Email is far from dead. By 2024, more than 361 billion emails will be sent a day, making it a powerful and cost-effective marketing tool. Email marketing alone acquires 40x more customers than Facebook and Twitter campaigns combined. The vast majority of marketing professionals express that email engagement is one of their top metrics for measuring content performance, and 59% say email is their biggest source of ROI.

To achieve effective email marketing success, marketers need to know how to boost email open rates, increase click rates, and avoid spam complaints. Less than one-quarter of marketing emails are opened by recipients. Replacing irrelevant or uninteresting subject lines and instead, using the email recipient’s name or location can increase open rates. Brevity and direct language are also helpful. Additionally, testing subject lines using A/B testing can show which variation your customers prefer. Segment contacts ensure subscribers receive relevant content and increase the likelihood your audience will engage with the email.

Less than 3% of marketing email recipients click for more, leaving a lot of room for improvement. Avoiding “click here” and creating concise link text can increase your click rates. Using A/B testing to assess content blocks and embedding multiple links to the same content can also improve click rates.

Most email recipients that report emails as spam are automatically signed up without their permission. This includes customers who made a purchase, trade show or event attendees, and email addresses purchased by marketers. Another common reason for reported spam is neglecting subscribers for a long period of time in which they forget they signed up for the emails. Tools to prevent spam complaints include asking customers to opt-in for emails, explaining email benefits, and setting expectations for email frequency.

Today, marketers have many email marketing platforms to choose from, and finding the best option for your business is imperative. When exploring marketing platforms, look for integrations, mobile optimization, automation, and list segmentation. Looking for beginner-friendly features like online tutorials and live support is also key.

The best email marketing services include Constant Contact, AWeber, Mailchimp, Sendinblue, Drip, and ConvertKit. Key features and limitations are listed below. While Constant Contact has a real-time tracking and reporting interface, it lacks some segmentation and A/B testing. AWeber offers subject line A/B testing, but it’s difficult to add/remove contacts. When choosing an email marketing platform, it’s critical to decide what is most important for your business and what platform aligns most effectively.