The 4 ingredients of email marketing success

Sometimes we can get bogged down with the details of email marketing and lose sight of the guiding principles. So, as something to to think about over the summer, here's a quick recap of the four factors that can make or break an email marketing campaign.

1. WHO? The quality of your list, segmentation and targeting. Relevance is king.
   
   
2. WHAT? Your message, your offer, your proposition. Whatever you call it, it has to answer the 'what's in it for me?' for your audience.
   
   
3. HOW? Whether its beautiful design, witty copy or pull-no-punches plain text - present your message in a way that grabs your target audience.
   
   
4. WHEN? Hit your audience when they're most receptive and response rates will improve.

Sounds familiar? It should - direct marketers have lived by these principles for decades. There's no need to re-invent the wheel for email, just remember its roots lie in direct mail. No-one can be expected to get it all right straight away - for best results, test and tweak each of the four factors, one at a time.

HOLIDAY BREAK: The next e-Tips will be in 4 weeks' time, with the normal fortnightly schedule returning in September.

Have a great summer, whatever the weather!

There's gold in that click-through data

It's no secret that the reliability of open rates is not what it was, thanks mainly to the growing prevalence of image blocking. In a way this is good: it means we have to look beyond simple opens to statistics that are far more telling. I'm talking of course about the click-through rate.

Click-throughs are unequivocal proof that you've got someone's attention. You can look at an email without taking it in, but I can't imagine anyone clicking on a link in an email without having some reason.

A click is a statement of interest – that's powerful information you can use to improve the targeting and relevancy of future campaigns. But the value of this data depends upon the skill of the email creative: what is the context of the link?

Let's say you're a veterinary practice. Your list contains a mix of cat, dog and other pet owners. An article in your newsletter talks about a particular condition that affects cats, and a link to a relevant product or service. Gather the click-through data on this link and you have a tailor-made list of customers for cat-related products and services. If on the other hand the newsletter only contains general links such as 'click here to find out more about our services' and sending readers to the home page, your click-through data tells you very little.

By increasing targeting and relevancy you'll improve the results of your email marketing efforts, and thereby the return on your investment. And it all starts with the humble click.