From cleaning up your data to creating fun summer content -- these tips will help elevate your campaigns. 

Image courtesy of Pexels.

If you’re looking for some ideas on how you can improve your email marketing campaigns this summer, then you’ve come to the right place. Over time, it’s easy to start to lose sight of how your email campaigns are performing and get stuck in the status quo -- but it doesn’t have to be this way. 

Summer is the perfect time to take a step back and make sure you’re doing everything you can to create high-performing, effective summer email campaigns. 

From making sure you’re working with clean data to providing you with some summer newsletter ideas, and a list of platforms to get you started -- we’ll cover it all in this article. 

Here’s a quick look at the tips we’ll cover: 

1. Review and clean up your subscriber list

2. Make sure your audience segmentation is up-to-date to reach audiences more effectively 

3. Review any automated campaigns currently active

4. Have fun with summer newsletters

5. Celebrate summer holidays with special offers

Let’s dive in!

When it comes to having successful email marketing campaigns, you need to have a clean list of actively engaging contacts with your content. 

Sending messages to inactive users or people who simply are not engaged with your content is a waste of your time and money. You could be spending those wasted dollars on reaching new audiences or trying to improve the relationships with your active customers. 

Keeping track of how many people are unsubscribing and bouncing each month is an essential step to having a healthy subscriber list. On top of this, you should spend time once or twice a year to do a little extra clean-up -- and what better time than right before your summer campaigns? Image courtesy Campaigner. 

That’s why summer is a great time to take a step back and make sure your subscriber list is clean and up-to-date. 

Here are a few steps you can take to clean up your subscriber data: 

● Check for misspellings and typos that can easily be corrected

● Eliminate any contacts that are tagged as a hard bounce 

● Identify subscribers who are uninterested in your content and remove them from your list

● Similarly, you’ll want to eliminate any inactive subscribers that you haven’t been able to re-engage 

At the end of the day, list quality is more important than quantity. While you might want to strive to have 10,000 subscribers, if half of that list is uninterested in your content -- you’re not making the most out of your campaigns. 

You’ll also want to consider that having unengaged audiences can hurt the overall performance of your email campaigns. This can have an impact on a variety of things that impact the success of your campaigns, such as low deliverability. 

Not only will taking the time to revisit your subscriber list now improve your summer campaigns, but it will also set you up for success going into the remainder of the year. This means that once you're ready to start thinking about how to improve your winter campaigns -- you already have clean data that was recently reviewed.

While you’re in the process of revising your subscriber list, it’s also a great time to ensure your audience segmentation is up-to-date. 

Segmentation allows you to group subscribers who have similar interests and traits together to create personalized experiences at scale. Chances are good you’re already using segmentation in some shape or form already, but it’s important to periodically check in and see how your segments are performing regularly and see how your segments are performing. 

Using segmentation will help you generate more leads and increase sales by better targeting your audiences. Your customers want you to provide them with the content they want to see, and segmentation is the first step to achieving this. Image courtesy of Brand Buddha. 

That’s because, over time, your customers change. So whether it’s their position in the buyer’s journey or the products they’re interested in -- you need to keep up with it to stay relevant to their interests. 

You should always be looking for new ways to segment your subscribers and fine-tune how you’re marketing to them. Whether it’s by tracking recent purchases, learning more about their interests, or capturing direct feedback -- it can all be put to good use.

Looking for a few quick and easy ways to improve your segmentation? Here are a few ideas to help get you started: 

● Create customer personas with the information you already have, like demographics, including age, location, and family size

● Understand the needs of your subscribers by creating customer journey maps 

● Use all of the available customer data to create a more personalized experience 

● Integrate usage and needs-based customer segmentation 

● Figure out what your audiences engage with most and make more of that content 

Having a solid segmentation strategy in place will allow you to elevate your email marketing campaigns and provide your customers with relevant content that they’re actually interested in. 

You’re probably catching on to what these first few tips are all about -- review, review, review. It all comes back to having the most accurate and relevant content for your audiences, and this is also true for automated campaigns.

While automation is a great tool and something that more and more companies are moving towards, you still need to periodically check in on your automated campaigns. 

Marketing automation provides many benefits to businesses, but only when it’s done right. If you create campaigns, launch them and then never look back, you might be missing out on opportunities for improvement. Image courtesy of Constant Contact. 

Over time, your campaigns may become outdated, or steps in the process might start to break down. These are things you might not even think about once you’ve had a campaign running for so long. 

The types of campaigns we’re talking about here are your welcome campaigns, abandoned cart messaging, retention campaigns, and your lead nurturing campaigns. These are some of the prime campaign types to automate but are also excellent examples of messages that can get broken over time. 

