Industry insights

For fast-paced digital marketing agencies, it's common to focus on nurturing and expanding your clients' businesses, that you leave little room to promote your own services. While this is unintentional, this oversight may be hindering your agency's growth potential.

That's where email marketing comes in as a game-changer forbusy agencies. With email creation becoming more intuitive, powerful, and 37% of brands increasing their email budgets it's clear to see that email continues to grow as an effective marketing solution.

Let's delve into the best practices that can elevate your agency's email marketing game and unlock new avenues of success.

Why email marketing benefits digital marketing agencies

With 4.3 billion email users, email continues as a sustainable, cost-effective, and high-converting solution to effortlessly balance client acquisition and client retention.

This single strategy enables targeted outreach to engage and move audiences through different stages of the buyer's journey. For new audiences, email marketing can be used to show them your work, promote services, and reasons to work with you. For customer loyalty and retention, email can be used to upsell and/or communicate the consistent value you bring to your clients.

Email marketing presents a lucrative opportunity for marketing agencies of all sizes to thrive and grow. By consistently engaging potential clients and ensuring your presence remains prominent, you establish top-of-mind recall for marketing services.

#1: Segmentation to keep the balance

As your organization grows, you will notice that your audience has a wide range of interests depending on their demographics, business, and needs. Segmentation involves dividing your email list into different groups based on specific criteria, such as industry or stage in your client acquisition journey.

Segmentation enables you to send targeted and personalized content to each group, increasing the relevance and effectiveness of your campaigns and ROI. For example, if you have a segment of subscribers who are interested in social media marketing, you can tailor your emails to provide them with valuable tips and resources in that area.

Seer Interactive, for instance, is a digital marketing agency serving a variety of audiences from digital marketers who need to stay up to date on best practices to prospective customers. You can see in the example below how Seer differs their emails based on the audience.

Email for digital marketers:

Focuses on speaking to digital marketers who are interested in learning more about how to improve their services, what's new in the industry, and new tools and solutions.

Email for potential clients:

The second email targets potential clients who are likely in the discovery phase of what an agency does. Seer provides some insights to help the reader make more informed decisions with comparisons, a checklist, and an article with what to expect. This email, while does not directly promote Seer's services, let's the reader know that this agency is here to help keeping them top of mind.

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Segmenting your audience using the customer journey funnel

As mentioned earlier, one of the most beneficial aspects of email marketing for agencies is the ability to maintain balance between client acquisition and customer retainment. In our professional experience, the best way to do this is to map out your customer journey and plan out how each stage serves your audience and of course moves them through the journey. While your client’s journey may vary depending on your services, but typically it entails the following: 

• Awareness: In this stage, prospects have heard your name but are just getting to know who you are. This is where you can create a sequence of emails for them to get to know your agency, the services you offer, and what makes you unique. 
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• Consideration: This audience is weighing their options about the best marketing agency for them. This is where you will likely begin to provide statistics about the returns you’ve achieved for other clients or share testimonials. 
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• Decision/conversion: This is the stage when prospects just need that final push to take action and sign on as clients. In this stage, you can offer incentives or a free trial of one services.
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• ‍Loyalty: This is the stage when a business has signed on as a client or made a purchase and your goal is to retain them. You’ll want to send these clients loyalty-boosting content like announcements about new products, appreciation for their support, and informative content that is helpful to them.

Ultimately, segmentation is a great way to keep your subscribers engaged and drive client acquisition and retention. Once you have a clear understanding of your client journey and the goals at each stage, now it's time to grow your email list.

#2: Building and growing your email list

To maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns, it is essential to first start building a quality list of people who are interested in what you have to offer and say.

1. Make it easy to subscribe: Whether you're using a form on your website or a landing page, make sure that your process is simple. Only ask for only essential information, ideally only up to three. Some suggestions are name, email address, and a question that could help you segment them into groups such as "are you looking for an agency?" This simple question could help segment new subscribers to cold vs. hot leads. Don't forget to use a clear CTA that communicated what the next step is.  
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2. Leverage social media: Promote your email list on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter/X to reach a wider audience and encourage sign-ups.
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3. Offer valuable incentives: Provide something of value, such as appealing discounts on a client’s first service or exclusive content like a guide to social media marketing in exchange for people signing up to your email list.
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4. ‍Regularly clean your list: While building and growing your email list, it is important to regularly examine your subscribers and remove those who are not engaging. This helps maintain a healthy list and ensures that your metrics accurately reflect subscriber engagement.
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5. ‍Don’t forget existing clients: Add your existing clients to your mailing list so they can stay up to date on your latest services and offers. Additionally create a segment of former clients who have not engaged with your agency in a while. This segment is perfect for targeted emails meant to re-engage them, like personalized information about where they left off in the process and a call-to-action button for them to jump back in.
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6. Provide compelling content consistently: Deliver content that is interesting, informative, and valuable to keep subscribers engaged and to make them more likely to tell others about your mailing list. The friends they tell may become subscribers and eventually clients.

Keep these best practices in mind to build a high-quality subscriber list who are genuinely interested in your brand. 

#3: Designing high-converting emails

The effectiveness of your email campaigns is directly influenced by the design choices you make. Research shows that visually appealing designs can significantly enhance engagement rates.

Email design best practices

Strategic design choices not only make your emails more appealing, but also drive higher conversions.

1. Personalize your emails: HubSpot ranks message personalization as one of the most effective strategies for email marketing. Tailor the content based on their interests or past interactions with your brand, such as by including a section for recommended services. This increases engagement and makes your emails more relevant.
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2. Use professional and high-quality visual design: Use high-quality images and graphics that support your message and reflect your brand's identity. A visually appealing email is more likely to capture attention and encourage click-throughs. In fact, according to Campaign Monitor, communications with visuals receive 650% more engagement than those without.
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3. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA): Wordstream found that one CTA in your email can garner 371% more clicks and over 1600% higher sales. Your CTA should be prominent, concise, and action-oriented. Make it easy for recipients to understand what they need to do next, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for an event, or downloading a resource.
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4. Maintain consistent branding: Ensure that your email templates align with your brand's colors, fonts, and overall visual style. Consistency helps build recognition and reinforces trust with your audience, and according to GaggleAMP, customers who feel connected to your brand account for 37% of revenue and spend twice as much.
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5. Design for mobile devices: According to eMarketer, over half of emails are opened on mobile devices. Be sure your emails are mobile-friendly so they still look clean and engaging for your recipients.

Leverage email templates

Email marketing templates are a great asset for your email design. Many email marketing tools offer pre-designed emails that you can easily customize to suit your needs and brand guidelines.

By using pre-built templates, your agency can significantly reduce the time and effort required to create engaging emails, ultimately boosting your return on investment (ROI) by maximizing the impact of your email marketing efforts.

Ensure responsive, mobile-optimized, HTML email design

When designing your marketing emails, designing in HTML helps ensure that your emails will be readable in nearly any email app (like Gmail, Outlook, and so on) and device. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an HTML coder to create HTML emails.

Now a days, there are many tools that offer an easy-to-use design interface so you can design your emails and export the HTML the solution builds for you. These tools, streamline and make the design process more efficient, without the need to have any knowledge on HTML or CSS.

By utilizing an HTML email design tool, such as Beefree, not only can you enjoy the peace of mind that your emails will render well, but you also benefit from a solution that helps you and your agency save time, increase productivity, and get more done with less resources.

However, not all HTML email builders are made equal.

#4: Choosing the right email marketing software for your agency

A stellar email campaign starts with effective and productive email marketing software. When choosing email marketing software, it's important to consider factors such as ease of use, customization options, integration capabilities with other tools, and more.

Factors to consider when choosing email marketing software

How do you determine which of the many email marketing tools is the best fit for your agency’s needs? Here are some important factors to consider while you weigh your options:

1. Check out the features: Every software has its own collection of features like scheduled sending, automated options for sending a series of emails, personalization, design capabilities, and so on. Compare tools and their features against your list of must-haves.
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2. Examine the pricing: Cost matters in your ROI. Pick a service that fits your budget.
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3. Consider other capabilities: Some tools offer email marketing along with other helpful services like social media ads, website analytics, and so on. Consider whether there are email marketing tools that will also replace some of your other software.
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4. Try A/B testing: If you’re able to try out multiple email tools at the same time, consider sending a few campaigns with each tool to see if one performs better than the other.
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5. Weigh the integration capabilities: Consider email marketing platforms that may integrate with some of the other tools you use, like your client management system. This applies to email tools that integrate with other email tools too, like BeeFree which provides a user-friendly way to design your emails and smoothly send them with nearly any email sending platform
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6. Preview emails: Check out examples of what other businesses have created using each email tool.
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7. Read reviews and research: See what other businesses (and especially other marketing agencies, if possible) have to say about each tool.

Recommended email marketing tools

Here's a quick rundown of some recommended email design tools that can help maximize your ROI:

HubSpot

• Key features: AI-driven marketing automation, built-in analytics, advanced segmentation, customizable templates.‍
• Benefits: Targeted emails improve ROI and overall marketing strategy. HubSpot's AI can help with segmentation and crafting tailored emails for each recipient.

MailChimp

• Key features: Easy usability, broad template selection, robust automation, analytics.‍
• Benefits: Good for beginners and seasoned marketers alike, MailChimp offers an intuitive platform with high flexibility.

Constant Contact

• Key features: User-friendly interface, diverse template library, event management tools, social media integration.‍
• Benefits: Great for small to midsize businesses. It offers a range of features that can help streamline and automate your email marketing processes.

GetResponse

• Key features: All-in-one platform, landing page builder, advanced analytics, webinar hosting‍
• Benefits: If you're looking for more than just email marketing, GetResponse offers a suite of tools including landing page and webinar solutions.

ActiveCampaign

• Key features: Advanced automation, CRM integration, messaging features, customer behavior tracking‍
• Benefits: ActiveCampaign is ideal for businesses with a focus on customer relationships. It offers extensive automation and tracking capabilities for a more personalized approach.

Beefree

• Key features: Specializing in HTML email design, with an extensive catalog of email templates to use and a drag-and-drop email editor for complete customization‍
• Benefits: While emails cannot be exported via Beefree like the above, Beefree integrates with all major email sending platforms for easy use with your favorite software. Additionally, the application offers free and cost-effective plans to help you get started.

To ensure you're choosing the right tool, consider your organization's unique needs, the tool's capabilities, and how well it integrates with your existing marketing tech stack.

#5: Automating Your email marketing efforts

Leveraging automation in your email marketing strategy can significantly enhance your outreach efforts and improve your email marketing ROI. By automating certain aspects of your email campaigns, you can ensure timely and targeted communication with potential clients, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

Automation allows you to schedule emails to be sent at optimal times and personalize content based on user behavior. This not only saves time and resources but also maximizes the impact of your emails. There are several ways that your agencies can incorporate automation, but here are some:

• Sending an email to clients who started but didn’t complete your inquiry process.
• Automated welcome series for new clients that introduces them to your work process.
• Automated follow-ups for webinars, events, or meetings.

Benefits of email marketing automation

1. Increased efficiency: With automated emails, you can reach a larger number of clients or reach clients more reliably without having to manually send individual emails.
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2. Engagement and lead nurturing: Marketing automation sometimes offers advanced features like lead scoring and nurturing. You can segment your audience based on their behavior or interests, ensuring that they receive relevant content tailored specifically for them.
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3. Advanced user segmentation: Automation allows you to segment your email list based on various criteria such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. This enables you to send personalized messages that resonate with each segment of your audience.
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4. Increased conversions: By sending targeted and timely emails through automation, you can significantly improve conversion rates. Whether it's encouraging a purchase or promoting an upcoming event, automated emails can help drive more conversions for your agency.

#6: Tracking and measuring for success

To ensure the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts, it is crucial to track and measure key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This data helps you recognize trends, such as what designs or content resonate the most with your clients, and help make informed decisions for your next campaign.

Important metrics to track

Here are some key metrics that you should track throughout your agency’s email marketing campaigns.

