By Mike Kustreba, managing director, APAC, Epsilon.

Brands are constantly looking for ways to better engage with consumers, but it may come as a surprise to learn that we already know a great tool for continuing conversations – email. In fact, 44% of B-to-C marketers planned to increase their email marketing budget this year. Brands that continue to offer value and remind consumers why they subscribed in the first place will go far to win customers’ loyalty and secure a great return on their investments.

To maximise your ROI, here are the top five email marketing tactics you should consider:

Think beyond the single channel 

Brands need to leverage multiple channels to drive email and use email to drive other channels. Email that includes social sharing buttons have a 158% higher click-through rate than those without, so utilise social channels and mobile apps to grow engagement as well as your email lists. On a related note, you don’t want to lose customer attention with non-mobile optimised landing pages. 61% of emails are opened on a smartphone or tablet, so ensure your email links to landing pages that can be easily viewed on mobile devices.

Don’t Set and Forget 

Triggered email messages have an average open rate of 51.2 percent compared to ‘Business As Usual’ emails but it’s important to revisit those messages and make updates as needed. Break out of your ‘set it and forget it’ approach and review triggered email messages quarterly to ensure you are hitting the mark.

Allow Consumers to Customise

Successful email campaigns rely on the ability to target the right customers and deliver messages at the right time. Avoid mass mailing to the wrong consumers by segmenting your email lists and targeting the best candidates for your messages. Push consumers to preference centres and invite them to opt in to customised email and select things they find most valuable, such as seasonal deals, flash sales and past purchases. Letting subscribers set the type and frequency of communications they receive from your brand will improve the overall experience.

Up your offers

Plan campaigns with targeted offers to boost sales and drives conversations. 80% of online shoppers say email influences them to buy, so give them a taste of what to anticipate from your brand this year. Reminding customers about the benefits of being an email subscriber will keep you in the forefront of their mind.

Don’t forget to test

Testing remains a key component in email marketing. Take a break from your traditional email template and upgrade your design throughout the year, or test a different approach with content marketing. Review your subject lines, pre-headers and calls-to-action to ensure your messages are making an impact.