Email marketing is about targeting the right people with the right content at the right
time. The most successful
campaigns are those that are data driven.
For this reason, email marketing has
remained a consistently effective strategy with 78% of marketers seeing an
increase in email engagement over the last few year.
We have seen the power and success of email marketing first hand. In fact, we are proud gold partners with a leading email service provider to remain at the forefront of email marketing strategy and execution.
So, what’s the recipe for email marketing success? I’ve broken it down into three tips. Follow these and watch the results speak for themselves.
Send emails to an audience that connects with your content.
How do you find these ideal customers who want to engage with you?
A lot of factors can affect someone’s buying decisions, and a successful business truly understands its ideal customer.
Criteria to consider include your customer’s location, age, gender, occupation and interests.
By understanding your target demographic and segmenting, you begin to build a stronger connection between you and your customer and can customize your content accordingly.
Once your segmenting is complete, the next step is timing and frequency. A golden rule is to avoid too-frequent email blasts. Emailing your audience too frequently runs the risk of being spammy.
Interesting data from Validity’s “Frequency Matters: The keys to optimizing email send frequency” report (email required) shows that the more emails you send, the more likely you are to see increased complaints and decreased read rates.
Segment, segment, segment.
Segmenting is a powerful strategy to maximize engagement, open rates and click-through rates.
The best way to begin segmenting is by targeting your existing list first.
Splitting your recipients into the most engaged, well-engaged, semi-engaged and least engaged is a great place to start.
Decide on a cut-off point for each segment in terms of emails opened, and determine what category they fall under.
Customize your content.
After you’ve segmented your list, the next step is to customize your content and messaging for each segment.
Knowing where they are in the buying cycle will be important in crafting your messaging.
For example, say a VIP customer wants to feel like a part of your community. You can make them feel recognized by adding their name to the subject line.
It’s not just personal and friendly, but studies have shown that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.
Ready to hit send Almost. The last step is to quantify your email goals. This is about deciding whether you’re looking to engage, invite, encourage clicks or get sales.
This will help you leverage your new segmented list and operate around your overall goals.
Put yourself in your audience’s seat, and ask questions such as: Who is going to be interested in the content you are delivering?
Would this content be better for retention or upselling, or would it be better being delivered to a prospective customer?
Who should be excluded from your message based on interests, purchase history and recent exposure to your emails.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s important to tailor your messaging and marketing efforts to guarantee that those who truly care is receiving the right content at the right time.
The results will speak for themselves, and you’ll feel confident knowing that you’re delivering curated email content at the right time for the audiences receiving it.
