Being a professional marketer, we talk about experimenting and flowing with the tide, so I wonder why we still apply orthodox thinking and style in email marketing. I assume that we really believe in what seemed to work in 1998 and are certain that it will work even now!
If your email campaigns are slowly losing their shine and degenerating into mediocrity, lack of innovation in email marketing can be one of the reasons for your diminishing fortunes.
Let’s have a look at how email marketing was in 99, and how it should be now:
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Email Marketing Conduct 90’s |
How to do it In 2012 |
| List Building |
- Opt-in permission was an approved standard but not legally mandatory in US.
- Marketers often ignored permission to build lists, and added email addresses via all possible means. (list swaps, from directories or prospect files, etc.)
- Email lists were amassed not via opt-in and majority of people on the lists didn’t engage or response.
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Examine methods for collecting email addresses:
- Totally permission-based
- Check what unique value propositions (UVP) you van offer that entices subscriber engagement?
- Placing list quality over list quantity provides better-qualified leads, more-engagement, better response rate and return on investment (ROI).
- Having large percentages of inactive/disengaged subscribers can hamper your email deliverability and brand reputation because over a period of time inactive abandoned accounts turn into spam traps. It can even land you on blacklists.
- It’s high time to start re-engagement with your inactive with a well-planned campaigns, or suppress them, and conduct regular email list clean ups to identify and remove spam traps.
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| Headlines |
- Conventional wisdom dictated for subject lines,
- Keep them short and sweet
- Long subject lines will be truncated
- Don’t use the word free
- None of those practices are relevant today.
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- Agreed that long subject lines are not completely visible in email client viewers, but it has been found out by a London-based ESP, New research by Alchemy Worx, that long subject lines motivate people not only to open but click as well.
- Long subject lines indicate better relevancy, inclusion of multiple topics, many offers/benefits and help in getting higher email response rates
- During early days of email, certain words triggered spam filters and resulted in junked campaigns. However, words like Freerarely triggers content filters today and are powerful words for direct response. Your audience should know if you are giving some discount or free service; however it should be in moderation.
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| Performance metrics and Analytics |
- Performance metrics was limited to basic analysis like number of delivered messages, opens, clicks, conversions, and unsubscribe rates.
- If revenue was greater than cost, investors were happy with the positive ROI.
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- There are many more metrics other than open/click/conversion rate to check the success of your campaigns.
- Frequency distribution of emails, Revenue per email address (RPE) and average order value (AOV) help a lot in comparing results of one campaign with another
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How to Email Like its 2012
In 2012, marketers need to understand that instant results won’t be always there, as prospects want better engagement and knowledge of products before a purchase. This is an age of maximizing client engagement by implementing the most relevant strategies, continual improvement in messages and achieving optimal email delivery.
With times, the rules of email have changed. Only the flexible, agile and innovative person will survive.
Strategic Outsourcing Services is a market leader in email marketing. Contact us, if you want help with your campaigns.
