E-mail Marketing ABCs

Everyone is different. Avoid mass mailings and stick to more targeted campaigns. To do so, you must segment e-mails appropriately. Take what you know about your target and tailor the e-mails and corresponding calls-to-action to appeal to their interests. This can be done through segmenting lists based on similarities in roles-customers vs. prospects, product users vs. product buyers, executives levels vs. operations. The segmenting possibilities are endless. The more segmented your list is, the easier it is to tailor your message and offer and the more likely your message will hit home and warrant a response.

Your recipients are busy. They do not have time to read/respond to every e-mail they receive. Overcome the clutter. Identify ways you can differentiate your e-mail and offer from the others in your recipient's inbox and grab your reader's attention. Don't be afraid to take chances. A few examples include compelling subject lines, interactive quizzes, unique offers/giveaways and unusual graphics. The more creative your e-mails are, the harder they are to resist.

People do not want to miss out. Whether it involves downloading an article or whitepaper or registering for a webinar or product demo, position your call to action as a must-do, now. The greater urgency created by the message, the more likely your readers will be to open and respond immediately, vs. saving it for that hard-to-come-by, more convenient time. The further down your e-mail gets in your reader's inbox, the greater your chances are it will never be read. Don't let your e-mail be forgotten, create reader urgency, making it so irresistible it must be opened and acted upon immediately.

Whatever your call-to-action may be, if you want your readers to respond, you must deliver something of value. Provide your audience with helpful information and best practices. Offer valuable tips and tricks that relate to your organization's area of expertise and to your readers interests. From a simple "quick fact" to an article, whitepaper or product demo, deliver your readers something educational. Avoid sales pitches. Position your organization as a thought leader and use this opportunity to reinforce your organization's expertise in your space. The more relevant and valuable the e-mail offer is to your reader, the more likely they will respond.

Remember your readers have a lot going on. To encourage a response, make sure that at-a-glance, they understand what you are offering and how it is relevant to them. A good practice is to expect they will not read your entire e-mail and to lay it out accordingly. Do not bury your offer/call-to-action deep within the body. Keep your important information close to the top, ideally high enough that it can be seen in the e-mail preview pane. Limit your messaging and highlight key points and calls-to-action. Often, this can be accomplished with easy to read call-out boxes and buttons. Whether it is a whitepaper download, or registration for an upcoming event, be clear and make a response as simple as possible.

E-mail marketing, when done correctly, can be a reliable, cost effective source for generating demand. While it is often difficult to generate responses through this medium, there are some simple tips that marketers can turn to for guidance.

Ensure you make the most of every contact. Before sending your next e-mail, go back to the basics and reference your e-marketing ABC's. By following these few simple best practices you will watch your e-mail response rates climb.

Need to rev up your e-mail marketing? We can help. Contact Launch Marketing today.

Launch Marketing, an Austin based marketing services firm, works with technology oriented businesses to generate leads and drive revenue. Launch's high impact and cost effective services range from developing and implementing integrated marketing plans to completing one time projects including company or product launches, demand generation campaigns, events, Web sites, collateral and more.

Launch Marketing has been in business since 2001 and has more than 70 clients to date including Activant Solutions, ePsolutions, ETI, LifeSize Communications, Mirage Networks, Planview, ReachForce, SAP Labs, Teres Solutions, TESTCo and vcfo. For more information, visit www.launch-marketing.com.