If you have invested in the strategy, graphic design, and copywriting elements of e-mail campaigns as described in our previous post “Do More Than E-Mail,” you deserve to see positive results. Here are the steps you need to take for your small business.
First, choose one or more e-mail campaigns
Possible categories/choices include
In response to your reader’s action
- Abandon your shopping cart? Never!
- About your order
- Just for our loyal customers
- Thank you for your contribution
- Thanks for making a purchase
- We want your feedback
- Welcome to our mailing list
- Your opinion matters
By date
- Don’t lose these benefits
- Holiday greetings
- It’s time to renew
- Seasonal offers
- Time for a check-up
Newsjacking
- Breaking news
- Industry trends
Promoting your brand and expertise
- A sneak peek at our new product or service
- Quarterly highlights
- Tips and tools (weekly, biweekly, monthly)
Second, set a clear goal for each e-mail campaign
Here are some ideas to get you started. You might want to
• Increase visibility for your brand
• Reach more potential clients
• Better qualify leads
• Sell more products or services
• Retain loyal customers
Third, establish what you want to measure
Tate Design can help you match your goals for your e-mail campaign to one or more of the following
• Click-through rate
• Conversion rate
• Delivery rate (decreased bounce rate)
• Health of your list (few spam reports, opt-outs, and unsubscribes)
• List growth rate
• Open rate
• Revenue per e-mail
• Sharing/forwarding rate
• Subscriber retention rate
Fourth, set up and send your e-mails
Tate Design can handle this for you from start to finish
Fifth, measure
Tate Design can record how many e-mails you actually send, your list of contacts, and analytics for the goal-oriented measurements you selected
Sixth, look for what needs changing
Be realistic
- Your “Welcome to my mailing list—enjoy this free e-book” will get more opens than “Buy My Wonder Widget” because they are totally dissimilar content
Boost click-through rates with
- Timely, relevant content
- A clear, concise call to action near the top of the e-mail
- Links with the CTA throughout the e-mail, preferably in button form, all of which work
- Mobile-friendly and responsive design for smartphone users
Increase delivery rates and decrease bounce rates by
- Asking for double-opt-ins at sign-up
- Requesting updated information occasionally
- Periodically cleaning up your list after viewing the bounce list, the did not open list, and the spam list
Improve open rates by
- Creating content that your audience actually wants and needs
- Making your subject line short and compelling
- Sending your e-mails at the time and on the day of the week you get the most opens
- Refraining from selling in every e-mail—this will turn some of your target audience off for good
Decrease spam reports, opt-outs, and unsubscribes by
- Aiming for a 80/20 balance of helpful information and brand awareness with some selling (not the other way around)
- Matching your content your target market’s interests
- Making your subject lines truthful and unambiguous
- Keeping your promises, both real and implied
- Complying with GDPR and CAN-SPAM laws, which include by asking for permission to send e-mail, providing your contact information and a means to unsubscribe, protecting personal data, and delivering useful information more often than sales pitches
Call Tate Design at 610.725.0702 or e-mail [email protected] to see better business results from your e-mail marketing campaigns.
Do More Than Send E-Mail
