Content and list key effective e-mail marketing

E-mail marketing should be so simple:

Ÿ Know what you want your e-messages to accomplish.

Ÿ Keep the message short and relevant.

Ÿ Send your e-mails to the right people.

Ÿ Don't overwhelm recipients' in-boxes.

So why do e-mail campaigns sometimes stumble? Content and list are huge factors.

“If you put information in your e-mails that is valuable and relevant, then people will open your messages,” begins Steve Robinson, Deerfield-based regional development director for Constant Contact, Inc., a Waltham, Mass., pioneer in small business e-mail management. “But they'll stop if the content isn't relevant.”

Determining what in your message actually is relevant to e-mail recipients takes some effort.

“In the beginning, it's a trial-and-error process,” says Jamie Pritscher, CEO of That's Caring, an e-commerce company based in Elk Grove Village.

Although she warns that “What works for our gift basket company won't necessarily work for you,” Pritscher's suggestions are worth consideration.

“Do some A-and-B testing,” Pritscher says.

“Split your list” and send different messages, or offers, to each half. “Ask outsiders — co-workers, even your Mom — to look at your message before it's sent. If the response is ‘I don't get it' or ‘What do you mean?' then rework your message.”

“Be concise,” Robinson says. “Don't send ‘Gone with the Wind.'”

Don't send entire articles, either. Whether you're writing a newsletter or sending along someone else's written information, “Include the first paragraph, then have a link that sends the recipient to your website for the whole article.”

Being relevant also involves knowing who is on your e-mail list — essentially, according to the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act, individuals who said “OK” when you asked if you could send them e-mails, and customers and others with whom you have a valid business relationship.

“People will open e-mails from people and businesses they know and trust,” says Robinson. “Don't spend money on lists of people who don't know you.”

Even with a good list, watch the frequency.

That's Caring sends its 3,000 recipients two e-mails a month. One, Pritscher says, is aimed at the next holiday and sells the company's gifts; the other is intended to educate recipients about That's Caring and its eco-focus.

“There's no ‘correct' frequency,” Robinson says. “Look at the open rate and the unsubscribes.” If the number of people opening your e-mail drops and the number opting out rises, you have a frequency or content problem — or both.

Pritscher and Robinson pay attention to their e-mail analytics, the report from your e-mailer about which sections of your e-message draw interest.

“You'll know who opens the e-mail, by name and e-mail address, and what links they click on,” Robinson says. Using that information can help you target content and recipients for future e-mails.

Ÿ Contact Jim Kendall at JKendall@121Marketing Resources.com.

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