There are various ways of measuring the success of an email marketing campaign and you can use a multitude of metrics to understand various indicators of overall performance. Understanding how your email marketing campaign is faring is the first step to ensuring that you implement the right strategies to strengthen your plan. In the absence of observation and optimization, a marketing plan might be as good as wasting money. To help you plan your email marketing plan better, here are 5 key elements that emails that win possess.
- Proper timing and frequency
Timing is a vital aspect of email marketing that you must never take for granted. In fact, many good email marketing campaigns fail to yield any benefits because their timing is off, and frequency is not matched to the expectations of the market. You might be living in Alaska but most of those you want to reach are in a different demographic, which implies there could be a time difference, so basing timing on the time of your region is misleading.
You should dig deeper to understand when your target audience is more likely to open the email and make sure to send exactly around that time. The time of the day your target gets the email can greatly influence their action and most importantly how frequently you serve them the emails might also be impactful. Some prime times you should consider include the morning when most of the users are commuting to work, in the afternoon while they are out for lunch, and when they are home in the evening.
- Subject lines
The relevance of a subject line cannot be overlooked if you want to achieve success out of your email marketing campaigns. This is the first thing your users will see and also the determinant of whether they will proceed to open the mail or delete altogether. Therefore, you must use a catchy subject line that will get the user aroused to see what is contained in the mail, and through this, you can capture their attention further by taking them to important pages. If used well, the subject line could be a defining factor in the success of your email marketing campaign.
- Content
Content, in this case, refers to both copy and visual elements used in your emails. One of the reasons you should use images is the fact that they speak louder. Words may be useful but not many people have the time to sift through loads of text to see the message you are trying to convey, so if possible lean more towards the use of images and ensure the message is communicated in the most economical manner possible.
Your campaigns should also contain a call to action, which often comes towards the end of the mail, so if the mail is unnecessarily long you are likely going to lose many users after they have read few lines. It is advisable to keep it as short and straight to the point as possible, and while doing this infuse some sense of creativity so your users will find the need to answer the call you are making.
- Device optimization
Gone are the days when everyone accessed mail through personal computers. More users are accessing the internet from their mobile devices and part of this activity is reading emails. When designing your email templates, make sure to optimize them for use on all devices so whenever your users who are on mobile devices access the message are able to enjoy the same experience as someone on PC. Doing this enhances readability and chances are high you will retain most of those who will go past reading the subject line.
- Personalization
You should also strive to send users content that is relevant and tailored to offer value. Check the user in your database to review the content they were reading when they signed up via the blog, and while creating marketing copies match the subject to the interests of the user. It helps to reach only those likely to show interest in the subject while serving the rest what matches their preferences. In the end, you will have reduced junk and most of these users will respond positively.
Kareem Elsirafy is a serial entrepreneur who has an obsession with staying on top of the latest email marketing trends.