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Email Marketing Best Practices for Build and Design Pros

Write and send effective emails even without a marketing department

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Sending email is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business, as you can reach a wide number of people without laying out a huge amount of cash — or any cash at all. Email also can help you stay in touch with leads, current and past clients, and suppliers, boosting the chance for referrals. Here’s how to do it right.

Build a Strong Distribution List 

You can create your distribution list based on leads generated through Houzz, along with previous clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and anyone else you have partnered with.

Some tips for maintaining an effective list with loyal readers:

1. Consider segmentation. By organising your subscribers into smaller groups, you can send more targeted emails, creating a higher chance that the recipients will open the email and click through it. You can group by age, location, income level or interests, or even separate active from inactive users.

2. Do regular list maintenance. Clean up your list at least twice a year by removing addresses with typos or invalid addresses, to reduce bounce rates. Sometimes people change their email addresses and forget to update their opt-ins, but it’s important to send emails to people who can actually engage.

3. Never buy lists. Not only is it illegal to use purchased lists for marketing messages, but bought lists won’t be targeted to your niche or industry. You’ll get the best results for your marketing efforts with people who are excited to engage with your content and receive your emails voluntarily. Make sure to get explicit consent through sign-up forms or double opt-ins. Many recipients will unsubscribe if they receive too many emails from the same company, so be strategic about how often you email and ensure your content is of value to its recipient.

Compose an Email that Works

If your goal is to turn leads into paying customers, personalisation is your friend. In fact, according to Evergage, 98% of marketers say that personalisation helps advance customer relationships. You can use the client’s name in the body of the email, send special birthday offers or even use dynamic emails in which entire sections change based on who is receiving it. Language also matters. Avoid marketing jargon or formal words, and opt for a friend-to-friend, casual tone. Overall, it’s about giving subscribers tailor-made content that is relevant to them and that makes them feel like they aren’t just another number to you. 

The design of your email is also important. Add your company’s logo, photographs of recent work, and links to your blog or social media to help your message stand out. Animated designs are also a great way to capture attention. And ensure that your call-to-action (CTA) button is clearly visible and looks clickable.

And of course you want to make sure your email content is interesting and/or beneficial. Consider including client testimonials or reviews, highlights of industry trends, and showcase your best work. 

Pro Tip: Make things easy with Houzz Pro’s new Email Marketing tool. You can use its gorgeous professional templates or create your own, send emails to your list and get insights into the results of your campaigns all in one place. 

Write a Compelling, Personalised Subject Line

It won’t matter how great your content is if no one opens the email to begin with, so the subject line is key. In fact, sources estimate that up to 64% of people open emails based on the subject lines alone. Make sure your subject line is both short (fewer than 60 characters) and compelling. 

People also are more likely to open an email with a personalised subject line, so consider including their name, location or any other relevant info. Studies have found that infusing a sense of urgency or exclusivity leads to higher open rates, so try using phrases like “ends soon.” Using an emoji in the subject also can boost open rates, but make sure to use only one. 

Avoid the Dreaded Spam Folder

Most people never even glance in their spam folder unless they’re expecting a message that hasn’t arrived. So obviously you want to avoid having your emails being flagged as spam. Try avoiding the words “no reply” in your email, and not sending it from noreply@yourcompany.com. Not only will this help ensure that your emails reach their intended destination, but it’ll increase open rates. Note that readers are more likely to open emails that come from an address with a first name, like jane@yourcompany.com

Using email is one of the fastest and least expensive types of marketing. And with these tips and the all new Houzz Pro Email Marketing tool, it can also be one of the easiest ways.

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