So while you’re in the mindset of revisiting and reviewing your subscriber list and segmentation efforts, take a few extra minutes to extend that check-up to your automated campaigns. 

Once you’ve done all your summer clean-up activities, now it’s time to think about fun ways you can engage your audiences. Summer is a great season to play off of and build excitement with your audiences. 

Whether it’s summer cookouts, beach vacations, weekends at camp, or just relaxing by the pool -- there’s a lot of things people love about summer. You can use this to your advantage and really tap into your customers’ emotions during this time of year. 

While this might only be part of a summer-driven email campaign, it relates to customers by providing them with summer projects they might be planning to do. The company can also build on this concept and share multiple summer projects to keep their audiences engaged all summer long. Image courtesy of Design Modo. 

A great way to do this is by leveraging your newsletter. Find new ways to incorporate summer-related topics and content to get people excited about your products and how they can improve their summer. 

Or create a limited-time, summer-only campaign that sends customers weekly or biweekly content to help them make the most out of their summer. This is a great way to showcase how they can use your products in their real lives and keep your brand top of mind. 

In addition to promoting a summer-related newsletter, you have a slew of holidays you can tap into for exclusive sales and special offers. 

It’s all kicked off at the end of May with Memorial Day and runs through early September to Labor Day. These are great times to reach your customers because they’re likely spending time outside of the office and might be looking for products like yours for their holiday celebrations. 

That means it’s a great time to get your message in front of your audiences and provide them with a little extra incentive to make a purchase. 

A bonus is that tour design and copy teams will be excited to work on these types of campaigns. You have the chance to do something extra creative and off-brand to capture the essence of the holiday and attract users. 

Planning summer campaigns around the holidays is a great way to tap into the excitement around the upcoming events and get your audiences engaged with your content. Whether you’re offering a special discount or sharing exclusive content -- tapping into the summer holidays is a fun way to connect with your audiences. Image courtesy of Jilt. 

So what are you waiting for?! Have a little fun with it. That’s one of the best things about developing email marketing campaigns for the summer months. You can get creative and tap into the excitement of your audiences to spend time with family or go on vacation. 

Now that we’re halfway through the year planning for 2022 is probably already hitting your plate. This is why summer is a great time to take a step back and review the technology you're currently using to manage your email marketing campaigns. 

Whether this means looking into new capabilities with your current automation provider or looking for a new platform entirely -- summer is the perfect time to start gathering information. 

In this section, we’ll take a look at ten different email marketing platforms that can help you create and manage high-performing campaigns. Each one has its own unique draw, but any of these platforms can provide you with the tools you need to reach and exceed your email marketing goals. 

Listrak is an integrated digital marketing platform that can help businesses elevate their email marketing efforts. This tool is an excellent solution for retail businesses of all sizes and provides you with the capabilities you need to continue to grow your email campaigns. 

Beyond email, Listrak can help you manage all of your digital channels, including SMS, mobile push, web notifications, and more. 

The first step to creating a high-performing email campaign is to create eye-catching, responsive emails. With the Listrak Composer tool, you can quickly and easily do this in a basic drag-and-drop format. Your customers will be impressed with the visuals and intrigued to click through to the actual offer. Image courtesy of Listrak. 

● Easy to use responsive email designer that will allow you to create emails that are optimized for all devices quickly

● Tap into customer data to develop highly targeted campaigns that reach subscribers through their entire customer journey

● Increase sales and revenue through abandonment messaging that reminders user about a product they were recently browsing or left behind 

● Use predictive analytics technology to know what the future needs of your customers are and provide them with that content at the right moment 

Pricing: This platform has customized pricing based on business needs and will require you to speak with a representative to determine what plans work best for you. 

Constant Contact is a great email marketing tool for small businesses. It provides you with all of the capabilities you need to get started and can continue to grow as your business does. From making creating emails simple to building comprehensive automated experiences -- you can do it all.

Constant Contact will also allow you to manage things like eCommerce, websites, and social marketing. 

Constant Contact allows you to manage your contact lists easily. This means adding relevant segmentation, identifying what users are new or likely to churn, and keeping your list up-to-date with the most recent customer insights. Image courtesy of ConstantContact. 

● Ready to use templates and a drag and drop editor that makes creating emails a breeze no matter what your design and coding skill levels are 

● Email for eCommerce tools that are designed to help you drive traffic and grow your online storefront

● Manage your subscriber list and add specified segments to reach your audiences in a more effective way

● Create automated email campaigns that welcome new contacts, nurture current leads, and engage your audiences at all stages

Pricing: This platform provides users with a variety of plan options, including the eCommerce Pro plan starting at $195 per month, the Email Plus plan starting at $45 per month, the Email plan starting at $20 per month, and the Website Builder plan starting at $10 per month.

