Email marketing is a great way to get your message in front of your ideal prospect in a cost-effective manner. That’s why its use is so widespread in this Age of Technology. However, open rates vary dramatically from campaign to campaign.
So … how can you be sure you’re giving your email campaign the best chance of success? Well, here are our top ten email marketing tips to help you on your way…
Clean your Existing Database
Spend some time cleaning your existing database by removing expired contacts and improving existing information. Make a note in your diary to do a data clean on a regular basis, then it’s not a daunting task. Ideally, get into the habit of updating your database straight away, every time you learn of a change. Clean data can be the difference between success and failure.
Get People to Opt-In to You
The best people to receive your emails to those that have opted-in to you specifically. Here are some ways to get people to opt-in:
- Place an email newsletter signup form on every page of your website and Blog
- Add a link in your email signature
- Add an opt-in field to your enquiry forms
- Add an opt-in link to forms you send i.e. order confirmations, customer surveys etc.
Segment your contacts
One message may not suit all, so segment your list. You will get a better open and response rate if you send different meaningful messages to relevant people. Here are some ways to segment your lists by:
- Location
- Industry
- Customer, warm prospect, cold prospect
Have a reason for your Campaign
Having a reason for your campaign allows you to tailor the message to the recipients
- Promote a specific product / service to generate repeat business from existing customers
- Drive traffic to your latest blog
- Company newsletter
Focus on the Subject Line
One of the of the most important elements of a successful email campaign is the subject line. People will decide to open your email if it carries a great subject line. Make it memorable, funny, intriguing and actionable.
Don’t Overdo the Design
Keep it simple and it will be more effective. For example:
- Use both text and images (80% text, 20% images)
- Include a call to action – MUST DO!
- Use design that gets the recipients to focus on the most important parts of the message
Get your message right
Make sure your message is right and relevant to the recipient. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes – does the message make sense, is it relevant, interesting, are the benefits clear? Also, avoid words that may trigger spam traps – search engines are a great tool for identifying these.
Track your email
It is very important that you set up the proper tracking. That way you can evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. Here are your key performance indicators to measure:
- Deliver rates (number of contacts that received your message)
- Open rate (number of contacts that opened / viewed your message)
- Click through rate (number of contacts that clicked on links / calls to action in your message)
- Conversion rate (number of contacts that became leads / customers)
Use an Email Broadcaster
The reasons for doing this are numerous and include:
- It ensures compliance (Broadcasters will know the rules & regulations to adhere to)
- Your ISP won’t get upset and block your email account
- Reporting is far superior
Don’t stop at sending one email
Send weekly / fortnightly / monthly emails. This builds brand recognition amongst the recipients and with that comes trust. The Seven Touches of Marketing rule states that, on average, a prospect becomes a customer after seven “touches”.
Test, measure and refine
The best results are going to be a combination of design, copy, timing etc. The only way to find what works best for you is to track and test different combinations. Here are the main elements that you should always be looking to test, measure and refine:
- Subject lines
- Style, tone of the text
- The message
- Font sizes, colors and formatting
- Timing of the broadcast (day of week, time of day)
- Calls to action
Make it Quirky
Professionalism is a must, though there’s nothing wrong with adding some personality. It defines your brand. Make it quirky, unique to you – like we have here by making our top ten have twelve tips…
We hope you find these email marketing tips useful, though welcome comments and feedback. Please call Joanne or Steve on 01274 965411 or email info@databubble.info
