LeadPro Email Marketing solution now supports Personalization of Email Subject Line in the email campaigns sent through LeadPro. While advanced personalization feature was available in the LeadPro right from the beginning, it can only be used to personalize the contents (or body) of the email message. Since several customers prefer to use personalization in the subject line, we have decided to extend the personalization feature to the subject line also.
Our recommendation is not to use the personalization in the Subject Line. The typical personalization tag used is “first name”. Unless you know the subscriber personally, it may not be essential to use the first name in the subject line. However, it is up to the users to decide whether to use it or not based on their individual tastes, requirements and experience.
Now you can Copy your Email Templates, Email List Definitions and Campaign Definitions using the recently introduced Copy feature in LeadPro Email Marketing.
If you have a complex List with several custom data definitions, then it may be easy to copy the List Definition and change the necessary parameters instead of creating the list right from ground up. Note that the contents of the list (or emails or contacts contained in the source list) will not be copied.
Similarly, email templates can be copied and modified to create additional templates. This helps to avoid copying and pasting the HTML content from a template in the editor.
When similar campaigns are used for several campaigns, an existing campaign (including the definition, not just the email contents) can be copied as campaign and updated as required. Please note that when a campaign designated as “Drip Campaign” will be copied as a regular campaign; you need to update it depending on the usage. Also note that copying the campaign does not copy the drip email setups associated with the source campaign; you may have to define the drip triggers suitable to the new campaign.
Many businesses, particularly small and medium business owners, wonder if email newsletters are really needed. With all the talk of spam and junk emails filling everyone’s email boxes, it is a worth the time to dissect the need for email newsletters. While emails used for marketing could fall into multiple categories such as newsletters, product launch updates, promotions, reminders, event invites and case studies, all these are commonly grouped into one as newsletters by most of the users. Obviously, newsletters can include any of the above subjects.
Don’t look for immediate Converts or Sales
Many email marketing users complain that they do not see immediate returns for their email communications, especially newsletters. Please remember that sending newsletters for those who have opted-in is part of the marketing activities. And purpose marketing is not to force every one to buy your products and services immediately. Marketing communication is meant for educating prospects, engaging the customers, reinforcing the brands, and slowly converting the prospects to leads. Marketing looks at long term and not short term. Email marketing newsletters serve the same purpose.
Educate the Prospects and Customers
Email Newsletter is an excellent tool in the hands of a marketer to educate everyone, including prospects, suspects, current customers and past customers. Even customers who have moved away from you will come back to you, if you continue to inform them with timely newsletters.
Follow the Rules
Recollect that email marketing is permission based; hence follow the rules – seek their permission before sending emails, unsubscribe them immediately if they opt-out, keep the email frequency to the minimum, personalize and target emails instead of blasting to every one on your list.
Results are not 100% measurable
It is very difficult to track the conversions (leads, sales) in the case of email marketing unless you are an online consumer services vendor, selling only on the web. Many customers use multiple email addresses and not necessarily that they should use the same email address while ordering and buying. Also, they might do the research by clicking on the links in the email, then come back later, use a different email address and buy the goods or services. There is no way to relate and track these transactions, unless you ask for and they provide the ‘lead source’. Also, the subscriber receiving the email newsletter may not become a customer, but may recommend your products to his/her colleagues, friends, or family members. There is no definitive way to know that your news letter communication has helped you close this sale!
Engage the Subscribers
Email Newsletters should be used to engage your subscribers without looking for immediate leads, converts or sales. During the days of direct (snail) mails, it is impossible to do this due to the prohibitive cost of printing and postage. With the advent of internet technology and wide spread usage of email marketing, it is very cost effective to inform, educate and engage the customers. Ask the subscriber about his tastes, areas of interest, frequency of mailing and feedback. If the subscriber intends to opt-out of your email list, don’t despair; he might come back to you, if your subject is of interest to him; otherwise he is saving you money and time!
Please share your thoughts on this subject!
Is there something wrong with the title? How can you unsubscribe when the subscribers request so and still maintain your list growth? Well, it is essential to provide a quick and efficient unsubscribe process to the subscribers. They might opt-out, but they will not report your emails as spam! They might come back to your list with an opt-in request, when they need your information in future. Remember the internet world is viral and hence word of mouth has much wider speed and reach, unlike the traditional word of mouth where the reach is very limited (unless you are a big brand).
Anyone using Email Marketing should take the Unsubscribe (or opt-out) process very seriously. The email marketing tool that you choose (such as LeadPro) can help you to a great extent in automating the opt-out process.
Make it Easy to Unsubscribe
Every email message must contain a link to opt-out of the email communication from you. Most of the email marketing tools insert this link automatically. If it is provided as an option, then make sure that it is turned on before scheduling the campaign or broadcast.
Do not ask questions and frustrate the subscriber on the unsubscribe page. You may provide a comment field and request her to provide a comment so that you can use that to improve or fine tune your services. You may also highlight that you have a less frequent email newsletter (say quarterly or once in two months) proving important updates, for which she can subscribe, if preferred. But do not force anything and complicate the process with multiple selections and check boxes.
You may also customize the opt-out page with your logo and other branding stuff, so that the visitors know that you are genuine and mean the business. I have noticed many opt-out pages without any information on the page (and you won’t even know if it is a genuine page).
Make it Fast
Per CAN-SPAM regulations, an unsubscribe request should be fulfilled in 10 days. But do not wait for days or weeks. Unsubscribe the email address as soon as you receive the request from the subscriber. For instance, LeadPro executes the unsubscribe request within seconds of receiving it online.
However, if the email recipients are sending opt-out requests via email, fax, snail mail or telephone, then you have to have a process to carry out the opt-out as soon as possible. Note that your physical address is provided in the footer of the email communications per CAN-SPAM regulations. So they can snail mail the request or may hit the Reply To button on their email client.
Bounce Management
While Opt-out or Unsubscribe refers to the requests from email recipients, there is another source for cleaning up your email list; it is the bounce management function. Effective bounced email management will help you improved your reputation as an email sender. Let us look at the opportunities and issues with bounce management in relation to the list hygiene in a future issue.
In the mean time, please forward your comments, suggestions and thoughts.