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!