Photo by Mario Testino
There is a never-ending debate raging in the online marketing space regarding the inevitable doom of email marketing. Some Social Media die-hards contend that email marketing has been on a quick path to irrelevance and will soon be pronounced dead. Email Marketing Service Provider, (Affiliate Link) Constant Contact, recently blogged about Baskin Robbin’s move to completely and unequivocally end its email marketing efforts and rely solely on the internet marketing muscle of its social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter. As you probably expected, Constant Contact was not amused.
Nor were they convinced. They argue, as they have in the past, that email provides a true link to customers and helps bolster and measure (yes, I said the “m” word) social media campaigns.
As a PR & Marketing Consultant, there is one advantage email newsletter campaigns hold over social media programs: Email campaigns are much quicker, easier, and more cost-effective to launch. In fact, you can start one in just 5 days! I did. Here’s how:
DAY 1: Choose the Right Email Newsletter Service Provider
Take time to assess your company’s or client’s needs for this campaign to be a success. Are they particular about establishing a signature design? Or will the provided email templates suffice? Do you have an HTML programmer on deck to customize email design elements? Do they have a list of email addresses who have opted-in to receiving emails from the company?
There are currently two newsletter service giants on scene: Constant Contact & AWeber. Here is a fantastic table wherein the services of each are compared. Most of my clients were more concerned with launching the program as quick as possible, and sending emails immediately without having to request opt-in confirmation ahead of time–features which Constant Contact provides. However, make sure to choose wisely as transferring your customer data to a different provider could lead to unnecessary headache and delays later on.
DAY 2: Clean and Compile your Most Updated Contact List
This is probably the most tedious type of housecleaning you will have to do during the entire launch process, but I must stress, persistence here goes a long way. Checking for misspelled and outdated email addresses in your customer list is the best way to ensure a quick and painless list upload to your service provider’s database, as well as less email bounces to your first email and the ones following it.
Be sure to check the parameters of uploading your contact list. Some providers, like Constant Contact, disallow uploading generic emails like info@ or sales@ mycompany[dot]com to regulate spamming practices. However, Constant Contact and AWeber make the upload process relatively easy, allowing your to customize columns to include data fields such as First Name, Last Name, Company Name, etc.
DAY 3: Create Valuable & Compelling Content
Easier said than done right? Actually, for your first post, not really. Usually when a company or small business decides to launch a newsletter campaign, they have (or should have) something to say. But if your already hitting writer’s block, no fear. Here is what I would suggest:
- Announce your Newsletter and why you’ve launched it. Is it to keep in touch with your customers? To build a customer community? To deliver exclusive deals to the most loyal customers? This is your main pitch point to why your subscribers should stay subscribed.
- Deliver the most relavent news in your industry by listing some top headlines. Use links from other news sources.
- Offer a Coupon or Promotion for your products and/or services.
However, not to add more pressure, but the very first issue of your newsletter is usually the most important one as it sets the tone, aesthetic format, and message for issues to come. Here are the three features to consider cementing down on your first issue:
- Newsletter Title – Aim for something short, catchy, and related to your practice. If possible, insert your company name in the title for later SEO purposes.
- Custom Banner – Today a Custom Corporate Banner is a must. Some use advanced editing tools such as Adobe Illustrator, but as a bare-bones Mac user, I’ve whipped up headers in 5 mins. by using Pages, printing the mockup as a PDF and then converting the file into a JPEG file using the free application, DragOMan. Pull design elements from existing marketing material to keep the look and feel consistent. Have a company logo? Use it. Have a tagline? Use it as a subheader. Over-thinking this step is really the only way you can do this wrong.
- Newsletter Spokesperson – Who is the face of your corporate communications? For sole-proprietorships, this is a no-brainer. For larger enterprises, usually the VP of Marketing or even the company’s blogger are the face of the newsletter. This spokesperson will add a human touch to otherwise cold, direct mail marketing material. Make sure to have a high definition photo or headshot.
DAY 4: Create Online and Offline Outposts for Newsletter Sign-Ups
So you have a list of clean, edited emails which you’ve uploaded on your service provider’s database, but every campaign could always use more sign-ups. By the time you launch your first issue, not everyone will know you’ve launched one.
- Place a Sign-Up box right on your website - Constant Contact allows you to do this instantly and even provides a customizable form in which you can decide what data fields you want your subscriber to fill in while registering, be it First Name, Last Name, Company Name, Phone Number, Favorite Color, You Name It. Don’t get too crazy though: The more fields you require, the less likely they will take the time and risk to register.
- Place a Sign-Up List in your lobby – A low-tech, but standard way of retrieving email addresses that should not be overlooked.
- Place the Sign-Up box link in your corporate email signature – Emails to colleagues and friends could generate business without your having to flex an extra muscle.
Doing these three things will cover your bases for the first week. We will discuss How To Build Your List Beyond the Launch in a later post.
DAY 5: Send Off your First Newsletter Issue & Immediately Monitor Your Results
First: Pick your Send Day wisely. Many posts, like this one, suggest that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday still top the most popular days to send email marketing. Some have even specified a time of 2 – 3 PM as the target window. Whatever the day, make sure you also plan the frequency of your post so your readers know when to expect your email to pop into their busy week.
Just when you thought you could just hit “Send” and cross your fingers, there is actually so much more you can do to ensure the long-term success of your newsletter campaign.
Measure. Measure. Measure.
This is where the dork marketer in me comes alive. The instant gratification that providers like Constant Contact and AWeber provide are like a quick fix to the results-addicted marketing junkie. With these providers you are able to, within minutes of sending your first issue, measure how many times an email is opened, how many links are clicked, and…the best part…wait for it…WHO is opening and clicking on the links.
This provides a true wealth of information which was never really this accessible or available prior to email. In time you will see how effective your emails are, who your captive audience is, as well as your passive recipients, and plan campaigns accordingly. Did I mention that colorful bar graphs of your results are automatically updated and generated for you? That contact lists can be exported at a click of a mouse? I mean seriously, what more do you want?
The Bottom Line: Like with all online marketing technologies, Email Marketing is a tool, NOT a get rich quick scheme. E-Newsletters require work, continuous planning, and proactive, honest measurement to thrive. Luckily there are third-party service providers that do make the process easy to start. The key is to set clear goals before any campaign launch. What is is it really you hope to earn? Customer engagement? Community awareness? Increase in donation or sales?
Once you have a goal with which to measure your efforts against, master the tools available to you, and go forth with a sense of adventure. Perseverance outweighs perfection in today’s world of digital marketing: Stick to a plan and reap the rewards.
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