How To Create Effective Email Marketing Campaigns

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In today’s technologically advanced age, where there is an app for everything and your new smartphone is considered outdated within a month of you buying it, it’s important to remember that in business there is still no substitute for creating a genuine connection with your prospects and customers.

In recent years, there have been continued questions over the future of email marketing. However, in 2016, it’s fair to say that email is still alive and thriving, with exciting new capabilities and opportunities.

Email is still a fast, cost effective medium to get your message across, and your audience reach is boundless. Email can also be a very personal way to identify with your target group. A good email makes you look forward to receiving another message; a great email has the power to inspire you to action.

In 2016, activity based content is key. Consider how email can be tailored to customer actions so that every communication is relevant to their interest. You can write about anything, from whatever you are selling, to such things as changes in your company, customer feedback, company successes – the list is limitless.

Email marketing is not only an essential tool for businesses to send regular marketing messages, but it also provides opportunities to target the right base in a fast and inexpensive manner– and produce great return on your investment.

Let’s explore how to build a successful email marketing campaign, and how by doing so it can positively affect your company’s marketing strategy:

An Up-To-Date Database and Email Segmentation: The Keys to Creating a Great Marketing List

Before you go mailing indiscriminately to everyone and sundry, it’s important to have an up-to-date database to use to create accurate marketing lists. Don’t underestimate the power an accurate marketing list—no one wants to lose time and money on their marketing efforts.

Segmenting your email list into key groups of people who share specific characteristics is a useful trick you can use. Group your customers by previous purchases, or by what campaigns they may have responded to in the past. That way you can send targeted messages about specific topics to the right people.

Create Eye-Catching Marketing Emails

Whether you want to send regular email newsletters or just occasional promotional offers, you have to keep in mind that the content of your marketing emails must be relevant and useful to your audience. Send a couple of emails they deem impertinent, and you can find them on your unsubscribe list.

To make sure this doesn’t happen, aim to message segmented (there’s that word again!) areas of your database rather than everyone on your list. Review replies to past emails and what they’ve been purchasing to make sure your message is reaching the right groups.

Want to increase your e-mail visibility? Try getting your customer’s attention with a catchy subject line, but don’t go overselling yourself with tall claims, caps or exclamation points– unless you want your emails confined to the SPAM folder. Your best bet is to keep the message simple, give a clear call to action and a reason to respond. Don’t forget to encourage the subscriber to visit your website – it is a valuable direct and cross promotion tactic.

Before you press ‘send’, check your message for any grammatical mistakes or data inaccuracies. Holding back also gives you an opportunity to visualise what your client may be thinking when they get the message. Will they find your email relevant or useful?

It goes without saying that having a visually striking email will always get you better results than sending a plain background text message, but bear in mind that some images can get skewed on the recipient’s computer because of software incompatibility, or it won’t translate to viewing it on a smartphone or tablet. Because of this, it is important so not only send out a HTML version of an e-mail, but always have a text-only version as your back-up.

Email Responses — Analytics

Keeping track of your email campaign results will help you find out whether your messages are having the right impact on your customers. Don’t skimp on investing in good software, and work with your internet service provider to collate important information such as the quantity of emails delivered, how many people clicked through your emails, and how many people opted out from receiving messages.

Response rates for email marketing are often higher than for other direct marketing methods. With this increased response rate, you may be swamped with enquiries. Have a game plan in place so you can you handle them and fulfill customer requests.

Hang In There!

It may seem daunting at first, but start with these few simple steps, and you’ll soon see why email marketing is still vital to your marketing strategy. Get your target list ready, use a decent email platform, write a pithy email message that is friendly and helpful, and start engaging.