SEO Hosting Blog

Testing out new things is the key to running a successful email marketing campaign. When you test certain variations side-by-side, you can identify which changes you can make to improve open rates, increase click-throughs, and run a more profitable email marketing campaign.

So, what are some of the things you can test out?

1. Personalization—The jury still seems to be out on email personalization. While some studies have found that personalizing your messages with the recipient’s name can actually cause a decline in open rates, others have shown that personalized emails are more effective. Regardless of the outcome, when personalizing your emails you have to make sure to get the recipients’ names correct. Also, don’t overdo it with the personalization. Mentioning their name too many times can make your email feel awkward and spammy. Test it out and see how it works for you.

(more…)

About a year ago, I wrote a post asking the question: How often should you email your subscribers? It’s a question that almost every company involved in email marketing asks themselves on a regular basis. In that post and after discussions with other marketers I respect, the general consensus was that anything more often than every 4 or 5 days will likely be seen as an annoyance and as spam.

In fact, there was a study done by DoubleClick that found 49% of consumers say spam is “email from a company I have done business with but that comes too often.” So, just because someone subscribes to your list doesn’t mean they won’t think you’re a spammer.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because my inbox has been going crazy the past couple of weeks. Why? Because Mother’s Day is just around the corner. We all know that billions of dollars are spent by consumers each Mothers Day. So, it makes sense that companies are frantically trying to outdo one another so they can get their grubby little hands on my hard-earned dollars, but things have gone way too far.

Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, and From You Flowers are 3 email lists that I’m on because I bought various gifts for my girlfriend and my mom several months ago. The first 2 companies already email way too often as it is, regardless if there’s a holiday coming up or not. Not a day goes by that I don’t get an email from at least one of them…usually both. The only reasons I haven’t unsubscribed yet are because I always just delete the message without opening it and I’m also interested in email marketing, so it’s fun to see how some companies approach it.

But now that Mother’s Day is almost here all 3 companies have stepped up the frequency of their emails. I agree that it’s a good tactic to do this when you have a time-sensitive message, but there’s a thin line between urging me to get my mom something nice and pestering me every hour with another “last minute sale” that I need to take advantage of before it’s too late.

That’s the danger of emailing too often. What motivation does someone have to take action if they know you’re going to be emailing them with another offer (usually a better offer) the next day? It’s like the story of the boy who cried wolf. Sooner or later, people just stop paying attention to you when you’re constantly screaming at them.

By the way, I didn’t make a Mother’s Day purchase from any of these companies. Instead, I’m taking my mom out to dinner, and I’m making a donation to her favorite charity under her name.

Over the past few months, I’ve talked quite a bit about how to write effective email marketing messages, how to grow your email list, and other similar topics. Today, I want to talk about the different types of email marketing messages you can send to your subscribers. Below, I’ve outlined the 4 basic types of communication.

•    Newsletter—Typically sent once a month, the email marketing newsletter does a few things. It usually contains a brief update on company news, a helpful how-to type article, and an offer. To get the best open rates and responses from your newsletters, you need to write great email marketing subject lines and keep the content interesting, scannable, and brief.

•    Sale alerts—If you’re subscribed to any email lists, you probably receive sale alerts on a fairly regular basis. These are the messages you send out when you’re running a 25% off sale or you have a great time-sensitive offer that requires immediate action. One word of advice: don’t overdo it with these sale alerts. I’ve seen some companies who literally send these out every day, and it: 1) seems desperate and 2) makes the sales seem unimportant since there are new sales every day.

•    Press releases/breaking news—This communication type is used to send out the latest company news, such as new product announcements, company stock information, important events, etc. For those of your subscribers who don’t sign up for this feed, you should try to briefly highlight the important press releases in your monthly newsletter.

•    Service reminders—Service interval reminder emails are all about generating repeat business by contacting your customers at exactly the right time. For example, suppose you run a local oil change shop. A customer comes in, gets an oil change, and signs up for your email list. It would make sense to send this customer a service reminder (preferably with a special discount offer) in about 3 months when he’s due for his next oil change. This keeps you in the customer’s awareness just when he’s ready to make a purchase.

Rather than sending all of your email marketing messages to every subscriber on your list, you should ask subscribers to choose which types of communication they’re interested in receiving. You can do this by simply having a few check boxes they can choose from upon subscribing. This will help make certain your subscribers remain interested in what you’re sending them.