A beginner’s guide on how to set up an email marketing campaign
If you’re a newbie marketer or have spoken to some kick-ass marketers recently, then you know this already — email marketing campaigns work !
email marketing campaigns help build and nurture relationships with leads, turn cold leads to warm ones, re-vitalize marketing ROI and are super easy to track and run. Of course you know tons of email marketing providers — Mailchimp, Vertical response, Alore etc.
Unless you're Kim Kardashian or George Clooney, if your first email to a prospect is just about how awesome you are and how nobody can have enough of you, chances are high you're going to end up pissing the prospect and get him/her to delete the email in seconds.
The things is, email is still the most direct and cost-effective way of connecting with prospects and eventually converting them to customers.
However, designing a great email marketing campaign is not everybody’s cup of tea (or coffee) —and I’m not kidding!!
As a marketer who runs email campaigns regularly, here are some tips I’d like to share:
1. The Basics (for the newbies) :
A. What is email marketing ?
Email marketing is sending a commercial message (often personalised) to a group of people through emails.
B. Why are e-mail marketing campaigns needed ?
Most common uses of email marketing are:
a) Advertising
b) Introductions
c) Soliciting donations
d) Providing information and updates
e) Nurturing customer loyalty and
f) Brand recognition and recall
Note: It’s imperative to have segmented email lists using multiple filters like customer likes,dislikes, spending habits,demographics etc. before you think further on email marketing.
Email marketing campaigns are about sending focused emails to specific target customers in the segmented email list, providing them with personalised information as per their interest or liking. e.g. email to startup founders on the merits of using an accounting software- Its relevant, its needed and high likelihood to convert.
2. Defining goals:
The most important step in setting up the email campaign is to set clear goals and purpose for the email. What do you want to achieve ?
The goal should have clear intent such as “to get the recipient to buy your products” or “to get the recipient sign up for your webinar” or “to get the recipient sign up for your incentive program”.
This will help you decide whether you want to conduct a DRIP campaign or a regular email campaign.
3. What is a drip campaign and how is it different from an email marketing campaign?
Okay so a Drip campaign is a type of email marketing campaign, just more focused on the outcome.
DRIP campaigns aim at nurturing leads over a repeated (pre-written) reach spread over days or weeks to first aim at customer connect, then customer brand recall, brand positioning and then get them interested in your product. All through the leads are being pushed down the funnel in a very subtle but clear way.
For e.g. you send a common first email to your target audience. Now in a DRIP campaign you can schedule to send a different 2nd email and 3rd email to those who opened the email vis-a-vis those who didn't open the email.
On the other hand, email marketing campaigns have non-trigger based coordinated messages, aimed at establishing connect or sharing information etc.
4. Subject Lines:
Great subject lines are like neon signboards in the dark of the desert. They help you stand out and attract target audience.
If you've not thought your subject line through, chances are high your open rates will be dismal. Most companies often shortlist about 10–15 subject lines for each email in the campaign as a best practice. Then do some A/B testing to see what works best.
5. Personalising campaigns:
Personalization plays an important role in an email campaign. Every email that you send should have the “From” address and have company information at the bottom, giving the recipients a chance to know more about your company and also an opt-in feature to get future emails.
Research has proven that there’s a 26% increase in open rates when subject lines are personalised and 41% increase in click through rates when copy is personalised !! Isn’t that something ?!?
Finally, layout the outline. Where will the image go? How much text will the email have and other details. Make sure while making the layout, everything in your email — subject line, artwork, subject and so on should be communicating your goal.
Tracking your email is the easiest way to quantify its success. Your email service provider (ESP) may offer their own analytics, so check their site to know what options work best for you.
6. Send your email:
Now that you’ve created your email, tested it, revised it, and double-checked everything, it’s finally time to send! But hold on. You’ll want to make sure that you’re sending at the most optimal time.
All this said, once you have finished your first campaign you will find that it is much easier to know what works and what doesn’t. I’d like to wrap up with this little note:
