What is an Email Blast? An Email Marketing Guide (with Examples)
5.00/5Some authors claim that email is dead. But if you look at the stats and ROI of a well executed email blast campaign, you will see that this is not true. With an ROI of 4,200% and about 4.6 billion users, email still rules the world of marketing.
But to take advantage of this marketing channel, you need to learn how to use it, how to segment your contacts, and how to personalise your messages for each audience.
This guide will help you get the most out of your next email blast.
What Is an Email Blast?
The term email blast or e-blast refers to the process of sending one single email to a list of multiple recipients at the same time. It’s often used as part of an organisation’s marketing strategy to share promotional messages, important announcements, updates, interesting news, and relevant information.
This marketing technique is known to be effective especially when it comes to increasing your brand engagement, driving traffic to your website, and boosting your sales numbers.
Yet, it’s important to clearly state that you need to have a strategic approach to email blasts and align them with your overall marketing goals. On the contrary, you would just be spamming hundreds or thousands of records and hurting your brand reputation.
Does Email Blasting Work?
Email blasts have been around for a while. Initially, marketers did not pay attention or take the time to segment the list of people they were emailing. They simply sent a single email to every record on their list. This practice only led to them being associated with spam.
Fortunately, today’s marketers have realised that in order to be successful, they need to spend time segmenting their databases and creating separate emails for each target audience. Emails tailored to their contacts’ interests, pain points, and even stage in the sales funnel.
This new and strategic approach has helped to establish email blasts as an important marketing tool. To the point where recent statistics prove it.
- 4 out of 5 marketers say they would rather abandon social media marketing than email marketing.
- For every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect a return on investment (ROI) of approximately $40.
- Email marketing has an overall ROI of 4,200%.
- 60% of consumers say they have made a purchase as a result of a promotional email.
- The most effective email marketing campaigns include strategies such as:
- Segmentation (78%)
- Message personalisation (72%)
- Email automation (71%).
- 87% of brands report that email marketing contributes to the success of their business.
In short, email blasts work. But you need to take a strategic approach.
Email Blast: A Key Component of Mass Marketing
In the world of digital marketing, the role of an email blast cannot be overstated. They are essentially broadcast emails sent to your entire email list, allowing you to communicate on a large scale while saving time and resources.
They serve as a tool to make announcements, promote products, or share news updates. But before we dive into the process of creating a successful email blast, it’s worth taking a closer look at the role they play in your digital marketing strategy.
Role and Importance of Email Blasts
While today’s world is dominated by social media, email still plays a critical role in mass marketing initiatives, giving you a quick, efficient and cost-effective way to reach a large audience at once. If you want to be successful, it’s not a smart idea to overlook email blasts.
They serve multiple purposes, from increasing brand awareness and driving website traffic to promoting new products and offers. Most importantly, email blasting can help with customer retention by keeping your brand top of mind with subscribers.
At the same time, when strategically crafted with engaging content and a clear call-to-action (CTA), they can stimulate customer engagement and drive conversions. If that weren’t enough, they also provide valuable insights into customer behaviour through metrics such as open rates and click-through rates, which you can use to optimise future campaigns.
But you don’t want to overuse them. It’s important to strike a balance so you don’t overwhelm your subscribers and risk unsubscribes or spam reports.
Email Blast Platforms and Tools
Email blasting works by using specialised software that allows companies to send a single email to a large number of recipients at once. There are many options of software for you to choose from (paid and free), but you need to carefully subscribe to one that meets your business needs. Let’s take a look at the key features to look for.
An Overview of Email Blast Software
Email blast software, also known as mass email software or bulk email software, is an essential tool for creating and executing email blast campaigns. This software allows you to distribute them in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Each platform offers different features and options to help you create, send and monitor the performance of your email. At Sortlist, we firmly believe that there are a few that you need to ensure are included:
- Email creation tools: Drag-and-drop editors, customisable templates, and content libraries simplify the process of designing engaging emails.
