Increase the Effectiveness of Your Email Marketing Campaigns

Get the most from your email marketing dollars.

Your email can either generate a strong ROI or fall flat. Successful email marketers take a disciplined approach to email marketing. By putting an equal emphais on email marketing preparation as you do execution, you can increase the response of your email marketing significantly. Here are a few tips for getting the most from your email marketing campaigns.

1. Define Your Strategy.
Is your email marketing part of a larger strategy for your business, or is it a primary marketing channel that stands on its own? Email marketing requires a flexible approach. Strategies should include observance of CAN-SPAM legislation, the building of a permission-based list, integrating with other media, testing, segmentation and analysis, updating data with NCOA (National Change of Address), cleansing data, and getting feedback from prospects and customers.

2. Leverage All Customer Touchpoints to Build Your Email List.
If email is an essential part of your marketing strategy, then you should focus on building a list through all customer touchpoints. From your voicemail message to your confirmation emails, invite your prospects to register for a newsletter, free report, or something else of perceived value. Doing so will build your email list.

3. Invest in an Online Relationship with Your Customers.
Once an individual has exchanged his/her email address with you in an electronic format, you must commit to building a relationship with him in an electronic format. Once a relationship is established, other forms of media can be used.

4. Segment and Personalize.
There is nothing more important than shaping your email marketing messages and offers based on targeted segments and personalization. Segmenting is key to better meet the needs of your propsects and personalization is proven to lift response.

5. Test your Email Messages.
There are so many factors that affect response that its important for you to test on a regular basis. Try testing a subject line to a small group of prospects before your send your email to thousands. What you learn could save you from a poorly performing email campaign. Test your offers, timing, and so on. All of these factors and more - copy that mail clients read as spam, links that don't work, and bad email addresses.

6. Retain your Customers.
After you've acquired a user's email address, you should work hard to keep it active. To do so, be sure to communicate to your prospects via email on a regular basis, ask them how they'd like to hear from you. By keeping your propsects engaged, you will learn why they haven't bought and improve your marketing messages.

By following the suggestions above, you can make the most from your email marketing campaigns. Organizationally, if you can afford to have someone be your resident email marketing expert, then do so. Email can be simple or complex. Since changes in legislation a few years ago, email marketers must understand email do's and don'ts. Good luck with your email marketing!