Elevate Your Content Marketing: Tools & Examples

If you’re looking for ways to connect with your target market, Email content marketing is one of the most powerful tools available to you. Because email lets you reach customers directly in their inbox, hold their attention for more than a millisecond, and send consistent messaging to the same individual, email campaigns are an essential piece of marketing strategy.

However, email isn’t as simple as it seems. Generic, impersonal mass emails are rarely effective. To be successful, you have to deliver content-driven emails that resonate with your audience and provide value. That takes a lot of effort — but it’s worth it. When you regularly deliver relevant and compelling messages, email can help you nurture relationships, build your brand identity, and drive conversions.

Luckily, you don’t have to tackle this work alone. Software developers have built lots of tools that can help you every step of the way, and other marketers have forged paths you can follow to create powerful campaigns.

The Must-Have Tools for Email Content Marketing Success

Email marketing tools, AI writing tools, target market tools, content planning tools, project management tools, A/B testing tools, grammar tools, and headline tools.

The right tools can make content marketing much easier. From crafting compelling subject lines to managing your target audience and analyzing performance, there are several apps and online tools that can help you achieve success.

AI Writing Tools

Your email content should be written with your distinctive voice and should be based on your solid lived experience in your field. However, AI is a great tool to help you with outlining and writing content.

While it can’t empathize with your reader or create a unique brand voice, AI is great for outlining ideas, fleshing out a conclusion paragraph, or helping you push past writer’s block. Use these tools to assist your writing, not replace it.

• Jasper is an AI tool with lots of pre-written templates that have a strong marketing focus. It’s especially strong at writing sales-oriented copy, although it can also help you create long-form content.

• Rytr is a less expensive tool that offers many of the same features as Jasper but with slightly less polish on the interface.

• ChatGPT is one of the best-known free AI tools on the market. It’s a dialogue-style chatbot, so if you want to use the kinds of marketing tools that are available in the paid writing tools (like AIDA and PAS framework marketing copy) you’ll need to know exactly what to ask for.

• Bard is Google’s new entry into the AI world. It’s also free, and very similar to Chat GTP.

• Quillbot AI paraphrases content, which is very useful when you just want suggestions for rephrasing your source content.

Grammar Tools

Grammar is more important than you might think at first glance. Proper grammar makes your copy seem more polished and your company more professional, but its importance is deeper than that. Grammar tools can make your copy more readable, more succinct, and more persuasive.

• Grammarly is the grandfather of grammar tools. The free version is a treasure in itself, offering grammar checks right inside most popular software and browser windows. If writing is an important part of your job, it’s well worth upgrading to the paid version.

• QuillBot offers a free online grammar checker. You have to copy/paste your content into the window (or compose in it) but it does a good job.

• Writer also offers a free online grammar checker that is effective and simple to use.

• Lose the Very is a very helpful [“invaluable”] tool for choosing more powerful language. The format is simply “very + [your word]” but it will tighten your writing very much [“immeasurably”].

Content Tools

These tools will help you with everything from determining what to write about to crafting catchy headlines and subject lines.

• Ubersuggest is designed to help with SEO for your blog, but its content suggestion tools can be used for planning email content for your audience, too.

• HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator can also suggest email content ideas.

• Answer the Public helps you learn what questions people have about your subject matter, which is a great source of writing ideas.

• Sharethrough Headline Analyzer will tell you the strengths of your headline or subject line ideas and suggest ways to improve them so they’re more compelling.

• Coschedule Headline Analyzer is a similar free tool that offers great feedback, but you have to sign up and give your email address.

• Blogabout’s Headline Generator goes a step further by suggesting headlines or subject lines based on keywords you enter. It works best for marketing copy, but you can try it for anything.

• SurveyMonkey lets you ask your readers directly what pain points they face and what kind of content they’d like to see more of.

• Google Sheets is useful for content planning. List the areas of content you intend to cover across the top and add story concepts (top ten, expert interview, how-to) down the left-hand side and you’ve got a grid that can generate tons of ideas.

Graphics Tools

Compelling, on-brand graphics can enrich your messaging and enhance your brand image. Here are some tools that can help you create or locate what you need.

• Canva is a free design tool with thousands of built-in templates. It includes access to a full library of stock images and videos.

• Pexels is a stock photography website with high-quality images available for free (though you’re invited to tip the artists)

• Rytr, the AI writing assistant mentioned above, has a built-in feature to create AI images on the fly. Just highlight your text and hit a button and it will create a relevant image. The tool isn’t perfect yet, but it’s improving all the time.

