The email inbox is a battlefield. Messages fight for our attention; only a few win. The rest fall victim to our impatience, annoyance or lack of interest when we click Bin or Spam. Even if we take prisoners (save emails for later) we usually let them die at the bottom of our inbox.
In email marketing, we use warfare mobile phone number list terminology — campaign, strategy and tactics — for a reason. A successful email campaign needs to be planned like a battle campaign. It needs clear goals and objectives, a strategy, and resources. Otherwise, each newsletter becomes a shot in the dark, a shot that rarely hits its target.
A coherent email campaign program will help you:
reach the right audience with the suitable offer and information
avoid communication chaos and properly manage different types of communicates sent to your customers such as: notifications, sales offers, transactional letters, etc.
measure and analyze results
avoid making the same mistake twice
define success factors for future implementation
build a strong brand and win dedicated customers
If you still feel lost in the fog when it comes to your emailing policies, here’s a checklist of the essentials – 4 simple questions you need to answer before you can claim victory.
Why? Not Just for the Money
Email marketing’s ROI can be up to $41 for every buck you spend, so your motives are obvious. But, your campaign will give you no ROI whatsoever, if the sole reason is to make money.
If your messages arrive in my inbox looking like this:
…it’s unlikely to pique my interest and probably will become a casualty of my irritation.
To differentiate your brand in the ocean of services and products, you need to build relationships and create buzz for your brand. Let your objectives reach beyond making a sale.
Nevertheless, don’t let “building a brand” be a vague theory. Be concrete and set achievable goals. Do you want to:
Increase site traffic?
Foster brand loyalty?
Build brand reputation?
Create buzz?
You can do it all, just remember – one at a time.
An offer for everybody is an offer for nobody.
Who? Your Subscriber is Not an Everyman
Your Subscriber is Not an Everyman
Your list is made of various overlapping groups with different, sometimes contradictory needs. Realizing their expectations is the key to successful segmentation.
Here are a few subscriber variables that can help you determine who they are and what offers they’re likely to respond to:
stage in the email cycle
purchase history
declared preferences
subscription date and source (offline, blog form, FB form, import, etc.)
social networks connections
brand awareness/loyalty
customer profile (B2B or B2C)
demographics
customer engagement
What? It’s All About Being Relevant
When you know your customer, it’s easier to decide what type of content they will respond to – so you can provide it.
All About Being Relevant
Easier said than done. But certain message types, if managed properly, are proven winners:
immediate welcome messages
new product information
special holiday deals
premium offers for program participants
thank-you emails
customer appreciation offers
loyalty programs
up-sells and cross-sells
educational/informative programs
“Email marketing campaign” doesn’t mean an occasional newsletter out of the blue. It means a coherent, logical combination of many email types. Your marketing should not stop at a completing a sale, or be reduced to the dull regularity of a monthly newsletter.
Define your objectives and understand your customers. This will help you create the perfect follow-up sequence, occasionally complemented with relevant add-ons such as seasonal offers, satisfaction surveys, etc.