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Successful Email Campaigns - Part 1

Many factors determine the success of an email campaign and in this Essential Guide we will be sharing the top 10 hints and tips to help you get the most from your e-marketing, courtesy of the Direct Marketing Association.

The focus of any email campaign should be on getting ‘the right message, to the right person, at the right time’. In this edition, we kick off with hints and tips numbers 1-5 covering the following subjects:

  1. Personalisation and relevance
  2. Targeting
  3. Email format
  4. Rich text emails
  5. How do I know what Email Format my Customers can receive?

1: Personalisation and Relevance

The use of personalisation with an email provides an opportunity to communicate with individuals at a more intimate level. Most email deployment technologies allow personalisation to be included anywhere within the body of the email as well as within the subject line.

To maximise the benefits of personalisation it is important to clearly review the type of information the Data User would like from individuals at their point of registration. As a minimum, Data Users should aim to capture their first and last name. Other data, such as date of birth and postcode, may be of equal importance depending on the nature of the Data User's business and the use to which the data will be put, bearing in mind that any data must be relevant, adequate and not excessive to the Data User’s needs.

In addition to personalising the email with data captured with positive consent, the opportunity exists to draw upon other relevant data that may be held, including previous purchase history, enquiries or preferences. By referring to these within the email the Data User is again able to increase the level of relevance to the recipient. At all times data is captured the individual must be told of such data capture and given the opportunity to object. If capture is via the use of a cookie the technology must be explained to the individual and he or she must be given the opportunity to object before any such technology is downloaded onto their computer.

More advanced email deployment technologies can also provide for the delivery of dynamic email content whereby the content and images of an email are personalised to each individual’s specific profile.

2: Targeting

Targeting is an essential requirement of any marketing activity. Reaching the correct audience with the correct offer is the primary objective.

You can either create segments in your data to which different emails are created and sent. Or you can use dynamic content whereby the individual's preferences or previous purchase history can be used to determine the most appropriate content for the email. The majority of email providers will have the ability to deliver dynamic content based on a content library and a series of predictive or deterministic rules.

3: Email Format

There are currently three formats of email. The type of email that can be received will depend on the email software package on the recipient's computer.

Early email software provided only for a plain text email. This type of email provides for black text only and any links to a web site appear as a complete URL such as http://www.dma.org.uk/DMA/default.asp. To reach the web site the URL has to be copied in its entirety and entered into an internet browser. The individual cannot click directly from the URL to reach the designated web site although Outlook does translate plain text links automatically. Plain text is typically found within early versions of Lotus Notes and can be set by individuals as a preference in most email clients.

4: Rich text emails

Rich text emails are an evolution of plain text. These software packages allow for both coloured and variable fonts. In addition, rich text also supports hyperlinks. By clicking on a URL the internet browser on the computer is launched which takes the individual directly to the web site. Almost all versions of email reader accept Rich text – it is down to whether the email is sent as such, and the user has the option to receive such email turned on.

The most advanced type of email software provides for an HTML email. An HTML email has the same look and feel as a web page. It can support images (including animation) whilst the functionality is the same as rich text. By clicking on a URL the internet browser on the computer is launched which takes the individual directly to the designated web site.

HTML emails have emerged as the popular choice for email marketing given that their more dynamic appearance can often pull a higher response rate than plain or rich text emails.

5: How do I know what Email Format my Customers can receive?

There are two standard methods of determining the type of email an individual can receive.

Firstly, at the point of registration the individual could indicate whether they wish to receive a text or HTML email. For those individuals who understand their email software well enough they can pre-determine the format of the email. Similarly some individuals (typically those who read their emails offline) ay prefer a text email as opposed to an HTML email.

Secondly, most email providers overcome the guesswork of whether the individual can receive a text or HTML email by sending both emails simultaneously in a format referred to as “Multi-Part”. The individual's computer will then recognize and display the optimal email format.

HTML emails can also include rich media (e.g. flash animations and/or streaming video). Such content is either sent as an embedded file or linked to a hosted file. In either case, such content can be blocked by corporate firewalls and is not viewable in all email readers and hence it is very difficult to guarantee that all recipients will be able to see the animation or video.