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Why segmenting email lists is necessary to drive business
11 Oct

Why segmenting email lists is necessary to drive business

While email marketing campaigns were once one-size-fits-all, times have changed and strategies need to be adjusted if businesses want to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts. According to Marketing Land, the main way marketers are doing this is by segmenting the subscribers on their email distribution list. Many companies are catching on to this trend and changing the way they approach email marketing accordingly.

Marketing Land advised strategists to first focus on determining their best customers. This should be the segment that strategists put the most time and effort into. Loyalty should be rewarded, and the best customers need to made aware of their exclusive status. A friends and family offer is a great way for marketers to deliver that message. By giving privileged customers the option of extending their discounts and perks to their loved ones, businesses increase their chances of boosting brand loyalty.

Increase volume for those well-deserved buyers
All customers like to know that they are receiving special treatment. When businesses send their most valued buyers the option to sign up for an exclusive email chain, they open the opportunity to send more messages more frequently. Because these top clients have chosen to sign up, they are much less likely to become irritated by the increased amount of emails coming their way.

When businesses offer exclusivity, they need to follow up on their word. Marketing Land reminded marketers that these customers expect to be rewarded when they commit to taking on more emails in their inboxes. By delivering on their promises with exclusive promotions, discounts and deals, businesses are more likely to satisfy their favorite customers and retain them as their most reliable buyers.

Targeting seasonal and inactive customers
Although businesses would ideally maintain their holiday customer base year-round, Marketing Land explained that they cannot deny the effectiveness of honing in on the seasonal crowds to get the best marketing results. Companies should time their email marketing campaigns with upcoming seasonal events and tie together offers that would appeal to customers during a specific time of year. This will bring in more seasonal business and likely remind once-a-year customers to come back during the off-season.

If marketers still have the addresses of old customers on their email contact list, it is a great idea to reach out to them and try to spark interest once again. Customers might be pleasantly surprised by a campaign reminding them of their positive shopping experiences with that company. While some customers have made up their mind not to shop with a brand again, it can never hurt to try, pointed out Marketing Land.

Other benefits of segmenting an email marketing campaign
A common complaint about email marketing methods is that they don’t appeal to people personally. By segmenting campaigns, marketers are in a much better position to develop customized content to consumers based on their experiences with the brand. According to Business2Community, sending tailored emails to every customer is out of the question, butsegmenting is the next best choice.

Recipients of email with a personal touch are much less likely to unsubscribe. Business2Community asserted that these details can be as small as including a zip code with nearby branches. This will keep customers engaged and attentive to any new emails sent their way. Segmenting campaigns doesn’t need to be complex, and the benefits can really pay off in the long run.

Too many businesses develop an email database only to have it wither away as customers continue to unsubscribe and file complaints. Marketers who segment their campaigns can expect to hold on to their hard-earned email addresses.

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The 10 Best Kept Email Marketing Secrets
11 Oct

The 10 Best Kept Email Marketing Secrets

One of the biggest mistakes most business owners make is not placing enough emphasis on email marketing. I would venture to guess that the primary reason people are reticent to dive into an email marketing campaign is the “spam” stigma attached to it. I’m not going to talk about spam in this post; we’ve gone over it extensively in posts past. I am going to give you some best-kept email marketing secrets, however, because you really do need to include emailing in your marketing repertoire. Customers prefer email to any other channel when it comes to giving you permission to market to them.

Sign-up Logistics

Ah! But that is the key. You need to have your customers’ permission to send them email-marketing material, so make sure you get it – easily. It doesn’t matter if you have an online business, a brick-and-mortar store, or both, you need to ensure your email mailing list sign-up process is a piece of cake; otherwise your customers aren’t going to bother. Have a mailing list sign-up sheet with plenty of pens at your store checkouts, and train your staff to ask customers if they’d like to receive “special deals” via email – see how I just enticed your customer to sign up? Special deals! Make sure your website also offers easy access to sign up for your emailing list; a non-intrusive pop-up sign-up form is a good idea.

