Welcome back curious marketers,
Last week we discussed what not to do regarding your email newsletter campaigns. This week we are going to discuss eight best practices to ensure your marketing efforts do not go unnoticed. Let’s dive in.
Segmentation:
I imagine most people think a list is a list is a list. But no, my friends. It’s like if you tossed all of your shoes in one pile and you are off to a soccer game, are you going to pull out sneakers or Teva’s? If you separate your shoes, sports over this side, work shoes front and center, date night shoes in the back (unfortunately), and those shoes you’ve kept since college and only wear when mowing the lawn, you can quickly pull out the right pair for that particular occasion.
Besides making it easier to choose which list to use for a particular campaign, you’ll find your open and click-through rates will increase. Basic segmentation might be end-users, retailers, or distributors. If you have a product serving different markets, segment for each, and sub-segment again for end-users and retailers.
Scrub, Scrub, And Scrub Again:
Not that lists get dirty, but they do get old, and it’s amazing how quickly! Every so often, monthly, quarterly, no less than annually, check out your customer list. Have they been opening the emails? We usually give them the “three strikes, you’re out!” routine. Besides, on most email newsletter platforms, you pay for every email address you have in the bank. Get rid of dead weight.
Make A Frequency Commitment:
Opens happen more frequently if your audience anticipates it. Use your email platform’s analytics to determine which day and time is best and if that is Thursday at 7 pm, then make that a habit. And based on past experience with a multitude of client email newsletters, once a month is preferable. Too many emails from you are likely to get your customers hitting the unsubscribe button, even if they love your brand!
Create an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line:
If your subject line is more reminiscent of a dental appointment reminder, you can be sure your open rate will be just as lackluster. Take your time to think about this because it is what your customers will see before opening the email newsletter. Is it compelling? Does it raise their curiosity? Does it feel personal? And don’t, please for the sake of the Email Gods, don’t put “Monthly Newsletter” in the subject line. That’s an automatic delete!
Review and Get Feedback:
Hopefully, you are not alone in creating and writing the content for your newsletter. The best newsletters take a village – not only to provide content but to review for grammar, spelling, ease of navigation, links, etc. Get a team together that is willing to be your content providers as well as copy and editors. The last thing you want is a customer response focused on your inability to spell.
Optimization:
If your email newsletter looks great on your big old company PC, how is it going to look on a tablet, let alone a smartphone? Make sure your news is optimized for a variety of platforms so that your customers can confidently receive your exciting news anywhere!
What do you want your customer to do?
It’s called a “Call to Action” (CTA) and can be as simple as getting them to go to a website. But you can make it even more engaging – ask them to provide feedback, images, testimonials for a prize or mention. Have a link to a unique page for a promo or new product announcement, and at the same time gather unique analytics on how effective your CTA is. Got a product you are trying to move? Place a Buy button in the product announcement. There are many things you can do to get your customers to actively engage in your email newsletter. Got a good one yourself? Let us know!
And last but certainly not least – Review data and feedback:
The email newsletter has gone out. Perhaps you have a second send going to the original unopened emails. Then what happens? Check your analytics for the percentage of opens, the timing of the release, and any links customers clicked. Based on this analysis you can refine the next edition of your email newsletter. You are on your way to a winning marketing strategy!
Next week, we’ll start to break down the various types of email campaigns and what you can expect each one to accomplish.
Written by Laura Burgess, Founder of Laura Burgess Marketing
