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When a user clicks through from an email campaign and continues to the desired action, i.e. purchases a product, subscribes to a service etc, this is known as a conversion. The conversion rate is the percentage of your traffic that carries out the desired action.
Conversion rate optimisation has become an important strategy in email marketing as companies develop an understanding of the need to increase this percentage. Conversion rate optimisation produces numbers that allow you to analyse precisely what has been achieved, and what needs doing.
In order to achieve great return on investment (ROI) from email marketing, marketers should consider how to increase consumer interest in the initial email campaign. A few ways to do this according to ‘Ion Interactive’ are to a) use campaign specific landing pages, b) echo the message on the first landing page and c) employ continuous testing for continuous conversion improvement.
There is a necessity to ensure the overall design of a creative matches the email campaign message, if this isn’t the case, it implies your email marketing strategy has not been properly thought through, which will have a negative impact on your ROI.
In addition, behavioural targeting makes your pages even more relevant – and is much more effective that geographical targeting which depends upon stereotypes.
The moral of the story – focus on conversions is paramount to your email marketing strategy’s success.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Monday, 27 September 2010
Is the send the be all and end all of email marketing?
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Of course having a send schedule for email marketing proves extremely useful in keeping up to date with deadlines, but often email marketing specialists are so focused on getting campaigns out to their marketing lists on time that they forget to consider what they are actually sending.
More important than whether it gets sent, is whether the email will be effective and whether it will make consumers want to open it and take the appropriate action. If the email doesn’t do this, then it doesn’t matter if you’ve got it out to your email lists on time – it won’t produce results.
To build a successful email campaign you need to start by analysing previous campaigns. By looking at what did and didn’t work, you can make better decisions on future email campaigns. Having analyzed past campaigns and email lists, you should set a qualitative goal for new emails. You need to know what you want to get from the recipient of your emails.
A metrics report on email list marketing from MailerMailer has suggested that open rates for the last half of 2009 were 11.2% on average. This means that the typical email is only opened by approximately 1 in 10 people. The average click through rate went down to 1.6%, meaning that less than two people out of every hundred clicked on at least one link.
Sending emails that are relevant, anticipated, and personal is the key to getting better click through rates, according to marketing expert, Seth Godin. Instead of working towards deadlines without considering whether the email campaigns you’re sending out will be effective, take the time to rework the message and you will set yourself up for longer-term rewards than just hitting that deadline.
Of course having a send schedule for email marketing proves extremely useful in keeping up to date with deadlines, but often email marketing specialists are so focused on getting campaigns out to their marketing lists on time that they forget to consider what they are actually sending.
More important than whether it gets sent, is whether the email will be effective and whether it will make consumers want to open it and take the appropriate action. If the email doesn’t do this, then it doesn’t matter if you’ve got it out to your email lists on time – it won’t produce results.
To build a successful email campaign you need to start by analysing previous campaigns. By looking at what did and didn’t work, you can make better decisions on future email campaigns. Having analyzed past campaigns and email lists, you should set a qualitative goal for new emails. You need to know what you want to get from the recipient of your emails.
A metrics report on email list marketing from MailerMailer has suggested that open rates for the last half of 2009 were 11.2% on average. This means that the typical email is only opened by approximately 1 in 10 people. The average click through rate went down to 1.6%, meaning that less than two people out of every hundred clicked on at least one link.
Sending emails that are relevant, anticipated, and personal is the key to getting better click through rates, according to marketing expert, Seth Godin. Instead of working towards deadlines without considering whether the email campaigns you’re sending out will be effective, take the time to rework the message and you will set yourself up for longer-term rewards than just hitting that deadline.
Friday, 24 September 2010
SMEs 'should embrace email marketing'
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should embrace email marketing in the long term, an expert advises.
Chris Lake, editor in chief at Econsultancy, claims that this is something all businesses should plan for in the long term.
He identifies a number of areas where companies can benefit from this approach, suggesting that email marketing allows firms to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Three advantages he highlights are the ability of companies to use this approach to expand into new territories, encourage repeat business and attract new customers.
"[Email marketing] should be part of a multichannel strategy and not placed in a silo, nor adopted because it is perceived as being cheaper or easier," Mr Lake asserts.
He says that choosing online campaigns is an incredibly useful decision from a measurement perspective.
Recent research by Hewlett Packard claims that 31 per cent of SME leaders stated they would be spending more money on marketing in the next 12 months.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should embrace email marketing in the long term, an expert advises.
Chris Lake, editor in chief at Econsultancy, claims that this is something all businesses should plan for in the long term.
He identifies a number of areas where companies can benefit from this approach, suggesting that email marketing allows firms to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Three advantages he highlights are the ability of companies to use this approach to expand into new territories, encourage repeat business and attract new customers.
"[Email marketing] should be part of a multichannel strategy and not placed in a silo, nor adopted because it is perceived as being cheaper or easier," Mr Lake asserts.
He says that choosing online campaigns is an incredibly useful decision from a measurement perspective.
