Improving your email marketing in 2012

Start by performing a review of the basics behind your email operation, using the following as part of your review:

 

• Start by streamlining your mailing list, removing those addresses that no longer exist or which keep bouncing back your mails. Too many bounce backs will increasingly affect the deliverability of your newsletters.

 

• Review your welcome message, to bring it back up to date. If you’re like 60% of the UK’s leading retailers in not having a welcome message, now is the time to create one.

 

• Check your sign-up forms, making sure they’re clear, simple and welcoming rather than off-putting (remember, you can ask new subscribers to supply more personal details after they’ve signed up).

 

• Also make sure you stay the right side of the law by making it easy and straightforward to unsubscribe – don’t forget to offer alternative means for customers to receive your offers and other information.

 

• Now is the perfect time to make sure your email template follows accepted standards. Follow our tips to see what’s required, and make sure your designer is aware of what rules to follow.

 

• Remember too that many people nowadays only read email in plain text, so make sure your message is visible in this format and that the opening lines are powerful enough to compel them to continue reading.

 

When did you last update your email design? Technology is changing fast, and people are viewing email on a wider array of devices - tablets, smartphones and so on – than ever before. If your templates are geared towards computer screens, now is the time to update them for the here and now – with 76 per cent of US smartphone users choosing to read email on their phone or tablet rather than their PC, you know it makes sense. 

 

Don’t treat mobile subscribers differently to anyone else, but do make sure your emails can be read on whatever device they’re using – see this presentation for some useful tips to follow to ensure your message can be read across a variety of mobile platforms.

 

It’s not enough to simply make your emails mobile-friendly, why not also take advantage of the extra lines of communication they open up? For example, trigger an email to your subscribers whenever they check into one of your stores using an app like Facebook or FourSquare, perhaps offering mobile-friendly discount coupons that store-based staff can easily process.

 

There’s no need to look at email and social media like Twitter in isolation – think of ways you can combine them to achieve even better results.

 

Naturally you want good value from your email recipients, particularly if you have specific targets to meet, but don’t allow this to overshadow the simple fact that you need to provide something in return. It’s no longer enough to simply provide a welcome email and then put your subscribers on rotation – you need to grab their attention within the first few emails they’re sent if you want to engage fully with them.

 

Make sure your emails – including any special offers – are relevant to your audience to maximise their interest in it, and don’t be afraid to look beyond simple monetary value – a well-written newsletter can entertain as well as inform, and serve as a timely reminder to your customers that you’re ready and waiting to service their needs.

 

It’s also worth thinking about what sets you apart from everyone else in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Think hard about what can make you stand out from the opposition, be it brand, product or even just tone and style.

 

Don’t be afraid to think small, testing small changes to your newsletters to see if you can squeeze some additional response, even as a short-term measure. Take a look at your subject line – the first thing your subscribers see. Also experiment with your call-to-action wording and the From line in your email that helps to identify who you are to your subscriber. Even minor tweaks like these can have beneficial effects – just check out these A/B test results.

 

The people working on your email campaigns are gold dust, so treat them accordingly. They’re the ones delivering great value for money, not the mechanics of your email machine, so make sure you have the people in place to do more than simple drive the current campaign message – pick people who can move your entire business forward too. Wondering what your email campaign manager actually does? Find out here.

 

It’s tempting to view your metrics from purely a numerical standpoint, but take the time to find out what’s driving those numbers – including any possible outside influences such as seasonal factors – and you’ll stay on message rather than get distracted by chasing numbers and targets that ultimately aren’t relevant.