Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to promote your business. At least, that’s the case if you know how to truly harness the power of emails. With changes in trends and technology, there are many points to consider with this tried-and-tested advertising tactic.
To help you along the way, here are five steps to improving your next email marketing campaign.
Before anything else, it’s essential you have the correct foundation in place. Software solutions are the bricks for this foundation. It’s no secret that innovative technology can make business processes – including email marketing campaigns – a whole lot easier to conduct and complete. Not only do they save time and resources, but they can optimize performance levels.
There’s just one problem: picking the right software.
After all, there are countless solutions out there that promise to take your email campaigns to the next level. Which one is the best fit for your business? While there is no definitive answer, one recommendation is to go with a CRM platform like Salesforce.
Why? A CRM delivers a number of key advantages for users. With Salesforce, it’s possible to:
Even with these advantages, just remember you cannot incorporate something like Salesforce without the right preparation. This will only cause disorganization within your company. This is why a change management approach is recommended. To help, Spekit has put together a guide on how to simplify Salesforce change management.
Split testing is one of the most effective methods to learn about what is – and isn’t – working with your email campaigns. Split testing, as the name alludes to, involves sending two versions of an email. Each version incorporates small changes, and the email that receives the most engagement (opens, clicks, conversions, etc.) is the one that is seen as the ‘winner’.
For instance, split testing could be used to test out the email subject line. The first email could have the subject line, ‘Click here to learn about our new special offer!’ The second might be titled, ‘Psst, we have a secret special offer to show you…’ These emails are then sent to two separate sample groups. If the second email subject line produces more positive results, you know to go forward with that for your email campaign.
This can be a laborious process, particularly if you are testing out different elements one by one. However, it is also a proven and effective method to get the most from your email marketing campaigns.
The email’s body presents you with a blank canvas to captivate the customer. Will you use this canvas to throw down a few squiggles? Or will you use it to its full potential and produce a masterpiece?
For the latter, one of the wisest approaches to take is by telling a story. This allows you to connect with your customers on an emotional level – and if you know anything about sales, you know emotion counts for a lot. If you are able to provoke feelings in the email recipient, they’re more likely to be sold on what you’re selling.
Just remember your story cannot be the size of a book. It still has to remain within the confines of a standard email, which means you have about two or three paragraphs to play with before someone loses interest. Also, try and incorporate imagery that supports the story you’re telling.
Extending on from the previous point, to take your storytelling to the next level, consider pairing it up with dynamic content. Emails have moved on considerably from the days when they were primarily text-based. Now they can be populated with videos, GIFs, interactive surveys, and other forms of dynamic content.
As an example, say you run a clothing company that has just released a new summer collection. You can put together an interactive catalog, complete with images and short descriptions, that recipients can look through due to a flip-through effect. This type of interactivity can be more effective than, say, listing the products down the page.
You can look at the analytics. You can perform split testing. Yet to truly learn from your customers, there’s no harm in asking directly for their feedback.
This can be done by sending them an email and requesting they complete a quick survey. To get as many responses as possible, make sure it is simple for them to do. It’s also recommended to add some sort of incentive, such as a discount code, to get them to share their feedback and suggestions.