Plan your route for strong email marketing

by | Apr 1, 2015 | Content Marketing

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When embarking on a journey, it is always helpful to have a map or guide. Prior to departure, it also helps to gain insights on the desired destination, so you can decide where you want to go once you arrive.

The same is true when creating content to reach a desired audience. You might have a general idea of where you want to go, who you want to reach, and how to get there, but do you have a guide to lead you to the audience that truly wants and needs your product or service? When you have the right systems and processes in place, the data serves as your navigation device.

Here are some steps you can take to get ready, move forward and stay informed on the marketing journey…

1. Locate and research the desired destination

As Stephen Covey famously stated, “Begin with the end in mind.” Before you embark on your journey, be sure to establish campaign goals and intentions. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Who are we trying to reach?
  • What do we want them to do?
  • What do we want to track and learn from the data?

2. Plan, pack and map the route

The reach of email marketing has only one limitation – the list. For that reason it is important to take inventory of what you have and supplement if necessary. It is also important to understand how your data can be segmented. If tagged properly in your CRM, you should be able to sort and target based on any number of key identifiers.

Once your database is “packed and ready” you can start mapping your content strategy accordingly. This initial planning will pay dividends in future campaigns, as it enables much more in-depth campaign analysis.

Suggestions for planning, packing and mapping the route:

  • Work with your sales team to understand who (by department and title) is the most effective entry point.
  • Make sure your list represents your desired audience, and is tagged appropriately for segmentation.
  • Analyze past campaign performance against your intended audience.
    • Which topics have consistently driven high open rates? By whom?
    • Which topics have driven high response rates? By whom?
    • Which pages on your website typically get the most traffic?
  • Take inventory of existing content. Do you have pieces that will resonate with your intended audience? Do you need to create new assets?
  • If you need to create new assets, build an editorial calendar focusing on content that will resonate with your desired audience.

3. Fuel up

You have the plan and data, now you can fill up your tanks with high quality content that will spark a call to action. Your email message is a starting point, with links to landing pages that will track the interests of views.

Check the fuel gauge by asking these types of questions:

  • Is our campaign working? Are we getting the desired interaction?
  • Which landing pages are performing the best? With which audience?
  • Which subject lines are performing best? With which audience?
  • What could we do differently to generate more interaction?
  • Are we personalizing the message in a way that invites people to open, read and respond?

4. Recalculate and redirect

It is critical to stay informed and redirect along the way. Unforeseen roadblocks pop up, changes occur in the market, and sometimes, the message you initially thought would resonate in the market just doesn’t. Reporting the data and communicating with fellow travelers will help you make informed decisions as a team.

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Don’t detour too soon. Sometimes things just take time.
  • Create the campaign with the intention to learn. Incorporate A/B testing into your plan.
  • Utilize the data to direct next steps. Learn what works, refine, optimize

5. Stay the course and enjoy the ride

Plugging all of the data you collect from the campaign into your sales database will provide insight for the sales team that will help them better understand the prospects’ specific interests. In this way, we are capturing snapshots of the trip. We can then review these together, and figure out ways to make the next campaign even more effective.

At NuGrowth Solutions, we partner with you every step of the way to guide, support and spark the conversation. The NuGrowth Digital marketing team can help you plan and map the data, write and design professional content, (email, infographic, white paper, flyer, case study, eGuide or website/landing page design) and administer the campaign with you. If you need sales support to track and initiate conversations, create opportunities, and direct sales leads your way.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row_inner class=”author-box”][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]Sabrina Reda[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ animation=”none” column_padding=”no-extra-padding”][vc_column_text]

Author: Shawna Hansen

With two decades of experience in public relations, event coordination, and creative writing, Shawna works with NuGrowth Digital clients to create engaging content and manage successful campaigns that achieve new business growth.

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