by Marianna Muscat | Sep 23, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
Email marketing can be so effective that it can generate a US$38 ROI for every one dollar spent. Not everyone manages to realise that kind of return, however. Failure to reap rewards like this from your email marketing is not a question of your content, nor is it a matter of the size and quality of your mailing list. If you are not maximising the potential of your email campaigns, it is probably because of a lack of focus or coherent strategy. While you may get some returns from just hitting ‘send’ and hoping for the best, the only way to get the most from your carefully thought out email content, is to take a managed and strategic approach to your mailing list. Here are two tips that can help you turn your email marketing into the ROI machine it is capable of being.
Focus your emails by segmenting your contact list
One of the most common mistakes in email marketing is assuming that you can get results by sending the same message to your entire mailing list at the same time. However, you cannot treat all members of your audience as if their needs are the same. To maximise the impact of your emails, it is better to carefully segment your contact database so that you send the right message to the right people.
On the flipside of that, segmentation will also stop you sending the wrong messages to the wrong people. It may seem as if this is stating the obvious, but it is worth emphasising that sending the wrong message can damage your brand and your audience engagement. The only result you normally get from a misdirected email is an ‘unsubscribe.’ The segmentation of your contact list, therefore, becomes about more than just creating conversions in the short term. It is a matter of long-term audience engagement and nurturing trust.
You should be very careful about how you segment your database, however. First make sure that the segments you create properly represent your company’s aims and the business sectors that it serves. Then be sure that you fit the right contacts into the right segments. That will take a bit of scrupulous data gathering and analysis before you drop all your audience members into the right segments.
Sets goals, devise strategies and send emails tactically
As with any tool in marketing – or any other field for that matter – emails should be used in a carefully planned way, in the service of specific goals, and as part of strategies devised to meet those goals. Before sending out an email, decide why you are doing so. Set a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable and timebound) goal for each mail, and make sure that the mail is drafted and sent accordingly. Part of this is ensuring that you always send the right message to the right recipients at the right time. Make sure that the context and content of the message is appropriate for the specific market segment at the time of sending. This requires full knowledge and careful monitoring of your segmented contact list.
For expert help in segmenting your contact list and getting the most out of your email marketing campaigns, contact WSI OMS.
by Marianna Muscat | Sep 15, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
Have you assessed your email marketing tactics recently? While it’s true that you can’t afford to neglect any aspect of your digital marketing strategy, email is one that appears to be particularly vital. Roughly 86% of B2B marketers rely on email marketing to reach new clients. That’s a huge number of companies that have recognised the power of email to reach carefully targeted audiences. If you have found that it is not quite as effective for you, it could be that you just need to spend some more time and energy on it, or it could be that your strategy needs a boost – a new tool to help you improve your approach.
There is never any shortage of email marketing tools out there. In 2020, with months of lockdown keeping people more attached to their screens than ever, email marketers have really had a captive audience, and developers have been happy to introduce new tools – or perfect existing ones – to aid their efforts. Here are six of the best ones currently available. All of them can be used for free or upgraded to paid subscriptions for even better results.
SendPulse brings all your customer communications onto a single multi-channel platform: email campaigns, SMS marketing, transactional emails and chatbots. There are over 130 templates to choose from, as well as a drag-and-drop functionality and a feature that allows you to resend unopened mails with different subject lines. The easy-to-use platform enables simple, flexible management of all your email communications.
Small to medium-sized businesses will find this tool useful. The free plan gives you access to features such as reports, templates and A/B testing. If you are already using the Zoho CRM, then it would make sense to choose this as your main email marketing platform. The free plan is quite limited, but the paid option is very reasonably priced at only US$6 per month for up to 500 subscribers.
HubSpot’s email marketing package is a very attractive offering, with plenty of features available on the free plan. The easy-to-use drag-and-drop email builder helps to create professional marketing mails aimed at growing your audience. For one-person start-ups and larger enterprises alike, this tool equips users to build really high-end emails that your audience will love. It has the ability to make newcomers look like seasoned professionals, with little effort. It is also quite fun to use and encourages you to stretch your creativity without needing any prior design knowledge.
Moosend is another great tool for beginners in the world of email marketing. The free plan offers you a feature-packed mailing platform, although it does limit you to only 1,000 subscribers. Paying the US$10 fee doubles that number. The programme offers a drag-and-drop editor, automation triggers, real-time analytics and more.
SendInBlue is an indispensable tool for companies that rely on transactional emails. If you require frequent two-way interaction with your customers, from issuing receipts to offering password help, then this is probably what you are looking for. It is an easy system to use and offers several useful custom technical services.