Your Sign-up Form

So, let’s talk about this non-intrusive sign-up form for just a second. One thing I’ve been preaching from blog post number one is to keep things basic – a little goes a long way, and this is true with your electronic email sign-up form, too. Save your sales pitch for your emails; don’t clutter your sign-up form with a bunch of mumbo-jumbo your customer doesn’t need to read to simply sign up for your emailing list. Keep it simple by asking for your customer’s name – only insist upon the first name, many people don’t like to include their last name – email address, and include links to your social networking pages so your customer can sign up for those at the same time.

Get Excited About Them Signing Up

I’ve written a blog post on this but it bears repeating. If your customers sign up for your emailing list and you don’t send them a new subscriber thank you email within 24 hours, you’ve just lost their interest… and it’s just plain rude. The power of common courtesy has not fallen by the wayside, contrary to popular belief, and you need to thank your customers for their interest in your business. While you’re at it, give them a bonus in your thank you email to get them shopping right away.

Once They’ve Signed Up… Think Mobile!

I’ve given a few secret tips to get your customer’s to sign up for your email marketing campaigns and now that they’ve signed up you need to think mobile. Recent studies confirm that most people read their emails on their mobile devices; I know I have my nose in front of mine 24/7, much to my wife’s dismay. So, when you begin formatting your marketing emails, you need to keep mobile devices in mind. A couple of things to help you out are to keep your email margins left aligned and use links instead of buttons. Both show up better on smartphones and tablets.

Get Personal

While you’re personalizing your emails to your customer’s devices, personalize the actual emails too. Take a moment to learn more about your customers and what they purchase from you, and then make certain your marketing campaign addresses that… directly… to them. For example, if you’re running a pet supply business, you definitely do not want to send dog supply coupons to cat owners and vice versa. Customize your marketing emails to each customer and you’ll get better results.

Make Certain Your Emails Get Opened

Picture this, in today’s world of cyber-insecurity you get an email in your inbox that doesn’t identify who it’s from. It just says “do-not-reply@CompanyName.com.” What would you do with that email if it hit your inbox (changes are it’ll be spammed)? You’d delete it without opening it. I would too. This is why you need to get personal in the sender’s address also. If your customers know you by name, have your name as the sender’s name, i.e., JohnDoe@CompanyName.com. If they are assigned to specific sales reps, have their name. Whatever you do, have a name! Otherwise, your marketing email won’t be opened at all.

Time Your Solicitations

Don’t overlook the importance of timing in your email marketing campaigns. Sit down with your employees and hash out some ideas as to the best time to send out your emails; talk to your customers, too, and ask them how often they really want to hear from you. Keep in mind your business. If you own a restaurant, for example, sometimes the best time to send a marketing email is in the afternoon, because your customer just might be at work listening to his or her growling stomach and thinking about dinner. You send them a coupon and, voila! Dinner plans are set!

Keep Track!

I know I’ve said this a million times but email marketing campaigns are no different from any other marketing campaign, and you need to track their success. Make sure you set up your marketing campaigns to track click-through, printed coupons, and resulting sales progress. That way, you can find out which email campaigns are working the best and run your future campaigns based on their logistics. If you see the afternoon emailed dinner special coupon is bringing tons of customers through your door, keep it up! That’s the point of email marketing.

Be Unique in Getting New Email Signees

The Internet is an amazing tool, and we are all learning the numerous ways to use it to build businesses, so here’s a suggestion: Use this Internet to build your emailing list by hosting free webinars about your business. It really doesn’t matter what you do. You can still host a webinar to teach people about you, why you went into your own business, and why they should become your customers. Send an email to your current list encouraging them to attend and to forward the email to their family and friends to attend. Advertise your webinar on your website and using local advertising resources. Get people to sign up for your email list by teaching them about your business.

