There is no single method of planning an email marketing campaign that will suit everyone. We all want to make money but that’s a bit too vague to be useful. A plan has to be bespoke, specific to you and the product.
A simple generic method that works for us all is to start at the basics. There are just four questions, the answers to which will define the evolution of your campaign. They appear simple, but are complex in detail.
The questions, not necessarily in order:
1/ What do you want your subscribers to do,
2/ What is in it for them,
3/ How will you segment your email marketing list, and
4/ How will you know if you’ve got it right?
What could be easier? Fully answer each question and you will have the perfect campaign for you.
What do your want your subscribers to do?
There are any number of reasons for organising an email marketing campaign. You might have something to sell, perhaps a new line of products, maybe you are after clearing your shelves of a product that had a lower take-up rate than you expected or you are after leads.
Whilst the fundamental purpose of a campaign is to have a subscriber click through to your landing page, you need different methods for different products. A marketing email selling a holiday in the Algarve will differ from one where the purpose is to obtain subscribers to your email marketing lists.
What’s in it for them?
You are asking your subscribers to part with money, time or personal information. There must be a good reason for them to do so and it should be demonstrated early on, preferably starting from the Subject Line. The marketing email must convince them that their generosity is worthwhile.
If you are asking for their money, then prove value. If you want them to subscribe, then show that you are trustworthy. Work out what the triggers will be and work them into the copy, ensuring images support the message.
Who are you going to send the email to
In certain email marketing campaigns you will have the subscribers identified already, such as engaging with those who’ve gone off the boil. At other times, however, you will base your selection on the nature of the offer. In the latter case, list the characteristics that will make a subscriber respond to the triggers. Use this information to guide your segmentation of the lists.
Measuring the campaign’s success
Many people go on the click-through rate as the ultimate metric, but you need to look further. How many leads did you gain? What was the overall value of each lead? If few of them resulted in new subscribers to your email marketing list, then what price high click-through rates? Without specific and measurable targets you cannot know whether your email performed as you hoped.
Each email marketing campaign is an opportunity. Design it around your targets. Whilst you can, and should, congratulate yourself on improving conversions, if you wanted it forwarded, but no one bothered, then you need to improve.
