THE BEST EMAIL MARKETING INGREDIENTS
In the words of Emeril Lagasse (of the Food Network show Emeril Live) "Let's kick it up a notch." While trying not to take the analogy too far, email marketing and cooking share a few things in common. They are both easy to do, but to do them exceptionally well requires time, quality tools and expertise. They also require that a number of ingredients work well together to produce the best result.
OK, so enough with the cooking analogy. In this month's article I will suggest a number of activities that email marketers should consider deploying as part of their program - to help "kick it up a notch." Some of these suggestions are fairly easy to implement and others require advanced tools and techniques. But no matter what resources and tools you have available, establish a roadway (or recipe) that outlines the time frame and steps necessary to take your program to the next level.
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The following are a few key ingredients in your efforts to kick your email marketing program up a notch:
Design: Improving the design and layout of your email is one of the easiest improvements you can make that can deliver an immediate huge return. Design and layout are critical to pulling your reader through the email and motivating them to take action. Your email marketing communications are also a key brand touch point of your company and should directly reinforce your company's brand personality and essence. We highly recommend that you utilize the services of a designer experienced in the email marketing environment.
Personalization: Studies have shown that the greater number of personalization elements to an email, the higher the response rates. At minimum of course, personalization can mean addressing a recipient by their first name. Ultimately, however, true personalization means delivering emails that are tailored to the specific profile and preferences of each recipient. The types of personalization may vary in approach based on whether you are sending a newsletter, announcement or ecommerce email, but improved results are generally the outcome. A simple example can be illustrated by the approach of a regional hotel company that operates five hotels and regularly emails previous guests.
An email template can be created that includes mail merge variables such as logo and name of the hotel last stayed at; name, contact information and scanned signature of the specific hotel general manager; photo of the hotel or amenities; subject line; specific offer; based on satisfaction rating and type of room stayed in; and more. Obviouslythe amount of energy expended toward personalization has to be weighed against your available resources and the expected return. But consider starting with one or two personalization elements and add additional variables when and if feasible.