8 Tips for improving your email marketing strategey

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Off the Page eMarketing | www.offthepage.com.au

The Strategy

Business Objective• What business objective do

your want your email marketing to achieve?

• Sit down with your team, or if you’re a sole trader, with some quiet time and consider how your business can benefit most from email marketing.

• Is it the best medium for your business?

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The Strategy

Value• What value will your

customers get from your email?

• Every time you send and email campaign, you’re asking your customers to stop what they’re doing, and give you their full attention.

• Make it worth their while – or you risk losing them as an active subscriber, or worse still, they might unsubscribe altogether.

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The Strategy

Frequency• How frequently will you send

your email campaigns?• How often do you have

something of value to share with your readers?

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The Strategy1

Plan• Draft up a content/topic plan

for the next 6-12 months.• When running a small

business, it’s easy to let your email newsletter fall to the bottom of your to do list.

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The Strategy

Plan• An email marketing plan

helps to keep your email marketing regular!

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Avoid the ‘JUNK’ box• I’m a big fan of

‘good looking’ email campaigns.

• A good design will serve your brand well and also draw the readers attention.

• But it’s important to balance the aesthetic with the practical - especially if you want to avoid the junk box and reach the inbox.

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Avoid the ‘JUNK’ boxPlain Text Email

• Always create an HTML version and Plain Text version of your email.

• Why? If you only provide an HTML email, subscribers whose email clients are set up only to hand text messages will display a jumble of text, odd characters and HTML code.

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Avoid the ‘JUNK’ boxImages

• Use Image Alt Tags. Most recipients have images disabled by default. Email that arrives with blocked images often looks like a puzzle of blank boxes. Alt tags can help communicate email content.

• Set your image size (ie “width=“100px height=“200px”) so they appear the correct size and your email design keeps its ‘shape’ when images are disabled.

• Set the back ground colour so there are no big ugly white spaces when images are disabled.

Images Disabled

Images Enabled

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Avoid the ‘JUNK’ box

• Your email client cannot ‘read’ images.

• If an email client cannot find enough text content to ‘read’ within an email, often it will send it to the junk folder.

• Use text where possible.• As a general rule, for

image heavy emails, stick to 50% text, 50% image content.

50/50 Rule

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The DatabasePurchased Lists

Never...• Buy/borrow a list from any source and

add it to your database.• Take internal data that has been ‘lying

around’ and add it to your active database.

• Take data from a partner and add it to your database.

Why?• You don’t have permission – it is illegal

to email commercial messages without inferred or express consent from the recipient.

• You don’t know the source, age or quality of these lists – or who else has purchased them.

• You risk high complaints (clicks on the ‘report spam button), which will quickly destroy your sender reputation and get all your messages blocked to all subscribers, even those who actually like receiving your emails.

There is no quick fix to relationship building!

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The DatabaseHome grown

is bestThere are lots of great ways to build an active and engaged list...• Capture email addresses

every time you come into contact with existing or potential customers.• In person.• At events• On your website.• On social media sites.• On the phone.• During the purchase

process.

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The DatabaseThe power of

segmenting your list• Better target your email

campaigns and understand your relationship better with more information about your customers/subscribers.

• Collect additional and information when you collect the email addresses. Eg. Postcode, Industry sector, purchase type etc.

• This information will help you to better target your messages.

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Timing• There is no ‘one time/day’ fits all

solution.• Your customers are unique to your

business. Consider when they will most likely be receptive to your message and your call to action.

• For example, If you are in the restaurant business, then emailing your customers on a Thursday or Friday might generate a higher open rate and response – as people are starting to think about what they want to do on the weekend. Rather than if you were to email on a Monday or Tuesday, when people are in a ‘work frame of mind’.

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Review the results• Keeping an eye on your results

will help you track the success of your email campaigns.

• Analysing these metrics will assist you to improve future campaigns and shape a more successful ongoing email marketing strategy.

After every campaign...• Consider why your open, click-

through, bounce or unsubscribe rates are higher or lower than usual. What has caused the change? (Think about the subject line, content, location or appearance of links, send date and time, etc.)

