With the world of social media dominating high volumes of b2b and b2c communications, what’s happening to email?
There is no doubt both the use and success of email has been in decline over recent years. What this means to marketing professionals is that of you want your email campaigns to succeed, then they need to be exceptional.
For me, email campaigns simply don’t work in isolation, especially in the b2b world. Perhaps that’s due to the nature of the business I work in but I believe to get the best results, email must be one dimension of a multi-touch strategy.
Anyhow, here are my top 5 tips for successful e-mail campaigns.
1. Subject Line
I believe around 80% of writing and design time should be spent on a compelling, engaging subject line and 20% on the rest of the content. If the subject line doesn’t scream ‘READ ME NOW’ then the content is pretty irrelevant.
2. The Hook
I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever replied to a ‘marketing’ email that did not have a great hook. We need to engage our audience with a great subject line the POW, give them an offer of something they can’t refuse. Take Tesco as a good example, I have used the £10 off your next shop voucher countless times.
3. Personalisation
Which brings me onto one of the most important factors. Personalisation is not just about adding the recipient’s name to the top of the email. It’s about understanding you target market. With a good knowledge of your customers needs and wants, your emails should render dynamic content based on the segment of people you are sending it to. Do not underestimate the important role CRM plays in marketing.
4. Screen Real Estate
People receive and read emails in different ways and as the sender you need to be acutely aware of this. Some recipients open their email fully in Outlook, others use the preview pane, others on iPhones etc etc. This means that you need to get you key message in the top left corner of your design so it has the beat chance of being seen, no matter what device the recipient is using.
5. Follow Up
Sadly, in my experience this is rare. I must get 30+ marketing emails a day and perhaps only 1-2 followed by a phone call. It is however those 1-2 that get my attention as they usually prompt me to revisit the email in my inbox. It’s the lack of professional follow-up that is usually at the centre of failing campaign, invest the time to do this properly and you will be more successful.
Next time you create a campaign review these 5 steps and see if you have them covered. Good luck
INSIDE A MARKETING MIND: BLOG BY GARETH CASE 
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Posted by Will Amill | October 13, 2011, 11:30 am