TIPS FOR CREATING EFFECTIVE EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
With the myriad of Fort Collins marketing options available to a growing business in this day and age, it can be easy to neglect a simple email campaign that reaches out to prospective clients or customers directly. According to studies, email is still a useful and highly utilized tool that most businesses use to market themselves. Though many businesses certainly utilize email in their campaigns, not all of them do so effectively. Email campaigns may get lost in the rush to send mass, blanketed emails to all prospective customers, instead of tailoring campaigns to fit the audience. So, in place of or in addition to marketing on social media and websites, how can you make certain that your email campaigns are effective and worth the time and cost? Here are some tips for creating an effective campaign.
Craft Emails That are Timely and Relevant
Email campaigns can be sent any day of the week on any day of the year, but that doesn’t always mean you should hit send whenever. Creating emails that are timely and relevant to the customer have a more likely chance of garnering their attention. Whether it’s a holiday-themed email the week after Thanksgiving or a sale you’re offering centered around the weekend, make sure that your email catches the prospective customer’s eye by enticing them with a catchy and timely title, as well as additional information once they’ve opened it. You’ll also want to ensure that your email is going to the right audience, and not just everyone on your email list. Do you have a list of customers who have responded positively to similar emails you’ve sent in the past? Creating lists of potential customers that could benefit from different types of emails leads to less unsubscribes than more straightforward email blasts.
Personalization is Key
In addition to making certain that an email recipient is going to respond well to your marketing campaign based on past experience, you’ll want to provide personalization that makes your email both unique and relevant. If you’re creating emails manually by entering their email address and other pertinent details, make certain to include their first name somewhere in the email or subject line. Otherwise, a mail-merge system can generally autofill that information with the use of a tag. These emails can be further personalized by reaching out to people who have purchased a specific product before and referencing that purchase in the body of the email. Knowing what customers like can lead to more success down the road, as you continue to sell similar products that they might love.
Know Your Plan
When you send an email campaign, it’s important to remember that each recipient does have a “Reply” button associated with that email. So, are you aware of how you’re going to handle customer questions and inquiries? Make certain to have a plan in place to answer customers quickly and accurately, whether that’s having responses go directly to your email or creating a response email that you or your staff check regularly. Anticipate response types, planning for the worst but hoping for the best.
Unsubscribes are Learning Lessons
Once someone has unsubscribed from your email list, you’ve most likely lost them for the foreseeable future. That doesn’t, however, mean that you can’t take something from that interaction, and better optimizing your email campaigns going forward! With every unsubscribe, you learn something about the emails you’re creating and taking that information to be put to use in the future. Make sure to keep track of unsubscribing reasons (if possible), as well as historically high drop rates for certain email campaigns to see what works best and what doesn’t work so well for your customer base. Creating the perfect email campaign is impossible. Not every single audience member is receptive to what you’d like to tell them. Creating smart campaigns that speak to the right audience, however, can be as easy as creating emails that are personalized, timely, and relevant, and knowing exactly how to respond when necessary. Need some help marketing your business? We’d love to chat with you. Call us today to learn how we can help.