- List management tools: These help organise recipient lists, segment audiences, and manage subscriptions.
- Automation capabilities: Schedule and automatically send emails to save time and improve efficiency.
- Tracking and analytics: Providing insights into open rates, click-throughs and conversions, these tools help measure campaign performance and guide future strategies.
We encourage you to take the time to research and compare the benefits of software like Sendinblue, ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp. They are well known in the industry and come with different pricing plans to suit different business needs.
Free and Paid Email Blast Services
Should you work with a free or paid email blast service? The answer depends mainly on factors such as
- Your business needs,
- your budget
- and the scope of your email marketing campaigns.
Whatever your case is, it’s worth noting that:
- Free services like MailerLite and Brevo offer a range of features that make them suitable for small businesses or email marketing beginners. They are packed with options for segmentation, automation, and a generous free plan.
- Paid services like GetResponse and Moosend, on the other hand, offer advanced features like marketing automation, real-time data analysis, custom reporting and larger contact limits. These are ideal for companies with larger budgets and more extensive email marketing needs.
Most platforms offer tiered pricing based on the number of contacts or emails per month, allowing for scalability as your business grows. Remember, the choice between free and paid services should align with your overall marketing strategy and goals.
Popular Email Blast Providers: Mailchimp vs. Hubspot
To help you even more in the process of choosing an email blast provider, we compare two popular platforms, Mailchimp and Hubspot. This will help you understand their unique offerings in the email blast space.
Mailchimp is primarily an email marketing tool that has evolved into an all-in-one platform. It offers affordability and flexibility, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform comes with features like marketing automation, CRM, content tools, and more.
HubSpot, on the other hand, was originally designed as a marketing automation platform and offers a comprehensive suite of services including inbound marketing, sales, CMS, operations, and a help desk. HubSpot excels at providing a complete marketing solution, especially for companies willing to invest in advanced features.
When choosing between the two, it is important to understand your business needs, budget, and scope of operations. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, you need to carefully consider the needs of your team and marketing strategy.
Email Blast Pricing: What to Expect?
At this point, you are probably thinking, “How much is this going to cost?” The truth is that when it comes to email blast pricing, the cost largely depends on the size of your list, the platform you choose, and whether you opt in for additional services.
Some providers, such as MailChimp and GetResponse, offer tiered pricing based on the number of subscribers. For example, MailChimp’s premium plans start at $9.99 per month for 500 contacts, while GetResponse’s plans start at $19 per month for 1,000 contacts. On the other hand, platforms like Constant Contact offer simplified pricing with two packages: Email ($20/month) and Email Plus ($45/month).
As we mentioned earlier, there are platforms that offer freemium models, where basic services are free up to a certain number of email subscribers. This approach may work for you if you have a small business or are just starting out with email marketing.
It’s important to note that costs can increase significantly if you require additional services such as analytics tracking, copywriting, design, or subscriber form setup, with comprehensive packages ranging from $200 to nearly $10,000 per month.
In essence, the price you can expect to pay for an email blast service will be influenced by your specific requirements and the size of your audience.
Creating an Effective Email Blast – How Does Email Blasting Work?
Once you have chosen a platform, you need to get to work and start creating your actual email. We have divided this process into two main areas: design and content. Both play a critical role in the success of your campaign. So pay close attention to fully understand how to use them effectively.
Email Blast Design Essentials
A well-designed email will help capture your recipients’ attention, keep them engaged, and encourage them to take the action you want them to take. Here are some design essentials we suggest you keep in mind:
- Simplicity: Avoid overwhelming your recipients with too much information or cluttered visuals. Keep your design clean and concise, and focus on your key message.
- Visual hierarchy: Structure your email so that the most important elements attract attention first. This can be achieved by using different font sizes, colours and placements.
- Call to Action (CTA): Make your CTA buttons prominent and compelling. They should stand out and clearly communicate what you want your recipients to do.
