The efficacy of email marketing is clear, with 73% of in-house marketers globally saying it provides their organizations strong ROI. But, while many teams are sending emails, they’re not all maximizing it as a marketing tool. In failing to do so, they’re leaving an opportunity on the table.
Let’s zero in on email banners in this context. Email banners are used to power up every employee’s email (whether being used for external or internal communications), by adding a promotional/graphical banner below or above their signature.
This space can be prime real estate for marketing and other messages, but is too frequently overlooked. In fact, email banners can help you nurture leads in the middle of the funnel and convert clients at the bottom of it. And as with most marketing tactics, the more targeted you get with these messages, the better.
But in addition to this, there are a few more best practices to follow. Here are a few, to help you get closer to maximizing email as a digital marketing channel.
Make Them Your Mouthpiece
Many people think email banners are only useful for outright promotions, but they’re mistaken. Yes, you can certainly use them to promote a new offer or invite customers to your next webinar. But, banners can also serve a much broader purpose. This space in an email is actually the perfect place to communicate with your audience in a different, more distinct way.
Consider using your email banners to link to a new piece of content that is both educational and entertaining. Or, include holiday wishes or info on a charity you share proceeds with. In doing so, you keep the body of your email concise (and therefore more likely to be read), while still providing awareness to other key agendas. Additionally, you can also use this area to let your recipients know about an event you’ll be attending, thus planting the seed for an in-person meeting so you can continue the conversation face-to-face.
Strengthen Internal Unity
Another misconception is that banner ads are useful only when emailing people outside your organizations. People think of them as a sales tool for converting customers. Of course, this is part of what they are. But again, it’s not the whole story.
Banners can also be incredibly effective in internal emails. Share continuing education opportunities with your staff in your email banners, or invite them to your next office gathering. Or, encourage HR to use banners to promote open enrollment deadlines and new position opportunities. They provide a really valuable way to spread the word about events, workshops, policies and other ideas about which you’d like everyone to be aware.
Tap Into – And Share – Creativity
Let’s be honest – crafting email messages doesn’t always make us feel like we’re flexing our creative muscles. Typically, we type in the text and then press send. Sometimes, we jazz it up by including a link or two, or even an image. But still, our options can feel a little bit constrained.
Cue email banners. By having the banner space to play with, you can enliven your emails – and your creative spirit. Include animated images to catch your recipient’s eye or unique fonts that stand out from the rest of the message. You can reinforce your branding by making your logo a focal point within the banner, or use colors that either complement your brand colors or contrast against it. All of this creative freedom will make your email fresh in the eyes of your recipient, and make your messages more memorable and enjoyable to send and receive.
Maximize Your Time
Perhaps one of the best parts of using email banners is that they allow you to continually cross-sell and promote your products or services with every email you and your employees send. But, you don’t have to write out the messages yourself or take the time to figure out how to position them. Using email banners in this way further saves you from feeling like a pushy salesperson, abruptly asking for a sale or “casually” mentioning promotions.
Instead, the banner does the talking. You can simply focus on strengthening your relationship with your recipient, as the banner pushes for the cross-sell. It informs the recipient of other services without you having to be too pushy, and offers your audience a chance to simply click on it for more details at their leisure.
Harness the Power of Real-Time Data
Lastly, use an email banner tool that provides real-time analytics and notifications so you know who’s opening your emails and clicking on the banners. Knowing that your recipients are curious and engaged gives you powerful insight into the effectiveness of your banner strategy and most importantly, can better prepare you for the next conversation you’ll have with the recipient.
By recognizing that email banners can be a useful marketing tool, and following these best practices, you’ll arm yourself with better communications, better insights and better results. And, your recipients will get more from your interactions too.
Cherryl Pressley is CEO of Black Pearl Mail, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product that helps companies increase their brand and grow revenues.
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