1. Open rate: Shows the percentage of recipients who opened your email out of those who received it. It gives insight into the effectiveness of subject lines and sender names.
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2. Click-through rate: Measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on a link within your email. It helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your email content and call-to-action.
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3. Conversion rate: Tells you how many recipients took the desired action after clicking through your email. In the case of a marketing agency, that action could be filling out your website’s contact form.
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4. Bounce rate: Tracks the percentage of emails that were not delivered to recipients' inboxes due to invalid or non-existent email addresses.
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5. List growth rate: Allows you to assess how quickly your email list is expanding so you can adjust your acquisition strategies accordingly.
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6. Email sharing/forwarding rate: Measures how often recipients share or forward your emails to others. It can indicate whether your content resonates with your audience and has potential for increased reach.
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7. Unsubscribe rate: Monitors the percentage of recipients who unsubscribe from your emails after receiving them. High unsubscribe rates may indicate issues with targeting, content relevance, or frequency.

To learn more about how to measure and make informed decisions based on each metrics read: 8 Email Metrics That Actually Matter in 2024

Unlocking the power of email marketing for agencies

Digital marketing agencies have a unique business model and a unique use for email marketing. Unlike many businesses, you aren’t trying to use your email marketing to make a quick sale or appeal to impulse buyers. You’re trying to establish a genuine and ongoing connection with potential clients and show them the concrete value you can bring to their businesses. Agency-specific strategies like those above can help you make the most of every email you send.

Want a more efficient way to create compelling marketing emails? The Beefree "Business" plan is the perfect solution for growing agencies to scale their email marketing processes and campaigns. Start your free 15-day Business trial today! 

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Frequently asked questions for agencies

1. How can email marketing help digital agencies maximize their ROI?

Email marketing helps digital agencies maximize their ROI by allowing them to reach a targeted audience, build relationships with clients, and drive traffic to their website or landing page.

2. What are some best practices for email marketing in digital agencies?

Some best practices for email marketing in digital agencies include segmenting the audience according to interests or needs and other factors, personalizing emails, creating compelling subject lines and content, optimizing for mobile devices, and analyzing campaign data to make improvements.

3. How often should digital agencies send emails to their subscribers?

The frequency of sending emails will depend on factors such as the industry, target audience, and goals of the campaign. However, it is generally recommended to maintain a consistent schedule that provides value without overwhelming subscribers.

4. What metrics should digital agencies track to measure the success of their email marketing campaigns?

Digital agencies should track metrics such as open rates, click-through rates (CTRs), conversion rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates to measure the success of their email marketing campaigns.

5. Are there any legal considerations when conducting email marketing for digital agencies?

Yes, there are legal considerations when conducting email marketing. Digital agencies need to comply with anti-spam laws like the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States and GDPR in Europe by including clear opt-in/opt-out options, providing accurate sender information in each email sent, and following other guidelines.

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It’s no secret that newsletters are a powerful aspect of successful and impactful marketing strategies. With 81% of marketing professionals stating that email newsletters are their go-to type of content marketing, deciding whether to create and send regular newsletters to your clients is a no-brainer.

But what about your staff? Could employee newsletters be as effective and compelling for your employees as they are for your clients? The answer is “yes”.

Before creating your first-ever internal company newsletter, read our guide. Here, we’ll reveal the benefits of internal newsletters, the key elements to include, and how to create an internal newsletter for maximum reach and engagement.

According to a study by Ragan Communications, 83% of employees prefer receiving company news and updates via internal email newsletters.

It’s important for businesses to invest in internal newsletters because they play an important role in employee engagement, encourage better communication, and promote trust within the company. They represent an efficient way to share information, endorse company culture, and encourage employees to learn from one another.

Here are just some of the things you can expect to achieve by writing great company newsletters:

Enhanced staff commitment, motivation, and retention:

By using newsletters and emails to regularly engage employees in company news, updates, events, and celebrating individual accomplishments helps employees feel like essential stakeholders in the success of the company. This is more likely to help them feel involved in the company's success and be more open to providing feedback and contributing to the company beyond the day-to-day responsibilities.

Higher productivity:

When staff feel more involved and engaged, productivity follows. Gallup reported a 21% increase in productivity from highly engaged teams. Put simply, engaged employees are prepared to go above and beyond to complete their goals.

Better collaboration:

Regularly keeping your entire workforce in the loop allows them to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

How to Craft Compelling Internal Company Newsletters

Understand your audience's preferences

Your workforce likely consists of a range of folks varying in expertise, backgrounds, age groups, and interests.

So, to make sure your newsletters are read and engaged by as many people as possible, it is important to offer something for everyone. Which is, of course, easier said than done. This is where surveys and questionnaires can help. Before you create your internal newsletter, send out surveys asking questions such as:

• How often would you like to receive the newsletter?
• What are the three most interesting/useful/important topics you’d like to read?
• Would you be happy to be featured in the newsletter following a project accomplishment?
• What are your interests?
• Are there any resources you’d like for us to include in the newsletter to help support your everyday work? 

By involving your employees in creating your email newsletters, you can curate the newsletter specifically for their needs. Consider segmenting your audience and sending department-specific newsletters if you notice various interests and needs across departments. 

Craft relevant and engaging content

Now, for the most crucial bit: your newsletter’s content. We mentioned how vital it is to use simple, straight-to-the-point language. This, though, doesn’t mean that your content should be bland and dull. For your newsletter to hit the mark, it must include compelling, relevant, and insightful content that your audience loves to read.

Your content needs to not only provide information but also engage your audience if you want to develop a sense of community within your organization. It is also a good idea to seek feedback and revise your content strategy over time, as you want your content to stay fresh and captivating.

Align content with company values and goals

Whatever you decide to include in your newsletter must align with your company’s values, mission, and vision for the future.

Everything about your newsletter should be an extension of these aspects – from its tone of voice to its visuals. This can help reinforce your brand identity and help foster a strong company culture and sense of community among your readers.

Develop a budget for newsletter expenses

Who is going to manage your newsletter? Will you handle it internally or outsource it to an external party? Regardless of which you choose, there will be a varying degree of costs associated with it. To keep track of them, develop a detailed budget – preferably using automated tools. 

The exact budget will vary depending on your organization's size and requirements. You may have to factor in the costs of email marketing platforms, content creation, design, analytics tools, employee time, and potentially staff training. 

One highly effective option for budget management is to utilize budget management software. These tools are designed to streamline your expense tracking process, reduce the margin for errors, and allow you to effortlessly keep a close eye on your newsletter-related expenses.

By combining budget tools with other monitoring tools, you’ll get a good sense of how your internal communications affect your business. 

Make sure you look at various metrics to measure your newsletter's success. For example, quantitative results like open rate and the number of shares can be checked, as well as more qualitative metrics such as digital survey responses and feedback meetings. This will help you determine how useful your newsletter is and means you can create ROI benchmarks.

Managing the workload effectively

Did you choose to handle your company newsletters internally? Great, but you’ll need to ensure this doesn’t become too time-intensive. In all likelihood, the person (or people) assigned to create the newsletter will also handle other tasks.

With tools such as time and expense management software, you’ll be able to check exactly how much time your employee devotes to creating and running the newsletter. Does it seem insufficient, and the content is starting to suffer? Or are they spending too much time on it and not focusing on their core activities?

Tracking all this helps your employees work more efficiently, stay on top of content planning, and keep up with their other tasks.

Choose a format and posting frequency

If you’ve asked your employees how often they’d like to receive the newsletter, you should now know the ideal frequency. Suppose 60% of people said they’re happy with one monthly newsletter, while 40% would like to read it weekly. Go for a middle-ground alternative, such as bi-monthly.

You can use email marketing automation to send newsletters at optimal times, allowing for factors like employees working in different time zones. This allows your team to focus their energy on content creation.

The optimal time to automate your newsletters is midweek mornings, as Mondays can be hectic for workers catching up after the weekend, and on Fridays, they may be less engaged due to the upcoming weekend. Mornings are usually best, as that is when most people check their emails. 

Some things you’ll want to include in your newsletters are unpredictable, such as employee achievements. However, other company newsletter ideas can be planned and outlined in advance, such as details on training sessions, a new leadership team manager joining the company, and company events.

Consistency is extremely important when it comes to maintaining audience engagement. Creating a content schedule for planned content will allow you to deliver valuable information regularly and reliably.

Continuously refine based on feedback

Maybe you think you’ve been sending out the most amazing company newsletters using the best platforms, but how do your readers feel? Ask them! Your audience’s feedback is one of the most precious tools you have in refining and improving your company newsletters.

Whether it’s about the content, the frequency, or the length, keep asking for feedback, suggestions, and input. You can make this a fast and smooth process by leveraging automated feedback software, such as SurveyMonkey and Typeform.

Your audience will likely appreciate being asked for feedback as it will make them feel that their opinions are valued and that the content is being purposefully designed for them.  

Encourage reader interaction and sharing

A newsletter with a strong CTA can retain a lot of its potential. So, remember to include a clear and enticing call to action at the end of your email. This should encourage the reader to interact with the content, share it, and discuss it with their peers.

7 Key elements to include in an internal company newsletter

We’ve compiled a list of the 7 key elements you should include in your company newsletter. This will help you form the basis of your internal communications, which you can continue to reform as you explore what works for you and your employees.

1. Easy-to-understand messaging

When writing your internal employee newsletter, leave complexity out of it. Don’t use jargon. Speak clearly and straightforwardly, and try to appeal to as large an audience as possible. 

This is especially important if people from different departments with different backgrounds and interests read your newsletter.

2. High-quality images and graphics

The choice of imagery in newsletters takes on an important role. It's about capturing your audience’s attention and making employees feel seen and represented. When curating images and visual elements for your newsletter, it's essential to prioritize content that resonates with your diverse workforce. Including imagery that reflects a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can foster a profound sense of inclusivity and belonging among your employees.

Adding interactive elements to an email newsletter can help spark your readers’ interest and keep their attention longer. So, remember to give your newsletter design some thought and include hi-res images, graphics, and other visual elements such as video clips and GIFs. 

By including images from all teams and team members, you’ll ensure that your internal company newsletter informs and reinforces a culture of inclusivity where every employee feels valued and represented.

3. Company updates and project spotlights

To get your team’s attention, you’ll want your newsletter to discuss important updates and highlights. Did you recently win an award? Are you going to organize a fun work trip or social event? Have you appointed a new manager for your marketing team? Is there any industry news that might be relevant to your company? Whatever it is, make sure it gets a mention.

4. Training information and helpful resources

Another must-have in your internal newsletter is useful information. This could be anything from the date and time of your next DEI training session to helpful resources about remote work and guidelines on new product releases. Remote work has become increasingly prevalent, and providing guidance and support in this area can greatly benefit your employees' productivity and well-being.

5. Leadership messages and staff contributions

Messages from your company’s leaders and internal shout-outs are two other things you’ll want your newsletter to have. These are especially important if your company has recently gone through something significant or a specific staff member has distinguished themselves in a project.

6. Employee highlights and achievements

Speaking of staff members, regularly include your team’s achievements and highlights. You could refer to a team or department or mention a specific person – it’s entirely up to you.

This practice of highlighting and celebrating employees success is instrumental in making them feel acknowledged and appreciated. It reinforces their sense of value within the organization and contributes to overall morale and motivation.

7. Culture reinforcement and community involvement

Lastly, remember to include a sentence or two about your company’s culture and tie it with anything tangible your readers can do to help the community. 

For example, if your company values becoming greener and more sustainable, you could scout for relevant volunteering opportunities in the area and add them to your newsletters. Or, you could mention what your company is doing to lower its carbon footprint and encourage your employees to help you achieve this goal.

Designing impactful internal newsletters with Beefree

If it all sounds like a lot and you’re not quite sure where to start, then remember: you don’t need to do it alone! Elevate your company's internal communications by leveraging the power of Beefree to design newsletters that captivate and resonate with your team. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can effortlessly create visually stunning layouts, incorporating eye-catching visuals and dynamic content.

Offering a broad spectrum of professionally designed templates, Beefree caters to various internal communication needs, including announcements, team updates, project milestones, and employee recognition. With easy customization options, you can effortlessly tailor these templates to align with your company's branding, tone, and specific messaging requirements.

Sign up for free and start designing! 

A training invitation email is designed to concisely provide the important logistical information relating to a meeting, including the date, time, location, and agenda, while also providing a prompt for recipients to confirm their attendance. It will also inform attendees of any preparations they need to make ahead of the scheduled session.