Keep an Open Mind

Whatever you do to increase the success of your email marketing campaigns, keep your mind open. Yes, there are some hard-fast rules to email marketing, and if you break them, you might have to answer to the federal government! But, this doesn’t mean that everything about email marketing is cut and dry. Things that don’t work for other businesses might just work for you. And your customers might not mind if you break some commonly understood email-marketing dos and don’ts. Maybe your customers want their email font in hot pink, who knows? Okay… maybe not hot pink. But, my point is to use different approaches, test them, ask your customers for feedback, and then stick with what works. That’s the best kept email marketing secret of all!

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Using A/B Testing for Your Email Lists
11 Oct

Using A/B Testing for Your Email Lists

A/B testing, or split testing, is the process of testing two different emails (or style of email) to see which will produce the best results on a mass-scale. Typically, the system for A/B testing consists of designing two marketing emails and sending each one to a small subset of your email list. The CTR (click-through-rate) can be tracked via Google Analytics, then the results are tallied and whichever campaign was more successful is used for the remainder of the email list. Google even includes an A/B testing tool in their GA suite.
Be sure to compose each email carefully before starting the test. If you decide you want to change something about one of the emails or need to correct a mistake, keep in mind that this will skew the results and will likely throw off your numbers and the data will not be as useful.
You can use A/B testing to evaluate different subject lines, test visual design, the use of images in emails, different promotions including sales vs. coupons or HTML vs. text emails. Just about any factor of a marketing email can be tweaked for better results by using A/B testing. Using A/B testing, you can even test different “from” email addresses to check about whether a particular persona or address results in a higher CTR.
As with all marketing, email marketing benefits from more testing data and a more precise marketing strategy. GIve A/B testing a shot and let me know about your results!

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Targeted Email Lists Make for Higher Response Rates
11 Oct

Targeted Email Lists Make for Higher Response Rates

It may make sense in theory to cast a broad net with email marketing and try to cater to the largest audience possible. However, studies have shown that the opposite is actually true: targeted email lists are far more effective. In most cases, the type of product you are marketing will dictate exactly what email list or database you should purchase, rent or segment.
For example, if you are marketing to a specific region, buying a national or international database would not be as effective as purchasing one targeted toward that specific region. Similarly, marketing a product such as medical equipment to non-doctors or healthcare practitioners is more likely to raise red flags in terms of spam than to actually convert to sales. Make sure that you know your audience while you prepare your marketing campaign.
While many marketing firms nowadays cater to social media presence, it has been consistently proven that a large properly targeted email list can result in a much higher CTR (click-through rate). Research also seems to indicate that coordinating your email marketing with your social marketing is an even better solution. Be sure to include social media links in the footer of your marketing emails. Since you are already aiming your emails at people in the industry or region you are catering to, let them know that your site might have more content that they might be interested in. Maybe they aren’t ready for your marketing promotion but they want to check out your blog. This is a great way to increase the open rate and conversion rate of your mailing lists.
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What are Email Lists?
11 Oct

What are Email Lists?

Email Lists
I talk a lot on this blog about email lists, usually with the assumption that the definition is a foregone conclusion. Typically with internet marketing, this is the case. However, there is some nuance to the term. In general, an email list is a list of addresses to which the same content is sent. However, when referring to internet marketing, this definition is perhaps too broad.

Opt-In Email Lists
In marketing, there are opt-in email lists. Typically, these will include a link or some other method for assuring that the customer wants to continue receiving the offers. In many cases, list emails will include an unsubscribe button for letting the administrator know that the user is “opting out.” of a particular email list

Targeted Email Lists
There are also non-opt in lists, usually purchased in bulk for mass mailings (or email blast). Often times, these lists are a better tool for the job than opt-in lists. Curating an opt-in list is a much greater time-commitment and is usually more-suited toward newsletters and occasion offers. Purchasing an email list (or email database) in bulk is a great way to get a precompiled list of thousands of addresses ready to be contacted. In many cases, these databases are sold or leased based on region or industry, lending them much better for targeted email marketing.

