Email marketing is a crucial component of creating a digital marketing strategy. It is a vital tool to grow brand awareness, generate more leads, and appeal to your target audience. Whether you’re sending out newsletters, promotions, or lead nurturing campaigns, it’s best to approach your email marketing with a defined strategy.

When first starting, experimenting with your email marketing will help to determine your business’s best practices. There are many variables to consider, which may lead to some trial and error. However, you can set yourself and your business up for success with the following key email marketing tactics. 

Email Marketing Checklist:

1. Build Your Mailing List

Who you send your content to is equally important to the content itself. Before you send out your first campaign, think of your mailing list as the foundation of your email marketing strategy. When building your list, it’s best to focus on quality than quantity. Having extensive contacts that don’t fit your target audience holds little to no value for growing your business. There are many methods to grow your mailing list with viable contacts, such as filling out a form from paid ads or lead magnets, referral programs, giveaways, and more.

2. Email Segmentation

One size fits all does not always apply to your email campaigns. A valuable mailing list will be pulling new contacts from various outlets. Therefore, not all of your content will appeal to your entire database. That’s where email segmentation comes in handy. 

Segmenting your contact lists by lead source, interests, the date they opted in, demographics, etc., will ensure better results in your email marketing. Being intentional about who you send what content to increases your chances of higher open rates. Your mailing list will thank you for keeping unnecessary emails out of their inbox. 

3. Create an Email Template

Having a well-designed email template can help with your overall branding. Consistency is an essential part of building a brand. When creating your email template, use fonts and colors matching your logo and website. 

The header and footer of the template are also great places to link to your website and social media platforms. A strong email template is a simple and effective way to build brand awareness. 

4. Optimize for Mobile

According to Hubspot, about 55% of emails are opened on a mobile device. Therefore, if you’re not optimizing your content for mobile, you’re missing out on more than half of potential readers. Luckily, most email software servers offer a mobile optimization tool, so it’s an easy, hassle-free solution. 

5. Keep Content Clear and Concise

Grabbing the attention of your consumers is half the battle with email marketing. If you’ve accomplished getting the email opened, get straight to the point with your content. Email copywriting should be short and sweet to ensure you convey your message. Use small sentences, bulleted lists, and white space in the design layout to highlight the critical information. 

6. Add Visual Element

In addition to clear and concise content, adding a visual element can help attract more attention. A visual aspect can represent your target message, whether it’s an image, video, GIF, or even an emoji in the subject line. 

7. Add Personalization

The benefits of personalization go hand in hand with those of email segmentation. Being personable is a great tactic to connect with your mailing list and stand out among other emails. Add the contact’s first name or other custom fields to the subject line or copy. These personal touches can make a huge difference in your email marketing strategy.

8. A/B Test Subject Lines

Subject lines are arguably the most critical aspect of email marketing. Building a well-crafted email has no benefit if no one gets to open it. Learning what subject lines are most effective with your mailing list is imperative to email marketing. 

Many variables, including the subject line, can affect a campaign’s open and click rates. Using A/B tests allows you to test one variable while controlling the others. This way, you can try two subject lines simultaneously with the same email. 

9. Schedule Campaign for Optimal Time

Determining which days and times to send an email also plays a significant role in a successful strategy. Studies show that Thursday, Wednesday, and Tuesday are the best days for high email rates. In addition, 10 AM took the top spot for when to send an email. Other popular times are 9 AM, 8 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM.

You’ll notice what campaigns performed better as you send more campaigns. This data can also help decide the optimal time for email engagement among your mailing list. 

Get in Touch With Us


Now that we’ve outlined the essentials for effective email marketing, it’s time to put the plan into action. If you’re still searching for how to take your email marketing techniques to the next level, our team at TargetMarket is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about an email strategy unique to your business.

Previous Blog
Next Blog

Agency Insights + Perspectives

Sign up to receive the latest agency perspectives,
cultural insights and inspiration.