Email marketing is an essential tool in the modern business landscape, with more than 306 billion emails sent and received every day. For businesses looking to stand out in a crowded marketplace, it’s essential to build a sense of community with your audience. This means connecting with your customers on an emotional level and developing relationships that go beyond selling to them.

Here are four tips for building a better email marketing strategy that creates a sense of community and drives engagement:

Demonstrate subject expertise in your field
Establishing yourself as an industry leader by researching and writing articles about new developments and best practices will get your emails opened and read. Offering unique, valuable advice and little-known secrets about your products or services that might wow them will set you apart from your competitors.

Offer unique, email-only discounts and deals
Offering exclusive discounts and deals to customers who subscribe to your email list is a great way to grow your marketing list. This ties into the sense of community in that your email subscriber list is composed of your “superfans” who like to be treated as such. Highlighting unique benefits that they can’t get anywhere else will ensure your products or services remain top-of-mind.

Highlight customer testimonials and feedback in your emails
Sharing positive customer experiences through testimonials and feedback helps build trust with your audience. This tactic can showcase your best customer reviews or even share stories of how customers have used your products to solve their problems. Customers feel valued and appreciated when their feedback is highlighted in your emails.

Know your audience and use a voice that resonates
Tailor your email content to your audience’s needs and interests. Understanding their motivations will help you craft emails that are tailored to their wants and needs. Using the right tone of voice is essential, and being too formal or too casual can miss the mark.

In conclusion, creating a sense of togetherness through email marketing is the key to increasing engagement and loyalty from customers. The strategies outlined above focus on giving your list of subscribers a compelling reason to open your emails, not just selling to them. Creating value ensures that your customers walk away from opening your email feeling like they got something of value, even if they didn’t necessarily purchase anything directly.