E-Mail Marketing is
still an integral part of most successful marketing campaigns. It is an
important communication tool, builds customer relationships and can help
increase your ROI. But as in many other marketing fields if used incorrectly it
annoys your target audience and can seriously backfire.
There are some very important points to consider while
building your e-mail marketing campaign. The following 10 tips are designed to
help you get your campaign on track.
1. Use your campaign
to start a dialog
Start communicating with your prospects. Do not send out
pure marketing pitches but aim to enhance your message with relevant
information and ask your (future) customers to participate in discussions.
Social media integration does not hurt either as you can divert the
conversation to platforms like Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
2. Don’t just concentrate on the
Opening Rate
Of course
statistics like the opening rate of your e-mails are important. But focus the
overall evaluation of your e-mail campaign not just on this aspect. Look
instead into where your website hits originate, the number and frequency of
visits, content shared on social networks and so on.
3. Fragmentation
Try and take
into account the behavior of your target audience. Who is opening your mails,
who shares content, who is buying your product or service? Use this data to
segment your audience even more and utilize it to specifically target certain parts
of your data base in future campaigns.
4. Concentrate on your Message
Always remember
that you want to convey a message with your campaign. Don’t forget to customize
this message to the profile and interests of your customers. I also
advise you to tailor different messages for different segments of your
audience.
5.
Automate wherever possible
By largely automating
your campaigns you will save time, which can be invested in your strategy and
quality content. Try to link parts of your campaign to certain triggers (for
example reactions of costumers, comments and so on)
6. It’s all in the Mix
Try out
different styles and techniques. Send out your mails on different days to
different customers and include surveys where appropriate. Like this you can
gauge the reaction in real-time and adjust your e-mail campaign accordingly
where necessary
.
7. Make sure that your mails are
deliverable
The best
campaign is useless if your message doesn’t reach the customer. Just check you
junk folder and you will know how many mails do not reach you. This is why you
have to test your mails before you initiate your e-mail campaign. Avoid
Spam-Trigger words such as “free”, “click here”, “unique opportunity and so on.
Have a look at this list: Spam-Trigger-Words-List
(Thanks Karen!)
8. Testing is the Alpha and the Omega
In order to
achieve optimal results with your campaign, it is essential to check it
thoroughly: are all elements displayed correctly? Do all the links work? Does
the automatic segmentation work properly? Also check if the mail reaches
its destination - ideally, you have a ready test group from which you get
immediate feedback.
9. Analyze the Results
For this you
don’t necessarily need complicated charts and graphics. Use whenever possible
the analysis capabilities of your Software and choose a easily readable and
concise format that facilitates the analysis. Incorporate your findings
into your campaign to achieve even better results in the future.
10. Integrate Social Media
By adding
social share buttons to your mail, you give your customers the opportunity to
transport the communicated content like text, pictures, videos, events etc to
other platforms and let them spread the word for you.
Did I forget
anything? Please share it in the comment section below. Thanks!
