How to Master Email Marketing: Pros, Cons, and Best Practices

Email marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways to reach and engage your audience, generate leads, and increase sales. According to a recent study by Litmus, email marketing has an average return on investment (ROI) of 42:1, which means that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect to get $42 back.

However, email marketing is not without its challenges and drawbacks. You need to deal with spam issues, deliverability problems, unopened emails, fierce competition, and more. You also need to follow the best practices and strategies to make your email campaigns stand out and achieve your goals.

In this guide, we will help you master email marketing by providing a balanced overview of its pros and cons, as well as some best practices to follow.

The Pros of Email Marketing: Why You Should Use It for Your Business

Email marketing has many advantages and benefits for your business. Here are some of the main ones:

Cost-effectiveness

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels available. You don’t need to pay for printing, postage, or advertising fees. You only need to invest in an email marketing software or service, which usually offers a free or low-cost plan for beginners or small businesses. You can also save money by creating and sending your own email campaigns, without hiring a professional designer or copywriter.

Permission-based

Email marketing is based on the consent of your subscribers. They have given you their email address and agreed to receive your messages. This means that they are interested in your products or services, and are more likely to open, read, and respond to your emails. This also means that you are building trust and loyalty with your audience, and avoiding spam complaints and legal issues.

Flexible design

Email marketing allows you to create and customize your email campaigns according to your brand identity, preferences, and goals. You can choose from different formats, such as plain text, HTML, or rich media. You can also use different elements, such as images, videos, gifs, emojis, or buttons.

You can also personalize your emails by using your subscribers’ names, locations, preferences, or behaviors.

Scalable

Email marketing is scalable, which means that you can reach a large number of people with a single email campaign. You can also segment your email list into smaller groups based on different criteria, such as demographics, interests, or actions. This way, you can tailor your email campaigns to different segments and increase their relevance and effectiveness.

Personalization

Email marketing enables you to personalize your email campaigns to each subscriber. You can use data and information that you have collected from your subscribers, such as their names, locations, preferences, or behaviors. You can also use dynamic content, which is content that changes based on the subscriber’s profile or actions.

For example, you can show different products, offers, or testimonials based on the subscriber’s purchase history, browsing history, or feedback.

Shareable

Email marketing makes it easy for your subscribers to share your email campaigns with their friends, family, or colleagues. You can add social media buttons, forward buttons, or referral links to your emails, and encourage your subscribers to spread the word about your products or services.

This way, you can increase your brand awareness, reach new potential customers, and generate more referrals and word-of-mouth marketing.

Conversions

Email marketing can help you increase your conversions, which are the actions that you want your subscribers to take, such as buying your products, signing up for your service, downloading your ebook, or registering for your webinar. You can use different techniques and tactics to persuade your subscribers to take action, such as creating compelling subject lines, enticing calls to action, engaging stories, or scarcity and urgency triggers.

Additionally, you can also use email marketing to nurture your leads, which are your potential customers who are not ready to buy yet, but need more information or trust before making a decision.

Measurability

Email marketing is measurable, which means that you can track and analyze the performance and results of your email campaigns. You can use different metrics and indicators, such as open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, unsubscribe rate, conversion rate, or revenue. You can also use different tools and platforms, such as Google Analytics, to measure the impact of your email campaigns on your website traffic, conversions, and sales.

You can also use A/B testing, which is a method of comparing two versions of your email campaign to see which one performs better. This way, you can optimize your email campaigns and improve your email marketing ROI.

The Cons of Email Marketing: What You Should Watch Out For

Email marketing also has some disadvantages and challenges that you should be aware of and try to overcome. Here are some of the main ones:

Spam issues

Spam is unsolicited and unwanted email messages that are sent to a large number of recipients without their permission. Spam is not only annoying and irritating, but also illegal and unethical. It can damage your reputation, credibility, and deliverability.

To avoid spam issues, you should follow the email marketing laws and regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the US, the GDPR in the EU, or the CASL in Canada.

Undelivered emails

Undelivered emails are email messages that are not delivered to your subscribers’ inboxes, due to technical or human errors. Technical errors can include server issues, network issues, or email provider issues. Human errors can include typos, invalid, or inactive email addresses. Undelivered emails can affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing costs.

To avoid undelivered emails, you should use a reliable email marketing software or service, which has a high deliverability rate and follows the best practices and standards of email marketing. You should also verify and validate your email list regularly, and remove any bounced, invalid, or inactive email addresses.

