Each time a new promotion or updating an existing campaign, there is always the following basics

• Getting a valid list of subscribers,
• Creating the promotion message & theme, and
• Ensuring the email is received to those on that list.

Once the basics are covered, steps are taken to where an email campaign is considered a conversation between our client and their customers, and not an invasion. This builds brand awareness, strengthens relationships, and encourages loyalty.

So how do we make a good email marketing campaign GREAT?

A direct subject line and consistent branding

A direct subject line should be specific and spell out the email’s contents. This gives a good reason for the customer to open your email and avoids guessing at the ‘whos’or ‘whats’ of the message.

Customers are more likely to open an email when they know who its from and what to expect. Make sure logos and company branding is placed prominently in the campaign. Consistent themes, styles, and links to your landing pages reinforce branding. The start of the subject line can be effectively used as for this purpose too. For example, “Latest news from Magnet Design: Register now and get 10% off”.

Know your customers

“Dear [first-name]” on top of the email is not considered personalization anymore. Using various tools and custom fields, figure out what your subscribers are interested in and segment them into smaller groups.
E.g., when Amazon sends me an email that contains book recommendations based on my previous purchases, I usually visit their website and browse through the new listings. Yay! So I am an individual and not just a number on their subscriber’s list.

More than two display versions

Creating a campaign that sends HTML and text versions so the right version shows up in the right place is great. But what about the third display version. Yes, that’s right – it’s the “Don’t Display Images” option on most email programs and the subscriber may have it switched on. Make sure your email still makes sense and does its job even without the images.

Start the conversation early

It is important to put a lot of attention when laying out your email’s content. Make sure your logo is clearly visible and you’ve introduced your email’s topic or theme early. Put important links near the top in case a quick preview is all someone needs to inquire, purchase, sign up or learn more. A few well chosen words can be more effective and prevent your readers work to figure out what your email is about.