Often when “email campaign” is mentioned, terms such as “CTRs” and “CAN-SPAM” come up to bewilder interested recipients. Did you know the acronym CAN-SPAM derives from the 2003 bill called Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing? CTRs, by the way, are click-through-rates. According to industry experts, we’re supposed to shoot for 5% to 15% of CTRs per email campaign.
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Despite the daunting terms, email campaigns are a popular contender for Internet marketing for four reasons: email marketing is a sustainable practice, low in cost, quick to distribute and simple to measure.
Email campaigns have gained a winning reputation for these attributes. Sustainable in nature, they maximize resources with no waste and little cost. They have the potential to go “viral,” spreading through your contacts’ networks and generate rapid customer feedback fueling communication for potential opportunities. To top it off, deliverability, bounces and click-through rates can determine what worked and what didn’t – a valuable tool for future campaigns.
Maximize Performance
In today’s competitive environment, staying current with your customers is absolutely critical to your success. In a tight economy, staying on budget is mandatory. With a thoughtful campaign, both of these goals can be achieved. Here’s a quick rundown of some best exercises for maximizing an email’s performance.
- Narrow down the subject line and frontload with key words to increase open rates.
- Make the banner actionable by keeping it concise with call-to-action links.
- Give the photos and images alt-text tags to motivate readers to download the images.
- Create a catchy intro paragraph to rope readers in from the first sentence.
- Break up messages with enticing graphics and impressive photographs to keep readers engaged.
- Design should be an extension of the brand so include the logo, typeface, colors and style consistent with other marketing touch points.
- Readers tend to click action links at the bottom of an email so finish strong!
Case Studies
For several San Diego A/E/C companies, email campaigns increase awareness and connections throughout the marketplace. Projects and profiles are featured to elevate exposure and position companies as experts in their field. In a recent survey from Comet’s clients, 100% saw an increase 1) in website visits and 2) emails from existing and potential clients due to their latest email campaign. Also, 100% received requests for more information and project/product proposals/quotes. All client emails are sent via an automation program and tracked to review performance.
Hope Engineering – A Leading San Diego Structural Engineering Company
Campaign Type: Project Update
Message: To maintain awareness of company activities in the marketplace and promote the distinctive personalities of the company principals.
Branding: Campaign included a variety of thematic designs branded to the project type that focused on healthcare, higher education and parking structures.
Distribution: Current and prospective clients, industry colleagues
LuminOre, Inc. – A Worldwide Fabrication and Design Company Specializing in a Cold-Atomization Metal Process
Campaign Type: Project Completion Announcement
Message: To increase awareness for prestigious completed projects, the scope of projects, global site locations and give potential clients the ability to order a product sample kit.
Branding: Campaign was designed to enhance the high-end nature of products through rich graphics and color schemes. Emails were branded and consistent with the look and feel of the company’s website and evoked the architectural nature of the product application. Campaign coincided with a Project Profile data sheet, saved as a PDF and hosted on the company website.
Distribution: International and domestic clients, prospective clients, industry colleagues
Reno Contracting – Southern California’s Premier General Contractor
Campaign Type: Newsletter and Microsite
Message Delivery: To build search engine optimization (SEO) and position the company as experts in their field.
Brand Development: Campaign took the form of individual, single-page, html-programmed microsites titled “Breaking Ground.” Multiple embedded links led viewers to featured photos and lead stories. Design reflected the company’s website and the approachable nature of the Reno team. Reno’s homepage hosts the current edition of “Breaking Ground” – easily accessible for viewers and helps increase search engine optimization.
Distribution: Current and prospective clients, industry colleagues
The next newsletter will feature part two of Leading Trends In Internet Marketing. The topic will be on WordPress-powered blogs – a great way to stay current with your customer base while increasing search engine optimization for your website.
For more information on using email marketing, contact Ryan Kondolay.
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Ryan Kondolay, Principal and Creative Director
Member of SMPS, USGBC, AIGA, AMA