Unopened emails

Unopened emails are email messages that are delivered to your subscribers’ inboxes but are not opened or read by them. They can indicate that your subscribers are not interested in your email campaigns, or that your email campaigns are not appealing or relevant to them.

To avoid unopened emails, you should use different techniques and tactics to capture your subscribers’ attention and curiosity, such as creating compelling subject lines, preheader text, and preview text. You should also segment your email list, personalize your email campaigns to different segments, and increase their relevance and effectiveness.

Fierce competition

Fierce competition can make it harder for you to stand out and differentiate yourself from your competitors, and to win and retain your subscribers’ attention and loyalty. It can affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing strategy and creativity.

To overcome fierce competition, you should use different techniques and tactics to create and deliver unique and valuable email campaigns, such as using storytelling, humor, emotion, or controversy.

You should also use different formats, elements, and media, such as plain text, HTML, or rich media, and images, videos, gifs, emojis, or buttons. You should also provide exclusive and irresistible offers, discounts, or rewards to your subscribers, and encourage them to take action and buy your products or services. 

Ease of unsubscription

This is a double-edged sword, as it can be both an advantage and a disadvantage for your email marketing. On one hand, ease of unsubscription can help you maintain a clean and healthy email list, and avoid spam complaints and legal issues. On the other hand, ease of unsubscription can also increase your unsubscribe rate, and reduce your email list size and quality.

Ease of unsubscription can affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing retention and loyalty. To balance ease of unsubscription, you should provide an easy and visible way for your subscribers to unsubscribe from your email list, and honor their requests promptly. You should also provide an alternative way for your subscribers to stay in touch with you, such as following you on social media, subscribing to your blog, or joining your community.

You should also try to prevent your subscribers from unsubscribing, by providing them with valuable and relevant email campaigns and asking them for their feedback, preferences, or expectations. You should also segment your email list and personalize your email campaigns to different segments, and increase their relevance and effectiveness.

Need for a large audience

This can be a challenge for email marketing, as it can be difficult and time-consuming to build and grow your email list, especially if you are starting from scratch or have a niche or small market. It can affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing growth and scalability.

To overcome this, you should use different techniques and tactics to attract and capture your target audience’s email addresses, such as creating and offering lead magnets, which are valuable and relevant freebies that you give to your visitors in exchange for their email addresses. You can also use different channels and platforms, such as your website, blog, social media, or online events, to promote your lead magnets and drive traffic to your landing pages or opt-in forms.

The Best Practices of Email Marketing: How to Overcome the Cons and Maximize the Pros

Email marketing can be a powerful and profitable marketing channel for your business if you follow the best practices and strategies to overcome the cons and maximize the pros. Here are some of the best practices of email marketing that you should implement now:

Use welcome emails

Welcome emails are the first emails that you send to your new subscribers after they join your email list. Welcome emails are important, as they set the tone and expectations for your future email campaigns, and help you make a good first impression on your subscribers. They can also help you increase your open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue.

Here are some tips to use welcome emails effectively:

• Send them as soon as possible, preferably within minutes or hours of your subscribers’ sign up
• Use a friendly and personal tone, and thank your subscribers for joining your email list
• Introduce yourself and your brand, and tell your subscribers what they can expect from your email campaigns, such as the type, frequency, and value of your emails
• Deliver your lead magnet, if you have offered one, and provide your subscribers with the link or access to your freebie
• Encourage your subscribers to take action, such as confirming their subscription, whitelisting your email address, following you on social media, or checking out your products or services
• Ask your subscribers for their feedback, preferences, or expectations, and use them to segment and personalize your email campaigns

Use lead magnets

Lead magnets are valuable and relevant freebies that you offer to your visitors in exchange for their email addresses. They are effective, as they help you attract and capture your target audience’s email addresses, and grow your email list. They can also help you increase your conversions, as they provide your visitors with a taste of your products or services, and entice them to buy more from you.

To use lead magnets effectively, here a couple of tips:

• Lead magnets should match your niche, industry, and goals
• Lead magnets should solve your visitors’ problems, needs, or desires
• Aim to create lead magnets that are easy to consume, such as ebooks, checklists, cheat sheets, templates, or guides

Use segmentation

Segmentation is the process of dividing your email list into smaller groups based on different criteria, such as demographics, interests, or actions. It is beneficial, as it helps you tailor your email campaigns to different segments, and increase their relevance and effectiveness. Segmentation can also help you increase your open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue.

