Email marketing overcomes many of the challenges facing traditional marketing, with the big advantages being that you can target segmented audiences effectively and results can be easily tracked.

This article aims to explain some of the best email marketing practices and new strategies that are used for improving email response rates:

Use targeted lists

When creating an email marketing campaign, the first step is to create a list that segments your audience into target groups. Good criteria to use include location, company, size of company, previous purchase history and demographic information. If these fields do not already exist then create custom fields.

Target your content

An email marketing campaign will always involve sending out mass email – but not the same email to everyone. To get the best results always tailor your message and content so that it will appeal to each audience. This can be done by:

• Not sending out generic emails – always use short personalised messages so that your audience feels as though you are communicating to them.
• Always include a call to action – this can be via a link to an offer, article or web page – the whole point is to get your prospect to visit your website by providing something of value to them.
• Always use industry specific keywords – Talk to the audience in the language that they are familiar with and understand.
• Use a combination of rich text HTML and plain text format – You will be able to see from the emails you send out which format gets the best response.

Alert your sales team

Whenever you launch an email marketing campaign always ensure you have alerted your sales department so they are ready to respond quickly and professionally to any leads that result from the campaign.

Integrate your campaign with your website

As part of your email marketing campaign try and incorporate sign-up forms to capture prospect information from visitors that come to your site.

Develop a social media strategy

Make use of social media to increase visibility, reinforce your brand keep your prospects informed. Encourage your prospects to connect with you on your social media channels and use those channels to drive opt-ins for your email database. For example, you can:

• Engage with potential prospects through your LinkedIn contacts and groups
• Use Facebook pages and incorporate email sign-up forms
• Use Twitter to redirect prospects to a suitable landing page
• Start a blog and talk about your email marketing campaign as this is probably the best thing you can do to get people to find you via search engines.

Don’t make the mistake of spamming

Always respect your prospects and make sure that they have opted-in to your email. Trust is built up over time so don’t expect instant results.

Getting support

For those just getting started with building an online presence, developing a successful email marketing strategy can be a very difficult process. Many web design and SEO companies will also promote email marketing as part of their broader social media marketing, so make sure you look for the ones which have a proven track record.

Image credit – Maria Elena