Digital marketing has exploded in the last decade. With so many tools and software to choose from it becomes challenging to keep your strategy focused. In 2011 there were roughly 150 marketing tools. In 2017 over 5,000 marketing tools were reported. With that type of growth it can be confusing which programs to select.
Most companies are trying to capitalize on their ROI. Research has shown that email marketing has the highest ROI among all other marketing channels. It has been this way for years and is continually showing an increase in results. The benefits are endless and your budget will approve of your research for the best practices of email marketing.
Email Marketing
Why it is beneficial
As pointed out earlier, email is the best marketing channel to use when trying to optimize your return on investment. With the supply of thousands of email service providers, the cost is very affordable. In comparison to TV ads you are paying a fraction of the price to reach the same hundreds of thousands in your audience.
Not only is the budget a factor, but the effectiveness of the message and the medium. Email marketing is the most effective channel. The reporting shows email can churn more conversions than SEO, social media, display ads, TV, and radio ads. This makes it a no-brainer to invest in the right software and to set up your email marketing strategy.
Email Marketing Software
Automation
Emailing can be fast and painless with the right tools. Shooting out 100,000 emails through your personal outlook account will probably take you years. Email marketing technology is the easiest way to capitalize on the numerous emails you create and the content to go along with it.
Email automation has many benefits. Customers are having better experiences, leads are being delivered with more quality and quantity, there are higher conversions, it is cost-efficient, and more traffic to your website. It is highly recommended to complement your email campaigns with a marketing automation tool.
CRM
Keeping your contacts in order can be hard when there are hundreds of thousands of emails sent out daily. CRM systems will keep track of who has received what email, who has opened it, and who is searching for more information on it. Integration is going to be very important here. Not only should your ESP be speaking to your CRM but you should also integrate social media, phone calls, and personal emails.
Segmenting your customers can be done easily with a customer management system. This will help with the experience you are providing to your customer. Send them emails that they are interested in at the right time. Increase your chances of making the sale by being in the right place at the right time with the right information.
Campaigns
Campaign details
When setting up your campaign, take the time to determine the purpose of sending out these emails. Without a specific goal you will find it hard to see if it was a success or not. A very crucial aspect to email marketing is making sure your lists are segmented. Although tedious, segmenting your lists will prove to be more beneficial than sending in bulk. In conjunction with segmenting the list, clean out old emails and unsubscribes to deliver the best results.
Email set up
Have you ever wondered what the most important part of the email was? The answer is the subject line. This is what entices readers to click. Without the initial open the subject, links and images in the email mean nothing. Many times customers will open an email with their name in it. Include personalization when necessary.
The sender name and email should be easily recognizable. If your audience has a track record of interacting with your brand, be sure that your business’ name is the sender name. If you are including a return address, make sure it is set before moving forward.
Email content
Hours can be spent creating the content to fill the email body. Be sure to proofread and personalize the sections wherever necessary. Include any images desired. Test out links and hyperlink words to make the email look more professional. Create a CTA (call to action) and make it very noticeable. Create buttons and link them to the sites you want your audience to visit.
Test before you send
When proofing your email, test it in all formats. Not all recipients will be viewing the email on a desktop. Test on desktop, mobile, and tablet to make sure all have the same look/feel. Run your email through a spam test to make sure your email is deliverable. Double, triple check if the links are working and are in the right places. Lastly, check the personalization. Is it connecting to the right field? If you do not complete this step it could lead to some very awkward conversations with the person named [First Name].
Once all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed, you are ready to send. If you haven’t done so before, test out the best open rate time and day of the week for your target audience. This gives you the best chance of having your material read.
Reporting
Finally, there is reporting. With all the talk about how beneficial email marketing is, you are now able to put it to the test. Monitor your open rate, click-through rate, response, and conversions for the best picture of how your email has performed. Another metric is a heat map to see what the audience was clicking on or spending the most time viewing. These metrics will give you a guide to follow when developing your next campaign.