Email marketing isn’t as simple as it seems. Anybody can spam a database of potential clients but to conduct successful campaigns, you need to analyse the process in a little more depth. Here are seven questions Probella would recommend that you ask yourself before starting any email marketing campaign.
What’s REALLY in it for the customer?
Marketing professionals embellish the truth for a living. Or to put it another way, they explain things in a creative, positive way with the intention of convincing people to make a purchase. Those in the industry know this and consumers are becoming more sceptical of offers that seem too good to be true. Though it can seem a little brutal, simplifying and removing any hyperbole will allow you to examine what you’re offering from a more objective perspective. Are you genuinely offering them something that is worthy of their time and attention or are you trying to convince them of this? There’s a huge difference. After you’ve broken down what you’re offering into the absolute basics, ask yourself if you would still consider this to be an appealing prospect. Creative language is important in marketing, but it can only go so far. Ultimately, your product, service or offer must be legitimate, otherwise you’ll be found out quickly.
When are your audience the most likely to respond?
Emails that arrive in the middle of the night or at odd times during the day generally get ignored. They can also make your customer’s question how legitimate your business really is. Well established companies never contact people at unusual times of the day as they spend a lot of time and effort analysing their data to establish when their potential client base is most likely to respond. Everybody works differently, but most people check emails several times a day. A few times at work and then again in the late afternoon or early evening when they’ve finished for the day. If you’re a business to business to organisation, focusing on the main part of the working day makes sense as this is when most people be communicating via email. Similarly, if you’re marketing to customers in their free time, focusing on lunchtimes, early evenings and weekends can be a good approach. Consider the mindset of your customers as this will change throughout the day.
Would you open an Email with that title?
Writing effective titles for emails is a fine art and there are no hard and fast rules, other than paying attention to grammar and ensuring your message is presented clearly. Think about the type of marketing emails that you receive. Which one’s appeal to you and which ones make you reach for the trash button? Anything that stands out too much can look suspiciously like spam or a potential threat but anything too generic will get lost amongst notifications and work emails. Be as specific as you can in your titles and try to encapsulate the essence of your message in a single sentence. This isn’t as easy as it sounds so it makes sense to take some time over the wording. If you have the option of working with a team of people, consider a group effort where you can compare titles and agree on the most appropriate for your needs. Avoid excessive punctuation, unnecessary capitalisation and anything that can make you appear desperate.
Am I compliant with all legal regulations relating to data?
Since GDPR came into force, the way companies handle data has been scrutinised intensely. Your customers need to know that you handle their information in a responsible way that is compliant with the current laws in your area. Though you don’t necessarily need to provide a detailed explanation of your policies in every email, it’s good practice to include a link to your data handling policies in the footer or somewhere in the message if you can. Even if most customers don’t end up looking at this, it still offers a sense of security and helps to establish trust. Online scams are commonplace now and unfortunately, this has made most people wary of providing any more information than is necessary. Customers will only divulge certain details to organisation they deem to be reputable and security conscious.
Do Your Emails Display Properly on all devices?
It’s easy to shrug off complaints about images that don’t load or flash animations that won’t play because of the latest plug in, but it’s important to remember that it isn’t your customer’s responsibility to make a special effort to decipher the message you’ve present to them. They need to be able to see any videos or non-text-based content as soon as they open the email, otherwise you lose your sense of impact immediately. Test your emails on mobiles, tablets, laptops, consoles and any other device people use to receive this kind of information. The most effective email marketing campaigns or those that can be viewed quickly and simply. If in doubt, keep things as simple as possible, using short blocks of text, clear, well defined images and unambiguous calls to action.
Can Your Customers Contact You Easily?
Though most marketing emails come from an address that is used to send, rather than receive information, its essential to provide your customers with a clear means of contacting you if they have any questions. The “unsubscribe” button should be clearly visible on the page and should work with a single click and any phone numbers, live chat options or text message services should be highlighted to make sure it’s as easy as possible for people to get in touch. Not doing this will arouse suspicion in most modern digital customers. Why have they made it so difficult for people to speak to them in person? Do they have something to hide? Is their customer service of a poor quality? Is this a scam? These are all common questions you can expect people to be asking themselves when faced a flashy marketing email that doesn’t contain any contact info.