Recent research by Hewlett Packard claims that 31 per cent of SME leaders stated they would be spending more money on marketing in the next 12 months.
Offline data can boost ROI from email campaigns
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Leading Data & Direct Marketing specialist CCR Data has revealed marketers can benefit from a 10 percent order increase if postal and email data are merged.
The data company has launched ‘email append' a tool that matches a database onto a pool of permission based email addresses allowing marketers to target offline contacts online.
Email marketing's reputation has suffered due to ‘batch and blast' techniques; ill targeted and irrelevant campaigns that are labelled as spam. However, CCR highlight the fact that as a result of the recession, social media and email marketing received an increase in spending in 2009 due to their cost effectiveness. The new tool for email marketing is designed to increase ROI even further.
Ed Spicer, MD of CCR Data explains its customers were looking for such a tool to be made available. He says, "Over the last year a large number of clients have increasingly asked us for help with their email activity and specifically how they could utilise their existing databases for email marketing."
Leading Data & Direct Marketing specialist CCR Data has revealed marketers can benefit from a 10 percent order increase if postal and email data are merged.
The data company has launched ‘email append' a tool that matches a database onto a pool of permission based email addresses allowing marketers to target offline contacts online.
Email marketing's reputation has suffered due to ‘batch and blast' techniques; ill targeted and irrelevant campaigns that are labelled as spam. However, CCR highlight the fact that as a result of the recession, social media and email marketing received an increase in spending in 2009 due to their cost effectiveness. The new tool for email marketing is designed to increase ROI even further.
Ed Spicer, MD of CCR Data explains its customers were looking for such a tool to be made available. He says, "Over the last year a large number of clients have increasingly asked us for help with their email activity and specifically how they could utilise their existing databases for email marketing."
Email marketing helps increase sales
A new survey has revealed that email marketing is an important tool in helping marketers to increase their sales.
E-consultancy carried out research which found that more than a third (36 percent) of consumers said receiving an email would prompt them to make an online purchase.
It seems that a growing number of consumers now expect to be reached via email - nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of consumers expect to receive advertising and notifications through this medium.
According to E-consultancy's research, targeting and relevance is still an important issue for consumers. More than half (57 percent) of respondents said they appreciate receiving advertising messages if they are directly beneficial to them, such as discounts and offers, or are targeted towards an appropriate age or gender as the advertising is more likely to be of interest.
The survey also recognised the increasing importance of online social media. Three-quarters (75 per cent) of young people aged between 18 and 26 said they use recommendations on social sites to help them research products prior to purchase, highlighting the growing need for email marketing and social media platforms to go hand-in-hand.
E-consultancy carried out research which found that more than a third (36 percent) of consumers said receiving an email would prompt them to make an online purchase.
It seems that a growing number of consumers now expect to be reached via email - nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of consumers expect to receive advertising and notifications through this medium.
According to E-consultancy's research, targeting and relevance is still an important issue for consumers. More than half (57 percent) of respondents said they appreciate receiving advertising messages if they are directly beneficial to them, such as discounts and offers, or are targeted towards an appropriate age or gender as the advertising is more likely to be of interest.
The survey also recognised the increasing importance of online social media. Three-quarters (75 per cent) of young people aged between 18 and 26 said they use recommendations on social sites to help them research products prior to purchase, highlighting the growing need for email marketing and social media platforms to go hand-in-hand.
Australian Email Marketing Strategies Lacking but On Par with Global Standards
An email marketing study carried out by ‘Silverpop,’ an email marketing platform has found that local retailers are 25% more likely to offer email recipients the choice to opt-in over those in the United States, but Australian companies lag in offering customers sale or discount incentives.
The study found that 96% of US retailers use email marketing to communicate with their customers compared to 86% of Australians. However, Australian retailers do appear to be savvier when carrying out personalized email campaigns, with 35% of retailers offering registrants preference choices during the sign-up process. By comparison, only 28% of U.S. retailers tailored the opt-in data process.
However, 63% of local retailers that offered choices during registration didn’t connect their opt-out process to a preference centre. In doing this they broke ties with people who didn’t want to stop receiving communication altogether, but just wanted to reduce or refine it. By just adapting the opt-out process mass email marketers can save their lists from shrinking thus enabling them to obtain better results in the long term.
Jeff Clark said, "Australian retailers are outpacing those in the United States in asking their recipients what they want at the beginning of the relationship, but should be offering similar options to those unsubscribing. With irrelevancy being the number one reason people unsubscribe from email programs, listening to your customers and delivering the information they specifically ask for, can have a tremendous impact on your program's effectiveness."
Customer discounts are another area where Australian retailers differ from those in the U.S. Over half (56%) incorporate special incentives such as sales and discounts into their email campaigns. In comparison, 68% of U.S. retailers attract recipients with special offers.
The study found that 96% of US retailers use email marketing to communicate with their customers compared to 86% of Australians. However, Australian retailers do appear to be savvier when carrying out personalized email campaigns, with 35% of retailers offering registrants preference choices during the sign-up process. By comparison, only 28% of U.S. retailers tailored the opt-in data process.
