Seven Email Marketing Strategies

Over the years, there has been a growing interest in using email to communicate with prospects and customers. The reason for the interest is pretty obvious – it is immediate, it is less expensive than direct mail and is very measurable. But for email marketing to work well and generate results, it is critical to properly plan your campaigns. Below are 7 key email marketing planning tips to consider before you hit the “send” button:

• Content is King
Today, email marketing is all about relevant content. In fact, if you are reading this right now, it is likely because you found the topic interesting or relevant to you. If you plan to conduct a series of emails as a campaign, we recommend you plan an “editorial calendar” of topics to facilitate timely and cohesive communications.

• Plan Your Metrics
Most Email Service Providers (ESPs) already have back-end reporting functions for metrics like the rate of opening, click-throughs, etc. However, for your purposes, determine in advance how you want to measure the success of your program. If you are driving people to your web, make sure to include your web analytics into your review. Or if you are trying to convert leads into sales, make sure you can track each phase of your selling process. Planning your “pull-through” metrics will help you assess your campaigns more holistically.

• List Quality is Critical
We could write an entire article on list acquisition and hygiene alone. But as all direct mail marketers know, a majority of a direct marketing campaign’s success lies with the quality of the list. Email is no different. Here are a few quick thoughts about your email lists:

o It is best to use “in-house” lists that are grown organically.
o Avoid rental lists or you’ll likely end up in the spam filter.
o Emails sent to subscribers of highly targeted publications can be effective since they are sent by a trusted source.
o Be sure to maintain a “clean” list to avoid excessive “hard bounces”.
o Overall, quality is more important than quantity to have an effective email program.

• Design Affects Your Metrics
Just like direct mail, there are specific “best practices” in the design of the email that can improve the opening and conversion rates for people to take immediate action. In our next blog, we will address some of the key mechanical aspects of designing the email. Sorry for the tease. You’ll have to wait for the next “Tips” communication.

• Integration Lifts Response Rates
Again, email, like direct mail, works best when executed in conjunction with other media efforts – both offline and online activities. Over the next few weeks, we will write another blog that drills down and focuses on this topic more.

• Timing is Everything
Like most things in life, timing is everything. Here are some things to consider:

o Depending on your audience, time the delivery of the email to arrive when your audience is most likely “online”. For example, to reach a business audience across the USA, a mid-to-late morning email will arrive before noon on the east coast and after the start of the work day on the west coast.
o We also recommend against Mondays and Fridays (with some exceptions, of course) to avoid “clutter”.
o You will also want to determine the frequency of sending the emails. If you send them out too frequently, you will irritate your audience and they will unsubscribe. Too little, and they will forget who you are.

• Test, Test, Test
We recommend that you create a series of email accounts using various internet services providers (gmail, yahoo, etc.), and send your test email to these first. Every internet service provider has different protocols for what it will deliver or catch in the spam filter. Also, some will allow graphics, while others will strip it out. Testing the deliverability through multiple email vendors will guide you in adjusting your design to maximize your deliverability rate.

Emails, as a key marketing tool, will continue to grow in importance. Understanding some of the key “best practices” will help you to make emails an effective part of your overall marketing communications plan.