What does your email address say about you?

By Olivia Scott

The world has moved on from what it used to be in the 90s, especially in terms of the use of emails in the delivery of business services worldwide. Businesses and individuals nowadays not only require an email to receive vital communications but also for accessing essential services across multiple web platforms.

But what exactly does your email address say about you? Could the perceptions received from your email be harmful or beneficial to you or your business? Are you using a reliable and secure email provider?

This article explores all you need to know about what your email address may be revealing about you and some of the best tips for taking your email marketing game to the next level.

Examples of email addresses and what they say about you

As human beings, we’re bound to have first impressions or other perceptions when we meet people and this is no different when we receive emails. Here are some examples of different email providers and what they reflect about you.

@Hotmail.com

Hotmail is owned by Microsoft and was eventually changed to Outlook.com. It is the biggest email provider outside the US (over 360 million addresses). However, because it’s been around for so long, and since most millennials don’t even know what it is, it usually reflects that you’re old and behind the times.

@Yahoo.com

Yahoo is the biggest email provider in the US and is widely popular for its many data breaches. Although Yahoo is also an old provider, using it will most likely reflect that you’re neutral and not overly sensitive about protecting your data online.

@Gmail.com

Gmail is owned by Google and is compulsory for accessing a wide range of services offered by the provider. Gmail users are typically tech-savvy, conscious about their IT security and generally, know their way around the internet.

Work/University Email

Sending out an email from a Whitehouse.gov or Harvard.edu will usually be received with a lot of respect because of the reputation of these prestigious establishments. Similarly, if you’re claiming to work in an organization, nothing says “I work here” better than a work email.

Customized/Domain-based email

In today’s business world, it’s critically important to ensure you set up a professional email for your business and even personal use.

By all means, you must avoid using an email address that contains inappropriate words or connotations. If you can, stay away from any religious or political to avoid crossing any sensitive barriers.

A professional email format like [email protected] essentially allows potential clients to take you more seriously and allow you to put one foot in the door.

Top tips for improving your email marketing strategy

In 2018, 281.1 billion emails were sent per day worldwide and this figure is expected to double a decade from now. If you’re still wondering whether email marketing is worth your time or investment, you should be aware that the average ROI on every $1 spent on email is $44, making it one of the most effective marketing options available.

The following are some of the best tips aimed at helping you improve your email marketing game a notch higher.

1.Choose a reliable and secure email provider

While this may not be a regular tip, it’s become one of the most important steps to take for anyone that uses emails. Email is the most common attack vector for phishing and with cyber breaches constantly rising, it goes without saying that you should ensure you’re using one of the most reliable and secure email providers to back your email marketing efforts.

2. Focus on building quality lists

When it comes to email marketing in these highly competitive times, quality will always trump quantity. Building a long extended list that never engages with your emails makes absolutely no sense. You can use email verification services to check for deliverability and also avoid some spam traps.

You could also remove old and inactive subscribers to reduce campaign costs and improve profitability. This is even more important as email providers like Gmail are constantly evolving their machine learning algorithms to block around 10 million spam emails per minute.

3. Create an engaging header

The importance of email headers to your marketing campaign cannot be overflogged. An email header typically refers to the visible information directly above the content of your mail, including the subject line and your name. You’ll need to be as creative as possible to create an engaging subject line to stand a chance of having your email opened.

For example, Birchbox, a New York City-based subscription service includes the image of a mailbox in its subject line to encourage subscribers to open the mail. According to Salesforce, only 2% of businesses include an emoji in their subject line. This is certainly something businesses need to take advantage of since Experian’s research suggests that including an emoji in subject lines can lead to a 56% increase in open rates.

4. Personalize email content and build segmented lists

Emails addressing their receivers usually receive more attention than the generic “Hi there” since they’ll most likely be considered more relevant. In order to achieve this, you’ll need to build segmented lists that cater to individuals with different needs. Just be sure to test that it works effectively so you don’t end up calling your subscribers the wrong names.

According to research, marketers who used segmented campaigns experienced as much as 760% increase in revenue. Using segmented lists is certainly a no-brainer if you’re looking to experience success in your email campaigns.

5. Optimize for mobile

Since most emails are opened from mobile devices, it certainly makes sense for you to set up your messages to be easily accessible and readable from these devices. For instance, increasing font sizes to 13 and ensuring the entire message or image does not exceed 600 pixels should go a long way in ensuring your emails are optimized for mobile devices.

The following key stats should ideally convince you that optimizing for mobile is not optional.

74% of smartphone users check their emails from these devices.
55% of emails are opened from mobile devices.
Only 20% of email marketing campaigns are currently optimized for mobile.
Consumers are more likely to respond positively to an offer when they open an email from their mobile devices.

6. Run tests where possible

As mentioned earlier, running tests is essential for the success of your email campaigns. Testing for the efficiency of your segmented list personalization and deliverability are some of the key tests you should consider running.

For example, a broken link in an email that wasn’t tested can seriously harm your ROI. Similarly, since the digital landscape is constantly evolving, running tests will help ensure that you do not end up in the spam folder.

7. Track your email stats

Tracking your email campaigns is the best way of understanding how well they’re performing. Tracking your email stats will give you detailed insights into why campaigns are performing badly and what can be done to improve the situation. For instance, too many hard bounces are a clear indication that your list is old and outdated or simply has too many inactive email accounts.

By tracking emails, you will also be better informed about how recipients are accessing it and better optimize for the future. Clicks and open rates, as well as complaints, are also essential to look out for when tracking emails.

8. Include a CTA

A Call to Action (CTA) essentially prompts readers on the next steps to take after reading the mail. Since the email message is ideally aligned with your marketing goals, the CTA should also be in line with your objectives, whether it’s to sign up to your mailing list or to your paid service.

The bottom line

Email marketing has evolved over the past two decades to become perhaps the best marketing options especially because of the decent return on investment it offers.

If you use an email for business as you rightly should, you’d want to avoid using a free account as much as possible to avoid giving off the wrong vibes. Whatever email address you choose to use, you should ideally ensure it’s one of the most reliable and secure email providers available.