Email Campaigns

Research shows that for every £1 spent on email marketing, the return on investment is, on average, £44. Email marketing is clearly an effective way of promoting your business … as long as it’s done correctly.

Here are some tips to help you create effective email campaigns.

Set your business objectives and goals

Have a plan. Ensure you create a sequence of emails that takes the reader on a journey. Know the frequency of the emails, the content you’re going to include, and what action you want the recipient to take.

Have SMART goals and be clear on what you want to achieve. For example

  • Specific – create a specific type of email campaign, such as an email to promote a new product, raise awareness, re-connect with existing clients etc.
  • Measurable – make sure you have a system in place to measure and track the results
  • Achievable – make the goals achievable, i.e. get 10 new customers
  • Realistic – make the target realistic
  • Timescale – set a timescale do the project within

Know your ideal target market

Create a buyer persona, i.e. characteristics and attributes of your ideal customers

  • Industry type i.e. Accountants, construction, public sector, zoos
  • Location i.e. Postcode area, county or country
  • Company size by number of employees
  • Type of office i.e. Head office, single site or branch
  • Contact method i.e. Postal, telephone, email or a combination
  • Contact within the company i.e. MD, sales, marketing, IT, HR etc.
  • Challenges and motivation for buying

If you don’t have a list to email then mailing lists can be purchased from a reputable data broker.

Know the type of email and what you are promoting

Decide on the type of email i.e. newsletters, information or promotional email.

Know the information you want to send, company news and information or what products or services you want to promote.

Right message

Create an attention-grabbing headline – 47% of people will open an email based on the headline alone, so make sure it stands out to get your email opened.

Segment your data and create a message for each segment. Personalise your message to make it resonate with your audience.

Know their pain points and demonstrate how your product / service solves their problem.

Include social proof, such a testimonials or links to review sites

Make sure you have a call to action, with clear instructions on what you want them to do next.

Keep your content short and easy to read.

 

Right time 

Make sure you get the timing right. Test and measure the best time / day / month to send your emails to get the maximum results.

Use an Email Service Provider

Using Outlook can compromise your email service and get you blacklisted with your ISP, so use an email service provider.

There are many on the market, with differing levels of input required and information supplied. Look for ones that fulfil what you want them to do, and are easy to use. For example, some include templates and workflows, and automate many actions, which reduce the amount of time you spend preparing campaigns. You may also need the software to include analytics, so you can understand what is (and is not!) working, and take follow-up actions with those who engage with your email.

Make sure you follow up and record the results

Think about the series of events, create a sequence of different approaches to follow up with your audience.

  • Send your 1st email, then connect and engage on social media on the day it lands
  • Send your 2nd email in sequence, then follow up with a telephone call
  • Measure the results and review your action plan

Frequency is key to a campaign – send too many and people unsubscribe, too few and they forget about you – so you need to strike the right balance.

Be prepared and plan ahead

For example, you could plan an initial email to get someone to buy your product or service, then a welcome email when they buy, followed by a confirmation of benefits, then one asking for feedback, the next highlighting other services, one asking for a testimonial etc. Make sure if you do create a sequence, that you consider the gap between each email – again, strike the right balance so as to keep them informed and interested without annoying them.

For more advice, contact your accountant or the organisation that gave you access to BuBul. They may offer help or refer you to someone they trust. If not, email hello@bubulexpert.com telling us what you need advice on, and we’ll connect you with one of our trusted experts*.

*Our experts don’t pay to be on BuBul, and they don’t pay us commission. They will offer you 30 minutes of free advice.