Email Marketing for CPAs

According to Statista, of the globe's 3.7 billion email users, 233 million live in America. The same report also projected that by the end of 2020, the number of email users in the United States would increase to almost 255 million. With a vast global audience of email users and experts forecasting an increase in the United States, how can organizations maximize this medium?

Collecting Customers' Emails

Building an email list is the primary step in an effective email marketing campaign. While there are many ways to do it offline, such as asking for a caller's email or writing it down if they volunteer their information in person, the most efficient way to do so is online.

WordPress calls them "Welcome Gates" – a pop-up box that's presented to the visitor immediately upon opening a website – and this is one way to get visitors to sign up for future emails. Offering a free eBook or a gift, or a percentage off a future order can also encourage visitors to sign up for upcoming newsletters.

Along with having a static box within a Contact Us page that is always available for sign-ups, visitors can similarly be prompted to register for an email newsletter when visiting other pages or immediately before leaving. These are also known as "Lightbox pop-ups" and "Exit-intent pop-ups," respectively.

Include a Direct Subject Line

Once a subscriber list is established, creating an attractive email for recipients to receive and open is the next step. Since people often quickly scan their inboxes, one crucial element is to create an eye-catching subject line.

When it comes to creating a subject line, making it succinct yet descriptive is essential to increase an email marketing campaign's effectiveness. Much like an article's headline is meant to attract the reader's attention, examples of eye-catching subject lines might be "10 Things to Do Before Seeing Your Tax Preparer" or "Get 25% Off Orders Today Only." These subject lines educate readers and quickly demonstrate how they'll benefit from opening and reading the email. Creating a sense of urgency or piquing how a recipient can improve his life will increase the email's effectiveness.

Keep it Short

Paying attention to an email's design is another essential element. While there's no hard and fast rule on the mix of images and text for email marketing messages, Dan Scalco, an INC Magazine contributor, offers a few recommendations to increase email marketing effectiveness. One is to limit the size of the message. Using high-resolution images in a compressed format will enable emails to load quickly, keeping users' attention through their emails.

Scalco also recommends distinguishing an email marketing campaign from other emails within users' inboxes by going beyond text. While using emojis might be only thought of for users who text, research suggests it might be an effective marketing tool. Citing an Experian report, Scalco explained that businesses had seen a 56 percent increase in email "open rates" when using emojis. According to his estimate of the average person receiving 100 emails daily, emojis provide brands to set themselves apart from other daily incoming emails. 

When designed and sent out at the right time of the day and week, email marketing can be a practical resource in a marketer's toolbox.