- Personalisation: Even though email blasts are sent to a large audience, adding elements of personalisation can increase engagement. This can be as simple as including the recipient’s name in the greeting.
- Mobile optimisation: Most people check their email on mobile devices, so make sure your design is responsive and looks good on different screen sizes.
- Images: Use high-quality, relevant images to enhance your message and catch the reader’s eye. But remember to balance them with text, as too many images can send your email to the spam folder.
A well-designed email blast can significantly improve your open rates, click-through rates and conversions.
Utilising Templates for Your Eblast
When it comes to creating your email blasts, templates can be an invaluable asset. They provide a structured framework and visually appealing design, saving you time and effort.
Most email blast platforms come with a library of templates for you to choose from. They even have options for different situations such as newsletters, new product announcements, event registrations, etc.
But don’t think that just because you’re working with a template, you’re done. You need to use them effectively and customise them to match your brand’s voice and the needs and interests of your target audience.
We recommend that you
- Choose a template that matches your campaign’s message and aesthetic.
- Customise it to reflect your brand identity – colours, fonts, logo, etc.
- Make sure it’s mobile-friendly, as many recipients access email on their devices.
- Make sure the template has room for a clear, compelling call to action.
Choosing a template will certainly make your job easier, but take the time to carefully personalise it and make it visually consistent across all your communication channels.
Creating a Compelling Content for Your Eblast
Creating compelling content for your e-blast is key to driving engagement and conversions. This process starts by understanding your target audience so you can tailor your content to their interests, needs and behavior patterns.
Remember, value and relevance should be at the heart of your content. With that in mind, we highly recommend sharing useful information, tips, resources, or exclusive offers that your audience will appreciate.
At the same time, make sure your tone and style are consistent with your brand and resonate with your audience. A word of advice: An informal, conversational tone often works well for eblasts, making them feel more personal and engaging.
When creating your content, be sure to use strong headlines and subheads. These help make your content easier to skim and can grab the attention of your email subscribers. Don’t forget to add bullets, numbered lists or bold text to highlight key points. And, include a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA) to guide your audience on what to do next.
If you want your email to be successful, take the time to personalise your content wherever possible. Even simple touches like addressing the recipient by name can make a difference. Finally, don’t forget to proofread and edit your content before you hit send. Mistakes can damage your credibility and distract from your message.
Sending Your Email Blast: Best Practices
At Sortlist, we want you to succeed. Here are some of the best practices we’ve seen that actually make a difference in your email blast results.
Determine the Best Time to Send Your Eblast
Understanding the best time to send your email blast is critical to maximising open rates and engagement. For example, many studies suggest that mid-week and mid-day tend to have higher open rates. However, these are general trends and may not apply to your specific audience.
So before you do a quick Google search to find out when to send an email, take the time to fully understand what works for your audience. We strongly recommend that you consider
- Your audience’s behavioural patterns.
- Your audience’s time zones.
At the same time, it’s strategic to experiment with different send times and monitor the results. Tools such as A/B testing can help you do this. And you can even check if your email blast software has send time optimisation features. These tools analyse your subscribers’ past behaviour to predict the optimal send time for each individual. Using these features can help you maximise the effectiveness of your eblasts.
Keep in mind that the “best time” can vary greatly depending on factors such as your industry, audience demographics and the type of email you’re sending. Ongoing testing and analysis is key to determining the ideal time to send your next email campaign.
Email Blast Frequency: How Often Should You Send?
Finding the sweet spot for email frequency is an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring, adjustment and optimisation. In short, too many emails can lead to unsubscribes and spam reports, while too few can cause your audience to forget about your brand.
According to research and best practices, sending 2-4 emails per monthis often considered optimal. However, this number can vary depending on factors such as
- Users
- Industry
- The type of content you’re sending
To understand the ideal balance for your business, it’s important that you monitor your email blast KPIs, such as
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Unsubscribe rates.