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Mobile platforms are ideal for email marketing campaigns
11 Oct

Mobile platforms are ideal for email marketing campaigns

Nearly everyone has the technology to check their email on the go. A large email contact list is still a big asset to marketers.  Whether through a tablet, smartphone or laptop, email is still one of the best ways for businesses to get in direct contact with customers. Mobile platforms represent an especially lucrative opportunity for companies with younger target audiences and other tech-savvy demographics. Many marketers have specifically optimized email campaigns to be read on smartphones and other mobile formats.

It is a no-brainer for business leaders to embrace the trend of email on mobile devices, but how can brands make their messages more appealing for people out and about? A recent article from Entrepreneur recommended ways that marketers can get the best results from mobile campaigns. Cultivating a sense of trust with subscribers ranked among the top tips for mobile marketing efforts. The first thing consumers see when they open their inboxes on a smartphone is the name of who sent the message, so social media and customer service are essential for building a quality relationship with email recipients.

Short, clear messages win clicks
Including compelling headers and subject lines are also crucial for capturing the fleeting attention of a mobile reader. Entrepreneur suggested that marketers create concise, exciting subject lines that users will feel obligated to click on. By keeping headers short, marketing strategists can get a much better response from mobile recipients, especially ones that feature bold and humorous language. Smaller screens also mean that messages may not be seen in their entirety unless they are a certain length.

According to Entrepreneur, the most effective email campaigns prominently feature explicit calls-to-action that give readers the chance to sign up for offers on the spot. On mobile platforms, these opt-in boxes should be even more visible and easy to use. Successful mobile emails also include images to split up text and provide a fun diversion from a newsletter.

New apps find target markets via email
What better way to market a new app than through email marketing? Tech Cocktail recently highlighted the importance of using email to inform people about new mobile applications. By using data to trace the behaviors of the application’s most active users, marketers were better able to reach like-minded audiences and drive the success of their app. Analyzing trends in user practices is not only applicable to the app market, but a critical tool in any email marketing effort.

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One great email newsletter can bring big results
11 Oct

One great email newsletter can bring big results

The world of online marketing takes into account factors such as contact list segmentation, social media integration, SPAM filters and many more. However, too many marketing strategists overlook the meat and potatoes of an effective campaign: the classic email newsletter. AllBusiness Experts recently explored the ways that well-crafted email newsletters can educate readers, spark their interest in upcoming products and drive sales to new heights.

Marketers enjoy the benefits of instantaneous feedback
Long gone are the days that marketers launched an email campaign and waited around to see if people were buying a product or not. AllBusiness Experts stated that data can help marketers master the art of the promotional email. Today’s technology allows for strategists to track the number of people that open messages, click specific links, sign up for calls-to-action and make purchases. This information is then used to create a more effective marketing campaign the next time around.

Modern innovations have also made it easy for anyone to launch a killer marketing initiative with a substantial email distribution list. According to AllBusiness Experts, good newsletters require very little tech savvy, are generally cheap to create and can deliver huge returns on investment. For small business owners looking to expand their market, an email campaign is thus a no-brainer.

Making the best newsletter possible
Most decision-makers know that email marketing is a key component to any successful business, but how can marketers be sure that email newsletters are reaching their full potential? A recent blog from Amsterdam Printing provided marketers with tips that help create memorable, powerful newsletters.

First impressions are key when it comes to perfecting the email newsletter. A short and exciting subject line will encourage users to click, while a diverse range of images will help keep things interesting. Amsterdam Printing also stated that marketers must keep an urgent, personal tone to get their points across.

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Email marketers seek to create winning subject lines
11 Oct

Email marketers seek to create winning subject lines

Compelling subject lines are crucial to crafting an effective campaign. As 2014 begins, marketers will continue trying to master the science of messages that recipients can’t resist clicking on. Through years of trial and error, experts are beginning to pinpoint which kinds of lines lead to more clicks and sales. BizJournals recently laid down the ground rules for writing subject lines that will catch the eye of every name on a business’ email contact list.

