Drive Email Engagement with Proven Techniques

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. But to achieve real results, there’s more to it than simply hitting "send."

Here are some best practices to help you see more engagement and responses…

1. Consistency Is Key: Don’t Rely on Just One Email

Sending one email rarely generates the response rate you’re hoping for. A single email is easy to miss or ignore, so a strategic sequence is essential. Plan for a multi-email campaign that includes follow-ups and nurtures prospects over time. Studies show that a well-timed follow-up email can increase response rates by up to 30%. Start with a welcome email, followed by a series of targeted messages to keep the momentum going.

2. Use a Separate Domain for Your Email Campaigns

To protect the reputation of your main website domain and business email, it's a good idea to send your email campaigns from a separate or secondary subdomain. Using a dedicated email domain (such as news.yourcompany.com, offers.yourcompany.com or youcompany.uk.com) reduces the risk of your primary domain being negatively impacted if your emails experience a high bounce rate or are flagged as spam.

This approach also helps build a positive sender reputation for your email domain over time. By keeping your marketing emails separate from your main website domain, you can manage any potential issues without affecting the reputation of your primary domain, which is crucial for maintaining deliverability of your business emails, your website’s SEO performance and overall brand credibility.

3. Domain Warming

If you’re just launching an email campaign from a new domain or email address, warming up your domain or a new mailbox is essential. Domain warming is a gradual process that involves sending a low volume of emails initially and then scaling up to larger audiences over a period. This allows your domain to establish credibility with internet service providers (ISPs) and reduces the risk of your emails landing in promotional or even spam folders.

4. Use Spintax for Variability

To maximise landing in the primary inbox, consider using spintax - this is a great method of writing different variations of content to create unique emails each time. Spintax lets you switch out certain phrases or sentences, which helps emails appear distinct and more personalised to the recipient. For example, writing introductory lines like “{Hi|Hello|Dear}, here’s what’s new!” can add subtle variation that keeps your emails out of spam and shows ISPs that your emails are less repetitive, appearing more 121 in nature rather than a mass email send.

How you use spintax may vary depending on your email marketing software, as not all email service providers (ESPs) support spintax formatting. Be sure to check your provider’s documentation to confirm compatibility and learn about specific syntax rules they may require.

5. Use Personalisation and Segmentation

Today’s readers expect tailored content, so generic messaging just won’t cut it. Use segmentation to divide your audience based on factors like behaviour, demographics, or purchasing history, and then personalise your content to each group. Research shows that personalised emails can lead to a 29% increase in unique open rates and a 41% increase in click-through rates.

6. Monitor Your Metrics and Optimise

Tracking your metrics, open rates, click-through rates and bounce rates is crucial for understanding what’s working and what needs improvement. However, keep in mind that some ESPs may open and click links in your emails as part of their security and anti-spam filtering process, which can skew your metrics before the recipient actually sees the email.

To improve deliverability, consider switching off open and click rate tracking if it’s not essential for your campaign. Disabling these trackers can reduce the likelihood of your emails being flagged by overly aggressive spam filters. Instead, focus on other key indicators of engagement, such as replies or website traffic. Look for patterns over time to understand true engagement and adjust your email content, subject lines, and timing based on these insights.

7. Create Value with Every Email

Every email you send should provide clear value to your readers. Avoid overly promotional content and aim to educate, entertain, or solve a problem. Whether it’s a helpful tip, a resource, or a special offer, adding value keeps your audience engaged and more likely to act.

By following these best practices, you can improve your email marketing results, build stronger connections with your audience, and drive real engagement.