Test Your Email Marketing Campaigns

Here are some fundamental elements to review when testing and optimizing an email marketing campaign:

1. Subject Lines - This is the most important element as this determines whether the consumer will open the message. Three elements you can test: Brand-specific subject lines, action-oriented subject lines and benefit-driven subject lines, which can be combined to test infinite combinations. Add personalization to this and placement (front, middle, end).
2. Targeting - Which segments will perform best to existing promotions? Variables can include customer location, past purchase, or site behavior.
3. Promotion - What is the best incentive to offer the customer? Free shipping, 20% off, multiple purchase discounts.
4. Design - What layout performs the best? Short versions, long versions, use of product images, text links, layout.
5. Landing Pages - Did the customer convert once they clicked through the email? Minor changes can have dramatic impact on performance.
6. The Action - What is the response to the data you are collecting? Ask yourself, if "Your sale price is ready to view" performs better than "Get your sale price today" as a subject line test, what action will you take in response?

Marketers that have not performed testing before may find this list a bit overwhelming. I recommend starting with a test on subject lines and gradually work in the other factors.

What is a 'Good Lead'?

One of the biggest challenges most businesses face is a lack of communication between Marketing and Sales on what makes a 'good lead'.

Many companies do not have a written definition of what good lead looks like. This requires buy in from the sales team and I would ask them the following question.

If you had to call 100 leads by end of the day, what criteria would you look for to determine who to call first?

Responses from sales may look something like this...
- Title - Are they are key decision maker?
- Budget - Can they afford my solution?
- Timeline - When are they going to buy?

Once this definition has been created, marketing can capture the datapoints needed to gather the 'perfect' lead.

The most cost effective way to qualify leads is through email marketing automation. By measuring implicit (webite visits, email click through) and explicit actions (phone conversation, email correspondance) you can determine what is a 'good lead'.

Data is King for Marketing Automation

Suaad Sait at B2B Lead Blog has a great take on the importance of powering marketing automation software with good, clean data.

"I can’t help but think that no matter how much the engine (Marketing Automation System) is perfected, it will not run well if the fuel (the DATA) is sewage," says Sait.

"Marketing Automation is a necessary tool for all marketers, but any one of these tools is only as good as the data put into it."

Click here to read the posting.