Effective Email Campaigns
Have you ever deployed an email campaign that just didn’t get the results you hoped for? Increased competition in the digital space makes it challenging to get your emails noticed, opened and clicked. Let’s look at best practices and advanced strategies to craft successful email marketing campaigns that drive results. We’ll outline:
Permission Marketing
Platforms
Segmentation
Personalization
Engagement
Asking the Consumer: Permission Marketing
Think about how you can opt-in or opt-out of receiving emails from a company; that’s permission marketing in action. In 1999, author, business executive and digital marketing guru Seth Godin proposed that marketing campaigns that asked for the consumer’s consent would be the most successful, because the web was letting people select their own digital channels for information and entertainment. His book, “Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends, and Friends Into Customers” advised that marketing strategies should work towards being:
anticipated by the recipient
personal to them
relevant to their interests
It quickly became a top resource to teach the basics of email (permission) marketing and it’s something to keep in mind as you develop your own.
What’s the Best Email Marketing Software to Use?
PCMagazine shares their choices for 2024 here. And Forbes.com has their own list here. You should use the one that is most cost effective for your purposes that you find the easiest to use. There are many powerful platforms for different levels of engagement.
You can view a really great video about packet switching on Youtube.
Make It Personal: Segmentation
One of the most significant factors in email marketing success is segmentation. Dividing your email list into smaller groups based on shared characteristics, such as demographics, interests, or behaviors, allows you to create personalized content that resonates with each group.
Here are a few ways to segment your email list.
Demographic segmentation:
Divide your list based on factors like age, gender, income, occupation, job title and location. Think of this as a foundational step that will help you create high-value, targeted content that your audience will appreciate and remember you for.
Behavioral segmentation:
Demographics are just the beginning. Go deeper with segmentation by leveraging data on how your audience interacts with your brand via past interactions, browsing history, purchase history and engagement levels. This helps you identify highly engaged customers and clients, frequent purchasers and inactive subscribers, making it easier to tailor re-engagement strategies.
Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographic information provides insights into subscribers’ interests, values and lifestyles. Understanding these details can help you craft messaging that resonates more profoundly on an emotional level, scaling engagement.
Firmographic segmentation:
This is segmentation based on company size, industry, or job function.
Stand Out from the Crowd: Personalization
Once you've segmented your list, it's time to personalize your emails. Personalization goes beyond addressing your subscribers by name. It's about creating content that speaks directly to their needs, interests, desires and pain points.
Here are some personalization techniques to test.
Pair Dynamic Content & Customer Data:
Use dynamic content blocks within the email to create customized content based on subscriber data. Try showcasing products relevant to their interests, displaying location-specific information or making suggestions about new products based on past purchase history.
Personalize Subject Lines
Use personalized subject lines that include the subscriber's name or other relevant information to grab their attention. This approach can significantly impact open rates. Spend time with your old friend, A/B testing, to determine which variations garner the most interest.
Boost Open & Click-Through Rates: Engagement
Now that you've segmented your list and personalized your content, implement these more advanced techniques to further enhance your email’s performance.
Optimize Send Times:
Identifying the optimal send times for your audience can have a considerable impact on open and click-through rates. Although general benchmarks suggest mid-week mornings, it's essential to test and analyze what works best for your specific audience segments. (Hubspot.com shares data that indicates that the best times are between 9AM and 12PM and 12PM to 3PM). Utilize data analytics to determine peak engagement times and adjust your scheduling accordingly.
Create snazzy subject lines:
Craft subject lines that are attention-grabbing, informative, and relevant to the content of your email, but make sure they don’t sound like-click bait. (This article from IntuitMailChimp has great tips). Poorly crafted subject lines can make your audience hit the Delete key before they ever even open your email.
Use a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA):
Make it easy for your customer or client to know what action or steps to take next with a clear CTA (call-to-action). Add an interactive button such as “Book a Demo”, “Download the Free Report”, “Learn More Here” or whatever makes sense for your product or service. Follow these tips and make sure your CTAs are:
Clear and actionable (use dynamic phrases)
Visually Distinct (buttons or links)
Strategically placed (above the fold for easy visibility is best)
Develop a strong and relevant preheader:
The preheader is the often overlooked snippet of text following the subject line. It can be a powerful tool to convince the recipient to open your email. Use a preheader that complements your subject line and provides additional context.
Include high-quality visuals:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and we know that people are in “scan mode” when they’re reviewing emails. Use high-quality visuals, such as images and videos, to break up text and make your email more engaging.
Optimize for mobile:
How many times do you find yourself scrolling through your email on your smartphone? We bet it’s a LOT. Use responsive design techniques and review your email to ensure it looks great on screens of all sizes. Large buttons, single-column layouts and succinct text that gets to the point can significantly improve the mobile experience. An email that loads oddly and is hard to read is a turn-off.
Use A/B testing:
As we mentioned above, use A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines, CTAs, and other elements to see what works best for your audience.
Getting the Most from Your Email Campaign: Planning
Crafting successful email marketing campaigns requires a thoughtful approach to segmentation, personalization and strategy. You can create email campaigns that resonate with your target audience, drive engagement and ultimately convert subscribers into customers with good planning. Email marketing is a continuous process of improvement. Monitor your results (really analyze heat maps!), analyze your data and adjust your strategies accordingly. With the right approach, you can turn your email marketing campaigns into a powerful tool for growing your business.
Authored by Melissa E. Daley, CMO
Need help with your email marketing campaigns? #LetsChitChat
Contact us at info@chitchat.digital.
Sources:
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-email-marketing-software
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-email-marketing-software-07162024/
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-time-to-send-email