Make your mark with email marketing.

Email marketing allows you to connect with people who want to hear from you. Good email marketing is about sending relevant, engaging messages to the right people at the right time to maximize your marketing efforts and achieve your business or nonprofit goals.

Email marketing is a great tool for driving sales — every dollar spent on email marketing yields $36 in return — but there are many other benefits: education, enhanced brand recognition, and stronger relationships with your existing (and potential) customers.

Given all its upsides, email will likely be one of the key ways you’ll communicate with your audience on a regular basis. Follow these nine best practices to craft a must-open email and make a good impression: 

• Use Constant Contact’s professional email marketing platform to send high-quality emails in bulk. 

• Add sign-up forms to your website and social media channels so you can expand your email list.

• Craft subject lines that stand out in the inbox — ideally, 40 characters or fewer. 

• Learn the anatomy of a successful email. 

• Use pre-made templates to save time and add your brand’s flair — like your logo and colors. 

• Add buttons or a call-to-action. Every email should present a next step, so your contacts know how to purchase, learn more, or sign up for something.

• Personalize emails with the subscriber’s name and other dynamic content. 

• Group your audience into lists, so you can send them targeted content based on their activity, interests, and more.

• Track important data like open rates, click-throughs, conversions, bounces, and unsubscribes to see where customers engage with your content and where you can improve.

Dive deeper with our guide on email marketing best practices. Or, explore the latest trends in email marketing — which covers everything from email design to AI. 

Building your email marketing strategy from the ground up? Here are six tips for those who are new to the email marketing game: 

• Start a free trial with Constant Contact, where you can explore pre-designed email templates and learn the ropes at your own pace.

• Figure out who you want to email. No list yet? That’s OK. Start building your list by collecting customer information with a sign-up form on your website and social media channels. 

• Create a reusable template and use AI writing assistance to draft your email. Here are some pro tips on writing a marketing email. Make sure it’s informative, branded, and includes a call-to-action. 

• See if there are any email series you want to create (and automate) to save you major time down the line. Think: welcome emails or purchase confirmations. 

• Send your first email. Celebrate! Then, start planning your next send. 

• Measure results and tweak email campaigns. Keep an eye on things like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes, so you know when to make adjustments.

Want a detailed play-by-play on how to jumpstart your program? Here’s a 10-step email marketing to-do list.

Once you know the basics of eye-catching email design and click-worthy content, you’re ready to branch out. Here are seven of the most common types of marketing emails: 

• Welcome: A welcome email introduces subscribers to your brand. Tell your company’s story, share what you do, and offer incentives to new customers. 

• Newsletter: Newsletters are digests that give subscribers important updates. Share what’s new, update your store hours, or link to engaging content on your blog or social media channels.

• Transactional: A transactional email typically relates to an action your subscriber took. It could feature a purchase confirmation, order details, or important account information.

• Seasonal: Celebrate holidays and occasions with seasonal emails. Promote special events, announce an annual sale, or share a limited-time offer.  

• Survey: Send a survey to get feedback on your products, initiatives, customer service, or marketing efforts. 

• Product launch: Build hype with a product launch email. Tease new drops and keep subscribers engaged as you debut new products, services, or features.

• Nurture: Nurture emails contain exciting content or useful information on things like giveaways. They often come in a series and are designed to earn your audience’s trust and attention.