Executive Summary:
Improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns by following these timely guidelines created through careful study of the best practices tested and proven through thousands of email messages sent by Return Path clients.
6 Steps to Better Acquisition Email Campaigns
1. Decide the purpose of the message.
Acquisition campaigns are generally used to:
- Increase product sales
- Generate leads(and increase your house email file)
- Build brand awareness
The best campaigns contain all of these elements. Never build a campaign around product sales alone.
2. Create the message content.
With acquisition campaigns, as with most email marketing, it's best to be clear and concise. Do not overload the reader with too much information. Most email subscribers utilize this medium as a quick way to send and receive information. Therefore, think of your message as analogous to the outer envelope of a direct mail piece, with your landing page being what's inside.
The message's purpose should be stated up front and never keep the subscriber in suspense. It's important to understand your audience's 'language' and communicate with them in terms they are familiar with. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a good idea to personalize in an acquisition effort as it is the first communication between you and the prospect and is considered presumptuous.
Every message should include:
- Key benefits
- Call to action - What is it you would like them to do?
- Something to click on - Place two links within the body (text versions). One high (about a third of the way down) for those who glance over the email and one low (at the bottom) for those who finish reading the entire creative.
- Expiration date to add sense of urgency
3. Choose your From line.
The From name is critical because it's the first thing that recipients will see and may determine whether your email gets opened or not. It should always be your company name or brand. Do not use an email address, a department name (such as Customer Service) or a person's name as these are common spam techniques.
4. Write a subject line.
Be aware of filters that prevent incoming messages based on frequently used words in spam subject lines such as Free, ADV: and even exclamation marks. Keep the subject brief, specific, and compelling. Stay away from language that is suggestive or gimmicky.
Your subject line should be:
- About your value proposition
- Relevant to what they opted to receive
- Short: no more than 30 characters including spaces
- Free of deceptive spam tactics such as Re:
Also keep in mind that subject lines are one of the easiest variables to test. Send a small percentage of the campaign using three to five variations and use the one with the best response for the rest of the mailing.
5. Decide when (and how often) to send.
There is no magic day or time that will work for every type of campaign. This variable should be tested as it will vary depending on the mailer. There are some general guidelines to follow. Obviously, it is best not to mail a B2B offer on a weekend. It is also best to mail during the day rather than overnight as a lot of unsolicited messages are sent early morning. Response rates to your house emails maybe give you some clues as to when to best find your audience.
As for frequency, we generally recommend using acquisition email campaigns as one-off efforts. It is not advisable to re-mail to the same list. The exception is event marketing for example sending reminder emails for a seminar or conference.
6. Obey the Law.
Ensure your campaigns follow the rules of the federal CAN-SPAM legislation and any other applicable state laws. In a quick summary, under CAN-SPAM, all unsubscribe requests must be processed within 10 days and your emails must include:
- A viable Internet-based opt-out mechanism, which must be active for a minimum of 30 days after you send the emails.
-The physical address of your company must be displayed within the body of your email.
- A clear and conspicuous announcement in the subject line or content that the email is an advertisement or solicitation.
