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Email blasts convey powerful messages and drive conversion quickly — if they're executed efficiently.
Businesses have many platforms at their disposal to send messages to the masses, but email marketing remains one of the most crucial. Emails are a reliable, affordable and efficient way to reach prospects of all types, regardless of their position in the customer journey.
Email blasts are a commonly used content marketing strategy that can engage email subscribers efficiently — or irritate them if executed poorly. We’ll explain more about email blasts and share how to send effective blasts that boost your digital marketing return on investment without alienating your audience.
An email blast — also known as a broadcast email, bulk email or mass email — is a stand-alone message sent to all or a significant portion of a contact list. The goal is to reach as broad an audience as possible with minimal investment.
Email blasts are typically promotional, sharing enticing news about a sale or special offer. They aim to drive a specific action, such as registering for an event or making a purchase. They may also include important news or unexpected updates a business must communicate quickly.
Ross Soodoosingh, CEO of HuddleFifty, emphasized that email blasts are usually urgent and independent of targeted email marketing campaigns. “Unlike traditional personalized emails that are tailored for their intended reader, email blasts are seldom personalized to the extent in which it would directly be speaking to you as an individual,” Soodoosingh explained. “Email blasts are also different from emails in an email sequence/email journey as they are single-instance rather than a group of emails sent over a period of time or conditions that are sent to a user.”
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Thomas Hassett, founder of TH Results, cautioned that using email blasts sparingly is wise, as they can seem spammy when executed poorly. “Save them for your big announcements, your can’t-miss sales and your truly newsworthy updates,” Hassett advised. “If you abuse the privilege, you’ll quickly become the digital equivalent of the boy who cried wolf and your emails will start going straight to the trash.”
Take the following six steps to plan and send effective email blasts.
A powerful, intuitive email marketing service is essential for delivering effective and successful email blasts. The best email marketing services make creating and segmenting email contact lists, designing emails, building campaigns and scheduling delivery easy. Many of these platforms also incorporate marketing automation, making them beneficial for other purposes, such as drip email campaigns, personalized customer journeys and transactional emails like order confirmations or appointment reminders.
An email list is a direct line to potential and returning customers, making it one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. When building an email marketing list, you gather email addresses from people who want to receive your communications. Creating an opt-in email marketing strategy is a great way to strengthen customer relationships and relay messages to engaged prospects and customers effectively.
Email list segmentation divides your contacts into smaller groups (segments) based on related characteristics, such as the following:
Segmenting your list helps you understand your audience better and personalize emails to boost engagement. While email blasts are often broad-reaching, segmentation may still be useful for some blasts, such as those targeting specific customer groups with relevant announcements or promotions. This ensures your message resonates with the right audience while maintaining the efficiency of a mass email.
While email blasts are often sent to all or most of your list, strategic targeting can still enhance their effectiveness. Depending on the size and diversity of your list, consider tailoring your e-blasts to specific groups. For example, adjust the messaging and delivery time to fit different regions where your subscribers reside or personalize content to appeal to particular segments, such as first-time buyers versus returning customers.
Even minor targeting adjustments can make your email blasts feel more relevant to your audience without losing their broad appeal.
Next, it’s time to create your email blast’s content. Your email marketing service may influence your design choices as many platforms offer industry-specific templates and tools to help tailor your content to your customers’ needs. For example, Omnisend is focused on devising email marketing content specific to e-commerce businesses. Your service may offer various email templates, which can be helpful. However, the messaging is what counts:
Rebecca Parson, a public relations professional in investing and insurance, notes that other messaging elements may make sense, depending on your goals. “Some things I’ve seen work well are including interactive elements like polls or surveys to engage recipients and get their feedback, incorporating user-generated content like customer photos or testimonials to boost credibility and relatability and offering a time-limited deal to encourage immediate action.”
When your campaign is complete, schedule it for delivery at an optimal time to maximize engagement.
Sending the email blast and noting the number of conversions is not the end of your mission. Examining how recipients interacted with the email’s content and links is equally important to better understand your team’s efforts. Key email analytics such as open rate, CTR and deliverability provide insights into your campaign’s success and highlight areas for improvement.
Regularly reviewing this data is crucial to refining your strategy and optimizing the results of future email marketing campaigns. By identifying patterns and addressing weaknesses, you can create more engaging and impactful email blasts over time.
When crafting an email blast, the following strategies can make the difference between conversion and spam designation:
Email marketing requires a delicate balance. Too many messages can frustrate recipients, while too few can send your business into obscurity. The ideal frequency depends on your type of business and your audience’s preferences.
Most companies should send an email blast at least once per month but no more than once per week. This schedule ensures you remain relevant to your audience without being invasive. To fine-tune your strategy, test different frequencies and analyze historical email data to understand how often your contact list wants to hear from you.
Statistically, Omnisend found that the best days of the month to send marketing emails are the fifth, seventh and 12th days, especially if they land on a Tuesday or Thursday. Regarding timing, emails sent around 8 a.m. often yield the best results.
An e-blast is best for communicating important information across segments. As a result, they perform most effectively when used for specific purposes rather than as a general marketing tool. Being deliberate and strategic in your blasts will significantly increase their success.
Here are some examples of ideal occasions for e-blasts.
A message letting your entire contact list know about a limited-time offer or flash sale is one of the best uses of the e-blast technique. Including compelling visuals and bold imagery in the email body can encourage clicks and boost engagement.
Here are a couple of sample subject lines that are perfect for a bulk email push advertising a flash sale:
Announcing a new addition to your product line or adding a new service to your agency is another great way to use an email blast. In this case, consider segmenting between prospective customers and existing ones to ensure your messaging resonates with each audience.
Try one of these sample subject lines for your next launch:
If your company offers online training or in-person events, an e-blast is an excellent way to encourage people to save the date or register. You can also follow up with a reminder email blast closer to the event date, including details on how attendees can share their participation on social media. This could help boost engagement and conversions.
Consider these sample subject lines when crafting an e-blast for your next webinar or event:
Email newsletters are a bit different from typical email blasts because they tend to be more structured and aligned with longer-term campaigns. However, they’re technically still e-blasts because they’re usually sent to most contacts on the sender’s list. They typically contain company updates, blog snippets, promotional information or fun content, such as quizzes.
Subject lines should align with the newsletter’s content while encouraging engagement. Asking questions or highlighting a unique value-add can significantly increase open rates and reader interaction.
Email blasts have upsides and downsides. Consider the following before creating and sending an email blast.
Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.