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| E-MAIL LISTS Part II |
Introduction
Last month we introduced the topic of e-mail marketing in E-mail Lists, Part I. We looked at the advantages of e-mail marketing, types of e-mail lists available, test variables and best practices, the e-mail list order process, transmission and timing, and questions to ask when renting e-mail lists
This month, in Part II of E-mail Lists, we’ll show you some tips for creating a more successful e-mail marketing campaign or program. We’ll also examine a few e-mail datacards in detail.
Tip #1: Understand Your Target Audience.
It’s critical to know your audience before you choose any list and before you begin any creative development.
Creative formats should be based on the specific demographics of the audience you are targeting whether it be a consumer; a small, medium or large company; managers within a certain industry; or a set of specific job functions. Especially when targeting C-level executives by function, you should never send the same package out. Instead, a different message should be crafted to match the needs and responsibilities of each job title.
Likewise, you should have a detailed understanding of your customer, including who makes the purchasing decision for your product or service, before beginning the list rental research process. It wouldn’t make sense to send an offer for discounted office supplies to the CEO or Vice President of a large company, because it’s likely the Purchasing Agent’s responsibility to place the office supply order. It would be a waste to send information about a software product that only runs on Unix to a list of IT managers, if the majority of the people on the list manage Windows 2000 servers.
Contact channels and media format used are other important elements to consider when developing creative format. When researching your audience demographics, you may find that different types of audience segments share company contact preferences. For example, IT professionals may prefer to respond to an offer via e-mail or on a website. And the chances are good that senior-level business executives will prefer to receive e-mails with a fast-loading text format to graphic-intensive HTML. Do your research and test these creative elements carefully before rolling out to the entire list.
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