Customers respond to concise email subject lines
Nobody wants to spend extra time sifting through their inbox to find updates from their favorite brands. BizJournals urged email marketers to capture customers’ attention by sending emails with short subject lines that get the point across in only a few words. While marketers might be tempted to give a detailed rundown of the enclosed newsletter or discount notification, readers are most intrigued by a brief preview and will likely click through out of natural curiosity. In addition, popular email clients such as Gmail and Microsoft Outlook tend to display only a small portion of a subject line, especially on smaller platforms like tablets and smartphones.

So how long does an email marketer have to convey their message within a subject line? BizJournals suggested less than 50 characters as the best range for businesses to spark the interest of their recipients. Keeping subject lines short will not only save customers the hassle of trudging through excess language but will pay off in the long run when marketers find that more people are clicking on emails and following through with online purchases.

The best email subject lines are more exciting than informative
Emails with urgent subject lines are bound to stand out against a sea of bland notifications and unwanted spam. By giving messages the tone of a pressing issue, marketers can make customers think that they might miss out on an offer if they don’t open the email immediately. BizJournals emphasized the importance of numbers in creating the pressure of a short timeframe.The eye is drawn to numbers on a screen cluttered with letters, so subject lines that include digits will more likely convince readers that the email is worth opening.

While including specific information in emails is critical to educate customers about upcoming sales, events and discounts, email marketers can’t forget that subject lines are meant to prioritize excitement over everything else. BizJournals noted that the best subject lines include a minimal amount of product information while emphasizing newness and exclusivity. Businesses were also urged to test a wide range of possibilities to see what lines draw the most attention from readers. Common methods include A/B tests and running individual pilot campaigns that can target a specific audience or demographic.

Where email marketers go wrong when creating subject lines
Sadly, there are some emails that rarely ever get clicked on. To help email marketers avoid sending out ineffective messages, Business 2 Community compiled a list of the most common mistakes businesses make when creating their newsletter subject lines. Excessive use of caps lock turns out to be one of the main offenders for inbox browsers. An email should be intriguing, not make customers feel like they are being yelled at. Businesses can capitalize the first letter of each word in a sentence to convey importance but should avoid steer clear of using capitals in every email.

Business 2 Community also cited unusual punctuation as something that can annoy email recipients. Including too many question marks or exclamation points is a waste of characters and can make a subject line appear unprofessional. To find success in email marketing, businesses need clever, exciting lines to hook their customer base.

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Businesses can sink or swim based on email marketing strategies
11 Oct

Businesses can sink or swim based on email marketing strategies

Email marketing is not a new phenomenon, but it is still one of the best ways to reach out to an audience and educate them about new products, discounts and sales. In fact, an email distribution list can be one of the most valuable weapons in the repertoire of the modern marketing team.

New internet marketing trends such as social media might appear to threaten email as the predominant strategy, but according to Business2Community, smart companies will not abandon this old standby for years to come.

Not only is email marketing sticking around, it has shown to lead to increased sales over the past few years. While Business2Community did not disregard social media and marketing apps as sound strategies, they emphasized email as the primary tool businesses should use in their efforts. So why should marketers continue to utilize this method?

Who doesn’t love to hear their name?
The primary benefit of email marketing is that it allows for an enhanced relationship between businesses and customers. This is because people love the feeling of being called by name, regardless of who does the addressing. Customers tend to be more responsive the second they recognize their name on the subject line.

Business2Community drew the parallel of direct mail marketing to emphasize this point. Even when consumers receive a letter in the mailbox addressed directly to them, they experience a rush of anticipation that cannot be replicated by other forms of marketing. Campaigns that include details like customer location and buying preferences are much more effective as well.

Creating this personal bond is exactly where email marketing excels over its social media competition. While platforms like Facebook and Twitter offer the excitement of a collaborative atmosphere, they can make people feel like they are just another name in a sea of customers.

Business2Community said that companies would be wise to mix the best of both worlds by getting customers excited about trends through social media and then sending emails to emphasize their focus on personal treatment.

