Email overload. At home, at work and on your mobile device, chances are you are inundated with emails.
From the checkout counter in your favorite store to that new white paper download, it seems someone is always requesting your email address. If you’re frustrated by the clutter in your inbox, it’s pretty likely your customers and prospects are also. Here are some first steps to overcoming overload to achieve email marketing success for your organization.
Start by identifying your goals. What are you trying to accomplish with an email campaign? A successful email marketing strategy should consider both your type of business and your campaign goals. B2B companies typically use email marketing to maintain top of mind awareness, convey important information, or position your company as a thought leader in the hopes of driving future sales. Consumer email campaigns are more often focused on driving immediate clicks and sales. Knowing what you want to achieve through your campaign is the beginning of your email marketing strategy, giving you direction and a way to define success.
Determine your email frequency. Finding the right email frequency is fundamental to your success, but it isn’t easy. Too few emails means missed sales opportunities; too many causes unsubscribes. Both B2B and consumer marketers need to consider the purchase process and cycle for your product or service. Once you have identified how email can support your purchase cycle, a mix of industry research, email best practices, experience and tracking results can help you pinpoint the right frequency for your situation. If you use an email distribution program with tracking capabilities, keeping an eye on your metrics can help you determine how much is too much. When you’ve worked hard to build your opt-in email list, the last thing you want to do is lose subscribers because of too high of a frequency. A marked decrease in open/read rates can be the first sign you are emailing too frequently. It could also mean your content is lacking. Keeping a close eye on your message activity can help you make adjustments as you go, before you see a spike in unsubscribes.
Content influences your success. Content is king in email marketing success. Unlike other marketing channels, email requires your prospect to opt-in to receive your messages and legislation makes it easy for them to opt-out. To build your email list, you need to offer value (coupons, discounts, white paper, industry news, etc.). Once you have your list, each email needs to break through the clutter or it’s quickly deleted. Your subject line needs to be engaging to get recipients to open your email and your content must provide value once it’s opened. Beyond good creative support, the right email delivery partner can help you test variables like subject lines, body content or time of day you are sending your emails to increase your chances for finding the right mix.
That’s just the beginning. Developing a successful email marketing campaign is challenging, but greatly rewarding. Unlike so many advertising tools, email results are trackable providing your team with insights into consumer behavior and opportunities to make the sale. In the next blog, we’ll continue with insights into the challenges of balancing design and deliverability.
Can’t wait to get started? Fresh Creative offers our eFreshTM email marketing solutions for B2B and B2C organizations. Let us help you analyze your situation and provide the design, content, delivery and reporting support you need to find email marketing success.
