| INTRODUCTION | | | | are three main points to bear in mind: |
| Industry figures estimate that anywhere between | | | | DESIGN |
| 90-97% of all email is spam, i.e. defined as unsolicited | | | | When it comes to improving the deliverability of your |
| bulk email. Arguably, different organisations will | | | | email campaign, design plays a large role if you are |
| suggest different levels of compliance to avoid being | | | | using HTML (graphics and stylised text). But, there |
| labelled spam, or indeed how they classify spam in | | | | are three main points to bear in mind: |
| the first place. What is clear, however, is that there's | | | | How will it look when it gets to the recipient? |
| far more to lose than gain by taking a renegade | | | | If you design a leaflet and get it printed to hand out |
| approach to your email marketing. | | | | to your clients, you know exactly what it looks like |
| In the same way that the reputation of your brand is | | | | when you hand it over. Email works in a much more |
| essential, so is your reputation in the world of email. | | | | flexible way (and that isn't necessarily a good thing). |
| A big difference being that all you need to do is get | | | | Because the people you are sending your campaign |
| complained about enough times by people you are | | | | to will no doubt be using an array of different email |
| emailing and then all trust is lost, often never to | | | | clients to manage their email, your campaign may end |
| return. | | | | up looking very different for each recipient. Your |
| Getting blacklisted by Internet gateways - meaning | | | | design will need to be implemented to work across a |
| your emails will get blocked - is only half the story. In | | | | number of email clients, such as Outlook, Apple Mail, |
| the social space, people could become very vocal | | | | Yahoo, GMail, etc. This often takes someone with a |
| against your brand online. Even worse, your | | | | real understanding of HTML compliance to adapt your |
| customers or prospects will lose trust in your | | | | design to be flexible across multiple platforms. |
| company because of the way you are | | | | If your customers or prospects use a mail client you |
| communicating. | | | | haven't taken into consideration, the email you spent |
| Ultimately, effective email marketing is about making | | | | quite some time designing to look great, may end up |
| your message stand out in someone's in-box and | | | | being a mess of code at the other end that does |
| getting a result, i.e. They take an action that benefits | | | | not render properly on screen. |
| your business. So first, let's look at who you're talking | | | | Persuasive Creative DesignThe other aspect of |
| to in the first place. | | | | designing an email for effective delivery is how it |
| LIST MANAGEMENT | | | | looks from an aesthetic point of view. You may have |
| Having a quality database is central to email | | | | brand guidelines to implement and imagery you need |
| marketing - not just for ongoing campaigns from | | | | to use but you need to bear in mind what you want |
| your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | | | | someone to do when they open the email. If the aim |
| system, but also for new business acquisition and | | | | of your email is to get someone to click on a |
| lead generation. What's more, in terms of marketing, | | | | call-to-action that drives them to your website, then |
| it's important that the people in your database | | | | the design needs to be driven towards that goal. |
| actually want what you have in the first place. | | | | Optimised Design |
| New Business and Lead Generation | | | | A final design point that is very relevant to email |
| When it comes to new business acquisition by email, | | | | users (and IT departments) is file size. i.e. How big |
| there are many companies that will sell you a | | | | are the files that make up your email message? |
| database of names, many offering quality email opt-in | | | | If you have multiple large images or don't try to |
| lists. This is somewhat of a gamble, not just for the | | | | optimise your design, you could find that it won't |
| return on investment of your outlay, but also for the | | | | reach the end-user and will get quarantined at a |
| relevancy and quality of the contact names. | | | | firewall along the way. Many marketers still make the |
| Always use a trusted source for your data or | | | | mistake of including large images or PDF attachments |
| outsource your email marketing campaigns through a | | | | that either clog up the recipients email or encourage |
| reputed agency. There are also lead generation | | | | the IT department to block all your emails. |
| companies, such as emedia, that publish industry titles | | | | MESSAGING |
| to opted-in databases. This has the double benefit of | | | | The words you use and the way you use them in |
| extending your reach to a new audience with no | | | | your email campaigns are essential on two fronts. |
| potential damage to your brand and the opportunity | | | | Firstly, you need to be persuasive to get the reaction |