This will give you a better idea of how your audience interacts with your emails at different frequencies. In addition to looking at the data, try to focus on finding trends over time to determine which frequency generates the highest engagement without causing too many unsubscribes.
Don’t forget to listen to your subscribers. If they say they’d like to receive fewer emails, it’s important to adjust your frequency accordingly. Conversely, if your revenue from user subscriptions increases when you send more emails, you may want to consider increasing your frequency.
Ensure Legal Compliance in Email Blasting
Before you launch your next email blast, it’s important that you and your team take the time to understand and comply with relevant regulations.
- CAN-SPAM Act: In the United States, this law regulates commercial email and requires transparent sender information and effective opt-out mechanisms. Penalties for non-compliance can be severe, up to $43,792 per violation.
- The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): Regulates email communications in the European Union, requiring explicit consent from recipients and transparency about the identity of the sender. Failure to comply with GDPR can result in hefty fines.
- Other countries have similar laws, such as the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) and Australia’s Spam Act.
In short, your business needs to be well-versed in the laws of the jurisdictions in which your audience resides. Compliance will not only prevent you from being fined, but will also help you maintain good list hygiene.
Other best practices include:
- Regularly scrubbing your email list to ensure it contains only engaged recipients who have opted in to receive your communications is essential.
- Avoid using third-party email lists, as GDPR generally prohibits their use unless individuals have consented to the sharing of their data.
- Conducting regular legal reviews and engaging legal counsel as needed can help identify any gaps or new regulations, ensuring ongoing compliance.
Email Blast Examples and Ideas for Inspiration
Let’s take a look at some email blast examples that can serve as inspiration for your next campaign. Remember, it’s not about copying what others have done, it’s about learning what works best and using it to your advantage.
Netflix
Streaming platforms are fighting each other to keep users engaged with their content. But Netflix is using AI to win you over. They now send you personalised emails based on your viewing preferences.
This email is just one example of how they entice you to sign up and spend hours in front of your TV using their platform. It comes with:
- A personalised subject line (Clara Gil, we just added a TV show you might like).
- A clear call to action (Play)
- One hero image related to the user’s content preferences.
- Detailed information about what they suggest for your next viewing.
Hack The Box
This online academy has mastered email blasts and uses them not only to welcome you as a new user, but also to highlight the value of their platform to your learning process.
The first thing it shows is a hero image welcoming you, and then it goes on to explain how it works and invites you to browse and make the most of your gamified learning experience.
The colors, wording, and images are aligned with their website and brand image. Elements that help the user gain confidence and take action.
Pottery Barn
What makes this email great is the sense of urgency it conveys to your email subscribers, encouraging them to take action before it’s too late. Plus, the content is aligned with the user’s purchase history.
Using Video in Your Email Blast: A Game Changer?
To wrap up this introductory guide to email blasts, we think it’s important to address one last point: Is it smart to add video content to your emails?
The short answer is YES! Incorporating video into your email blasts can revolutionise your communication strategy. In fact, several studies suggest that video content is highly engaging, can improve open rates and potentially increase conversions. Adding it to your email adds a dynamic element, making it more interactive and engaging for the reader.
But you need to be careful. It’s not just about randomly adding a bunch of videos to every email. You need to use them in key moments, such as announcing new products, sharing bonus content, or giving an inside look at your company.
You can do this by embedding video thumbnails directly into your emails, or alternatively by using video links that take readers to your landing page. It’s worth noting, however, that not all email platforms support embedded video, so check for compatibility before proceeding. Also, remember to use a compelling thumbnail image and a clear call-to-action to encourage click-throughs.
Conclusion
In short, email blasts are a great resource for businesses and organisations that want to stay top of mind with their prospects and buyers. But to be successful, you need a strategy in place to help your team understand what to send, to whom, when, and how often.
You also want to take the time to carefully craft and edit each email. Mistakes can only hurt your brand reputation. If you are not sure you can tackle this opportunity reach out to email marketing agencies!