• Identify what worked well and what didn't work so well with your campaign.

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Subject Line

Keep it Short & Sweet

• Subject lines should be clever, to the point, and provide the most information in the shortest possible way. Think 50 characters.

• A short, punchy subject line should encourage a reader to open your email within seconds.

• A standout subject line clearly states what a reader can expect, enjoy and get from reading your email...and you have a split second to convince them to read on.

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Subject LineThe From Name & Pre-Header

Use the 'From' line wisely• Use the 'From' line to identify your business name clearly, and don't repeat it in the subject

line, you would only be wasting valuable characters! If you're sending a regular newsletter or promotion, consider using this in your from line, and save your subject line for information to engage the reader.

Use the pre-header as ‘Teaser Text’ • The vast majority of pre-headers contain only one item: instructions on how to access a web

version of the email should the message fail to display properly. • Instead, use the pre-header to build value, interest and excitement in your message – use it

as an added.• A correctly worded pre-headers builds on your email subject line and helps your reader,

especially your mobile reader, decide whether to read your email.• For example:

FROM: ABC Mortgage BrokersSUBJECT: News - December 2010Instead try using the main story or topic in the subject line to compel your reader to

open.... FROM: ABC Mortgage Brokers NewsSUBJECT: Reduce your mortgage faster with these 5 steps

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Subject Line Pre-Header

Provides further incentive as to why the email should be opened and read.

From NameIdentifies the business clearly

Subject LineShort and punchy, clearly identifies what can be expected within the email.

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PermissionEver wondered where the term ‘Spam’ originated from?

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Permission

COMPLIANT?Is your email database

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Permission

ConsentDo you have consent? • Only send commercial electronic

messages with the addressee’s consent - either express or inferred consent.

• Spam is defined in the Act as ‘unsolicited commercial electronic messaging’. This includes email, SMS and instant messaging. What is not contained in the definition of spam is any suggestion of bulk. Ten thousand emails can be sent at once quite legitimately while another single email can be identified as spam if it is commercial in nature and the recipient believes it is unsolicited.

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Permission

IdentifyHave you clearly identified yourself? • Include clear and

accurate information about the person or business that is responsible for sending the commercial electronic message.

Clear BrandingEasy to identify

Contact DetailsClear and accurate information about the business that is sending the message.

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Permission

UnsubscribeCan readers easily unsubscribe? • Ensure that a functional unsubscribe

facility is included in all your commercial electronic messages.

• Deal with unsubscribe requests promptly.

UnsubscribeEasy to ‘opt out’

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PermissionWhat happens when the Spam Act is not adhered to?

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Permission

Act 2003

All email marketers shouldbe familiar with the

Spam Act 2003: A practical guide for businessThe National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) has prepared this guide in consultation withthe business community to provide practical information about the Spam Act and guidance on steps that may be taken to assist in complying with it.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ONLINE

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http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/consumer_info/frequently_asked_questions/spam_business_practical_guide.pdf

http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/consumer_info/frequently_asked_questions/spam_business_practical_guide.pdf

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The Message

Call to ActionDo you have a call to action? • Remember you should have a

business objective with your email marketing campaign.

• What action do you want your customer/reader to take?

• Ensure your call to action is clear and easy.

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The Message Clear Call to

Action

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The Message Clear Call to

Action

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The Message

Content - Less is more• Text on the screen is read very differently to printed text.• Web and email content should have 50% of the word

count, to its paper equivalent.• According to research done at Stanford University, 79% of

users scan the page instead of reading word for word, focusing on headlines, summaries and captions.

• Use clean headings and subheadings, and use point format where possible.

• Keep it short and punchy to avoid losing peoples attention.

• Online users are active, not passive, if a quick scan doesn’t show them the info they need, they won’t spend time searching for it.

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The Message1Thank you!

Kate Eldred | DirectorOff the Page eMarketingT 1300 803 173E [email protected] www.offthepage.com.au

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.offthepage.com.au/