The New Basics of Newsletter and Email Marketing – Casey Hill of ActiveCampaign

Welcome to Wolf’s Byte: Sales and Marketing for B2B Tech, where I interview industry experts for insights on creating content that drives sales.

To kick off this newsletter, I reached out to Casey Hill of ActiveCampaign.

Casey has over a decade of experience helping software companies scale through organic growth engines such as Quora and Linkedin.

For those of us marketing in the B2B tech space, it’s clear that email and newsletter marketing continue to serve as foundational channels for both agencies and clients.

However, your audience is being fire-hosed by generic content more than ever.

Simply automating the old model won’t cut it. The future of effective newsletter and email marketing can be summed it one word: precision.

In this interview, Casey Hill, Senior Growth Manager and ActiveCampaign user, gives a unique take on the following:

• Common challenges for email campaigns and newsletters
• Marketing with precision
• Trends in newsletter and email marketing
• The best tools for organic growth

But first, a little background on the platform Casey relies on to generate results for his company’s clients.

About ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a Customer Experience Automation (CXA) platform that empowers 185,000+ businesses across 170 countries, offering access to 820+ pre-built automations for comprehensive customer engagement.

The platform stands out among competitors, boasting 10,000+ positive customer reviews on G2.com and earning top customer satisfaction scores in Marketing Automation, CRM, and E-Commerce Personalization.

It's also the highest-rated Email Marketing Software on TrustRadius .

The 3 Big Problems with Newsletter and Email Marketing

3 key challenges common to all newsletter and email marketing are as follows:

1. Lacking Ownership of External Channels
2. Channel Saturation
3. Problematic Expectations

Challenge #1: Lacking Ownership of External Channels

The first fundamental realization needed is that marketing is not only about external channels like newsletters, podcasts, and social media. It's about how you take ownership of these assets.

Exploring unconventional ways to turn these assets into valuable resources is critical.

Herein lies where you set the stage for failure or success.

?? Here’s a simple guide to help you plan your approach to different marketing channels.

Challenge #2: Channel Saturation

Newsletter and email are saturated marketing spaces. Low click-through rates (CTR) and open rates tend to follow.

To counter this, realize that simply following best practices isn't enough. You must employ new tactics yet to be seen by your target audience.

?? Here are some tips on improving your email CTR.

Challenge #3: Problematic Expectations

Relying on a one-size-fits-all approach, like a generic newsletter, simply isn't effective (or interesting) anymore.

The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way. One newsletter with multiple vague conversion metrics isn't necessary.

Instead, understand that success lies in marketing to achieve highly specific objectives.

How To Get Specific With Your Newsletter and Email Campaigns

Every aspect, from content to delivery, needs to be precise, outlining what the audience gets and the results they can expect.

Below Casey shares his tips on how to execute subject lines, headlines, body content, CTAs and more in a way that meets specific marketing objectives.

Crystal Clear Headlines and Subject Lines

First, be direct in your messaging.

This starts with the subject line of an email or title of an article. There's no room for fancy tricks or mystery. It needs to be as straightforward and specific as possible.

Clarity in communicating what, why, and how the message applies to the audience is crucial for initial clicks and opens.

?? Signup here to get a free recording of ActiveCampaign’s webinar on effective subject lines.

Compelling Introductions

You must start by resonating with your audience. This means:

• Meeting them where they currently are in the overall process
• Relating to conflicts they're currently facing
• Alluding to how they can overcome these challenges

Here’s a dissection of a simple and effective introduction:

Your email click-through rate (CTR) measures how many people who received your email clicked on at least one link. It’s one of the most commonly talked-about email marketing metrics

The first couple of sentences meet the reader at the point of wanting to learn what CTR is.

— but does it tell you the full story of your email performance?

The third sentence relates to the current conflict of not knowing the significance of CTR within the overall scheme of an email campaign.

Keep reading to learn:

• How to measure your email CTR
• What’s the difference between CTR and CTOR?
• What is a “good” email click-through rate?
• 6 ways to increase your email click-through rate

This last section spells out exactly what the reader will learn about CTR.

Skimmable Body Content

“Skimmability” is key for efficient access to your content. Use bolding, headers, and break up content to make it easy for the audience to skim through.

Practicality is the goal. Help your audience get to the point quickly and effectively.

Limited Calls-to-Action

After thorough testing of different CTA tactics the results became clear: It's easy to overwhelm the audience with multiple CTAs.

So, use intentional and specific CTAs. Ideally, one, but at most, two.

Focus on simplifying the process by getting the audience to take one activating action and then supporting them in the second step.

?? Go here for a short guide on the different types of CTAs.

Additional Form Fields

Adding a qualifying field (3-5 fields total) to a form increases overall conversions.

It may lead to a slight decrease in the number of opt-ins, but the end result is increased qualified leads converted.

For example, in the case of a newsletter, adding a field like "What is the primary growth problem you have?" allows for personalizing content to specific audience needs.

The key is to use forms to capture information and further qualify your audience.

?? Go here for best practices and examples of lead generation forms.

Relevant Cross-Promotion

Avoid referencing outside content that isn't relevant to your audience in the moment.

In other words, don't arbitrarily promote something or someone on the side. Focus on linking to content that's essential to the audience for moving forward in a specific area.

Sequencing content like this not only streamlines the buyer journey, but builds crucial trust and authority.

The Future of Email and Newsletter Marketing

As the interview progressed, Casey shared his insights on the future of marketing. He emphasized that creativity was the best differentiating aspect in a world flooded with generic, automated content.

Authenticity and first-hand experiences are the best tools for grabbing your audience's attention. Therefore, from a strategic standpoint, focus on differentiating yourself.

ActiveCampaign played a pivotal role in Casey's journey, connecting him with the resources he needed for organic growth.

The platform enabled him to streamline the individual tactics necessary to achieve his newsletter and email marketing goals.

?? Go here to learn ActiveCampaign’s top picks for newsletter software in 2023.

Conclusion

Casey Hill has graciously shared the strategies and processes that led to his own growth success.

From debunking conventional wisdom to embracing clarity and authenticity, his journey working with ActiveCampaign is a testament to the necessity for one's embrace of creativity and specificity in marketing strategy.

For those who wish to connect with Casey Hill, learn more about achieving organic growth, or set up a high-converting newsletter, you can reach him here .

Thank you for reading and subscribing ??

I'm Jeffrey Lupo and I help B2B innovative tech drive sales through content.

Message me to talk content marketing.