There are many different types of training, such as employee onboarding, professional development, technical skills improvement, sales, safety, leadership, health and wellness programs, customer education, and specialized training. These are all designed to match specific learning goals and the needs of the organization.

It is well worth investing the time to get your invitational emails just right as they not only provide attendees with important information in a streamlined way, but they can also set a positive tone for the whole training experience.

That said, creating a truly effective training invitation email can be trickier than it looks. After all, your employees are busy people. They can’t always set aside dedicated time to attend every mandatory training session. 

That means you need to persuade them that doing so will be worthwhile. For some the effectiveness of your invitational email may be the difference between attendance and non-attendance, so getting the initial message right is paramount.

Here’s why.

Why do well-crafted training invitation emails matter?

There are many challenges that can impact the effectiveness of your training sessions. These can range from low attendance, a lack of commitment and engagement with the content, or confusion about the training logistics and what is required of attendees. 

A well-crafted training invitation email can serve as a powerful tool to address these issues. 

In the following sections, we will look into how important invitation emails can be in achieving higher attendance, reducing miscommunication, and also how they can support data analysis, simplify the registration process, and boost employee accountability.

With that in mind, let’s explore the power of invitation emails.

Improved attendance and engagement

According to Gallup, only 32% of employees were actively engaged in the workplace in 2022. Their study highlights the challenge companies are facing to make sure their employees are enthusiastic about their work and the organization.

This is a significant problem as a workforce who experience low job satisfaction, will in turn lead to lower levels of productivity. It can also result in a high staff turnover and a negative culture in the workplace. This can leave a company finding it difficult to meet their organizational goals and a loss of a competitive advantage.

It’s crucial to find ways to tackle the problem. When it comes to training, that means motivating people to make the most of learning opportunities. Training plays an important role in boosting employee engagement. When employees realize that their company cares about their professional growth and values their progress, it tends to spark motivation and enthusiasm towards their work and the organization as a whole.

If you are looking for ways to improve employee engagement, an event invitation email can motivate employees by communicating its significance and relevance to their roles. You can also highlight the personal benefits they stand to gain, such as the potential for improved career prospects and valuable networking opportunities. 

That said, you have to get it right and show that you’re invested in employees’ career growth and value them. Your email must explain:

• Why you’re conducting the training
• Why the training content is relevant to them
• How it benefits their continuous learning

Minimizes miscommunication

Setting out the essential details guarantees everyone is on the same page. Event emails should incorporate the following:

• Basic details: Include training date and time, location, and key learning outcomes.
• Training topic: What is the primary training subject? What skills will the sessions cover?
• Training platform: Will these be in-person interactive sessions? Or via the company learning portal? 
• Deadlines: Highlight registration deadlines or a time period the training should be completed in.

Supports tracking and data analysis

Training invitation emails are useful for gathering data for analyzing.

For instance, you could include a link to a pre-training survey to collect feedback about employee expectations. Alternatively, you could track interactions, such as open rates, click-through rates, or completion of registration forms. All of these give you a clue as to how engaged your employees are in the process.

Simplifies the registration process

Staff are less likely to register for training if they feel it would disrupt their work or there’s not someone to cover for them. 

One approach is to use shift management software solutions. These tools make it easier to streamline staff schedules and find the best time for holding training sessions without leaving a gap in the workforce. 

Use your training emails to inform staff that their shifts will be covered. By effectively managing their schedule, you simplify the process for them, so all they have to do is confirm their registration.

With that in mind, keep the registration process itself straightforward. This is particularly important for remote and hybrid teams. Implementing regular training is an excellent strategy for boosting remote team productivity, but it’s crucial to handle it correctly.

Avoid asking people to email a particular person to confirm their attendance. Instead, include a registration link that automatically confirms their attendance or directs them to a form.

Boosts employee accountability

Sending out a training email that just provides basic information represents a missed opportunity. Devote time to the email creation process and message. Encourage staff to take accountability for their learning process and explain the impact it will have on others.

Highlight how the training program will help the employee make a direct contribution to the company’s success. Doing this can help foster a sense of community and remind employees that they have an important role to play in shaping not only their own future but also the future of their team.

6 steps for creating effective training invitation emails

So how can you create an excellent training invitation in practice? Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Create attention-grabbing and informative subject lines

Chances are your employees wade through masses of emails daily. So take a cue from tried-and-tested email marketing strategies, and create a punchy email subject line so it stands out in inboxes. Keep it informative and concise, for example:

Boost Your Communication Skills: Mandatory Training – October 12

This has all the basic information, including the date, training subject, and the fact attendance is compulsory.

2. Organize the email for easy navigation and clear information flow

It’s tempting to create a catchy email design. But you should still make sure it’s easy to read and informative. 

Open with a brief intro explaining what the training entails and the benefits. This will pique your employee’s interest from the beginning. 

Then, give step-by-step instructions for how to enroll. This is where you include relevant links for registration and tracking purposes.

Finally, thank the reader for their attention and reiterate the valuable insights they’ll learn. Add  contact information in case they have questions or want to arrange an alternative training time.

3. Tailor training invitation emails, especially for new employees

Before you create your email template, consider the tone you’ll take and who will send it out. For example, an email from the CEO will add a certain gravitas, which is helpful for vital compliance training.

When it comes to new employees, try to be more focused and weave the invitation into the onboarding process. You can set up predefined tasks specific to each new hire using HR onboarding software. For example, let’s say you onboard someone who needs to hone their negotiation skills. You can automatically enroll them in a relevant online course. 

If this is something you discussed during their interview or job offer, reiterate that in your email. Make sure they understand the benefits in the context of their professional development.

4. Request prompt attendance confirmation by providing a deadline

Including a deadline gives employees a nudge to take action. Place this near the end of the email as part of your call-to-action. At this point, the recipient has already digested the main message and is motivated to move to the next stage.

That said, be careful with the tone. You don’t want to come across as too pushy or demanding in case that elicits a negative reaction. A simple, polite one-liner like this works well:

Please respond to this invitation by [time, date] to confirm your attendance.

5. Offer incentives for early registration to drive engagement

Of course, there are ways to up the ante a bit, such as offering incentives for people who sign up early. This is especially helpful when the training date is relatively far off.

Here are a few options to consider:

• Use an employee recognition platform to generate rewards for early birds.
• Provide practical perks for the first 20/50/100 sign-ups. This might include a digital coupon/voucher or entry to a prize draw.
• Offer access to priority list for other specialized role-relevant training.

6. Emphasize the tangible benefits for participating employees

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: make sure you highlight why the training will be valuable to your employees. 

Offering training is a terrific way of boosting employee retention. But only if there’s a clear rationale behind it that will make your employees feel valued.

Avoid conducting one-off sessions. Instead, make them part of a continuous learning program that will genuinely benefit your team. In addition, listen to their feedback and ideas for future sessions. You can then refer back to this feedback in other training emails so employees can see that you are actively listening.

Start designing effective training invitation emails with Beefree

Elevate your training program with Beefree, the ultimate solution for crafting compelling and effective training invitation emails. Whether you're organizing professional development sessions, workshops, or corporate seminars, Beefree provides a user-friendly platform to design visually stunning and engaging email invitations.

Start from scratch or start designing with one of our Human-Resource templates. Create your free account today! 

In an era where algorithms evolve and trends shift faster than we can catch up, one timeless strategy stands resilient for small businesses - email marketing.A well-crafted email newsletter has the power to transcend the virtual clutter, connecting businesses directly with their audience. Yet, the challenge lies not just in sending emails but in sending the right ones.

Is Email Marketing Good for Small Businesses?

For small businesses with limited resources, budgets, and time, email marketing serves as a reliable strategy to maintain consistent communication. Communication efforts that are essential for sustainable growth and building a loyal customer base. Let's dive into some of the benefits:

• Personalized messaging:  According to Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to engage with a brand that offers a personalized experience. Unlike broad advertisements, emails allow you to connect with your customers on a personal level.
• High ROI: The average ROI for email marketing, as stated by Constant Contact, is $36 for every $1 spent, making it affordable for businesses with limited funds.
• Builds Relationships: Regular emails help nurture relationships, turning one-time buyers into loyal customers.
• Flexibility: Whether it's newsletters, promotions, or updates, there's an email type for every message you want to convey.

If you're looking for a cost-effective way to make a big impact, then yes, email marketing is for you.

10 Engaging Email Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

In the dynamic realm of email marketing, standing out is the name of the game. For small businesses, this means crafting emails that inform, engage, and captivate their audience with visuals and impactful messaging. Here are 10 engaging email marketing campaign ideas to help you showcase your brand's personality, all while keeping conversion top of mind.

Highlight and Share Customer Testimonials 

There's a reason why word-of-mouth remains one of the most trusted forms of marketing. Hearing real experiences from real people carries a weight that no amount of traditional advertising can match. For small businesses, showcasing customer testimonials in emails is like sharing little nuggets of trust and authenticity with your audience.This email resonates because it's all about relatability. When potential customers see others vouching for your products or services, it builds confidence and credibility. It's like having a friend recommend their favorite restaurant; you're more inclined to give it a try.In the image of an email below, Cladwell includes two different customer testimonials. Both reviews share their love for the brand and support Cladwell's mission to help people get more out of the clothes that they own with a capsule wardrobe.

By highlighting these experiences in your emails, you're not just showcasing your offerings but also building a community of trust around your brand. So, the next time a customer sings your praises, don't keep it to yourself—share it with your email subscribers and let the testimonials do the talking!

Send Birthday and Anniversary Promotions

Who doesn't love a little extra love on their special day? Sending birthday and anniversary promotions is a personal touch that goes a long way. In a simple way, this message says, "Hey, we remember you, and we appreciate you being with us!" Not only does this foster goodwill, but it also encourages sales. After all, who can resist a tempting offer, especially when it's wrapped up in birthday confetti?

But here's the real kicker: these promotions aren't just about sales. They're about building a bond. When customers feel valued and remembered, they're more likely to stick around. And in the world of business, loyalty is golden.

Read more: 10 Engaging Birthday Email Examples + Strategies 

Share Behind-the-Scenes Stories

Pulling back the curtain and giving a sneak peek into the day-to-day happenings can create a genuine connection. It humanizes your brand, making it more than just a logo or a product. It's about the people, the process, and the passion.

Here are some behind-the-scenes stories that can make a splash:

• The Making of a Product: Showcase the journey from idea to final product. It's fascinating to see how things come to life.
• Employee Spotlights: Introduce the rockstars behind your brand. Share their stories, hobbies, and why they love what they do.
• Office Shenanigans: Do you have a fun office tradition or a quirky team-building activity coming up? Share it! It adds a touch of fun and personality.

Remember, every brand has a story. And sharing yours can make all the difference in building a loyal community.

Create a Brand Ambassador Program

A Brand Ambassador Program helps cultivate a community of customers who love what you do so much that they can't help but shout it from the rooftops.

As we mentioned earlier, word-of-mouth is powerful. Recommendations from friends or family hold weight. When someone raves about your product or service, their circle listens. And guess what? That's organic marketing at its finest.

Brand ambassadors also provide invaluable feedback. They're your frontline, interacting with your product or service regularly. Their insights can help refine your offerings, ensuring you're always at the top of your game. So, think of a Brand Ambassador Program as a win-win: your brand gets love and loyalty, and your ambassadors get perks and a sense of community.

Utilize Subscriber-Only Discounts

It's simple: everyone loves a good deal. And they love them even more when it's exclusive. By offering special deals just for your email subscribers, you're letting them know that you value their readership enough to offer them unique opportunities.

PRO Tip: Go the extra mile and put to use your segmented groups to use! Create personalized offers to make discounts more relevant to your unique audiences and their needs, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

In a digital world, it's easy for brands to come off as faceless entities. But here's a little secret: people connect with people, not logos. Taking the time to humanize your brand can be the difference between a subscriber who engages and one who hits the 'unsubscribe' button. It's about building trust, showcasing authenticity, and creating genuine connections.

Take Time to Humanize Your Brand

In a digital world, it's easy for brands to come off as faceless entities. But the truth is, that people connect with people, not logos. Taking the time to humanize your brand can be the difference between a subscriber who engages and one who hits the 'unsubscribe' button. It's about building trust, showcasing authenticity, and creating genuine connections.

