This year, as I’m sure you all know, will see a sharp increase in companies using email marketing.  It doesn’t then take a genius to realise that will mean an increase in competition in your subscribers inbox.

So how do you ensure that your email ends up being opened in your recipients’ ever increasing inbox?

Well, don’t you worry as I’ve decided to do a quick checklist of the really important things to remember and I’ll try and link back to previous posts so you can read on in detail on areas you may be a little rusty on.

The first place to start would probably be with the initial list building.  Making your emails as relevant as possible to your recipients is (as I’ve said far too many times) the key to making a success out of your campaigns.

This always means that a self built list is far, far more useful than a purchased list.  By having a self built list you’re giving yourself a great headstart over any competitors that have chosen the other route.  Have a read of my post “increasing active subscribers” to get a few tips on how to get the most out of your sign up process.

Whilst you’re looking at that post, also have a look at “using transactional emails as a promotional tool” for inspiration on your thank you/receipt emails.

Some of you may be sitting there smugly, knowing full well you have a self-built list, but that’s merely the start of the battle.  You must still make sure you’re sending relevant emails to these people.  You may have several different areas of your company and not each area appeals to each recipient.  So how do you go about targeting those different sectors of your audience I hear you cry?

Have a look at my post “passive segmentation” for ideas on how it should be done.

So with your list self-built and sufficiently segmented, you young padwan, are ready for the next stage: design.

This year it isn’t just about ensuring your designs match the standard requirements, though it does help as a foundation for your campaign (here’s the “email design essentials” to help you).  You will have to really make a great first impression on your recipients when they open.  One subject that was brought up a while ago was videos and animated gifs in emails, which I personally didn’t cover on this blog but you can follow the discussions here (plenty of links in this post as well so you can get the full story).Though, as you will read, there are limitations to it all, it is a great trick to draw someone’s attention straight to a certain area.

Design aspect aside, the content of your email must be something that is always heavily considered.  Try to be regular but at the same time, don’t send for the sake of sending.  You want each email to be as interesting as possible and something that your recipients will be happy to open the next time.  A way to do this is without too much trouble is by linking to social media.  A friend of mine who works in the AOL music department was directing users to the site by hosting the latest buzz videos interlaced with their own recent videos.  A great way to grab the recipients engagement with your content.  For a further thought on this, take a look at “viralability: forward to the future”.

Now onto the final bit, unsubscribing.  Though this has in the past been a one-click affair, 2009 is the year to increase your efforts on the unsubscribing efforts.  Take a look at “preference centres and positive unsubscribe processes” for further assistance.  I’ve put a few great links at the bottom of that post to help you further.

Tags

email design | email marketing campaign | email marketing strategy

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.