How To Plan Target-Oriented Email Marketing Campaigns

Do you also have an email address? If so, you are one of the 86% of Germans who use email to communicate. Another 80% access their emails on mobile devices. The use of emails has been established for years and in all age groups; even Grandma Hilde now receives the weekly pharmacy newsletter on her tablet. So what speaks against using email marketing for your purposes? This post presents the essential steps to launch successful email marketing campaigns. Learn how to conquer the mailbox and the hearts of your customers!

ALSO READ: The Components Of The Brand Prism

Set The Goal Of Your Email Marketing Campaigns

Before starting your email marketing campaigns, you first need to have a goal in mind – a “why.” What exactly do you want to achieve with your emails? Roughly four goals can be distinguished, which of course, also entail other content:

1. new customer acquisition
2. Customer loyalty or existing customer care
3. brand awareness
4. services and support

Who Do You Want To Send It To? Fill Out Your Mailing List

Already have a sizable list of recipients? Then you can skip this step. For everyone else, the following applies: first, fill your mailing list with enough contacts, so your campaign pays off. Two ways to get new contacts are:

1. Offer visitors to your website the option of signing up for your emails. It is best to link the whole thing to a clear benefit, for example: “The best insights straight to your mailbox: Secure your knowledge advantage over the competition!” That this is an entry in an email list is, Of course, still evident – it’s just packaged nicer and doesn’t sound like irrelevant advertising mail, which nobody wants.
2. Also, make attractive lead magnets available for download. Free of charge, of course, in exchange for the email address. This principle has been working very successfully for a long time and is also part of a successful content marketing strategy.

Attention: 

You must remember to obtain the interested party’s consent via double opt-in.

Create A Rough Timetable

Now you know where and who’s going, but how do you get there? To run consistently successful email marketing, you need a roadmap.

1. What should the content of your emails be? What added value should your subscribers get from it?
2. How regularly should the emails be sent?
3. Would you even like to send automated email campaigns with several consecutive emails? If yes, when should these campaigns start and end? Not that your Christmas campaign will still end up in your recipients’ inboxes in February…
4. By the way: This post from Mailjet explains in detail the best time to send your emails.

The basis is laid – now let’s get to the content!

The Subject – The Be-All And End-All Of Successful Email Marketing Campaigns!

You could almost make your science out of subject and preview lines – because they should be interesting enough to encourage people to open them. Not an easy task when the inbox is flooded with what feels like a million emails every day. You’ve already lost here with trivial subject lines like “Newsletter No. 4 – October”. This email will probably only be opened by your manager – or maybe your intern as well. So if you want your messages to be opened by the potential customers “out there,” use an exciting subject line! Conveniently, there are a few guidelines to guide you. Here are our tips for a successful subject line:

1. Don’t use more than 50-60 characters
2. Put the relevant words (e.g., Sale) at the beginning of the subject
3. Emojis attract attention, but they have to fit thematically – and a maximum of 2 is enough
4. And this is how you find the optimal text:
5. Numbers and lists attract attention, for example: “4 tips for a successful October”
6. Arouse users’ curiosity, e.g., “You didn’t know that about us yet.”
7. Convey urgency or scarcity: “It’s almost too late…” or “Only 24 hours!”
8. Address the recipients personally; Most shipping systems allow personalizations such as: “A personal offer for you, Mr. [name].”
9. Make sure you use the preheader, i.e., the preview line of the email programs, to supplement your subject line.

“XXX Urgent! Your gift – 100% free €€€”: There is no question that such a subject is more likely to be assigned to spam mail. Certain terms and formulations are typical of spam – and can, unfortunately, ensure that your emails disappear in a flash and never be seen again in the spam folder. For a list of these terms to avoid, go to Mailjet. It is also essential: Not to make false promises about the content of the message. Otherwise, you will quickly lose the trust of your recipients.

“Allow Me; My Name Is Info.” Better To Use A Real Name

You want your email marketing campaigns to be seen as legitimate. Then it is somewhat counterproductive if emails from an impersonal “info@beispielcompany.de” or something similar regularly lands in your contacts’ inboxes. Everyone would much rather get emails from a natural person. So use a “real” email address and personalize the sender field to include a name.

The Essential Thing Without Scrolling – Distribute The Content Of Your Email Sensibly.

The most critical points of your email should be read “above the fold.” That means: recognizable at first glance without the reader having to scroll once. After that, please don’t continue happily with an extended text. Get your statements to the point, and formulate them clearly and understandably. Are you planning multiple emails in a row? Then feel free to revisit the content of previous messages – for example, as a summary of the most important findings.

Legal Content That You Cannot Avoid In Your Email Marketing Campaigns

As with everything in life, there are a few legal things to be aware of when sending with an entrepreneurial background regarding email marketing. Certain content belongs in every email, preferably in the footer. That would be:

1. the complete imprint
2. recognizable (and, of course, functional!) unsubscribe link – otherwise, we would probably all be trapped in various newsletter hells

Essential For Every Email Marketing Campaign: The Call To Action

Do you want your recipients to take a specific action at the end of the email? Then tell him very clearly! A clear call to action, such as “Request your result now” or “Find out more now,” asks your readers to take action and not just close the email without doing anything. Buttons work particularly well here, by the way, because they encourage clicking. Of course, the CTA should always be in context with the rest of the email. So if you mention a free reading sample beforehand, the CTA should ask you to download it – and not to register for a consultation.

Theme Design: Please No “Comic Sans” On A Blue Background

Simple is still the best motto when it comes to the design of your email marketing campaigns. Black writing on a white background is always appropriate. It is not necessary to use your company color for the background of the mail. Better to use them for buttons or headings! In this way, you create a clear recognition value and, at the same time, keep your email reader-friendly.

“Keep it simple” also applies to the font: Email programs often cannot display unusual fonts. It is, therefore, better to use classic fonts without a lot of frills.

For Those In A Hurry: Highlight The Most Important Things

It is often helpful to write the relevant keywords of your message in bold. This way, your readers can find out the most important things even if they can only scan the mail briefly. Your email should also include your company logo at the top of the header. This increases the recognition value, and the recipient directly identifies you or your company as the originator of his email.

Enhanced For All Gadgets – With A Responsive Plan

Even if good email tools such as Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign automatically check for this, remember that many will also read your email from their smartphone or tablet. Accordingly, the view changes, and everything could be shifted. If possible, test the display of your emails on different devices before sending them.

Phew, that was quite a lot all at once! But no detail must be missing for your email marketing campaigns to reach their goal. We recommend our comprehensive online course on the topic if you want to learn more about perfect email campaigns. You’ll learn everything you need, from email marketing basics to lead generation and the right tools for automated success. Have a look! And if you have any other questions, contact us!