In this second part of the series on email marketing campaigns I will focus on the new way to approach this marketing tool based on my experience working on several of these types of campaigns.
The approach to email marketing campaigns has changed over the past few years. I think back to some campaigns that I worked on in 2009, and I would have a much different approach today.
Most of the change in this form of marketing is driven by the radical increase in social media use, even in just the past four years. In my opinion, I think that the rise in social media activity has caused people to be on information overload. This creates even greater emphasis on the need for a clear and focused marketing message in order to stand out in a very crowded business landscape.
SEO and the risk of too many keywords
The importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is being talked about within business circles both at large and small companies. It is becoming more crucial to follow SEO guidelines in order to get your message out to the masses effectively. The message has to be tailored and polished to have any chance of getting noticed in the sea of activity on the internet today.
Conversely, you have to remember, whether you work for a large company or a small business, you cannot degrade the integrity of your message by packing it with SEO keywords. The “spiders” and “web crawlers” software has become so advanced and intuitive, that it will actually hurt your SEO efforts if you stack an email, website or other online promotional format with unnecessary keywords.
Instead, when I format these types of campaigns I focus on the product or service and what it can do, what value can it bring for my customer. I have found that this approach works to put together the initial message, and then I punch it up with a few keywords for SEO, but I use those sparingly. I also only use them if they make sense within the context of the email marketing campaign piece.
Call ahead – You never know what you will get
I also find that in the fast paced environment today, it is usually better to call the contacts on your email marketing campaign list. In my experience, I find that this is a good idea for two reasons: it provides a reason to stay in front of your customer, and it allows for a more effective email marketing campaign because with spam filters today the call ahead insures that your contacts will add the email address you are sending it out from. This insures that the message will at least reach the desired contact people, and not wind up in a spam folder.
I actually remembered a personal account when I was preparing to write this blog post where I had been working on a big email marketing campaign, and I started calling the contacts on the list. I learned that a couple of people had recently left their jobs within that week I was working on the campaign, so I was able to speak with their colleagues about the new contact person as well as get their contact information. Then, on one of the calls, I ended up getting information on a project and sending a product sample to them for future business. So you never know.
The importance of Subject Lines
The other very important aspect of an email marketing campaign is the subject line of your email. The subject line is similar to a headline in an article. I have written my share of news stories and articles, and rule #1 is that the headline has to be catchy and grab the interest of the reader.
The same concept rings true in my experience with email marketing campaigns. You have to present a polished and focused message with one or two main points. However, if the email is not opened because the subject line is ambiguous, then you have just wasted your time organizing the email campaign.
Furthermore, in a small business, time is your most precious resource because you have limited manpower. This creates further urgency to get the subject line right for your audience. In my experience, I always liked to use the name of the company in the subject line so that the source of the email was clear to the recipient. Some other marketing professionals do not use the company name in the subject line and instead focus on grabbing the recipient with other “buzz words”.
I either case, it is important that the recipient knows what the intent of the email is through the subject line. I always believe in pitching the message creatively in an email marketing campaign. In each business a creative way to pitch a product or service exists, so get creative.
Before You Hit the Send Button
Now that you have put all of these components together in the development of your email marketing campaign, make sure you edit and proofread the message before sending
it out.
I remember one position I was in, where I did receive promotional emails from vendors looking for our business, and their email marketing piece had spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. It was a big turn off for me, and I felt if they were that lazy about sending it out, how would they handle the business I had initially intended to send their way? I gave the business to another vendor.
The other feature to make sure you include in your email marketing campaign is a unsubscribe link. This link must be prominently featured on your email in order to allow your recipient to be able to end the communications whenever they want to do so.
In conclusion, the email marketing campaign has a great upside as a marketing tool. However, it also can be ineffective if the right steps are not taken to maximize the delivery and value of this communication to your customers. I hope that this article will help you in your process of developing or refining the email marketing campaign for your business.