How to Launch a Successful Email Marketing Campaign
Just like any other marketing initiative, a successful email marketing campaign requires careful planning, implementation, and evaluation after the fact. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Just because it’s “only” email it doesn’t require some best practices. Follow this guide for your email marketing campaigns for optimum results.
Plan strategically
Plan the goals you want to achieve with your campaign. Keep in mind as you’re planning that there are basically two types of marketing emails:
Promotional: these are obviously “ads” and are meant to convince the reader to take some specific action – click here, call today, sign up now, etc.
Retention based: often written as an e-newsletter, but not always. They may or may not contain promotional messages, but their primary goal is to provide information of value to the reader that will cultivate a relationship with that person.
You need to identify the type of email you’re sending in order to establish your goals. Be realistic, and build in ways to gauge results.
Use the right mail list
For the best results, you need to send your email to an opt-in database, or list. “Opt-in” means that the person receiving the email has already given some form of permission to hear from your company, even if it is only implied. Make sure that your email gives the recipient the option to “unsubscribe” or “opt out” of receiving future emails from your company.
The best database is one you have created in-house, over time. It would contain people who have given you their information at trade shows; prospects your sales team has spoken to in person or on the phone; current and past customers; people who have contacted your company through your website; and anyone and everyone that your employees know through association in your industry (Remember, the cost to send an email is zero if you have built the list yourself. There’s no need to worry about a limit on the number of emails you send.)
If you do not have an in-house list, there are many trade magazines that will “rent” their subscriber list for email campaigns. Policies and rates vary from publication to publication, but most will ask for your email file and distribute the email themselves. This is obviously the more expensive option; however, if you’re working with the right publication, you can reach out to a much more focused group of potential customers that you may not have had contact with in the past.
Create the right content
The key to sending emails that get read is to provide content to the reader that has value. Whether it’s alerting them to a product or service they need, or informing or educating them in an area that has relevance, create content with the reader in mind. Don’t write content that contains what YOU want to say; write content that the reader will want to hear.
Make the design user friendly and functional
Keep these things in mind as your direct the design of the email:
Keep it short and sweet – unless you capture your readers’ attention in seconds, your email will be deleted. If you have multiple articles, or topics, it’s usually best to include only the title and a short intro. Keep the most important information in the email in the upper portion so that it appears to the reader without a scroll down.
Structure the email for easy scanning. You want the reader to be able to quickly navigate the email without a lot of complication. Short lead-ins, with key phrases highlighted through bolding and color, as well as the use of bullets and borders all contribute to a well-structured email…
Test your design on different email clients. Testing the email in the most current email clients will ensure that the email displays correctly in as many different platforms as possible. Don’t just assume that everyone who receives your email uses Outlook.
Think through the submission process
The biggest challenge you have in email marketing is getting past all the various spam filters and into your readers’ Inbox. Test your email for its “spam level” to ensure the greatest results. Techies have ways of testing that are beyond the scope (or desire to learn) of most marketing people. Have no fear: there are still ways you can gauge your email’s probability of outmaneuvering overzealous spam filters.
If you use one of the more popular mailing list
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