However, 63% of local retailers that offered choices during registration didn’t connect their opt-out process to a preference centre. In doing this they broke ties with people who didn’t want to stop receiving communication altogether, but just wanted to reduce or refine it. By just adapting the opt-out process mass email marketers can save their lists from shrinking thus enabling them to obtain better results in the long term.
Jeff Clark said, "Australian retailers are outpacing those in the United States in asking their recipients what they want at the beginning of the relationship, but should be offering similar options to those unsubscribing. With irrelevancy being the number one reason people unsubscribe from email programs, listening to your customers and delivering the information they specifically ask for, can have a tremendous impact on your program's effectiveness."
Customer discounts are another area where Australian retailers differ from those in the U.S. Over half (56%) incorporate special incentives such as sales and discounts into their email campaigns. In comparison, 68% of U.S. retailers attract recipients with special offers.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Timing is essential when it comes to email marketing
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The timing of an email marketing campaign is essential, an industry expert has advised.
According to Matt McNeill, chief executive of Sign-Up.to, the impact of the frequency of emailing is directly proportional to the relationship between the sender and the audience. When frequency is increased, recipients are less likely to pay attention to the message as they are less likely to view it as relevant or of interest.
Regular weekly campaigns generate the best impact for time-sensitive and information-rich senders such as online news publishers, whereas organisations providing business-to-business services tend to get a better return from focusing on monthly newsletters.
Mr McNeill advised email marketers to ensure they use a campaign strategy that has maximum chances of attracting the attention of sales leads and prospects. "Ultimately, it comes down to meeting the expectations of your audience and ensuring that you have an engaging message in every campaign," he said.
A recent survey from Pure360 found that sending email marketing messages during hot, sunny weather makes recipients almost twice as likely to open emails promoting summer-related items. It is this kind of time-related relevance that can have a positive effect on your ROI.
The timing of an email marketing campaign is essential, an industry expert has advised.
According to Matt McNeill, chief executive of Sign-Up.to, the impact of the frequency of emailing is directly proportional to the relationship between the sender and the audience. When frequency is increased, recipients are less likely to pay attention to the message as they are less likely to view it as relevant or of interest.
Regular weekly campaigns generate the best impact for time-sensitive and information-rich senders such as online news publishers, whereas organisations providing business-to-business services tend to get a better return from focusing on monthly newsletters.
Mr McNeill advised email marketers to ensure they use a campaign strategy that has maximum chances of attracting the attention of sales leads and prospects. "Ultimately, it comes down to meeting the expectations of your audience and ensuring that you have an engaging message in every campaign," he said.
A recent survey from Pure360 found that sending email marketing messages during hot, sunny weather makes recipients almost twice as likely to open emails promoting summer-related items. It is this kind of time-related relevance that can have a positive effect on your ROI.
In Defence of Email Marketing
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Email marketing may not be considered the most glamorous of direct marketing channels so we found a list of email stats to impress and amaze in the hope of converting a few traditionalists:
247 billion emails are sent every day. That’s one email every 0.00000035 seconds.
In the time it takes you to read this sentence, some 20 million emails entered cyberspace.
If email was a country, its 1.4 billion users would make it the largest in the world. Bigger than China, bigger than the populations of the USA and European Union combined.
Every second, the world’s email users produce messages equivalent in size to over 16,000 copies of the Complete Works of Shakespeare (assuming a 30KB average email size).
13.4 billion: the number of direct marketing dollars that were forecast to go on email in the US in 2009.
$583 billion: the return from that investment if you use DMA figures on email marketing ROI. That’s four times the market value of Microsoft.
181: the number of marketing emails it would take to produce enough revenue to buy one share in Microsoft.
83,689,738,832,367: the number of marketing emails it would take to produce enough revenue to pay the US National Debt.
When you see email data statistics like the above, you glean a new appreciation for the work of marketing companies and organizations managing email.
Email marketing may not be considered the most glamorous of direct marketing channels so we found a list of email stats to impress and amaze in the hope of converting a few traditionalists:
247 billion emails are sent every day. That’s one email every 0.00000035 seconds.
In the time it takes you to read this sentence, some 20 million emails entered cyberspace.
If email was a country, its 1.4 billion users would make it the largest in the world. Bigger than China, bigger than the populations of the USA and European Union combined.
Every second, the world’s email users produce messages equivalent in size to over 16,000 copies of the Complete Works of Shakespeare (assuming a 30KB average email size).
13.4 billion: the number of direct marketing dollars that were forecast to go on email in the US in 2009.
$583 billion: the return from that investment if you use DMA figures on email marketing ROI. That’s four times the market value of Microsoft.
181: the number of marketing emails it would take to produce enough revenue to buy one share in Microsoft.
83,689,738,832,367: the number of marketing emails it would take to produce enough revenue to pay the US National Debt.
When you see email data statistics like the above, you glean a new appreciation for the work of marketing companies and organizations managing email.
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