Email Marketing Strategy

Email may be faster to turn around and less expensive than its print counterpart but that does not mean it should be sent frequently or haphazardly. A planned email marketing strategy will produce more leads and loyal readers.

So, consider the following elements in your next email marketing strategy:

1. A goal

What do you want your email marketing to achieve? If your goal is to generate sales leads, then you must have the right message and call to action. Your email shouldn’t tell the whole story – just enough to encourage the recipient to take the next step. That next step could be asking for more information about your product or service, reading a full-length article on your blog or signing up for your monthly newsletter.

2. A design

Like your sales literature, website and product packaging – your email marketing strategy should align with your brand. You should have a cohesive look across all your marketing literature, to include email. A consistent design helps establish trust and credibility with your audience. A well-thought-out design should support your email marketing goals. Try to make your call to action prominent and tailored to your readers. Also, are your email readers mobile? If so, your email should be mobile friendly and you should consider a responsive web design for your emails.

3. A schedule

Your sending frequency hinges on how the expectations you created with your readers. What did you promise your readers? If there are no set frequency expectations, then testing is the best way to determine your communication cadence. Your email marketing schedule should take all communications into consideration so you evenly distribute your messages online and offline.

You should also consider the benefits of an email marketing campaign versus traditional print communications like direct mail. Without printing or postage costs, email marketing is more cost effective. Email is easier to personalize with content specific to sub-segments of your list, so offers are targeted and more relevant to the recipient. You can also customize your messages with data merges and track recipient activity, engagement, and response to email messages.

For example, one client with a private equity investment business wanted to send an email to his personal and professional networks letting them know about his new venture. His goal was to generate new business leads so he told his story via a three-part email series with prominent calls to action. He took the time to plan out the strategy and evaluate the audience he hoped to reach, the results exceeded his expectations.

This client could attest--your efforts are always more successful when you have a strategic plan for your email marketing.