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Thanks to the proliferation of spam, email marketing has been getting something of a bad press of late. At extravision we've always been actively against spam. We believe that it has nothing in common with well-run and professional email marketing and thought it was high time we set the record straight. In this article we get back to basics and remind ourselves why professional email marketing works and how to do it successfully.
So why does it work?
There are a number of reasons why email marketing works - and why so many companies are switching to email as the method of delivery for their campaigns...
1. It delivers results
As we have seen the primary reason has to be the higher response rates that email marketing achieves. A well-conducted email campaign will produce response rates of 15% or higher.
2. It's more cost effective
Even large-scale email campaigns are significantly less expensive to run than traditional telephone or postal direct marketing campaigns.
3. It's quicker
Even the most complex campaigns can be planned and executed in a fraction of the time it takes for a print-mail campaign. This enables marketers to react more quickly to market conditions and deliver exciting campaigns that are truly of the moment.
Not only are campaigns quicker to deliver but the results are faster too. Once a message is mailed out it's peak response will be within the next 24hrs with over 85% of responses being received within 48hrs.
4. It's easy to measure
These results are much easier to track than with traditional campaigning methods. Click-throughs to links can be tracked and responses measured incredibly accurately. Many companies find its measurability one of the most significant advantages of email - it takes the guesswork out of evaluating the success of a campaign and allows for a higher degree of customer intelligence.
5. It's more personal
The key to email's high response rate is the level of personalisation that is possible. Email is the perfect medium for delivering campaigns that appear to be one-to-one although they may be delivered to hundreds of customers and prospects. In fact it is only by using personalisation techniques that a truly great response can be achieved, fortunately with the right tools at hand it is not that hard to do.
6. It builds good customer relationships
Email campaigns are best utilised as the start of a dialogue with customers rather than as a one off hit and run tactic. The interactivity that is built into email (e.g. the ability to click on a link) is its greatest asset and enables companies to build relationships with customers. With competition and market pressures continually on the increase good customer relationships are at the heart of every successful business.
How to make email marketing work
Hopefully we've shown that email marketing really can work - and why. There is no doubt that email campaigns, when well delivered, elicit a great response and most importantly, increase sales. If it seems a tempting prospect but you're not certain where to begin here's our six-step guide to running a successful email campaign:
1. Build a list
The best place to start is by building a list of all your customers, old and new. In-house lists generate the best responses - after all you'll be talking to people who already know you and whom you already know something about. If you don't have their email addresses then don't worry - running a telemarketing campaign is an ideal means of collecting email addresses. It is possible to collect an email address for between 15 and 25 customers an hour using a good system and well-defined processes.
2. Call to action
Set campaign objectives and design a campaign with a defined call to action around them. There are a few tricks to writing an email campaign - simply using past direct mail copy is unlikely to have the desired results. If you don't plan to employ a creative to design your email perhaps our tips on how to write effective email copy will help How to write great email copy
The call to action will vary depending on your campaign objectives, whatever it is make sure that it will appeal to your customer base and is relevant to them.
3. Personalise
Perhaps the single most important element of a good email campaign is personalisation. Remember that at the end of that email address there is a human being. None of us like to be treated like one of the crowd by a faceless marketing department. Make sure the email appears to have been sent by a person, and talks in your customer's language. Use their name, some past history if possible and get personal - emails are more informal than other methods of communication. (Don't be too chummy though - sincerity is still important).
4. Testing
It's wise to select two or three messages and test the results before deciding on a final choice. At extravision we always send a number of test messages to small sample groups in order to test the response before undertaking a mass campaign. Although email campaigns are cheap to run, this does not mean that mistakes won't cost you in terms of reputation. If the message isn't right, or the tone is inappropriate, not only will it deliver a poor return, but also it could do permanent damage to your brand.
5. Response Management
Once the campaign is delivered, the hard work of managing responses begins. Actually response management needn't be too onerous; there are systems that can be put in place to automatically manage the inevitable bounce backs and un-subscribes for example. The importance of planning how responses will be dealt with is essential - which is why we've written an article dedicated to this very subject Making email responses work for you
6. Start all over again
The most successful email campaigns are those that build on responses and have a planned series of phases. Some of these phases may involve integration with other activities such as a call from a sales rep, or sending a white paper etc. The best campaigns look to the long term and are designed to build customer relationships rather than act as a one off. It's hard work - but the results are more than worth the effort. |