• Embeds: Email platforms like beehiiv offer the option of embedding media directly from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Giphy, and more.

Project Management Tools

Whether you have an entire content team or you’re trying to produce email campaigns by yourself, a project management tool can help you keep your work on track and content flowing.

Here are some of the most popular tools for managing a content production schedule.

• Trello makes it easy to create boards, lists, and cards that represent different stages of your content creation process. You can even stockpile ideas and set up an automation to assign them to writers (or yourself) on a schedule.

• Asana also has an automation feature that allows you to set up a schedule and automatically assign work.

• Monday is another project management app that’s popular for its user-friendly interface and robust features. With Monday, teams can efficiently collaborate, assign tasks, track progress, and meet deadlines seamlessly.

Email Analytics Tools

How is your content doing? What’s popular with your audience? Which subject lines do they respond to, and what kind of call to action (CTA) makes them click? The right data can help you refine your approach so you’re always learning how to produce better emails. Here are some resources to help you.

• EmailAnalytics is a web app that gives you a clear picture of your team's email activity in Gmail and Outlook. It's handy for measuring and improving email response time, among other things.

• Right Inbox is a Chrome extension that works with Gmail to offer insights into who reads and clicks your emails, how many times they do it, and when. Additional features include email reminders, sequences, and scheduling.

• beehiiv offers some of the best analytics tools on the market built right into your dashboard. At a glance, you can see your reader demographics, where your subscribers are coming from, and how each of your campaigns and emails are performing in terms of open rates and CTR.

Why Trust Us?

Lauren Haas has been publishing content since before email was a common tool, and continues to stay on top of the game for her clients at Main Street Marketing Mix.

Best Platforms for Email Marketing

Choosing the right email platform can make all the difference. With a wide range of options available, it's important to find the best platform that suits your specific needs and goals.

Mailchimp: User-friendly, But Lacking Growth Tools

One popular option is Mailchimp. Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, Mailchimp offers a range of templates, automation tools, and analytics to help you create engaging email campaigns. Some people find the interface a bit clunky, and there are no built-in tools to help you increase your audience.

Constant Contact: Intuitive, Yet Costly

Another top contender is Constant Contact. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor and customizable templates, Constant Contact makes it easy to create professional-looking emails. Additionally, it provides advanced features like list segmentation and A/B testing for optimizing your campaigns. But again, there are no growth tools, and many users say the price is too high for the features offered.

HubSpot: Powerful, But Complicated

For those wanting to invest in a more comprehensive marketing solution, HubSpot is an option. In addition to email marketing capabilities, HubSpot offers CRM integration, lead tracking, and other marketing automation tools to streamline your overall strategy. On the downside, HubSpot is pricey and has a steep learning curve that makes it a poor choice for the average small business.

beehiiv: The Platform Built for Growth

beehiiv is the best choice for many content creators, for several reasons. It was built by the team that grew the legendary Morning Brew newsletter and features all the growth tools they know an email publisher needs. A referral program, a recommendation network, a search-engine-friendly online archive, refined customization and personalization features, and world-class analytics are all built into the app.

The platform is built for scaling your audience, and it has features for monetizing as well, making it the ideal choice for newsletter creators and industry thought leaders.

Email Copywriting Tips and Techniques for Engaging Subscribers

Want some strategies and techniques to help you engage your subscribers and make your emails stand out in their crowded inbox? We’ve got ‘em.

Know Your Audience

First, understand your audience. The more you know about them, the more you can speak directly to each individual. Also, know your brand identity well. For example, if your audience is mostly bargain hunters and your brand is all about discounts, you’ll write copy focused on saving money. However, a luxury brand selling to a status-conscious audience would cover very different topics and use wildly different language and images.

It’s good practice to go beyond demographics and actually create personas for your target market. Speaking to homeowners aged 35-50 in a middle-income bracket is one thing. Talking to 42-year-old Evelyn, who has three kids and owns a home in the Houston suburbs with her husband, Hank, is much more personal.

Spend Time on Subject Lines

One of the most crucial aspects of email copywriting is crafting compelling subject lines. A catchy subject line grabs the attention of your subscribers and entices them to open your email.

The best way to write a compelling subject line is to know your readers well and offer a short, catchy phrase, sentence, or question that will make them curious. Rather than following specific rules for length, distill your subject line into as few words as possible to make the most impact.

Track your open rates to see how well different subject lines perform. Even better, use A/B testing to try out different approaches and get real-time results.