To utilize segmentation effectively, follow these tips:

• Collect and use data and information that you have from your subscribers, such as their names, locations, preferences, or behaviors
• Use dynamic content, which is content that changes based on the subscriber’s profile or actions
• Use different tools and platforms, such as your email marketing software or service, to segment your email list and create and send personalized email campaigns to different segments

Use double opt-in

Double opt-in is a method of confirming your subscribers’ consent by sending them a confirmation email after they sign up for your email list. Double opt-in is advantageous, as it helps you verify and validate your email list, and avoid spam issues, undelivered emails, unopened emails, and legal risks. It can also help you increase your open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue.

To use double opt-in effectively, follow these tips:

• Send a confirmation email as soon as possible, preferably within minutes or hours of your subscribers’ sign-up
• Use a clear and compelling subject line, preheader text, and preview text, and make your subscribers want to open your confirmation email
• Use a simple and clear layout, and make your confirmation email easy to scan, read, and understand
• Include a strong and visible call to action, and make your subscribers want to click on your confirmation link

Use rewards

Rewards are incentives that you offer to your subscribers to motivate and encourage them to take action, such as buying your products, signing up for your service, downloading your ebook, or registering for your webinar. Rewards are effective, as they help you increase your conversions, sales, and revenue. Rewards can also help you increase your open rate, click-through rate, and loyalty.

To use rewards effectively, follow these tips:

• Offer rewards that match your niche, industry, and goals, and that solve your subscribers’ problems, needs, or desires
• Offer rewards that are exclusive and irresistible, and that create a sense of scarcity and urgency
• Offer rewards that are easy to redeem, such as coupons, codes, or links
• Promote your rewards on different channels and platforms, such as your website, blog, social media, or online events, and drive traffic to your landing pages or opt-in forms

Use compelling subject lines

Compelling subject lines are the first lines of text that your subscribers see when they receive your email campaigns. They are crucial, as they determine whether your subscribers will open or ignore your emails. Compelling subject lines can also affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing reputation and deliverability.

To use compelling subject lines effectively, here are a couple of tips to follow:

• Use the 4U formula, which is a formula that stands for Useful, Urgent, Unique, and Ultra-specific, and helps you to write your subject lines in a way that makes your subscribers want to open your emails
• Use different techniques and tactics to create and write your subject lines, such as using numbers, questions, emojis, or personalization.

Use enticing calls to action

Enticing calls to action are the words or phrases that you use to persuade your subscribers to take action, such as buying your products, signing up for your service, downloading your ebook, or registering for your webinar. Enticing calls to action are essential, as they determine whether your subscribers will click or ignore your emails. Enticing calls to action can also affect your email marketing performance and results, as well as your email marketing conversions and sales.

To use enticing calls to action effectively, here are a couple of tips:

• Use different techniques and tactics to create and write your calls to action, such as using verbs, benefits, or urgency
• Use different elements and media, such as buttons, links, or images, to display your calls to action, and make them stand out and attract attention

Utilize testing

Testing is the method of comparing two or more versions of your email campaign to see which one performs better. Testing is useful, as it helps you optimize your email campaigns and improve your email marketing performance and results. Testing can also help you increase your open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and revenue.

To use testing effectively, here are a couple of things to do:

• Use A/B testing, which is a method of comparing two versions of your email campaign to see which one performs better.
• Use different criteria and variables to test your email campaigns, such as subject line, preheader text, preview text, headline, subheadline, body text, call to action, or signature.
• Use different tools and platforms, such as your email marketing software or service, to conduct and analyze your tests, and find out the best version of your email campaign.
• Test and optimize your email campaigns regularly, and keep up with the latest trends and changes in email marketing.

Use tracking

Tracking is the process of measuring and analyzing the performance and results of your email campaigns. Tracking is essential, as it helps you evaluate your email marketing effectiveness and ROI. Tracking can also help you identify and improve the factors that affect your email marketing performance and results, such as open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, unsubscribe rate, conversion rate, or revenue.

To use tracking effectively, follow these best practices:

• Use different metrics and indicators, such as open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, unsubscribe rate, conversion rate, or revenue, to measure and analyze your email campaigns.
• Use different tools and platforms, such as Google Analytics, to measure and analyze the impact of your email campaigns on your website traffic, conversions, and sales.
• Use different reports and dashboards, such as your email marketing software or service, to monitor and visualize your email marketing performance and results.

Wrapping Up

Email marketing is a powerful and profitable marketing channel for your business – if you follow the best practices and strategies to overcome the cons and maximize the pros. In this guide, we have provided you with a balanced overview of the pros and cons of email marketing, as well as some best practices to follow. We hope that this post has helped you master email marketing and take your email marketing to the next level.

Thank you for reading and happy emailing! 💌