Here's how you can add that human touch:

• Share Your Origin Story: Every brand has a beginning. Share yours. How did you start? What challenges did you face? What's the passion driving you?
• Celebrate Milestones: Did you hit a significant number of subscribers? Launch a new product? Celebrate with your email community. They're part of your journey.
• Introduce Your Team: Put faces to the names. Share fun facts, birthdays, or even the office pet. It adds warmth and personality to your brand.

Remember, at the end of the day, business is about relationships. And relationships are built on trust, authenticity, and, most importantly, human connections.

Create a Monthly Newsletter

Newsletters are a chance to share updates, stories, and maybe even a few secrets. For small businesses, a monthly newsletter is a golden opportunity to keep your audience in the loop. It's a consistent touchpoint that reminds your subscribers, "Hey, we're here, and we've got some cool stuff to share!"

Why should you jump on the newsletter bandwagon?

• Consistency is Key: Regular updates mean you're always on your subscribers' minds. It's a gentle nudge that says, "Remember us?"
• Value-Packed Content: Share tips, industry news, or even a fun fact. It's not just about selling; it's about providing value.
• Builds Community: A newsletter can foster a sense of belonging. It's a space where you and your subscribers can connect and engage.

Offer Exclusive Previews

There's something undeniably thrilling about being in the know, getting that first look before anyone else. For small businesses, offering exclusive previews to their email subscribers is a golden ticket to building anticipation and excitement. It's like inviting your most loyal fans to a VIP backstage pass, giving them a sneak peek into upcoming products, services, or events.

By offering these exclusive glimpses, you're not only rewarding your subscribers for their loyalty but also creating a sense of community and belonging. They feel valued, special, and more connected to your brand. And when people feel a part of something bigger, they're more likely to engage, share, and, most importantly, shop.

So, the next time you're launching something new, consider giving your email subscribers the first look.

How Do I Start Email Marketing For My Small Business?

While the journey might seem a tad overwhelming at first, with the right steps, you'll be on your way to crafting compelling campaigns in no time. Let's look at the initial stages to ensure you kick things off on the right foot.

Step #1 Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform

Before you send out your first email, you'll need a reliable platform to do the heavy lifting. An email marketing platform helps you manage your subscriber list, design emails, and track performance metrics.

• Research Platforms: Look into options to see which platform is best suited for your needs.
• Features Matter: Ensure the platform offers templates, analytics, and automation tools.
• Ease of Use: Especially for beginners, a user-friendly interface can make all the difference.

Step #2 Segment Your Email List

Not all subscribers are created equal. Segmenting your email list allows you to tailor your content to different groups, ensuring it resonates and engages.

• Demographics: Group subscribers based on age, location, or purchasing behavior.
• Engagement Levels: Separate active readers from those who might need a re-engagement campaign.
• Personalization: Use segments to send personalized offers or content, enhancing the subscriber experience.

Step #3 Start with a Template! 

The design of your email plays a pivotal role in capturing your subscriber's attention. While crafting a visually appealing email from scratch might seem daunting, a template does all the heavy lifting!

Beefree offers a vast collection of over 1,600+ email templates, made with conversion and engagement in mind. Whether you're looking for a minimalist design or something vibrant and colorful, there is something for everyone. 

Beefree's drag-and-drop intuitive builder also makes it easy for those with limited design experience to build beautiful on-brand templates with minimal effort.

Step #4 Analyze and Iterate for Continuous Improvement

Once your emails are out in the wild, the journey doesn't end there. It's essential to keep an eye on how they're performing. Are your subscribers opening them? Are they clicking through? Or perhaps, are they sending them straight to the trash?

• Use Analytics: Most email platforms offer insights into open rates, click-through rates, and more. Dive deep into these metrics to understand what's working and what's not.
• Feedback is Gold: Consider sending out surveys or directly asking for feedback. Your subscribers can offer invaluable insights into what they love and what could be better.
• Iterate and Improve: Based on the data and feedback, make necessary tweaks to your content, design, or strategy. Remember, email marketing is a continuous process of learning and improving.

By adopting a mindset of continuous improvement, you ensure that your email marketing efforts remain effective and relevant, adapting to the ever-changing needs and preferences of your audience.

Additional email marketing tips for small businesses

While we've covered some essential steps to kickstart your email marketing journey, there are always more tricks up the sleeve to enhance your game. Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

• Personalize Beyond the Name: Sure, addressing subscribers by their first name is great, but dive deeper. Tailor content based on their preferences or past interactions.
• Avoid the Spam Folder: Ensure your emails are compliant with regulations and avoid spammy tactics. A high-quality email list and relevant content are your best allies.
• Celebrate Special Occasions: Birthdays, anniversaries, or local holidays—these are opportunities to connect and offer special deals or messages.
• Visuals Matter: Incorporate high-quality images and graphics that resonate with your brand and message.
• Mobile-first: According to Litmus, 47% of email opens occurred on a mobile device, surpassing desktop opens. This makes having mobile-friendly emails not just a nice-to-have but an absolute must for small businesses.

Small business email marketing made easy with Beefree

In the bustling world of small business, every minute counts.

Beefree's email builder is tailored to help small businesses create visually stunning and engaging emails without the fuss. Whether you're starting from scratch or using one of their myriad templates, you're in for a seamless experience.

Ready to elevate your email marketing game? Dive into the world of effortless email design with Beefree. The best part? It's free for small businesses with a limited budget! 

Fundraising is crucial for any non-profit organization, and sending emails is one of the most cost-effective ways to secure donations. In fact, nonprofits state that approximately 28% of their online revenue comes from email marketing. A substantial ROI earnings of $40 for every $1 spent on email have been reported by nonprofits, proving this channel to be a wise investment.

However, while financially it is a wise investment, email marketing takes brainpower. Due to the needed frequency of sending fundraising emails, to the reader, they can get repetitive. This can result in low open rates (and therefore donations). To be successful with email fundraising, it's critical to be strategic and create engaging content that lands in your reader's inbox and stands out. To do so, an understanding and application of best practices like segmentation, storytelling, and frequent optimization is necessary.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of these best practices on how to write engaging fundraising emails and share examples to inspire your next fundraising efforts.

1. Invest Time in the Subject Line and Preview Text

The subject line of your email is an essential tool in driving recipients to open it. An intriguing and compelling subject line can help you cut through the clutter of a crowded inbox and grab a reader's attention.

Here are some tips for crafting compelling subject lines:

• Keep it short: Long subject lines may get cut off, especially on mobile devices. Aim for no more than 50-60 characters. 
• Build urgency: If your email is time-sensitive, such as approaching the deadline for a fundraising campaign, let your readers know in the subject line to encourage them to open it now instead of waiting for later.
• Ask a question: Questions like “Do you know the impact $5 can have?” can spark curiosity and encourage the recipient to open the email to find the answer.

Preview text, also known as pre-header text, is a snippet of text that is displayed next to or below the subject line in an email inbox. As a best practice, align the content of your preview text with the subject line copy, and consider adding a call-to-action to gain immediate visibility to your request.

For example, if your subject line is “Do you know the impact $5 can have?” the preview text could say “Join Feed the Hungry in our effort to feed 1 million children today.” 

2. Create Segments Within Your Database

Segmentation is a proven way to make fundraising emails more effective and drive more than half of email ROI. 

By creating different segments within your database, you can target specific groups of varying demographics, psychographics, or behaviors and tailor your emails to be more relevant and engaging for their unique interests. 

For instance, by creating a group of past donors, you can send a specific message to this audience thanking the recipient for their past donation, showing them what their donation helped with, and asking them to consider an increase to their donation next time.

To start segmenting your audience, here are some tips: 

• Identify key criteria: Use the criteria most relevant to your efforts, including demographic information such as age or location, donor behavior, engagement levels, etc. As an example, if you were a national organization, you could include regional impact stories based on the location of your donor to increase relevancy for them.

• Track data regularly: Updating and tracking data is crucial for effective segmentation and keeping your database current. For instance, if donors have moved, you want to update that information in your database so you don’t invite them to a future fundraising event that is not near them.

3. Build Relationships with an Email Fundraising Campaign

One-time emails might be effective for fundraising, but establishing an ongoing conversation with your contacts through email campaigns often yields better long-term results. 

Here are some tips for creating a fundraising email series:

• Personalize Emails: Use your segmented lists to personalize the emails in your series and make your readers feel more engaged. For instance, if a donor clicks a “Learn More” button in the last email, the next email can reference that interaction – “Thank you for learning more about our cause. Would you like to subscribe to our email newsletter?”
• Be Consistent: Maintain a consistent look and feel to reinforce your organization's branding and drive feelings of familiarity. If your emails typically include photos of children your organization supports, ensure you’re consistently including the same types of photos – don’t all of a sudden include illustrations that would be off-brand as they may disengage readers.

Email design tools, such as Beefree, allow users to send cohesive and on-brand email campaigns by allowing the integration of style settings in the platform. This means that anyone in charge of creating emails will have predefined guidelines to stay on brand. In addition to this, Beefree has a Saved and Synced Row feature that permits content creators to save content blocks to be reused on future emails.

4. Utilize Storytelling to Convey Your Message

Stories are a powerful way to build emotional connections and motivate people to act. A story builds empathy for your cause, provides context, humanizes the content, and helps donors envision the impact they could have.

Here are some tips for how to incorporate stories in your fundraising emails.

• Use authentic content: A story about a real-life person or event will be more impactful than a hypothetical one, so when possible, use authentic content. For example, tell a story about Xavier, the boy from the local elementary school, who was able to buy school supplies with your donation and is very thankful for your support, versus speaking in general terms of “500 children who benefitted from your donation.” 
• Include visuals: Putting a face to the story will make it more powerful and help build a stronger connection to the message. In the example above, you would include a photo of Xavier with his school supplies or a video message from him saying “thank you.”

5. Incorporate Relevant Visuals

Sometimes images can convey emotions more effectively than words, so consider using high-quality, relevant images to enhance your message. In the fundraising email template below, the designer included images of children to support educational causes. 

Use this template in Beefree!

Use this template in Beefree!

6. Highlight the Impact of Support

Communicating the impact of support can motivate people to contribute to the cause. Stories of impact drive engagement and build trust by showing the actual results donations can achieve. When highlighting stories of impact, use specifics, such as “your $50 donation will help provide meals for 100 people,” and again, use visuals to support your story. 

7. Use Only One CTA

Be direct in your ask. As a best practice, only use one CTA ask per email to maintain focus on that specific goal. A great way to make the CTA stand out is through the use of buttons, as shown in the example below.

Use this template in Beefree!

Use this template in Beefree!

Read: How to Design Bulletproof CTA Buttons in Email

8. Make the Giving Process Simple

An intuitive and straightforward donation process makes for an easy donor experience, increasing the likelihood that they may give again.

On the other hand, if the donating process is too complex and involves too many steps and different pages, donors may be discouraged from donating. We usually only have approximately eight seconds to gain a reader's attention, so making the intention of the email clear and the process simple is essential.

Here are some tips for making the giving process easy.

• Clear CTA: As mentioned above, ensure your CTA is clear and easy to find. Consider short phrases like “Donate now,” “Join us,” or “Support the cause.”
• Use a landing page: To keep your email clutter-free, send donors to a landing page for more instructions about the donation process and a form to complete with their information. By collecting their information, you can re-engage them later on to donate once more.

9. Align Your Fundraising Email Campaigns with Other Marketing Efforts

Create a cohesive donor experience and reinforce your organization’s message by incorporating other marketing touchpoints with your email campaign. These could include companioning social media campaigns. Aligning organization-wide campaigns can optimize your resources and increase conversion rates through multiple channels.

10. Time it Right

The timing of your emails can impact their effectiveness, as people are less distracted at certain times of day and are more likely to read emails.

Best Time to Send Fundraising Email

When planning your email campaign, research past emails to see the best time for your audience historically. If you’re new to email campaigns, late morning/early afternoon is the recommended time for the most engaged contacts.

Best Day of Week to Send Fundraising Email

In general, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days of the week for emails to capture the audience's attention.

11. Optimize for Mobile

Optimizing email for mobile use will avoid alienating potential donors and seeing lower responses. Approximately 41% of emails are opened on mobile devices today, so ensure your text is readable on small screens. 