Email keeps things personal and professional
While there have been some pushes for companies to transition to using social media and text to reach customers on a personal level, Business2Community reminded marketers that most people prefer email as the platform on which they want to be reached by brands.

Even though personal communication via email has declined 21 percent, compared to a 10 percent increase in social media and 20 percent increase in text message, consumers appear to prefer commercial email messages rather than through these other channels. Most people appear to not like mixing business and pleasure.

This preference has increased 5 percent since 2008 and represents consumer comfort with being reached by businesses over email compared to other methods of communication typically reserved for social interactions. Perhaps email has already asserted its dominance over these other outlets through years of connecting customers to businesses, according to Business2Community.

Drive sales without slipping up
Email marketing is clearly a force to be reckoned with when it comes to customer engagement via the web, but it is still possible for companies to alienate their audiences through this platform, according to Entrepreneur magazine. Common email marketing mistakes include using poorly chosen stock photos or distracting layouts, sending messages too often or missing their target demographic.

To avoid these mishaps, Entrepreneur suggested that companies spend time segmenting their email marketing campaigns to create sets of messages specifically designed for particular groups of customers. This can be as easy as matching up the proper names of the recipients with their emails, including their locations or recognizing their age-bracket.

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Email marketers get personal to ensure successful campaigns
11 Oct

Email marketers get personal to ensure successful campaigns

Internet trends come and go, technologies appear and fade , but what stays the same when it comes to effective email marketing? Determining strategies that stand the test of time is a challenge that business leaders tackle year in and year out. Clickz recently revealed what they believe to be the ultimate in email marketing wisdom, but will these tips remain relevant as the years pass by?

Smart marketers keep the customer’s situation in mind
Email marketing has changed with the times, but the customer’s desire to be acknowledged as an individual will always be there. Too many businesses opt for an impersonal, mass-distributed newsletter or promotional email that fails to make anyone feel like they are unique. Customer service is all about making the consumer feel respected, and this absolutely applies in the context of email marketing. Clickz reminded strategists to use every bit of personal information they gather in their email database to address customers as distinct members of the brand community.

The key term here is relevancy. According to Clickz, this translates into understanding the customer. A well-crafted message will take into account a number of specific factors that will separate one client from the next, including purchase history, browsing preferences and other personal touches that will inspire a sense of urgency for the consumer. When promotional offers and product information are framed in a way that directly applies to the customer’s situation, they are much more likely to respond in a positive way.

Other ways of making email marketing campaigns relevant for specific customers is to take advantage of any extra knowledge a business might have about a buyer. These bits of information could include age, geographic location, education or family and relationship status. Smart email marketers also shift the message of their campaigns based on world context such as weather, political circumstances or current economic situation. Clickz pointed out to strategists that there is such thing as too much personal information, however. Including details about how businesses gathered buyer preferences (such as observing internet history) can come across as creepy and intrusive.

Business strategically leverage channels according to audience
Clickz urged marketers to never underestimate the power of email marketing, especially in light of hype surrounding social media platforms as the next big trend. Simply because new channels of communication are available, businesses should not abandon their traditional methods by virtue of their being older. The article mentioned a client that still saw most of its business come from direct mail catalogs. Of course it would be unwise for them to get rid of this marketing strategy. The same goes for email as social media becomes more prevalent.

With this in mind, social media platforms can be an excellent way to supplement email marketing campaigns, according to a recent article from Business2Community. The piece referenced a report from researchers ExactTarget that showed 77 percent of consumers preferring to receive sales and marketing messages via email. Regardless, social media can be an excellent way to get new consumers interested in a brand and sign up for an email contact list.

Marketers can pique the curiosity of consumers by letting social community members know what is available for them when they sign up as email recipients. This can be as simple as posting a Facebook status that mentions an interesting exclusive available to members of the list. Business2Community also recommended that strategists experiment with offering different kinds of content based on the kind of campaign they’re running. Video, slideshows and live webinars are just some ways to get online communities eager to opt-in on an email list.

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