Improve quality and overall effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns through constant testing.
Trust your clients. Trust their inclinations. Trust what they're telling (or not telling) you.
If something isn't working, your clients will share it through inaction.
Reflected in your numbers of web hits, sales, forwards, and click-throughs is the effectiveness of your email marketing campaign.
Use the data collection tools at your disposal. Most high-quality email marketing platforms have data tracking analysis utilities. Compare numbers quarterly and yearly, and watch for stagnation or limited growth. This is a sign that something needs to change.
Follow these simple recommendations for updating your email marketing campaign, and remember to always test your changes through monitoring of your numbers.
Be simple and thorough, and try to tackle the biggest issues first, rather than revamping your entire campaign. Pick one area to change and track results (positive and negative) for several email marketing cycles.
If something works, stick with it. If it doesn't, change.
Think of your email marketing campaign like a beautifully-written note. Often forgotten and incredibly simple techniques can make or break your campaign.
Recipient
Who wants to open an email that has "Dear Company X Subscriber?" Or, even scarier, "Dear Jnae?"
Don't turn your clients off by erroneous misspellings, generic openers or, even worse, emails sent to the wrong person.
Personalize and update your contact list: it is the golden egg of your entire marketing operation. Take care of it!
Greeting
Depending on the formality of your email marketing campaign, you can adjust your greeting accordingly. Informality may be a part of your company's mission and opting for a "Dear Jane" rather than "Dear Ms. Parker" may be more effective. If you are unsure, being more formal is universally more professional.
Message
For priority customers, include a personal message at the beginning of your content, preferably after the greeting or at the closing. Reference a recent conversation or simply write "Jane, check out our newest product line. We think it will meet your needs!"
Sender
Does your company have a generic email address attached to your marketing campaign, say sales@company.com?
For even more bang for your buck, change the sender's email from your company's name to an actual person. Having a real human being lowers the possibility of your email being mistaken as spam or immediately deleted.
For a point-of-contact person, consider sales, account, or a customer service representative; a department head; chairperson; or even the CEO.
Closing
Consider if your sign-off is professional and reflective of your company's ideals. "Sincerely" or "Kindest Regards" are safe, professional options. Or, go bold and use your company's tagline as a closer, like:
Where quality always matters,
John Smith
CEO
The Quality Company
Instead of a typed signature line, why not include the sender's actual signature? A "signed" email directly from the President or Chairman of the Board carries a lot of weight and demonstrates the company-wide commitment to the email content.
Social networking
Redirecting your clients to the web is very effective. Take advantage of the social networking innovations, by including your affiliations. "Like" or "Friend Us" on Facebook; "Follow Us" on Twitter; or if your email is more news driven, include a link to "Digg" or your "RSS" feed.
Drive your clients to every web-connection you have at your disposal, and allow your clients every opportunity to spread the word.
Ultimately, be open to innovation and change when testing.
Stay tuned for more tips for transforming your email marketing campaigns!
