Direct Marketing Association research data shows that email marketing generated an ROI of $43.62 for each dollar that was spend on email campaigns in 2009. Shop.org’s State of Retailing Online 2009 survey of retailers dug out the fact that E-Mail is the most mentioned successful tactic overall. A 2009 survey of US B2B marketers by MarketingProfs and Forrester Research found that 39% planned to increase email budgets. All the above highlights that Email marketing just works. Yes, it works but we need to get the basics right.
Listed down below are some handy nuggets that can help your email campaigns get real results.
See the Forest for the Trees
Email Marketing campaigns needs to look at the big picture. Open Rates, Click through rates need not be the sole criteria for the success badge. Macro objectives are a better measure for each campaign. Collaterals downloaded on a landing page from a call to action on an email is a far accurate success parameter than solely open and click through rates.
Integrated Marketing Campaigns are the key
You get the best ROI when your email campaigns are synchronized seamlessly with other marketing vehicles. Email Marketing works best when SEO, PPC, social media optimization, tele calling, event and tradeshows and other traditional methods form part of the mix.
Focus on list quality than size
Any growing mailing list will have to be weeded out for quality. Well profiled, relevant and segmented target audience that fits your profile of high value prospects/ decision makers, even if on the lean side in terms of size will result in high response rates and ultimately better ROI.
Marry Web Analytics
Web Analytics should be tied in to your email campaigns since it provides the vital intelligence that can help you profile your web visitor. Web Profiling gives great insight into the mind of the user, thus giving your email campaigns more ammo to tailor email content that can exactly match the prospect’s requirement.
Establish Trust with Clear Opt-in processes
Unsolicited mails are a big no and can harm your brand badly. Let the opt-in process be transparent, ideally a two stage opt-in process that involves a confirmation list before the subscriber is added to the database.
Handle Email churn
Email churn can be a bane and for practical reasons, you can expect to lose a minimum of 20% of your subscribers due to people changing their email addresses. Best way to handle churn is to have a link in emails that can allow subscribers to update their email addresses at random intervals.
Ensure Legal Compliance
Most countries have their anti-spam laws, for instance the US has CAN-SPAM, so ensure that you are on the right side of the law. Regular audits of your privacy policy adherence and compliance to email marketing best practices will keep you in the clear at all times.
Testing is the key
Testing is the key to achieving ROI improvement. Consistent A/B testing of subject lines, call to action elements will definitely help campaign performance. Make sure that all email client plaforms are tested through for perfect rendering and the best user experience.