| to build your own quality email database. | | | | you are looking for. Good copywriters know that by |
| Client Retention and CRM | | | | tweaking the wording of headlines and call-to-actions |
| A quality CRM system will help you break down your | | | | (or any of your copy) you can significantly improve |
| audiences and allow you to send targeted messaging | | | | the level of engagement you create with the reader. |
| to your customer database. The more information | | | | The more persuasive, the more likely they will take |
| you have about your customers, the more refined | | | | the action you are looking for from your campaign, |
| your messaging can become. More refined = more | | | | which is the main point of sending the email. |
| relevant = more effective. | | | | But, the flipside is that you need to ensure that the |
| DELIVERY MECHANISM | | | | words you use aren't caught by spam filters. There |
| How you send your email marketing campaigns is just | | | | are certain words that will flag your email as potential |
| as important as what you say and how you say it. | | | | spam and by making some checks you can avoid this |
| Your email message will need to jump through a lot | | | | potential roadblock. |
| of hoops after you press the send button, just to | | | | There are a number of checks you can run on your |
| make it to the in-box of the recipient. | | | | campaign before you send it to get a spam quality |
| Each of the people in your database will potentially | | | | score or highlight warnings against specific words in |
| have a different set-up with regards to the way | | | | your email. This will enable you to change them |
| they accept email. For instance, different corporations | | | | before you send your campaign. |
| will have different policies in place for their email | | | | SALES PROCESS |
| firewalls and ISPs will have policies on recognising | | | | Remember, computers don't read emails, people read |
| emails as spam and what they do to combat it. You | | | | emails. It is a person you are trying to engage with in |
| could find yourself on the wrong end of one of | | | | a marketing or sales process. What is it fair for you |
| these policies if you do not follow proper procedures. | | | | to ask them to do? What would they be willing to do |
| Many marketers make the mistake that because it is | | | | next after receiving your email message? What |
| they who are sending the email, it can't possibly be | | | | would it be like if the boot was on the other foot |
| spam... after all, aren't their intentions honourable and | | | | and you were receiving this email from a potential |
| their product amazing? Ultimately, spam is what one | | | | supplier? |
| of these hurdles says is spam, be it the corporate | | | | This is where segmentation proves itself to be a key |
| firewall or ISP. If just one link in the chain bounces | | | | aspect of marketing by email. Your message can be |
| your campaign, it's all been for nothing. | | | | targeted according to the person at the other end. |
| Use reputable email delivery software online | | | | For example; |
| (Software as a Service) or a desktop application that | | | | - Are they an existing customer or prospect? |
| will guide you through the process of sending your | | | | - If they are a already customer, what have they |
| campaign. Do not assume that you can email blast | | | | bought from you and is there a specific cross-sell or |
| your Outlook address book and hope for the best, | | | | up-sell opportunity? |
| you could be damaging your reputation forever. If in | | | | - Can you segment into vertical or horizontal markets |
| doubt, use a recognised email marketing agency. | | | | with tailored messaging? |
| Many companies prefer to send HTML emails that | | | | SUMMARY |
| can be stylised, but this isn't always the right thing to | | | | Ask many people in business about email and they |
| do, both in terms of deliverability and also of the | | | | will no doubt tell you that they are inundated on a |
| action you would like the recipient to take. Perhaps | | | | daily basis. If you are serious about marketing to |
| text is a better option for your audience? At the | | | | these people, it's not just a nicety that you send |
| very least, a text backup should be sent as an option | | | | your message in a non-intrusive way - it's essential. |
| and this can be automated using a multi-part email, | | | | Complying to the technical aspects of deliverability |
| which will determine the best way to send the email | | | | while you still manage to make your email stand out |
| for each recipient based on their own network | | | | is a challenge, but a very worthwhile one. Creating |
| preferences. | | | | relevant messages to a relevant audience in an |
| When it comes to improving the deliverability of your | | | | appropriate manger will vastly improve the end result, |
| email campaign, design plays a large role if you are | | | | namely improving your conversion rates. |
| using HTML (graphics and stylised text). But, there | | | | |