Responsive design can assist with this by adjusting the content to fit different screen sizes. As a best practice, make your CTAs prominent and easy to click for greater engagement on mobile. If your email is hard to read or interact with on a mobile device, then you may miss out on donations.

Read more: Email Design for Mobile: Best Practices to Take Your Email Marketing Up a Level

Best Fundraising Email Examples to Inspire Your Campaign

Only One CTA

In this example from Baldwin County Child Advocacy Center, the call to action is clear: DONATE. The message is kept concise, and the image of a child in a facemask shows a visual for emotional appeal.

Show The Impact

In this email example from the St. Louis Area Foodbank, the donor’s impact is highlighted “$25 provides 100 meals.” This description strengthens the message to show the donors how the foodbank works to stretch funds to provide a more significant impact.

Join Beefree’s Non-Profit Program and Take Your Fundraising Emails to The Next Level

At Beefree, we know that affordable and accessible design tools are essential to nonprofits. And as we mentioned here today, emails (fundraising emails to be specific), play a huge factor in how you make a difference. That’s why we are proud to provide nonprofits, big or small, with a $1,000 yearly credit for any plan.

Although we have a free plan that is available to everyone, we know that as your nonprofit grows, having a tool that grows with you is essential. Our nonprofit program is open to 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States, as well as international charitable organizations and NGOs. To learn more, visit beefree.io/nonprofits.

If you're transitioning from being consumer-oriented to B2B (business-to-business) email marketing, either because you've decided to sell exclusively to businesses or have added new products/services for businesses, it's essential to adapt your email strategies for effective and profitable B2B campaigns.Successful B2B campaigns thrive on personalized email marketing tactics that cater to businesses, each with unique needs. Unlike B2C campaigns that can require a broader approach to include everyone, B2B strategies demand a more tailored approach.

Not to worry, though. Here are five B2B email marketing tips you can follow to enhance your marketing efforts and generate more leads or convert businesses into paying customers:1. Identify and Profile Your Target ClientsB2B campaigns may target multiple individuals with different roles and responsibilities in a company. For this reason, the first email marketing best practice is to create a customer persona, profiling your target clients. Consider their values and what they do in the company.Unlike B2C campaigns, B2B email marketing appeals to a business frame of mind by targeting the needs and interests of business executives purchasing products to impact their company’s bottom line. To identify and profile the right clients, first, create your target market and include the following data in your buyer persona: 

• Firmographics: These are descriptive attributes of your buyers’ organizations, including company size, years of operation, annual revenue, etc. 
• Geographic location: The value prospects place on different aspects of products or services varies by geography, resources, and industry focus. 
• Needs and behaviors of ideal buyers: In a typical B2B buying process, you’ll need to profile the people involved and their roles to influence buying decisions. Are they the influencers, decision-makers, or technical buyers? What key talking points or touch points need to be addressed? 

Remember, business clients are clear on what they need from the start and will make rational buying decisions based on the quality versus price ratio. Therefore, consider the different B2B buyer profiles involved in the buying process and expand your ideal customer profile to include the roles each target client plays.With this in mind and the help of email newsletter platforms, which we’ll discuss in a moment, you can create a more tailored email marketing plan.

2. Write a Compelling Subject Line

According to Invesp, 69% of email recipients report emails as spam based on the subject line. That’s why it’s so important to get your subject line right. Business people skim through emails daily. The only way to get them to notice yours is to make your email subject line catchy, compelling, and straight to the point.Keep your titles short and state the purpose of the email upfront. Depending on the target profile you’re messaging, you can write a non-clickbait, teaser subject line like this example below. 

Personalization is a great way to increase your subject line's relevance. Strong subject lines tap into the prospect’s intent to build curiosity and help improve email open rates and the overall success of your campaign.Generative AI tools are great for writing compelling subject lines. AI can give you a great starting point with tons of subject line ideas based on simple prompts related to your email campaign. 

3. Include a Clear CTA and other vital elements

A strong call-to-action (CTA) helps to eliminate confusion in your emails. CTAs serve as a beacon of clarity within your emails, providing direction to your B2B audience on the next steps to take after engaging with your message.For a CTA to be effective, we recommend keeping it concise and straightforward. Something as simple as “click here,” “sign up,” or even “watch the video,” can be enough to entice action. However, avoid using multiple CTAs within your email. Ideally, one or two should be fine. This ensures that your audience can fully concentrate on your email's content and, most importantly, the specific action aligned with your campaign's objectives.See how Zendesk does it.

In the Zendesk example above, the email copy has two CTAs that call the recipient to action — “click here to verify your email address” and “sign in to your Zendesk.” These CTAs are friendly and accurately reflect what the marketer wants the client to do.Another vital email marketing tip is to avoid using a sense of urgency in your B2B outreach campaigns. This sounds counterintuitive, but it makes sense. Unlike B2C email marketing, B2B emails should be professional and respectful of your recipient’s time. Use skimmable email content. Go straight to the point. This is so much better than trying to trick your audience with urgency triggers. Remember, B2B customers tend to be more logical and less emotional.

4. Segment Your Audience

Segmentation is another B2B email marketing tip you shouldn’t overlook. Segmentation allows you to group B2B subscribers, business prospects, and customers into smaller groups based on specific criteria or where they are in the buyer journey. Most email service providers have built-in segmentation tools that let you create segmented lists and target each group with tailored content. This ensures you only send out highly customized or personalized emails based on user activity or interest, not generic email content. Here are some ways to segment your audience based on their engagement with your business: Start by gauging your audience's interest level. For example, if they respond well to a particular email campaign, then there’s reason to believe they’re interested in that offering.

• Prospects with fewer engagements could receive free e-books and white papers with zero marketing language.
• The most engaged group could receive full-on marketing emails that address their unique needs.

Of course, you can also use other criteria to segment your audience. The bottom line is you must put your audience into subgroups based on each individual’s interest or activity and tailor email content to suit them. 

5. Tap Into Automation

Email automation takes your B2B email marketing campaign to the next level. For starters, it guarantees that your emails are dispatched at the optimal moments. For instance, you can choose the specific triggers that deploy particular email campaigns. This can be configured based on factors such as firmographics, buyer behaviors, or specific actions taken by your audience.This is an example of how Hubspot uses automated bulk emails to welcome new businesses using their CRM: 

Marketing automation platforms allow you to get even more nuanced with email automation. With platforms like GetResponse, for example, you could set up an automatic email campaign to be deployed when customers hit a particular milestone. This not only fosters stronger customer relationships but also enhances conversion rates, ultimately amplifying the return on investment (ROI) of your email marketing efforts.

Time to put our B2B email marketing tips to the test 

The B2B email marketing tips in this article are only as effective as you make them. It might take some time and effort to get the engines rolling, but it’s worth it. First, understand and segment your target market. That will ensure your ideal customer profile is well aligned with industry standards and satisfies the pain points of big players in the market. Improve your chances of conversion by tailoring each email to suit a specific target profile in an organization. Pair this with a clear CTA and a compelling subject line and use automation tools to optimize your ROI.

The world of higher education is fascinating, full of diverse and demanding audiences ranging from tech-savvy Gen Z students to accomplished faculty members and the ever-proud alums. However, the enrollment game is getting fierce, and recruiting teams are turning to marketers for advice on how to break through the noise. To engage with such a broad spectrum of audiences and improve outreach, institutions have turned to one powerful tool: email marketing. As you work to advance university initiatives, consider a new set of strategies to increase the volume and impact of your email marketing program. Let’s unravel some practical ways to implement best practices to make your higher education email marketing campaigns more effective.

Building an email list: Your first step to success

Where do you start when you think about email marketing for colleges?We recommend the first step be constructing your email list. That way, you know who you’re communicating to before you begin to develop the email. But putting together a list may not be as simple as it seems. After all, you’re building a community of future learners, that range in diversity from age, race, and interests, and you need to attract their attention strategically.

How to collect email addresses:

One way to collect essential email addresses for your list is to use a landing page. Landing pages can provide the prospect with valuable content, invite event registrations, or offer course materials—all in exchange for an email address.Your institution's website is also an excellent resource for gathering email addresses of potential subscribers. Use callouts on your website to highlight the benefits of joining your email list and make subscribing easy. Create pages with blog posts or course descriptions and insert a simple sign-up form—this can be an effective method of building a list. Similarly, you can leverage social media channels to encourage followers to sign up, offering exclusive content or deals that sweeten the pot.Read more: Create an effective email sign-up form: 6 expert design tips. 

The power of segmentation: Personalize and engage

Once you have a robust email list, it's time to divide and conquer—literally. Using segmentation in email marketing for educational institutions is a valuable practice. Segmenting your email list lets you target specific groups with relevant content, keeping engagement high and helping build stronger relationships.For instance, prospective students might enjoy emails about admission procedures, deadlines, and tips for a successful application. On the other hand, current students might prefer updates about campus events, academic deadlines, or new courses. Alums could be interested in news about reunion events, campus developments, or opportunities to contribute to their alma mater.You can slice and dice a list in many ways, so define segmentation criteria based on your communication goals. Splitting your list similarly for each message may not always be necessary.

It's personal: Customizing emails for higher engagement

Personalization is often times displayed by using the name of the recipient in the email. According to studies, email subject lines personalized with a name have as much as 50% higher open rates. But personalization is so much more than that—it's about understanding their needs, interests, and goals. From dynamic content that changes based on the recipient's profile to triggered emails sent based on specific actions, personalization can take various forms in higher-ed email marketing. Most forms of personalization have been shown to pay dividends for marketers by improving engagement, increasing ROI, and making conversion more likely.Read more: How to drive student engagement using personalization in email. 

Entertain the eyes: Using images and videos

Audiences enjoy visual elements in communications. Images and videos are found to drive up to 650% more engagement than a simple text-only message. Emails covered in chunky text can be tedious to read, but adding images or videos can help break up the text, making it more digestible. Plus, visuals will make your emails more entertaining and memorable.Images and videos are also a great way to offer glimpses into campus life, showcase success stories, and highlight campus events. They can also simplify complex information or concepts using infographics or icons. What do they say about the digital age? ... Content is king, but visuals rule.

Automation and AI: Taking efficiency to the next level

Technology advancements continue to improve the effectiveness of email marketing. With the integration of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), it’s now possible to send emails at more optimal times, analyze data for valuable insights, and personalize content with minimal effort.Automation helps you plan and schedule emails to send when they are most likely to be opened. At the same time, AI can analyze behavioral data to provide insights that inform your email marketing strategy better. AI can also help create personalized emails at scale, which would otherwise be a time-consuming task if completed manually.

Keep testing: The road to continuous improvement

The success of your university email marketing strategy relies on your willingness to monitor and test your email campaigns regularly. A/B testing helps to determine what works best for your audience. You could try different subject lines, calls to action, email layouts, or even sending times—the possibilities for testing are endless.Monitoring your campaign's performance through analytics is also essential, giving you insight into open, click-through, and conversion rates. These metrics will guide you in fine-tuning your campaigns for better results and understanding your emails' success.Read more: How to begin A/B testing email designs.

Mobile-friendly: A necessity, not an option

In today’s modern campus environment, mobile-friendliness isn't just nice to have—it's necessary. Nearly half of all emails are now opened on mobile devices, and this trend continues to grow. If your email doesn't display well on a mobile device, you risk a poor user experience, which can lead to lower engagement rates and landing in the digital trash can.So, ensure your emails are responsive to the screen size they are being viewed on and optimized for best viewing on mobile devices.Read more: Email design for mobile.

Email design: The secret to increasing engagement

Design plays a crucial role in how your emails are perceived. A well-designed email can capture the recipient's attention, keep them engaged, and guide them toward taking your desired action. Think carefully about how you use layout, typography, color, and visuals in your emails because it all matters for capturing attention and ensuring readability.Read more: 6 tips for designing a great college newsletter Consider using email templates designed specifically for Higher Education to make this task easier. Beefree offers various industry-specific templates that can help you seamlessly manage these essential design strategies.