Omnisend is an email marketing platform that can help businesses of all sizes reach their audiences and continue to grow their subscriber list. Through newsletters and automated emails, you can easily reach your audiences with the right content at the right time.

In addition to email, Omnisend also allows you to drive sales through eCommerce SMS marketing.

Omnisend allows you to build automated campaigns that react to your audience’s real-time behaviors and interactions. For example, sending triggered emails such as abandoned cart messages can increase engagement and can increase revenue. Image courtesy of Omnisend. 

● Utilize email templates, drag and drop content editor, and dynamic discounts to quickly create on-brand, shoppable emails that users will engage with

● Use pre-built eCommerce workflows or create customized workflows that drive users towards a purchase 

● Tap into customer data to identify new opportunities through things like retention analytics, customer lifecycle stages, and more

● Continue to grow your subscriber list with landing pages, website popups, signup boxes, and more

Pricing: This platform provides users with various plan options, including the Free plan, the Standard plan that is $16 per month, the Pro plan that is $99 per month, and the Enterprise plan that has customized pricing based on business needs. 

Campaigner is a multi-channel marketing automation platform that can help you elevate your email campaigns through various tools. With advanced features, you’ll easily be able to execute powerful, ROI-driven campaigns at scale.

This platform will also allow you to manage your SMS marketing efforts in addition to email. 

Campaigner is a great tool that will allow you to create automated workflows and campaigns that engage users at any stage of the sales funnel. So whether they’re brand new or recently made a recent purchase -- there’s a campaign that will keep them engaged. Image courtesy of Campaigner. 

● Create automated workflows that move users from one step to the next without manual intervention and watch your sales increase

● Set autoresponders, so your customers are never left without a follow-up, and you can engage with them when they’re most interested

● Integrate personalization into each email to speak to every subscriber on a more personal level

● Utilize testing capabilities to understand better how your customers are interacting with your emails and work towards continuous improvement 

Pricing: This platform has multiple email marketing plans, including the Starter plan starting at $59 per month, the Essential plan starting at $179 per month, the Advanced plan starting at $649 per month, the eCommerce plan starting at $79.95 per month.

Drip is a marketing automation platform created for eCommerce brands with the goal to help grow your business from customer acquisition to loyalty and everything in between. This platform is an excellent tool for companies of all sizes, from small businesses to enterprises. 

With this tool, you can manage various marketing tactics, including SMS, customized forms, and more. 

Drip provides businesses with a marketing automation platform that can help develop, manage, and track all of their email marketing efforts. With the right insights, you can continue to improve your campaigns and better meet your customers’ needs. Image courtesy of Drip. 

● Create professional, eye-catching emails that stand out in your subscriber’s inbox and intrigue them to click through

● Make each email unique and use actual customer behaviors to determine relevant product recommendations 

● Use A/B testing to learn more about what content resonates with your audiences and receives the most clicks, opens, and revenue 

● Build visual workflows that allow you to create multi-step campaigns to engage customers 

Pricing: This platform-based pricing works off the number of contacts you have. Plans can start as low as $19 per month with a smaller subscriber list and increase as your numbers do. 

EmailOctopus is an email marketing platform that will help you reach your audiences and continuously grow your business. From simple email creation to leveraging customer data and insights to create personalized, relevant campaigns -- you can’t go wrong here. 

If you’re looking for a platform that allows you to manage additional channels outside of email, this may not be the platform for you as it is focused on email marketing. 

Create messages that are tailored to each of your customers based on their personal history with your brand. By providing them with the most relevant content at the right time, you’ll increase your chance of catching their eye and leading them towards a conversion. Image courtesy of EmailOctopus. 

● Tap into premade templates or create your own emails from scratch with an easy to use drag and drop editing tool

● Use customer data and insights to better target your customers through segmentation and personalization

● Continue to grow your subscriber base with customized sign-up forms, landing pages, and more

● Create automated campaigns that target customers based on their recent behaviors and interactions with your brand

Pricing: This platform’s pricing is based on the number of subscribers you have and starts at $20 per month. If you have less than 2,500 subscribers and send fewer than 10,000 emails per month, you may qualify for their Free plan.

GetResponse is an email marketing platform that can help businesses of all sizes reach their customers with the right message at the right time. So whether you’re looking to create a summer newsletter or create complex triggered campaigns, GetResponse can help you achieve your goals. 

