Whitelaw Weber

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Mastering the art of email marketing

Putting together the perfect marketing email is a fine art. Here’s a six step process to crafting the best customer messages to boost your sales.
 
1. Determine the goal of your campaign

Don’t just put any message out there. Make it targeted and know your goal. Are you looking to educate or re-engage customers? Are you keen for signups or referrals? Are purchases or registrations your main target? A clear target can help.
 
2. Measure your success 
What are your key performance indicators once your email has gone out? There are several ways to measure this, from your click-through rate to your email list growth rate, or unsubscribe rates. You’ll need to review all these metrics alongside conversion rates, email read times, churn rate, and subscriber acquisition cost to determine the true value of your messaging. 

3. Use a professional platform

Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or Litmus can provide easy-to-use, professional templates for email marketing, and many can integrate with your sales tools, allowing for more personalised messaging. These tools can help from every aspect of planning to execution — perfect for first-time senders.

4. A strong CTA
A ‘call-to-action’, the snappy message at the end of your email inviting your customer to engage, can drive new business or get old customers back onside. Highlight the value of what might happen after they click; phrases like ‘save time now’, or ‘save money today’ can entice customers to choose your business.
 
5. Optimise design
As mobile devices become the dominant medium for New Zealanders browsing online, it's crucial that today’s marketing emails are optimised for viewing on phones and tablets. Make sure your images are clear and in high resolution, and that email file sizes are below 102KB to avoid them being clipped by recipients’ Gmail accounts.
 
6. Double check everything
Even when you think your email is ready to go, give it one last check. Verify that your subscribers have opted in, and research and follow spam laws in the countries where your customers are based. Here is a snapshot of current laws in NZ. Don’t forget to check spelling and grammar, and hyperlinks to ensure they work.