The Beefree Advantage: An email builder for Higher Education email marketing

While email design tools are abundant, not all are cut out for the unique demands of higher education email marketing. That's where Beefree comes in.Minnesota State University, Mankato, is a comprehensive public institution with 14,500 students and 1,700 faculty and staff. While email marketing was an essential part of their communications - the challenge was finding a tool that allowed them to establish their consistent branding, save resources, and ensure their data privacy and security.Beefree's agnostic nature allows Minnesota State University to easily implement the tool into their every day and integrate it into their workflows. Our email builder allows them to effortlessly customize and create captivating email designs across their decentralized teams. To learn more about how the university uses Beefree, watch our latest webinar: Collaboration, decentralization, and data security: Why Beefree is the go-to solution for Minnesota State University.

To shed light on the evolving landscape of email marketing in higher education, we've gathered insights from 9 industry leaders, including CEOs, Founders, and VPs to provide. From the"Golden Goose Approach" of personalized emails to the immersive experience of virtual campus tours, here are the top trends these experts have noticed in the sector.

1. Personalized Emails Taking the “Golden Goose Approach”

" Nowadays, educational institutions are ditching the one-size-fits-all approach and crafting emails that make students feel like the campus's golden goose.By harnessing the power of data, universities are sending tailored emails based on students' interests and study programs. This nifty move not only boosts engagement but also helps students discover relevant courses, events, and extracurricular activities.Imagine a student named Sam, who shows an affinity for physics. Sam receives an email highlighting the latest breakthroughs in the field and upcoming physics workshops. Now that's email marketing done right!"Himanshu Sharma, CEO and Founder, Academy of Digital Marketing

2. Long-Term Engagement Shaping the Marketing Approach

"The higher education sector has always had the advantage of time. These institutions have years to nurture the student segments they intend to draw in and use this time well to build solid relationships with students.They provide tips on the right courses and programs to help students meet their educational goals. They share news of the happenings in their institutions to keep younger students interested in them. And when the time comes, they leverage the advantages of this relationship built over time to ensure that the students look nowhere else for their higher education needs.This continued engagement also helps them keep an eye on changing trends and generational demands, allowing them to adjust their marketing approach to suit changing sensibilities and ambitions."Ariav Cohen, VP of Marketing and Sales, Proprep

3. Multilingual Content Aiming for Diverse Audiences

"In my experience with the higher education sector, one email marketing trend I've observed is the increasing use of multilingual email content. As the student demographics are becoming more diverse, it's crucial to cater to a broader audience by communicating in their native languages. This approach not only enhances inclusivity but also increases engagement rates.For instance, our skills training business once collaborated with a university for a pan-European student enrollment drive. We implemented multi-lingual email campaigns targeting different countries. The open and conversion rates were significantly higher than our single-language campaigns, proving the effectiveness of this inclusive trend in email marketing."Derek Bruce, First Aid Training Director, Skills Training Group

4. Authentic Branding Through Personal Storytelling

"Authentic branding has become more prevalent in email marketing within the higher education sector. Universities and colleges recognize that their audiences, particularly prospective students and their families, are more discerning and seek authentic, genuine connections. They value honesty and transparency above overly polished or corporate messaging.For instance, I recently observed a university use personalized storytelling in their email campaigns, featuring real experiences of current students, alumni, and faculty. The emails were not just promotional but provided an authentic window into the university's culture and values."Ryan Steinolfson, Founder, Accelerate Marketing

Strategies Shifting from Updates to Storytelling

"In the evolving landscape of email marketing for higher education institutions, I foresee a strategic shift from disassociated updates towards an integrated, consistent storytelling mechanism. This prediction stems from my experience receiving communications from globally renowned institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.While these institutions routinely send me information on MBA admission rounds, tips, and other updates, the emails rarely elucidate why I should consider an MBA, or what differentiates their programs.In an era where higher education faces disruption from burgeoning technologies and the changing business environment, such as the rising startup culture, they must reconfigure their communication strategies.The future of email marketing for higher education will hinge on providing captivating narratives that convincingly demonstrate the unique value and relevance of their programs amid the evolving educational landscape."Rafael Sarim Özdemir, Founder and CEO, Zendog Labs

5. Appealing to Gen Z with Trend-Conscious Emails

"Drawing from my years of experience in marketing, I foresee a significant shift in the future of email marketing for higher education institutions, especially toward becoming more trend-conscious to appeal to Generation Z.These digital natives are constantly connected and exposed to a myriad of evolving trends. For instance, sustainability has become a core value for Gen Z. Thus, incorporating green initiatives or highlighting the institution's commitment to sustainable practices in email campaigns could significantly increase engagement.Communicating in a language they understand and relate to, embedded with trends they care about, can create more resonant and effective email marketing campaigns. It's all about resonating with their values and the trends they follow."Rabea Elias, Business Head, Almowafir

6. Improving Email Deliverability

"Working toward email deliverability turned out to be one of the biggest trends of the past 12 months. Many higher education institutions realized that improving the health of their email can broaden their marketing funnel by 10-20% instantly. This means they have a shot at growing by the same percentage without diving into complex strategies or shelling out on expensive development.At Folderly, we've seen this trend play out with our own eyes. We have several clients from the higher education sector, and they are over the moon with the results. They’ve shared that their emails are reaching more inboxes than ever, which directly impacts their success.So, if you're in a higher education institution, I strongly recommend adding email deliverability software to your arsenal; it's a simple yet game-changing move for effectively reaching your audience and opening up new possibilities."Vladislav Podolyako, Founder and CEO, FolderlyFor a deeper look into Folderly's email marketing efforts, read "From Days to Hours: How Folderly Streamlined Email Campaign Production with Beefree and HubSpot."

7. AI Integration Becoming The Future of Email Marketing

At Beefree (but really all of the tech industry), AI has been a huge focus of 2023. We kicked off our first beta round of AI integration back in April allowing users to use an AI writing assistant to help create copy and beat writer's block.Since then we have been slowly making improvements and enhancements to transform the Beefree AI Assistant into a go-to solution for everyday email and page copy use.According to Khris Steven, Owner and Marketer of KhrisDigital "it is only a matter of time before higher education institutions fully embrace AI integration. With the rampant use of AI among students, universities and other learning institutions can only mitigate this by also using AI tools to detect such usage.Ariav Cohen, VP of Marketing and Sales at Proprep further supports this sentiment and shares, "the combination of AI tools, high-tech automation, the creation of dynamic content, and deep behavior analysis and adjustment to trends has already begun to transform the email marketing landscape.

Balancing Email Responses Between Speed and Quality

Francesca Fitzsimmons, Content Marketing Specialist, Keystone Education Group shares the importance of speed in email marketing. "Through our annual student surveys, we are seeing a growing need for universities to reply faster and faster. In our 2023 survey of 23,000 students, 62% of students said they expect universities to reply to them in 24 hours or less.How can universities maintain a high quality of email marketing, versus replying as quickly as possible? According to Francesca Fitzsimmons, "AI is one option, using AI to draft responses and create email templates. The other is ensuring the content of your response is good enough so that students won’t mind too much if it takes a bit longer to arrive in their inboxes.For high-quality responses, think ahead to what students will want to know. Whether it is student success stories or a link to a YouTube short showcasing your campus, pre-empt the questions that will come next."Read more: AI in Email Marketing: One Step Closer to Democratizing Content.

8. Interactive Features Boosting Engagement

"Interactive content, such as quizzes, surveys, and videos, is becoming more popular in email marketing and will continue to shape email marketing in the future. This type of content can help to engage recipients and increase click-through rates."Aquibur Rahman, CEO, Mailmodo

Virtual Campus Tours Providing an Immersive Experience

Matias Rodsevich, CEO, of PRLab shares that "adistinctive trend observed in the higher education sector's email marketing landscape is the emergence of virtual campus tours.Educational institutions are leveraging immersive technology and interactive multimedia to create virtual experiences that bring the campus to prospective students' fingertips. Students can explore campus facilities and attend virtual lectures. This provides a convenient and accessible way to showcase the campus and gets people excited."Joe Troyer, CEO and Growth Advisor, Digital Triggers shared that his very own university clients have incorporated the interactive virtual campus tour within their email campaign that Matias Rodsevich shared about above.The results?As stated by Joe Troyer "This inclusion saw an impressive improvement in click-through rates and significantly bolstered enrollment numbers. In my opinion, the trend of interactive elements will continue to revolutionize email marketing in higher education."

9. Emphasizing Career Outcomes in Emails

"As the owner of a marketing agency specializing in email marketing, I've noticed that emphasizing career outcomes has become a significant email marketing trend in the higher education sector. This is largely driven by the increasing need for a tangible return on investment in education.Prospective students and their families want assurance that the significant time, money, and effort spent on education will yield promising career prospects. A specific instance I've noted is universities highlighting alumni success stories in their email campaigns. These aren't just generic successes, but detailed narratives highlighting how the university's programs directly contributed to their alumni's career growth.This effective strategy offers concrete evidence of career outcomes, increasing the value proposition and making the university more appealing to potential students."Josh "Snow" Elizetxe, Founder, Customer Feedback

Start implementing these Trends with Beefree

Implementing new strategies and staying ahead of the trends doesn't have to be hard. Beefree offers users the latest features to ensure your higher education email campaigns are optimized for conversion, stay on brand, and never get boring. With access to 1,500+ customizable templates, AI integration, and a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to insert interactive elements, Beefree is the go-to email marketing tool for higher education. Don't take our word for it, watch our latest webinar with the Minnesota State University, Mankato on why Beefree has become their tool of choice.

In 2022, a record 50.5 million people quit their jobs seeking higher wages, greater workplace flexibility, and opportunities for advancement. This has led organizations to focus, now more than ever, on practices to retain employees.Employee turnover has been shown to impact workplace culture, oftentimes becoming contagious within the company. Employee turnover also hurts operational budgets and, according to SHRM, could cost as much as three to four times the position's annual salary to hire a replacement.Employers that are curious about what to do to keep employees from exiting should consider building an internal communications program for employees. This program could include things like employee engagement emails, internal newsletters, employee acknowledgments, etc.Continue reading to learn how to use email as an easy and cost-effective way to boost employee retention using techniques and components proven to make an impact.Read: Top 7 Student Retention Strategies for Email Marketing

Why are employee retention emails important?

Employee retention emails are vital to any organization's internal communication strategy. According to the Harvard Business Review, professionals tend to check their emails approximately 15 times a day, which makes emails a reliable channel for consistent and engaging communications between management and employees.Employee engagement emails may look different depending on the occasion or audience. Here are some examples:

• Celebrate individual or team accomplishments - recognize employee anniversaries, project completions, or goal achievements.
• Communicate organizational updates - provide updates on facilities, team reorganizations, new leaders, etc.
• Onboard new employees - use an onboarding campaign to welcome employees and introduce them to your company culture.
• Professional development opportunities - share resources for upcoming training and development classes.
• Request feedback - survey employees to keep a pulse on employee sentiment.

How to create effective employee retention emails

An effective employee retention email contains several elements outlined below. Continue reading to learn how to create impactful communications.

Segment Your Audience

Segmentation helps to create effective and relevant employee retention emails. By segmenting an email list based on criteria such as department, role, tenure, or demographics, you can personalize communications to make them more engaging.For instance, if you’re communicating to a global organization, segment the audience into regions to share about local events, or if sending out a survey to gather feedback from a recent training, segment the audience into those who attended and those who did not.

Personalize and Showcase Recognition

Personalization can be a powerful tool in email communications that makes your employees feel recognized and appreciated. Regular recognition emails celebrating milestones or achievements can foster a positive work culture and increase employee retention.If celebrating an employee’s milestone anniversary, recognize the event featuring their photo, name, and number of years at the organization, alongside a note from their manager. Or, if inviting staff to a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, include colorful graphics and images representative of the culture and an outline of activities to spark interest in the event.

Create Relevant Email Categories

For recognition in the inbox, consider formatting emails according to their category, such as company news, cultural communications, professional development, and recognition. Employees may value specific categories above others, so providing a distinguishable look for each type of communication makes them more likely to pay attention to those they find more valuable.The design of your email can significantly impact the engagement it receives, so consider how to make your employee communications more user-friendly. Beefree's email templates offer a variety of visually appealing designs you can easily customize to suit your needs.

