Anisa Samarxhiu
1 Year Ago
The days of the quick email blast are long behind us, and marketers must think longer term and more strategic when it comes to creating their marketing plans. It's no longer good enough for you to just send out blanket email blasts in the hopes that it catches someone's eye. There needs to be a strategic, longer term vision that targets prospects and nurtures their interest over the course of months, not weeks. Setting up drip and nurture campaigns using marketing automation software has become the best way to do this. When setting up your drip and nurture campaigns, here are some things to consider to ensure that they are a success:
There is No Set Email Frequency for Every Industry
While it makes sense to send a follow up email right away for a clothing retailer to ensure a sale is completed; it would not be a good idea for a company that sells refrigerators. The content has to match the pace of the sales cycle of the industry. Depending on how short or long the sales cycle is, you can craft your drip campaigns to have the right amount of urgency.
Does your current email marketing tool allow for wait steps in sending out emails? What if one of your email marketing campaigns falls on a holiday that is pertinent? You may want to send out a time specific message for that occasion. Marketing automation systems like Listrak allow that modularity. SAP Marketing Cloud does the same and does a great job allowing users to customize their email marketing campaigns at a very detailed level.
Write for the Actions You Want Your Audience to Take Next
While most email marketing tools will give you standard analytics like Open Rate and Click-Through, they don’t mean anything without understanding the purpose and end goal of your email campaigns. Whether they are intended to drive sales leads or offer rewards to your existing customers, you must ensure that your purpose matches up with your content. By using marketing automation, you are able to plan out your campaign content with greater vision towards your end goal. You can conduct a/b tests along the way to maximize the effectiveness of your email content creation.
Remember when writing that your calls to action must be specific to the purpose of the email. You should not use vague CTA’s like “Click here to learn more.” Phrases like “Shop Now”, “Sign Up”, and “Go to My Cart” are concise, direct action statements that helps your audience know exactly what the next steps are. The less confusion, the better.
Linking E-Mail Marketing Campaigns Through Marketing Automation
In the beginning, you may make email marketing campaigns that are more general and introduce the brand to your audience, but to be successful you need to go one step further. Creating the right list of recipients is key, and most often they come from those general campaigns. If you have a positive reaction for a certain product featured in a general campaign, that can spark another email marketing campaign highlighting other products that are similar.
A good email marketing campaign should serve as a gateway to more targeted marketing opportunities and through marketing automation, you can do this with ease. Do you want to create an email marketing campaign specific to cart abandonment? You have to create the right email list for that. Do you want to create an email marketing campaign thanking your customers for their purchases? Marketing automation can help track and update your recipient lists for you from one campaign to the next.
Marketing Can No Longer be a Short Term Ambition
Creating effective email campaigns with a marketing automation software will help you lay the foundation for your marketing for the long term. Choosing the right technology can make all the difference. Dunn Solutions can help you evaluate your options and develop a plan that will elevate your marketing! Contact us today!