Mailjet’s free plan gives you access to unlimited contacts, APIs and webhooks, statistics and a really impressive email editor. Its intuitive UX means you can just sign up and get going without the need to spend too much time learning the ropes.
If you need some help reinvigorating your email marketing strategy, content marketing or any other aspect of your digital marketing campaigns, contact WSI OMS.
by Marianna Muscat | Jul 10, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
A successful email marketing campaign gets recipients to respond to your call-to-action by clicking the provided link and following your action prompts which may include signing up for a mailing list, making a purchase or downloading content from your website. The best way to gauge the performance of your email marketing campaign is to track relevant metrics so you can improve your strategy.
The key performance indicators (KPIs) in your email marketing that you should be tracking:
Emails Open Rate
Open rate indicates how many recipients opened the email because they were interested enough in the content to read all or some of the email. To improve the open rate, make sure your sender name is credible, the subject line stands out, and the emails are sent at the optimum time and day.
Click-through Rate
Click-through rate indicates how many people clicked on links in your email, are engaging with the content and want to learn more about your brand, products or services. To improve the click-through rate, make the email mobile friendly and keep the message simple with a clear call to action.
Unsubscribe/Marked As Spam/ Complaints
Unsubscribe/Spam Complaint Rate indicates what is not working with your email campaign. You do not want your email marketing campaign to irritate current or potential clients. To improve this rate, relook content, sending frequency and make it easy to unsubscribe.
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate is the most critical email marketing KPI as it indicates how many recipients completed the desired action after opening the email, whether making a purchase, filling out a form or signing up for an event. This rate directly impacts your return on investment (ROI).
For help with your marketing automation and creating a consistent content marketing plan that will improve your return on investment, contact WSIOMS. We’ll help you to create email marketing campaigns that result in conversions and brand loyalty.
by Marelise da Silva | Jun 15, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
During the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses across the globe are shifting gears when it comes to email marketing, using this platform to communicate a variety of important messages. If you are unsure of the kind of information you should include in your email marketing efforts, take a look at our guide.
Useful information to share in your email marketing during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Taking your business online
If your business can provide products or services during the pandemic without compromising the safety of your clients or overstepping regulations, you need to communicate this to your clients. Be sure to comply with any local regulations and only provide products and services that have been approved by your local government. You will need to inform your clients of your safety measures and communicate clearly what you can deliver and how you can continue with your operations.
New communication methods and channels
Due to the nature of the situation during COVID-19, your business might be expanding to include new communication channels. If you are engaging via webinars, podcasts or new social media channels, you should let your clients know so they can get access to your content and offers on all their preferred channels.
Stand-out communications
If you’re looking to make an impact, it will benefit your business to get creative with your branding or messaging during COVID-19. You can follow the example of popular companies such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Coca-Cola and adapt the visuals that will accompany your email communication to encourage social-distancing, self-isolation and staying home. Find ways to modify your branding to communicate your support for these health and safety measures. It will help you to stand out from your competition if they are sending generic communications.
Communicate special offers or discounts for essential workers
If your business can provide special offers, discounted prices or anything that will make life easier for essential workers, be sure to include this in your email marketing. You can include shareable images with your information in your emails and ask your audience to share it on social media so it can reach a broader audience. Even if your business only allows essential workers to skip to the front of the line, you need to share this information with your audience. Your audience members may know essential workers who deserve some special treatment and share your offers or special allowances with those essential workers.
Create special offers to encourage appropriate behaviour
If you have products or services that will make it easier for your clients to self-isolate, keep their distance and adopt better hygiene practices, create special offers around those products and services. This could include discounts on home-deliveries, special prices for protective equipment (like masks) and discounted rates for online interactions versus physical meetings (if meetings are even still allowed in your area).
Be sensitive in the use of your designs and copy
When creating your email content, be careful that you are not encouraging actions that could worsen the pandemic. Remove visuals depicting close contact like hugging or shaking hands and don’t encourage your audience to break the rules or take risky actions.
Provide discounted or free access to your resources
If you have valuable content that users can access online, now is the time to draw attention to it via your email campaigns and social media marketing. Many creators are offering free access to their content during lockdown periods. If you can provide access to your content at a discount or for no charge, it will help to show your audience that you are not just focussed on profit, but that your brand cares for its clients.
A few general rules to follow when creating your email marketing campaigns during COVID-19 is to be sincere in marketing your business, be responsible for the content you share and create value for your clients through every piece of email marketing you share.