Select the Right Tone

Consistency in tone across emails helps establish a unified brand voice. Your tone should reflect your organization's culture and values, whether formal, informal, or somewhere in between. The style also includes how you use acronyms, slang, or jargon internally. We recommend using a personable tone to build stronger connections with employees.

Utilize Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into internal communications helps to build an emotional connection with your employees. You could share stories about an individual’s contribution to greater organizational success, personal employee achievements, or the connection between a company goal or value with something seen in the “real world.”

Incorporate Interactive Elements

Interactive elements like polls, surveys, or clickable infographics can make your internal emails more engaging and encourage participation and readership. These elements improve engagement and, in the case of a poll or survey, provide valuable insights into your employees' opinions and ideas. They also help the employee feel heard and that their opinions matter to leaders in the organization.Examples of interactive elements to use on your next internal email:

• Requesting survey feedback following a guest speaker event or training to understand if the employees found it valuable.
• Poll employees to determine how many are interested in volunteering to help plant trees at the community park; a poll is a non-threatening way to capture headcounts that can be followed up on later for more specific details.
• Use a clickable infographic as a way to complete security training on identifying a phishing email; employees will appreciate the quick refresher on best security practices.

Optimize for Mobile

According to the Litmus, 2021 Email Client Market Share, mobile clients account for 41.6% of email opens, showcasing the importance of mobile-optimized emails. By ensuring that emails are easily read on mobile devices, you can up the chances that employees will engage even when on the go.Read: 10 Responsive Email Design Tips

A/B Test and Monitor Results

Continuous improvement is a part of any successful email strategy. Follow along with the results of your emails and determine changes based on your findings. In time, you’ll improve the effectiveness and interaction with your emails, doing your part to improve employee retention.

Essential Components of Employee Retention Emails

After studying employee retention emails, we have short-listed the following essential components you should consider when constructing your next email.

Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines

The subject line of your email is the first thing employees see, so the subject line must grab their attention and encourage them to open the email. Here are some examples of attention-grabbing subject lines:

• Who’s the Employee of the Month?! 
• Reminder: Your Security Training is Due Today
• You’re Invited! Join us for a Cinco de Mayo Celebration on 5/5

Engaging Openings

The opening lines of an email set the tone for the rest of the communication’s content. Because of this, consider how you can use an engaging opening to draw attention to your employee and encourage them to read your emails.Example: "Hello , we have exciting news to share!"

CTA Buttons

Call-to-action (CTA) buttons direct employees toward taking a desired action and help improve overall email engagement. CTAs should be clear, compelling, and visually appealing. Consider using a bright color to call attention to them within the copy.Here are some examples of CTAs that can be used with an employee audience:

• Register for training now!
• RSVP for the company retreat
• We’d love to hear from you! 

Read: How to Design Bulletproof CTA Buttons in Email

Employee Retention Email Templates

Beefree offers a range of customizable email templates specifically designed to help improve employee retention. These templates incorporate the essential components of effective emails and simplify the design process.From organizational updates to onboarding emails, Beefree’s templates can be used to engage and delight employees and build a strong company culture. Access the full Human Resource template collection here!

Use this template in Beefree!

Use this template in Beefree!

How Beefree Holds a 97% Employee Retention Rate

As previously mentioned, the rise of remote work and The Great Resignation of 2021 has impacted company culture and made employee retention significantly.Specifically in today's highly competitive tech industry, fostering employee retention has become increasingly crucial for organizations operating across diverse regions, cultures, and generations. This challenge is particularly multifaceted for SaaS companies.On September 6th, during the SaaStr Annual 2023 Beefree's CEO Massimo Arrigoni, and the People & Culture Director at Growens, Enrica Lipari will be sharing the 5 secrets to our 97% retention rate. If you already have your ticket, you can save your seat here!We hope to see you there!

The success of a Software as a Service (SaaS) company hinges significantly on the strength of its onboarding process. Research indicates that effective onboarding can lead to an 80% increase in customer retention. Emails play a pivotal role in this.Here we delve into the realm of SaaS onboarding emails, from understanding their importance to reviewing best practices and overcoming common challenges, all enriched with real-world examples.

What are SaaS Onboarding emails?

The SaaS onboarding process guides new users to understand and use a SaaS application effectively after signing up.SaaS onboarding emails are a series of emails sent to new users after they sign up for a software service. These emails are typically sent out in various phases, all aimed at helping the user get maximum value from the product as quickly as possible. These phases include, but are not limited to:

• Account setup
• Product tours
• Instructions for basic tasks
• Follow-up communication, including a survey

Why are SaaS Onboarding Emails So Important?

Effective onboarding emails are critical for SaaS businesses because they foster user engagement and improve overall user experience. They aim to guide users through the early stages of product use by helping them understand its core features, benefits, and value in return. This leads to better engagement and higher retention.SaaS onboarding emails solve the common challenges business face during the onboarding process, such as user drop-off and user confusion over product features.When users understand the product's value and how to use it effectively, they're more likely to become long-term, paying customers. They’re also more likely to have a positive perception of the service and brand, increasing the likelihood of them encouraging peers to use and purchase the service.

Effective SaaS Onboarding Email Best Practices

Following certain best practices can help optimize your onboarding emails, improving customer engagement and retention. Let's explore five of these key practices for the best SaaS onboarding emails:

Personalization

Personalizing onboarding emails can lead to a 26% increase in open rates. Tailoring onboarding communications to individual users based on their profile, behavior, and preferences ensures they receive relevant content, fostering a sense of connection and improving their product experience.

Timing and Automation Tools

Automating onboarding emails allows you to send timely, trigger-based messages, enhancing user engagement.Automation tools can simplify this process, ensuring consistent communication without additional manual effort.

A/B Testing and Experimentation

A/B testing enables you to continually improve your onboarding emails by testing different versions and analyzing which performs better.This ongoing experimentation allows you to refine your strategy based on user response, leading to increased engagement and a more streamlined marketing strategy that is cost-saving in the long term.

User Feedback and Survey Integration

Including user feedback and surveys in your onboarding emails can provide invaluable insights into user experiences, preferences, and challenges.They don’t have to be long (in fact, it’s advisable to keep them short and sharp so customers don’t lose interest), but asking key questions such as overall satisfaction with the sign-up process, what they intend to use the product for etc., can guide product improvements and enhance your onboarding strategy.

Continual Optimization

Onboarding emails should be regularly reviewed and optimized based on performance metrics, user feedback, and evolving business goals. You should set a cadence in which you will review and optimize your onboarding emails.This continuous improvement approach can ensure that your onboarding emails remain relevant over time and maintain their effectiveness for your target audience and business.

Overcoming Common Challenges in SaaS Onboarding Emails

While creating effective onboarding emails, SaaS companies often face several challenges.

Email Bounce and Unsubscribe Rates: 

High bounce and unsubscribe rates can limit the reach of your onboarding emails.To combat this, ensure that your emails offer value, are personalized, and respect the recipient's inbox by not over-communicating. Try and avoid emails that are heavy in content or have unoptimized images.

Onboarding Drop-offs: 

Users may abandon the onboarding process if they find it confusing or overwhelming. A sequence of well-crafted onboarding emails can guide users step-by-step through the process, reducing drop-offs. The simpler the emails, the better.PRO tip: Collaborate with someone outside of your team who doesn't know the process and ask them to give you feedback!

Complex Product Features in Onboarding Emails: 

Overly complex onboarding emails can confuse users.Ensure that your emails only focus on key product features, using clear, concise language and laymen’s terms (rather than highly technical language)Use supporting visuals to enhance understanding. And avoid the use of many clashing colors, multiple font types and sizes, and dead links.

Successful SaaS Onboarding Email Examples

Depending on where a user is on their onboarding journey, they require different types of emails to guide them.Understanding these main types of onboarding emails and their role in the user's journey can help you craft effective messages. Here are some different types of SaaS onboarding email examples:

Example 1: Welcome Email (from Trello)

The SaaS welcome email is the start of your relationship with the user, so it is absolutely critical to get it right.This welcome email from Trello is a prime example of engaging the user right from the start. The email is straightforward, sets a friendly tone, and utilizes a mascot for a more light-hearted energy.It also provides a link to a guide for the customer, making it easy for users to start using the service and thus increasing the likelihood of continued use.

Headspace Getting Started Email 

Once a user signs up, they need guidance on how to get started.Headspace’s Getting Started email serves this purpose very well. It breaks down the process of using their app into simple, digestible steps, making it easy for new users to understand how to use the app and what to expect without getting overwhelmed.It also splits the content into the basics and beyond the basics, so the customer can decide where they are in their journey with the product.

Dropbox Product Feature Email 

Dropbox's feature-focused onboarding email is a brilliant example of how to highlight the new and/or unique features of your product.The email focuses on the file-collaboration feature of Dropbox, explaining how it can benefit the user and demonstrating how to use it by encouraging the reader to ‘learn more’. This helps to educate the user about the product and its advantages whilst not overloading them with information in the body of the email.

Duolingo Engagement Email

Duolingo’s engagement email is designed to reignite user interest when it begins to fade.The email uses deliberately emotive language alongside a cute cartoon character to give users a sense of guilt for not practicing their language. They also offer a free 5-minute lesson, providing motivation to return to the app and continue their learning journey. It is impactful, to the point, and effective.

Airbnb Feedback Request Email 

Airbnb’s feedback request email is a great example of how to ask users for their thoughts on your product.The email is concise, polite, and makes it easy for the user to provide feedback. It emphasizes how quickly the survey will be completed and also lets users know that their opinions are valuable and will be used to improve the service, making them feel appreciated and more likely to respond.

Start Creating the Best SaaS Onboarding Emails

The value of onboarding emails in SaaS cannot be overstated. They're instrumental in engaging users, demonstrating product value, and, ultimately, retaining customers.By applying best practices and learning from real-world examples, you can craft effective onboarding emails that drive success for your SaaS business.Ready to kickstart your onboarding strategy? Try out this Beefree's SaaS Saas onboarding email templates!

With more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States, competition for donor attention can be fierce. As nonprofits often work with low resources and a limited budget, they have fewer opportunities to capture attention, making each interaction essential. 

In this blog, we’ll guide you through creating effective nonprofit emails, a foundational element of any nonprofit email marketing strategy.

Why is Nonprofit Email Marketing Important?

In today's digital era, email marketing for nonprofit organizations serves as an essential connection between an organization and its audience. As a cost-effective marketing tactic, it’s instantly accessible and customizable and delivers your message in a timely manner directly to supporters.

Whether you share inspiring stories, upcoming events, photos, or solicitation appeals, email marketing provides a platform to engage directly with your audience.

The ability to segment audiences also allows them to send personalized messages and further enhance the effectiveness of each communication.

Ultimately, the benefits of successful email marketing campaigns can be huge for a nonprofit, extending far beyond short-term financial gains to fulfill the key goal of building long-lasting relationships with supporters.

What is the ROI of Nonprofit Email Marketing?

The ROI of email marketing is undeniable for nonprofits.

Various research reports have shown that for every dollar spent on email marketing, organizations can expect an average return of $36.When considering email marketing for nonprofits, the returns can be even higher. According to HubSot, up to $40 for every $1 spent, as long as they have successfully fostered emotional connections within its donor base.

The ROI goes beyond money. A successful email campaign leads to greater audience engagement, stronger donor relationships, and enhanced brand reputation—all of which are key to a nonprofit's growth and sustainability in the long run. 

1. Build a Strong Email List

The first step toward effective nonprofit email marketing is to build a strong and clean list of email addresses. When it comes to email addresses, it's not just about quantity—the quality of your list is essential. For instance, a nonprofit would benefit more from having a list of 500 genuinely interested supporters rather than a list of 5,000 individuals who disregard messages. 

So, how can you build a high-quality list? With channels like your website and social media platforms, you can encourage individuals with genuine interest to voluntarily sign up. This way, you ensure your communications are directed toward people who really care about your cause and are likely to support it.

Read more: Creating an Effective Email Sign-up Form

2. Identify Audience Segments

One size does not fit all when it comes to email marketing. 

Your nonprofit’s supporters are diverse, each with unique motivations and preferences. Thus, the ability to segment your email list can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your communication. 

Consider factors such as donation history, interests, demographics, and geographical location when creating segments. An examples of this is dividing your list into past donors versus prospective donors or high-dollar donors versus low-dollar donors. 

