In today’s rapidly transforming digital space, every click counts. Whether it’s a landing page visit or a social media like/follow, it matters. And email marketing plays an essential role in orchestrating that strategy. What has changed, you may ask? Well, it’s not just about sending emails to your subscribers any longer. It’s more about curating a journey for your audience — a path that an email marketing specialist can navigate with finesse. So, let’s unravel the pivotal role these specialists play and learn the qualities one must possess to achieve that special status of being called a specialist.
Understanding the Role of an Email Marketing Specialist
According to a recent study by Litmus, marketers achieve $42 in return for every dollar they spend on marketing. That’s one of the most legitimate reasons to prioritize email marketing. And that’s not it. We need a specialist to do the job for us for more reasons. Email marketing is no longer just about personalizing emails using first names anymore.
Here is what you need to be on top of if you want your email marketing to succeed.
- Create and refine your email lists at timely intervals.
- Segment your audience based on their interactions, preferences, likes or dislikes, demographics, etc.
- Personalize and automate your emails, using drip campaigns and dynamic elements to ensure that you don’t send the same emails to every one of your subscribers.
- Analyze email campaigns to optimize
- Create responsive designs to ensure emails look good across screens.
And much more…
The job of an email specialist is multi-faceted and includes everything listed above.
Now, let’s discuss what qualities an email marketing specialist should possess.
6 Qualities to Look for Before Choosing Your Email Marketing Specialist
Technical Proficiency
- Your email marketing specialist should be well-accustomed to the top email marketing platforms.
That’s because platforms like Mailchimp, SFMC, Marketo, Braze, etc., are not just for creating and sending emails. They have many features to curate your emails, from creating to sending them. You can also integrate your website into these platforms for a seamless experience.
When it comes to email marketing, the tools you use can make or break your campaigns. Email Marketing Specialists are the maestros of Email Service Providers or ESPs. ESPs aren’t just for sending emails; they’re robust ecosystems with features that can supercharge your campaigns.
- Your email marketing specialist should have expertise in automation, segmentation, and analytics.
Automation ensures your audience gets strategically targeted and personalized emails at irregular intervals. It also helps reach the right audience with the right email at the right time. It’s not just about the tools but also planning and segmenting your audience, which your specialist would know how to do. They also pay attention to the analytics to decipher the open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. It helps in making better decisions for your business instead of dwelling on guesswork.
- Your email marketing specialist should be well-versed in HTML/CSS skills.
Words are not necessary until their presentation helps them stand out. You have to be your own critic. If your emails don’t compel you to click on them and spend time reading and scrolling them, how are your customers going to like them? How you design your emails plays a major role in attracting new customers and retaining the existing ones. A specialist with coding prowess allows precise crafting of emails by creating layouts that adapt to different devices, especially smartphones. They take into account the user data to create dynamic elements that change according to the clicks and choices of the users.
Analytical and Strategic Thinking
- Your email marketing specialist should possess data analysis skills.
Analytics act as checkpoints in the race against your competitors. They help you understand the way your audience interacts with your emails. Open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates are not just high-profile phrases. Instead, they are insights to help you learn what has worked for your email and what hasn’t. A specialist uses this data to fine-tune or optimize your campaigns and ensure that they are loved by your audience.
These analytics also help in the constant refinement of your strategies. They help you identify patterns and opportunities for improvement. It’s a continuous process of sending emails, analyzing them, making adjustments, and repeating the same. And at the end, the magic unfolds.
- Your email marketing specialist has a keen eye for strategic planning.
Your email marketing strategies are just a piece of the larger puzzle. When the objective is to boost sales, your emails focus on promotions and highlighting products with dynamic content. The specialist doesn’t just react but anticipates the changes.
Creativity and Content Development
- Your email marketing specialist should use innovative content creation methods.
Your audience receives hundreds of emails each day. So, standing out among the sea of emails won’t be an easy feat. You need a compelling copy to convert your causal audience into engaged customers. You need someone who has a knack for knowing what to say and how to say it. You don’t need mere words but words that resonate, evoke emotions and drive results.
Similarly, your visuals play a huge role in creating scroll-stopping content. Your images should be eye-catching and relevant and integrate seamlessly with your email copy. You need high-quality product images, infographics, and personalized visuals to make your audience take notice of your brand.
- Your specialist should know how to personalize campaigns.
Personalization creates a difference between a generic email and an email one would love to open to a warm welcome. And it can’t simply happen with prediction and guesswork. We need data to understand customer behaviors and their preferences. They analyze past interactions and clicks of your audience. The key is to build lasting relationships and boost engagement within your emails.
Your specialist will know how to balance creativity with data-driven insights. They look at the spike in open rates and offer more for similar emails at the designated time.
Communication and Collaboration
- Your email marketing specialist should be able to coordinate with your cross-functional teams.
A killer execution support won’t be enough to cement your place in the eyes of your audience. It is because you will need eye-catching visuals and compelling texts to make your audience take a stroll through your emails. That’s where the collaboration skills of your specialist come into effect. They help send emails that maintain cohesiveness and consistency in design and content.
The key to a successful email campaign isn’t just the content but the communication. How your email marketing specialist conveys the requirements of texts and images to the design time and your copywriters decides the success of your campaigns. They ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Adaptability and Attention to Details
Your email marketing specialist should adapt to the changing technological landscape.
Imagine using a typewriter in the age of laptops. Similarly, in email marketing, outdated tools can hinder success. Specialists constantly explore and adopt new tools, ensuring campaigns are effective and cutting-edge. Whether it’s advanced analytics platforms or innovative design tools, staying updated is the compass guiding successful email marketing strategies.
These specialists are bound to face challenges in devising fresh strategies, but adaptability can be their secret weapon. They stay updated with the changing algorithms, shifts in consumer behavior, and unforeseen glitches in emails. They ensure that your processes remain free of any hurdles.
Professional Development and Learning
Certifications are the badges of expertise in the world of email marketing. An Email Marketing Specialist doesn’t just rely on experience; they seek certifications to validate their skills. Whether it’s becoming a Certified Email Marketing Professional (CEMP) or earning HubSpot Email Marketing Certification, these credentials showcase expertise and indicate a commitment to excellence.
The ability to constantly upgrade oneself demonstrates a keen learning mentality because learning is a continuous process. These email marketing specialists attend webinars, conduct workshops, and participate in training programs. They don’t just rely on yesterday’s learnings, but they are hungry to keep up with the latest advancements. With this learning mechanism, they can learn to predict what changes they need to make in the current campaigns and how they can stay ahead of the stiff competition that other businesses offer.
Key Takeaways
The ripple effect of an email marketing specialist is more than increased open rates or click-through rates. It’s also about establishing a lasting relationship with your audience, building trust and faith within your brand, and precisely achieving the said marketing goals. So, as you move forward in this journey to find your email marketing specialist, remember to pay attention to the details. Only then you will be able to meet your long-term goals.