If you need advice on your digital marketing strategy, including email marketing, social media marketing, web design, and SEO, contact us for more information.
by Marelise da Silva | Jun 11, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
As has become very clear to anyone doing any kind of digital marketing, strategies and tactics need to change substantially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. For a long time to come, we will not be able to rely on the same techniques and approaches we used before. In fact, we may never be able to go back at all to the way things were. The beauty of marketing, however, is that it is endlessly adaptable when we set our minds to it. Here are some ideas that will help you maintain your relationship with your audience during these difficult times.
Be willing to help others
If COVID-19 has proven anything, it’s that none of us is in this alone. Accordingly, we can’t just carry on doing business by looking out for ourselves alone. Be prepared to make some sacrifices and to give to your clients and associates. Giveaways are always a good tactic, even in a good economic climate but there’s a distinction here: don’t offer giveaways as sales tactic, but rather as a demonstration of your social conscience, as a way of giving back when times are tough. Customers are very likely to respond to this. You may not get increased sales right away, but you will boost your brand and you will draw more followers, friends and subscribers who will think very highly of you. That will pay dividends further down the line.
Invest in pay-per-click ads while prices are low
The demand for paid ads has dropped substantially since the crisis hit. This means that ads are cheaper than ever. At the same time, people are spending more time online and are thus a captive audience for you to reach with ads. So you can spend less on ads and have a greater impact. If you tended to avoid spending on PPC advertising before, now is a good time to start making the investment in bidding for those ads.
Adjust your payment options to boost conversions
Since the outbreak started, conversion rates have taken a massive dive in most industries. People have not stopped visiting pages – the hits are as high as ever – they just don’t move to close the deal. This is understandable, of course, as people are being especially careful about their spending at the moment. So why not, meet people halfway? Introduce payment plans or discounts to help people take advantage of your offers. The people who really want what you are offering will gratefully grab the opportunity. Those who are less sure may be swayed by your willingness to accommodate them.
Offer training courses
As unemployment and redundancies loom large for many people, they are starting to look for alternative career options. As their old industries become unviable, they seek to upskill themselves in professions that are likely to be more in demand. If you offer training, you can both help to lift people out of unemployment and expand your own HR capital, both of which are also great for your brand.
Diversify your audience geographically
The current crisis is affecting different countries in different ways. If your business depends on only one country, you are limiting yourself severely. Through international SEO, you can expand your reach and find new customers in territories where the economies are more open than in your home country.
WSI OMS can help you modify and perfect your digital marketing campaigns during the COVID-19 crisis. Contact us for more information.
by Marelise da Silva | Jun 9, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
Consumers are being hit from all sides with information about COVID-19, including in the email marketing that gets fired into their inboxes every day. You have either already sent a COVID-19 email or are considering doing so, but how do you ensure that it says what it needs to and communicates your message effectively? Here are five tips that should help your COVID-19 mail to cut through the clutter.
1. Make sure the information is genuinely useful
Don’t be tempted to send an email on this subject just because that’s what people are doing. Only send one if you genuinely have something insightful and relevant to say. It can’t be generic either – it should relate directly to your line of work and your customers’ interests.
2. Be concise and to the point
Your readers can watch the news and do their own research – they don’t need a lot of technical information or jargon from you. Stick to the point and include only as much background information as is absolutely necessary to back up your specific message.
3. Make the content easy to skim
This is true of all emails but particularly so if you want to include a great deal of background info leading up to your main message, as many companies are doing with COVID-19 emails. Many mails out there are made up of big, dense paragraphs. Nobody is going to read those. You need to cut down the text to its essentials and space it out so that readers can scan through it quickly. If you don’t, you risk losing your message completely.
4. Instead of a dedicated mail, add to your existing newsletter
You may not even need a dedicated mailer on this subject. Think about whether it would really suit your business and marketing goals. You may be better served by adding a short note at the top or bottom of your usual weekly newsletter.
5. Ask for feedback
If you’re uncertain about what you should be communicating to your audience about COVID-19 – or about any topic in the midst of the pandemic – just come right out and ask them. They might be overwhelmed by COVID-19 information and would rather like to hear about your products alone. Or they may not be in the mood to make any consumer decisions right now and thus, not interested in your latest business developments. Just be honest with them and they will probably return the favour. This is just good customer relationship practice.
If you need more help making your COVID-19 emails as effective as possible, or for assistance in designing a powerful and impactful email marketing strategy, contact WSI OMS.