With each segment in mind, tailor your messages to be sure you send relevant content to your supporters, increasing the likelihood of engagement and action.

3. Personalize Communications

Segmentation naturally leads to personalization, and in understanding your audience segments, you can tailor your communications to resonate with individual recipients. Personalized emails, which can include the recipient's name and content relevant to them, can greatly improve open rates and engagement.

In fact, personalization is the top tactic used by professional marketers to increase reader engagement. So, stop sending mass messages and opt for personalized, targeted communications instead.

4. Implement Deliverability Best Practices

What good is a well-crafted email if it doesn't reach the intended recipient's inbox (Ugh!)? At least a 95% email deliverability rate is a must-have if your email marketing strategy will see any success. To improve performance, follow these best practices:

• Maintain a healthy sending reputation. This is done by monitoring your open rates and ensuring they stay above 18%.  
• Use a reliable email service provider that consistently delivers a high percentage of emails.
• Craft spam-free content. This means ensuring your images are optimized for emails, including alt tags, and creating short and concise emails. 

Also, use a your organization email address that uses the same domain as your website instead of a generic email address such as @gmail or @yahoo so recipients will not think your email is spam.

An example of this is how Goodwill and Habitat for humanity use “@habitat.org” or @goodwill.org.

​​Read more: Improve Email Deliverability with 3 Design Tips

5. Develop a Consistent Sending Schedule

Consistency is key to maintaining a successful email program. It’s true that too many emails can annoy your supporters, while too few can cause them to forget about your organization.

So, as Goldilocks discovered, you need something that’s in the middle—just right. Most nonprofits send 2-4 emails per month; however, the ideal frequency for your organization can vary based on factors like your audience's preferences, the nature of your content, and key times in your fundraising calendar.

When’s the best time to send nonprofit emails? Late morning and early afternoon can be good times but try testing to find out when your audience responds the best.

6. Create an Eye-Catching Email Design

An attractive, professional design helps your email stand out and increases readability. If you’re not a professional email designer, no worries! Beefree has you covered with a variety of nonprofit email templates perfect for advancing the mission of your nonprofit.

Consider some of these best practices for your next nonprofit email design:

• Maintain a good amount of whitespace for easy readability.
• Use a layout that sections information.
• Insert colorful call-to-action buttons to initiate user action.
• Follow your brand standards for color and font selections.
• Use a mobile-friendly or responsive design template for pleasant reading no matter the device used.

7. Monitor Results and A/B Test

To improve the performance of your email marketing program over time, it’s best to use analytics and monitor open and click rates, then adjust your strategy based on those results. Did you know the best nonprofit emails get around 25% of recipients to open versus just 6% for other types of emails? If you’re not seeing these results yet, try A/B testing various email elements to optimize your campaign's performance over time. 

How to Write an Effective Nonprofit Marketing Email

What does it take to write the perfect fundraising communication? Here are some elements to consider.

Create an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line

Your subject line is like the envelope to your email—if it looks/sounds like spam, it may go directly into the trash without even being read.

Make your subject lines intriguing, relevant, and concise. A well-crafted subject line piques interest and creates curiosity, causing the recipient to want to learn more. For example, a subject line like "Jenny, would you like to plan 100 trees this month?" is personalized, invokes action, and shares the impact of a potential contribution.

Showcase Organization News

Keeping your supporters updated with the latest news, events, or impact stories helps create a transparent environment that fosters trust. This could include an upcoming fundraiser event, receiving a large donation, or sharing personal stories of how funds support your mission. Regular updates can make your audience feel part of your nonprofit's journey and inspire them to contribute further.

Express Gratitude

The importance of saying “thank you” in your emails cannot be overstated. A simple note of appreciation can make your supporters feel valued and recognized. After all, your supporters are part of your mission, and noting their contributions is a simple yet effective way to cultivate long-lasting relationships.

Include a CTA

Every email should have a purpose and a clear, compelling call to action (CTA) to guide your supporters toward that goal. Whether it's donating or signing up for an event, an effective CTA creates an easy way for your supporters to further engage with your organization.

Nonprofit Email Marketing Case Study: Unicef

Unicef's partnership with Beefree shows how email can be used for effective nonprofit marketing. With Beefree’s email editor and in following the best practices outlined above, Unicef achieved substantial engagement and fundraising success for their organization. Read the full case study here.

You can improve your nonprofit email marketing efforts in a variety of ways, many of which can be done for low or no cost and can have a large impact on growing the reach of your mission. Start creating professional, engaging emails for your nonprofit by trying Beefree’s email editor and nonprofit email templates today.

For most businesses, the ability to convert leads into customers can mean the difference between profitable operations and unsteady income that causes it to fail. That’s why lead generation and conversion remain a priority.While several tactics can help you achieve this, not all strategies will initiate interest from leads.So, how can you effectively engage leads and turn them into happy customers? That is where lead nurturing can help.Lead Nurturing is the process of building relationships with your prospects with the goal of earning their business when they're ready. Lead nurturing is the third stage of the lead management process. There are five stages or elements of lead management:

• Lead generation, 
• Lead qualification and segmentation
• Lead nurturing
• Lead scoring and lead routing, and 
• Measuring success

To help your unique leads solve their challenges or achieve their goals, it's critical to understand who your leads are and why they've shown interest in your company in the first place.This understanding will help you develop a lead nurturing strategy to engage with each individual personally, based on their needs and goals, rather than sending blast emails. That way, you’ll generate more qualified leads with less effort. In fact, companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost.

How Does Lead Nurturing Work?

Let's view an example of lead nurturing from a HubSpot Solutions Partner, Campaign Creators.

They had a new initiative to target e-commerce businesses, so they created a new buyer persona, named E-Commerce Eric. They developed a new lead nurturing campaign based on this persona, called "E-Commerce Marketing Campaign."A lead would enroll into the E-Commerce Marketing Campaign workflow in HubSpot each time they downloaded the "E-Commerce Marketing: Intro to Lead Generation" guide.Over time, these leads would receive emails that offered a helpful and relevant resource called, "How to Create an E-Commerce Lead Nurturing Campaign." This resource serves the dual purpose of teaching learners how to nurture new leads while also nurturing them for Campaign Creators.Leads also received further nurturing emails to download other helpful offers, like "Your Guide to Filling a Digital Marketing Gap." This resource helped leads determine the right solution to overcome their digital marketing gap, and helped Campaign Creators identify leads that would benefit from their marketing services.After downloading this guide, leads would receive another set of nurturing emails promoting a free marketing consultation that would provide valuable and honest feedback on the best marketing solution for them. The value for Campaign Creators? To gain a better understanding of their leads' challenges and provide tailored experiences during the consultation.If a lead decided to schedule a consultation, the sales team would take over in the process. This marked the end of the lead nurturing campaign.

This multi-tiered lead nurturing campaign is a great example of how you can engage and nurture leads through their buyer’s journey.While some lead nurturing campaigns may differ, the most important aspect is to automate your entire process. This will provide your lead nurturing efforts with timely, efficient, and targeted communication.

Benefits of Lead Nurturing

Let’s explore the benefits described in the above example in more detail. Lead nurturing helps you:

Build a better customer relationship

Building any relationship takes time and effort, and that’s what lead nurturing allows you to do with prospective customers. Maintaining contact with your leads throughout their buyer’s journey and using personalized messaging can lead to increased trust and a sense of commitment from you to these potential customers.

Increase conversion rates

By providing relevant, personalized content with your lead nurturing campaigns, you ensure your audience remains engaged and more likely to click links to your website or online store for more information. This approach is in contrast to sending generalized content that is designed to reach as many people as possible but has no connection with specific audiences.

Identify customer interests or pain points

Lead nurturing is an excellent way to collect feedback that provides insights into your audience’s interests and pain points. This information can assist you in creating accurate buyer personas and products that will better meet your customers' needs.

Boost brand loyalty

The personalized engagement campaigns you use to build a relationship with your audience can also make them loyal to your brand once they take the step to become customers. In fact, 78% of consumers will likely be repeat customers of brands that personalize the shopping experience.

Get more referrals from satisfied customers

One of the objectives of lead nurturing is to ensure customers are satisfied at the end of their buyer’s journey. Happy customers are more likely to refer friends, family, and business associates to your business because of the trust and reputation you built with them.

How to Launch a Successful Lead Nurturing Campaign

There are five fundamental elements to launching a successful lead nurturing campaign:

1. Buyer Personas

A Buyer Persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data and some educated speculation about demographics, behaviors, motivations, and goals.Creating buyer personas will help you understand your potential customers’ needs, behaviors, and concerns. Understanding these details will help you tailor your content and messaging in a way that resonates with each lead.In the previous example, the lead nurturing campaign targeted the persona, ECommerce Eric. Not only did understanding ECommerce Eric's needs and goals inspire the different content offers, it also helped drive the messaging in the emails. If you don't have buyer personas, you can get started with HubSpot's Make My Persona Tool​.

2. Content 

The content you create should be strategic. It should showcase your thought leadership in certain topics, educate your audience, address their concerns, and inspire them to take action. You do this by creating content for each stage of the buyer's journey.The Buyer's Journey is the active research process someone goes through leading up to a purchase.This process is broken down into three stages: awareness stage, consideration stage, and decision stage. Creating content for each stage allows you to educate and nurture leads closer to a purchase, no matter where they are in the buyer's journey.

Once you've developed your content, it's time to share it with your leads.

3. Emails 

Emails will serve as the main communication between you and your leads. They enable you to educate and nurture your leads by providing tailored messaging and content offers.HubSpot provides email marketing tools that make it easy to publish your nurturing emails. You can also incorporate personalization tokens to personalize each recipient's email copy and content.But, building effective emails is only part of the process. You have to send the right content to the right person and schedule when the emails should arrive at their destination.

4. Segmentation 

Lead nurturing is the happy union between content and context. Email is how you provide the content, while segmentation is how you provide context.Segmentation is the process of dividing your contacts into sub-groups (known as segments) based on some type of shared characteristics. It works together with your nurturing emails by providing tailored and relevant content for each individual.For example, you can segment your leads by their buyer personas. Your leads will often have different challenges or goals, affecting the personas you create for them. You can create different email campaigns with relevant and compelling content for each of these personas .Another strategy is to segment leads by where they are in their buyer's journey. Leads in different stages of the buyer's journey are seeking specific information.For instance, leads in the awareness stage may be interested in content about the different types of products that are available, while those in the consideration stage may be more concerned about the pros and cons of each product that they are interested in. You can help more of your leads find the right content by segmenting emails by their buyer's journey stage.Try segmenting leads based on their online activity. A great example of this is automatically sending a welcome email every time a visitor subscribes to your newsletter.Lead nurturing is the happy union between content and context. Email is how you provide the content, while segmentation is how you provide context.

5. Automation 

The final element of a successful lead nurturing campaign is automation. Automation makes it easy to send the right content, to the right person, at the right time. HubSpot offers a workflow tool that can help automate your entire lead nurturing process. This tool can help you:

• Set enrollment triggers that automatically enroll leads based on set criteria.
• Add relevant emails and content that will be sent to enrolled leads.
• Indicate when those emails will be sent to each lead.
• Remove leads once they've met the workflow goal.

Implementing automation into your lead nurturing will not only make the entire process feel seamless, but it will also help you scale your lead nurturing efforts in the future.Incorporating these five fundamental elements into your lead nurturing process will give you the foundation needed to implement campaigns that turn more of your leads into happy customers.

Nurture Your Leads to Create Happy Customers

It takes just a few steps to turn leads into happy, returning customers, and it all starts with thinking of them in the buyer’s journey.Ask yourself what their interests or issues are and what solutions your company has that impact their values, needs, and desires. Then, strategically create your content and send it to your leads in a sequence that moves them from awareness of their problem to the decision to buy your solution.Lead nurturing takes time. Segmenting leads based on their buyer persona and the stage they’re in of the buyer’s journey can help you nurture leads more effectively. Automation can help manage a lot of this process and sendails to the appropriate people at the appropriate time with the appropriate content to move them in the right direction.Are you ready to start nurturing your leads? Use HubSpot’s Marketing Hub to create and launch your campaign today, and turn those leads into customers.