Personalize Your Content

Personalization plays a significant role in effective email copywriting. Tailor your emails to each subscriber by using their name or referencing their past interactions with your brand. This personal touch creates a sense of connection and increases engagement. Here, too, knowing your audience and your brand is everything.

Segmenting your audience and sending them relevant content is the most important level of personalization. If your customers constantly receive sales pitches for things they’ve already bought, for instance, they will stop opening your messages. Find a meaningful way to segment your audience and write separate content for each group.

Tell Stories

Instead of just listing features or benefits, tell your audience how one of your clients is using your product to succeed. The best case studies are succinct and contain plenty of useful tips for readers, while still evoking some emotion.

Be Succinct

Readers respond best to emails that are concise and focused on one clear message or call to action. Avoid overwhelming your subscribers with too much information or multiple objectives in one email.

By implementing these tips and techniques into your email copywriting strategy, you can create engaging content that captivates subscribers and drives results for your business.

The Role of Visuals in Email Content Marketing and How to Make Them Stand Out

By incorporating eye-catching images and graphics into your emails, you can enhance the visual appeal and emotional undercurrent of your campaigns. To effectively use visuals in email marketing, consider these design tips.

• Choose images that are relevant to your content and enhance your message

• Incorporate compelling visuals to strategically highlight key messages or products

• Insist on high-quality, professional-looking visuals that reflect well on your brand

• Be consistent in the type of images you choose (clipart, photos, screenshots)

• Have your brand’s color palette in mind when you choose or create images

• Optimize the size of your images to ensure fast loading times

• Create visually appealing templates with consistent branding elements such as colors, fonts, and layouts

• Provide alternative text descriptions for images so that visually impaired recipients can still understand the content

By following these tips and utilizing visuals effectively, you can make your email content marketing more engaging, and memorable, and ultimately drive better results for your campaigns.

Exploring Successful Email Content Marketing Examples

From clever subject lines to personalized messaging, these examples direct from my inbox showcase the power of well-crafted emails.

A Retail Email

This email from Etsy oozes brand identity, from the hearts in the subject line to the tagline “Let’s be friends” next to their social icons.

It’s also highly personalized. I recently bought a unique table for my living room, so Etsy is betting that I’ll be a sucker for more weird furniture (they’re not wrong).

The whole message is brief, highly targeted, and supplemented with high-quality images designed to get my attention.

A Welcome Message

I received this email when I signed up for a rewards program with a local movie theater chain.

Notice that I’m addressed by name in both the subject line and the headline. The email contains all the information I might need to use my new membership, supplemented by an infographic. The sender is clear about what next steps they’d like me to take as well.

The message is a little wordy, but other than that it contains all the elements of a good welcome email and sets a good tone for my new relationship with this company.

A Sale Email

Have a sale? Here’s a great example of how to promote that.

The subject line is VERY compelling — Today only! Lowest price yet! How can I not click on that?

The email is very focused. Just one item is featured, and the photograph clarifies exactly what the item is. The CTA is a bright red “shop now” button that I can’t miss.

A Company Newsletter

American Airlines did a great job with this. Well, the subject line isn’t very catchy, but at least it’s brief.

The newsletter sticks to four items and follows a formula that includes a high-quality image and clear CTA for each item. It’s neat and tidy and I can pick out what I’m interested in at a glance, which feels respectful of my time.

Note that the newsletter is completely focused on me and my experience as a customer. The company is not telling me about their employee awards or other internal news.

After a Website Visit

This highly personalized email from Brad’s Deals is so on-the-money, that it’s almost intrusive. They sent me a message earlier in the day, with a variety of bargains. I clicked on the REI sale and looked at this exact jacket, but didn’t buy it.

The deals website followed up to remind me that I liked the jacket, and also to recommend several other items related to what they now know about my interest in outdoor activities. Smart!

Elevate Your Email Content Marketing

By leveraging these tools and content strategies, you can create compelling and engaging email campaigns that resonate with your audience.

Remember that while tools are essential for efficiency, it is equally important to infuse originality and authenticity into your emails. Tailor your content to align with your brand voice and values while keeping in mind the preferences and needs of your target audience.

By combining the right tools with a good knowledge of your market and a solid content strategy, you can take your email marketing efforts to new heights.

If you’re not already a beehiiv user, try signing up for free today! You’ll find easy-to-use templates, a collection of innovative growth tools that don’t exist anywhere else, and all the analytics you need to take your marketing to the next level.