According to a study conducted by Ascend2 and Research Partners, 45% of marketers rate email marketing as the most effective way to acquire new customers, and for 28% of them it poses a difficulty.
How can you make email marketing contribute to growth in metrics with the least possible effort?
Eryk Bocheński, Solution Consultant at Optivo, an Episerver Company, offers tips on what to do so that
email marketing causes as few problems as possible and helps you communicate more effectively
with customers.
Targeted Deliverability
The problem: Four years ago, Gmail introduced message sorting, giving users the ability to use folders: Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. Tabs can also be turned off and all messages directed to the main inbox. According to a study conducted by Return Path, over 90% of respondents confirm that Gmail sorts messages correctly, which makes this solution a big convenience for recipients. What can you do to ensure your newsletter lands in the right folder?
The solution: For the Silicon Valley provider, engagement is the main indicator that paints a picture of the quality of the correspondence being sent. When recipients have a positive attitude toward the message, it is treated better, i.e., placed in tabs rather than in the spam folder. By moving messages between tabs, we let Gmail know which tab a message from a given sender should appear in. That's why it's worth encouraging your most loyal subscribers to move messages to a specific tab, which will influence message filtering. For Gmail, a message that lands in the main tab should not bear the hallmarks of a traditional mass newsletter. Above all, however, the message should be interesting to the recipient. It turns out that tabs aren't so bad – research indicates that open rates dropped by about 1% after tabs were introduced. So there's really no reason to panic.
Customers First
The problem: Acquiring new customers and winning back those who have stopped purchasing is one of the most commonly reported problems among email marketers. Related to this is the issue of increasing newsletter open rates, i.e., boosting subscriber engagement. How do you build a base of loyal users?
The solution: Acquiring new subscribers is helped by placing a sign-up button
in a visible spot on your website, as well as sharing content with users, e.g., in the form of
an e-book or guide. A good way to solve the problem of acquiring new subscribers is to clearly define the benefits recipients can gain by signing up for the newsletter, and to consistently and reliably deliver on those promises. Meanwhile, providing information about current offers and promotions, ongoing support in situations where a customer might feel a bit lost, or sending useful recommendations can make customers who signed up for the newsletter not want to unsubscribe. Converting a subscriber into a customer is the next challenge you need to set for yourself. In this regard, special limited offers for subscribers and well-targeted products (e.g., in the form of predictive recommendations) help. Let's not forget about abandoned carts and reactivation campaigns either.
ROI on the Rise
The problem: A challenge for email marketers is also increasing the ROI metric, i.e., return
on investment. According to a study conducted by The Campaigner, over 1/4 of respondents say this problem will be the biggest pain point for marketing specialists in 2017, and 1/5 believe it will be the second most significant problem they will have to grapple with.
The solution: There are a number of ways to increase customer engagement during their interactions with the content directed at them, and thereby encourage them to convert. Here we distinguish two aspects. The first one worth paying attention to is the subject line, as it is the first point of contact between the marketer and the subscriber. Creating a message subject line that won't let recipients pass it by indifferently is a big undertaking requiring a large dose of creativity. Concise and substantive, yet also fun, original, tailored to the target group, and personalized. A/B testing comes in handy here to help you get to know your target audience. The next element to look more closely at is the content. Not only is interesting creative important. Campaign results will also be improved by content personalization, not only based on gender and age but also taking into account users' personal preferences or most frequently searched products. The most important thing is a clear message and a visible call to action.
Due to growing competition in the market, marketers mainly face the challenge of constantly attracting the attention of potential customers and, moreover, retaining for longer those who have at least once decided to purchase a product or service. However, by applying a few simple principles
and non-standard actions that build customer loyalty, you can make email marketing become the primary tool encouraging customers to interact with a given brand.
About the author:
Eryk Bocheński – Solution Consultant, Optivo an Episerver Company
For years associated with the internet and IT industry, a graduate of the "eBusiness – Management and Creation of Systems for eBusiness" program. Since 2011 he has worked at Optivo, advising and co-creating solutions for the largest clients. In his free time, he runs a blog about email marketing at niiu.pl
Concepts from the Article
ROI — Return on Investment. A metric comparing the financial effect of an investment with its cost. It helps assess whether a campaign, tool, production, or marketing channel generated value adequate to the outlay.
Why it matters: It asks the most important business question: did it pay off after counting all costs. ROAS looks at media spend — ROI adds production, people, and tools.
When it's used: When evaluating the profitability of campaigns, tools, and projects — anywhere the decision concerns real money.
What happens if you skip it: Without a full accounting, a campaign that is "profitable" on ROAS can actually be loss-making — costs outside of media disappear from view.
