common mistake, because then people are waiting for your response the first day that you come back. When you come back from your vacation, you will most likely have a lot of work to catch up on, so do not promise anything if you can’t fulfill it.
Lastly, no typos please. You don’ want to do the for obvious reasons (it does not look professional).

Ant tip: How to do an “out of office” response in Outlook? Find out in our short video here:

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How to use emojis in emails ⭐️

In the digital world, emojis are becoming a commonly used communication tool. Using emojis in your emails can be the key to deliver effective messages in a fun and less formal way.

A little bit of history and fun facts
The term emoji originates from the Japanese e (絵, “picture”) + moji (文字, “letter, character”).
Starting from the first set of 176 emojis, created in 1999 by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita, this form of communication has evolved greatly into integrating symbols from different cultures.
While emoticons, emojis’ predecessors, were based on resembling facial expressions with simple characters, emojis are defined as pictograms I.e., graphic symbols that convey meaning through the visual resemblance to a widely known physical object.
According to Emojipedia, there exist over 3500 emojis in the Unicode Standard, which are frequently updated with new releases. Their popularity and use are constantly increasing, at a level where an emoji, the “face with tears of joy”, was chosen as “Word of the Year” by the Oxford dictionary in 2015.

Checklist for proper emoji use

Make sure both your brand and your target audience are fitting for this youthful, light-hearted and creative way of communication. Emojis tend to make emails look less professional, so they might be inappropriate if you work in the BFSI industry
Emojis are not substitutes for words. Try using them just to supplement your message, so that is looks more personal and cheerful
Don’t forget to run tests before sending important emails and take into account how different devices display the emojis you choose. For example, while the Danish flag appears with its symbol on Google, Apple and Facebook, on Outlook and LinkedIn you will only see the text abbreviation to DK
Verify whether your emojis have a shared global meaning to avoid misunderstandings. It is possible that some countries find certain emojis offensive, so checking beforehand can save you some embarrassment. Sometimes the meaning may vary from culture to culture or according to the recipient’s age, for example the raised hand emoji can be interpreted as high-five or as a stop sign

Overall, using emojis in your emails stand out in a recipient’s inbox. Yes, they can help your brand gain awareness and engagement, but only when used carefully and properly for your business.

Credits:
Emojipedia, Zero Bounce blog, Oxford Language dictionary, Wired

Word of the Year 2015

https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/
https://emojipedia.org/faq/

Do’s and Don’ts of Using Emojis in Email Marketing

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What fonts to use in your next email?

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Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and…

A global pandemic can really stir things up in the marketing world. In 2020, we’ve seen some big changes in digital marketing and 2021 is likely to bring even more changes. As a digital marketer, it’s important to pay attention to trends so you can stay on top of changing best practices without disrupting your entire marketing strategy. That’s why we’re sharing seven email marketing predictions for 2021. With these predictions, you’ll have the tools you need to keep your brand ahead of the curve—and ahead of your competitors—in 2021.

Email marketing maybe 40 years old but it’s as strong as ever. Perhaps even stronger as brands have made the shift to digital marketing channels as we navigate the ever-changing marketing landscape brought about by COVID-19.

If you’re new to email marketing, now is a great time to start. Check out our guide to email marketing for all you need to know about this top marketing strategy.

3. Interactive Emails

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) will mean great things for interactive emails. Using AMP, you can add interactive content directly into your marketing emails. So, if you want to show off a few different products, you can add a carousel and shopping options right in the email instead of linking out to a landing page.

This means that your subscribers will be able to view products, shop, and more straight from your email. No clicking, clicking, clicking to get to the right page only to click more to complete a purchase. Every time you reduce friction, making it easier for subscribers or shoppers to complete an action, you increase the likelihood that they’ll actually complete that action.

Here’s an example of an email using interactive content from Google:

You’ll notice that you can choose the color of your Google Pixel Buds and add your choice to your cart right from the email. This makes it a lot easier for users to complete their purchases right away.

Unfortunately, not all email marketing service providers support AMP. Put pressure on your provider or find a new one to take advantage of this awesome marketing strategy.

4. Bright Colors

Okay, this is one of our email marketing predictions for 2021 that might seem contradictory to another on the list (namely, our recommendation for sending text-only emails). However, we didn’t say all of your emails should be text-only. So, if you’re going to be sending emails using email marketing templates, designs, and images, make them bold and bright.

Magic Spoon is a brand that fully embraces bold colors in their email marketing:

Color is great for evoking emotions and drive action. In the United States, for instance, the color black in marketing has a strong association with luxury, power, and status. Blue is all about trust and security. Yellow represents happiness and youthfulness. And on and on.

Beyond the psychological aspects of color, using strong and vibrant colors in your email marketing can drive both engagement and conversions. Color can increase brand awareness, sell your products, and even increase your click-through rates. According to Kissmetrics, 93% of consumers find color most important when making a purchase, and 85% of shoppers say color is the primary reason they buy a product.

Author: Influencer Marketing Hub

Source: 8 Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and Revenue

What is Ant XL?

