Email campaigns are the most popular way of advertising, and not without a good reason. For one thing, they’re more affordable than other solutions and for another – they allow the brand to reach customers across countries and continents with ease.
That is to say, email marketing campaigns have the potential of dramatically increasing a customer base when used to their full potential.
However, for an email marketing campaign to be successful and especially in the long run, it needs to be thorough and take into account multiple factors – the most notable of which are segmentation, personalization and customer feedback.
Segmentation, Targeting and Insights
For an email marketing campaign to be successful, it is necessary to define audiences thoroughly. This is the golden rule of marketing, so comes as a surprise that inexperienced marketers tend to send emails at random.
First of all, a couple of parameters contribute to email marketing campaigns’ success in the long run. Open rates are high on the list. Obviously, when emails are being sent to people not interested in the offer in the slightest, they are likely to be either deleted or marked as spam.
Subscribers are the first step towards building a proper mailing list. Additional ways to attract new customers include social media activity, incentives and surveys. Many marketers use surveys to get to know more about their subscribers as well, by means of offering an incentive should the subscriber participate in the survey. The rewards can be anything – from a free ebook to access to exclusive content to discounts to presents on the next order.
Email marketing strategies have been a topic of debate for years but it is only fair to say that what works for one brand might not work for another. By extension, there’s no universal formula to success. Brands are different and so are their communication styles. As we will explain in more detail below, communication is the single most important factor determining overall success.
To be able to fine-tune email marketing campaigns and keep an eye on audience changes (yes, they do change and it is a normal process), it is crucial to use insights. Not only can they help with creating successful marketing strategies, but they can also show bounce rates and CTRs.
Communication
As mentioned above, communication is the pillar of marketing success (holds true for email- and all other marketing campaigns). Due to the development of IT, online communication has ever been easier.
Email marketing campaigns work best when combined with other communication channels, notably social media. It has become a common occurrence for brands to market their offer on their social media pages, in addition to email.
The practice will result not only in more people seeing a campaign, but also in more shares and inquiries. It is crucial to answer all customers’ questions (use a social media management tool to stay on top of this process). When you’re present and answer their questions in a timely manner, it deepens communication with your audience efficiently and seamlessly.
Finally, asking for feedback is desirable. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to share their views; most people will actually respond. To that end, make certain you include contact information to all emails you send.
Serve Superb Content
Your content tells customers everything they need to know about your brand. If emails you send are illiterate, the audience will turn to competitors, and they’ll be right. The same goes for the homepage, and all content you publish.
As regards to emails, it is not sufficient that the message is literate. It should also be concise and expand on the subject line. Speaking of which, subject lines are of critical importance for the success of email marketing campaigns. Namely, they should compel the recipient to actually open the message.
To that end, subject lines need to be concise and capable of attracting recipients’ attention. It is only logical to expect that your audience will also have subscribed to competitors’ newsletters, if not for any other reason, then because they want to compare offers.
Subject lines must not be cut. Because the majority of emails are being accessed on mobile devices, word count shouldn’t exceed 60 characters.
Keep an Eye on the Competition
Make certain to subscribe to competitors’ newsletters. Only successful competitors need to be taken into account, and only if they offer similar products and services to the same audience. Compare their approach, communication style and offer to yours and also discover the areas they’re missing out. In most cases, it’s welcome messages and shopping cart reminders, but there may be other factors as well.
Conclusion
Email marketing is not rocket science, but it’s not effortless, either. It is essential to define audiences properly, work on communication, brainstorm content, compare offers, keep an eye on the competition and, overall, remain evergreen and true to your business promise. Email marketing campaigns are, after all, only one step towards building long-lasting relationships with a loyal customer base. Plus, it’s a budget-conscious way to reach a growing audience. Have fun with it!
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