Does email marketing work in 2024? We can say with certainty - yes. More than 300 billion e-mails are sent out every day. With the right approach, this proven tool boosts sales, brings back customers and brings profit. Why very often advertising e-mail newsletters do not live up to expectations? Why do some letters are noticed among hundreds of messages, and others are left unopened? There can be at least three reasons. HLTS South Korea managers have analysed them.

The first reason is a small base
The base you usually send out your newsletter to should be constantly updated with new contacts. Subscribers (those who have subscribed themselves and your customers) over time may lose interest in what is sent to them. The quality and size of the base affects the growth of traffic to the site and, consequently, sales.

Add a subscription form to your site. Pop-ups (pop-up or a widget in the footer at the bottom of the page) always attract attention.

You can create a separate landing page, offer an interesting guide for download in exchange for email user registration. After downloading the guide, the data left will automatically go to the database and email funnel. But remember, the user must give their consent to receive the newsletter and be able to unsubscribe easily.

HLTS ltd recommends using services of global and South Korean platforms (Google, Naver, Daum) when analysing the results of the mailing list to find out how many visitors clicked through to the site and which products are the most popular.

The second reason is the content of the letter
We have already written about what kind of emails should not be sent to clients. Properly organised mailing is a separate art. Planning allows you to think through the topics and design of future emails. It does not matter whether you are going to announce the arrival of new products or share useful information, or activate the target audience in the off-season to tell about the promotion on the site. The email should be designed in a way that makes you want to open it.

The recipient decides whether or not to open the email during a quick read of the subject line. The subject line and preheader are the first two things the recipient sees. Use keywords, intriguing slogans in the subject line and pre-header and personalise the message where possible. Avoid terms that can activate spam filters (‘free,’ ‘beneficial’).

Experiment with interactive email elements: countdown timers, real-time questionnaires. Use animations and GIFs in your emails to bring your emails to life. Place calls to action (CTAs) after the first paragraph and again at the end. Relevant and personalised emails have a high open rate.

The third reason is the lack of trigger emails
Trigger emails are an effective email marketing tool that allows you to encourage your customer to buy. They inform about discounts and promotions, send promo codes and special offers. It is important in trigger chains not to send spam, but to send emails according to the needs of the recipient. According to statistics, a reminder that a customer has not completed a purchase brings up to 40% of additional sales.

Key trigger emails:

• A thank you for the purchase
• Abandoned browsing, in this case you can even set up a chain of two emails (for example: the first one can be sent after 30 minutes, the second one after 24 hours).
• Abandoned cart, in this case you can even set up a chain of three emails (for example: the first can be sent after an hour, the second at the end of the day, and the third after 3-5 days).
• Feedback after purchase
• No purchase activity for 2- 4 months (you can even set up a chain of two emails).
• In case of incomplete registration
• In honour of a birthday
• After the first purchase

When choosing a service for trigger chains, check whether it is possible to customise bulk, transactional and trigger emails. The design of a trigger email should not differ much from the design of emails for regular mass mailings.

So, the success and efficiency of a mailing depends on its competent preparation. If the opening rate of the mails sent out is less than 15-25%, clickability is low and the unsubscribe rate is off the scale, you need to urgently change the content of the letter and the principles of mailing in general. HLTS company specialists offer ideas for optimising chains of trigger emails, develop and set up systems for testing them.