Ant XL is a tool included in Ant Text which you can use to send news and/or event emails to your clients, from your own email address. This is also known as sending bulk emails or campaigns. With Ant XL you can send personalized emails to your clients, based on data in an Excel spreadsheet, from your own email account. 

Ant XL can send up to 2.000 e-mails out per campaign with unlimited merge fields and simple and easy statistics. Create your own Outlook drafts and store them in your Ant Texts folder ready to use. Use uniform text, subject title, top banners, pictures, tables, hyperlinks, and attachments for each email draft you create.

More and more customers see this as an easy option to do quick and sweet e-mail bulk email services and get started within few minutes!

Click here to download Ant Text

The post Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and Revenue (Part 2) appeared first on Ant Text City of email.

Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and…

A global pandemic can really stir things up in the marketing world. In 2020, we’ve seen some big changes in digital marketing and 2021 is likely to bring even more changes. As a digital marketer, it’s important to pay attention to trends so you can stay on top of changing best practices without disrupting your entire marketing strategy. That’s why we’re sharing seven email marketing predictions for 2021. With these predictions, you’ll have the tools you need to keep your brand ahead of the curve—and ahead of your competitors—in 2021.

Email marketing may be 40 years old but it’s as strong as ever. Perhaps even stronger as brands have made the shift to digital marketing channels as we navigate the ever-changing marketing landscape brought about by COVID-19.

If you’re new to email marketing, now is a great time to start. Check out our guide to email marketing for all you need to know about this top marketing strategy.

1. Hyper-Personalization

If you’re familiar with email marketing, you already know that personalization matters. According to Campaign Monitor, emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened. And, Experian found that personalized emails get 6X higher transaction rates.

That’s huge. But just adding your recipient’s name in your email subject line and email copy won’t be enough to sway most consumers in 2021. Consumers are now looking for hyper-personalized content that gives them information relevant to them, and that feels like it was meant only for them. In fact, according to Lucid, roughly 20% of people will unsubscribe from a newsletter if the content or promotions don’t match their interests.

Can you afford to lose 20% of your email marketing list?

Fortunately, you can start sending hyper-personalized content by using segmentation and dynamic content.

Email list segmentation is the process of grouping email subscribers into smaller segments based on certain criteria. This could be anything from location, purchase history, interests, behavior, and a lot more. Using these segments, email marketers can create content that is specifically for each segment instead of sending the same message to everyone.

This process is made a lot easier if you have an email marketing service that allows for the use of dynamic content. Dynamic email content is any personalized part of a marketing email that changes depending on your email list segments. You can create hyper-personalized emails by adding variables to your mailing list and segmenting your list.

For more ways to create personalized emails that get opened, check out our email personalization best practices.

2. Text-Only Emails

Clocking in at number two on our list of email marketing predictions for 2021, you can expect to see a lot more text-only emails.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t send emails with GIFs and eye-catching images, of course. It just means that you don’t have to. In fact, continuing with the hyper-personalization trend, it’s likely that this newfound love for text-only emails is because they feel more personal, like an email you’d send a friend (because let’s be real, most people don’t send image-heavy emails to their friends and family).

Sending users a text-only email can be a nice change of pace for your subscribers. You can mix your text-only emails in with your other designed and templated emails for maximum effect. To get the most from your less-flashy emails, use them when you’re looking to get a little personal or trying to connect with your subscribers on a deeper, more personal level.

Here’s an example of a text-only email from Movable Ink:

As you can see, the use of text in this email makes the email feel much more personal and important than it would if it were filled with GIFs and images.

Home

Author: Influencer Marketing Hub

Source: 8 Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and Revenue

What is Ant Text?

Ant Text is a Microsoft Outlook add-in that makes you and your colleagues more efficient. With Ant Text you can write your emails easier and faster.

By using Ant Text you can help yourself and your company, with obtaining the following goals:

Ensure quality and consistency in your emails.
Add more value to your auto signatures with top banners.
Save time in the whole organization by sharing the same templates.
Improve your company or personal brand and customer service.
Create and send event and newsletters to different target groups

With only a few clicks, you can write very long and comprehensive emails with your own design.

The idea behind Ant Text is that you build up your own draft folder structure and create your own email drafts. Use uniform text, subject title, top banners, pictures, tables, hyperlinks and attachments for each email draft you create.

Click here to download Ant Text

The post Email Marketing Predictions for 2021 to Boost Engagement and Revenue (Part 1) appeared first on Ant Text City of email.

Block all attendees video in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft has finally listened to feedback from meeting organizers who’ve wanted an easy way to disable the video of all attendees in a meeting. Very soon meeting organizers will quickly be able to prevent attendees from turning on their camera when they’re meant to be focused on the presentation.

You will receive to features:

Disable/enable a single attendee’s video
Disable/enable the video of all attendees

It is over with attendees turning on their cameras accidentally, which isn’t great especially when someones video feed is distracting.

In condition to the roadmap, it should be published by the end of this month.

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