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 Doing email marketing without a strategy is like going to see clients in your pajamas. Do you really want your clients to see you in your Spongebob PJs? Our point: There is an important process to your morning ritual that takes you from your bed to your client meeting. Your email marketing campaign needs the same attention.
Common scenario: Many businesses decide they want to start email marketing. They dig around in their databases and write some text. Then, the questions: “How can we send this? How will we know who’s reading it? How will we know they WANT it?”
E-mail campaigns are a cost-effective and successful marketing tool, but they must be designed with one word in mind: STRATEGY. Without strategy, you might as well save your time and your money. As with any successful marketing initiative, e-mail marketing campaigns must begin with the question “Why am I doing this?” followed closely by “What’s in it for my clients by reading this?”
There are six steps in determining your e-mail marketing strategy.
1. Quit hitting snooze and get out of bed.
If you don’t know who’s on your list, go back to bed. First question in the process: Who’s on my list? The quality of your list is one of the most important factors for the success of your campaign.
2. Decide what to wear.
Knowing who you are going to visit will help you choose what to wear. Ask yourself, What are the demographics of my list? If the majority your contacts are those without email addresses, well, email marketing might not be the best way to go.
3, Review your prospect research before you head out the door.
Before you start a campaign, you must determine the frequency and the tone of your e-mail communications. Ask yourself, What am I trying to communicate? People respond better when they know what to expect from you.
4. Make sure your shoes are the same color.
Your company has invested money in its brand. Your e-marketing should reflect the same. Ask yourself, How do I want to look? HTML emails look the best if designed professionally. Even text-based emails can look professional if designed properly.
5. Bus vs. Escalade?
The bus will get you where you’re going but it will be slow and ugly. The Escalade’s gas may cost more but you will get there fashionably on time. Ask yourself, How am I going to send the campaign? Most e-mail programs (like Outlook) are not robust enough to handle an e-mail campaign. Also, you must ensure that your emails are in compliance with CAN-SPAM: not including an opt-out link in your email campaign is a legal violation. Many different programs are available to efficiently manage your e-mail campaigns and will take the weight off your company’s server.
6. Get past the security guard.
You’ve arrived at the prospect’s building and now you need to get in. Ask yourself, How do I avoid spam filter traps? Most importantly, using permission-based email lists will get your email to the InBox. Carefully crafting content is key to avoiding spam filters. Certain words and phrases trigger spam filters landing your email in the great garbage can in the sky. And never, ever send a file attachment in your campaign emails.
Now that you understand that there is a process to developing an email marketing campaign, you can develop a successful, well-dressed strategy.
Cristina Del Bueno and Jennifer Yeager are co-owners of Right Angle Consulting, LLC, a marketing consulting firm focused on service-driven businesses.
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