This platform allows you to manage your email marketing and has the tools you need to build your website, automate your efforts, and focus on the conversion funnel. 

Know exactly how your campaigns performed at any time with easy-to-access dashboards. Whether you’re at your desktop or need to check the status of a campaign on your smartphone quickly -- you’ll have the metrics you need. Image courtesy of GetResponse. 

● Create and send newsletters to keep your customers up-to-date on company news and share upcoming sales and promotions 

● Send autoresponders that follow up with your customers, nurture your relationship, and build loyalty 

● Ensure your messages reach audiences at the most reasonable time with the Perfect Timing and Time Travel tool

● Develop triggered emails that are sent to users based on specific actions they’ve taken, like abandoning a cart or reminders about products they previously viewed

Pricing: This platform offers customers multiple pricing options, including the Basic plan starting at $15 per month, the Plus plan starting at $49 per month, the Professional plan starting at $99 per month, and the Max plan that is customized based on business needs. 

ConvertKit is a great email marketing platform for small businesses and individuals who create their own content through blogs and social media channels. This is an excellent option if you’re just starting out and looking for a tool that can help you expand your email marketing capabilities. 

ConvertKit does provide some additional marketing capabilities, including landing page creation and commerce tools to help you sell more products. 

From email creation to campaign tracking and reporting, ConvertKit has you covered. This tool is a great option for small businesses and individual content creators to start building their brand and create loyal customers in the process. Image courtesy of ConvertKit. 

● Make the process of writing and editing your marketing emails more effortless than ever before and leave the stress of design and coding behind you with a clutter-free writing experience

● Reach out to your audience as a large group with broadcast messages or send more personalized messages based on customer interactions

● Add sign-up forms to your website and create landing pages designed to convert more leads and continue growing your subscriber base

● Segment your subscribers to improve the content you’re sending them and better understand their needs

Pricing: This platform has multiple plan options available, and the pricing does change with the number of subscribers you have. The plans include a Free plan, the Creator plan starting at $29 per month, and the Creator Pro plan starting at $59 per month.

MailerLite is an email marketing platform that can help you elevate your current campaigns and better manage your subscriber list. Advanced automation tools will allow you to provide each customer with the experience they want and turn new contacts into loyal brand evangelists.

This is another platform that specializes in email marketing and does not cover an array of other marketing channels. 

Make creating emails easier than ever before. With pre-built newsletter templates and a simple to use drag and drop editor, you can build beautiful, professional-looking emails in no time. Image courtesy of MailerLite. 

● Utilize their drag and drop editor to create unique campaigns that are simple and easy to build and send 

● Continue to grow your subscriber base with capabilities like pop-ups, landing pages, embedded forms 

● Create eCommerce campaigns that are designed to drive sales and improve customer relationships and loyalty 

● Create interest groups and customer segments to build personalized, relevant experience at every touchpoint

Pricing: This platform bases pricing on the number of subscribers you have and has multiple pricing points. There is a free plan available if you have less than 1,000 subscribers and plan to spend less than 12,000 emails per month. The other plans ranged from $10-$50 per month based on your subscriber list. 

Keap is a sales and marketing platform that can help businesses of all sizes reach their current audiences while also continuing to grow their business. This platform can easily help you meet your current goals and provide you with plenty of room to continue to grow your business. 

Keap does provide marketers with a variety of other tools, including CRM capabilities, sales and marketing automation, payments, and more. 

Manage a variety of your marketing channels from one central platform with Keap. Quick access to metrics on all of your campaigns will allow you to decide what to keep running and what might not be working. Image courtesy of Keap. 

● Create easy-to-setup automation workflows that allow you to engage with a new audience, nurture current subscribers, and decrease churn rates

● Tap into their extensive template library to quickly get your message built and send to your customers 

● Segment your subscribers based on things like industry, previous interactions, and more to improve content relevancy

● Use A/B testing and other tools to identify what’s working and what’s not in an effort to continue to improve your email campaigns

Pricing: This platform bases pricing on the number of subscribers you have, but four plan options are available. The Lite plan starts at $56 per month, the Pro plan starts at $112 per month, the Max plan starts at $140 per month, and the Max Classic is customized based on business needs. 

Summer is a great time to connect with your customers. Everyone’s happy to move into warmer months, vacations, and long summer nights -- tap into that excitement and integrate it into your campaigns. 

Make the most out of every connection by ensuring you have accurate customer segmentation, a clean subscriber list, and working automated campaigns. Then just have a little fun with it and play off of the things your customers love about this time of year!