Plenty of room for improvement in email marketing

Businesses can quickly begin to think that email marketing is so simple that virtually anyone can do it right, and this is not necessarily a sign of ignorance so much as a normal line of thought given its general characteristics. For example, email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital advertising out there, each communication can be put together in a short period of time and it comes with some of the highest conversion rates out there.

However, things have changed. Whereas the best practices of email advertising would have indeed been extremely simplistic only a decade or so ago, the rules of engagement are transforming rapidly as the years progress given the increased competition funneling into this channel. Small business owners and others must ensure that they are putting diligent efforts into these campaigns, and only allowing experienced professionals to manage the programs over time.

From tracking and analysis to enhanced targeting and crafting the perfect email ad every time, there are plenty of somewhat tricky processes that must be involved to enjoy optimal results. Keeping a close eye on reports being released by the professionals is a good way to maintain pace with competition and the progression of best practices in this particularly advantageous segment of digital advertising.

Get smarter with email marketing campaigns

VentureBeat recently reported that while email marketing has certainly appeared to be the hottest segment of the online marketing arena, many firms are actually struggling to get it right. A new report the publication released, called “Buyer’s Guide: How to navigate the email marketing landscape,” revealed that as much as 50 percent of the survey pool did not believe they had reached optimal performance within its campaigns thus far.

The biggest problem appeared to be the complete lack of data collection and analysis to measure the success of campaigns and inform decision-making for forthcoming endeavors.

“The single most surprising insight was to learn just how bad end users are at capturing data and applying it to decision making,” VentureBeat’s Jon Cifuentes, who put together the report, explained. “Thirty-two percent of enterprises don’t know on which devices their customers are opening emails. Twenty-nine percent aren’t even tracking revenue through emails.”

The author of the report went on to assert that firms should be working more closely with their email ad service providers to get this down, then affirmed that the campaigns can still be highly advantageous even when companies are getting their footing.

“For whatever reason, email is just a medium so tightly integrated with our daily lives,” added Cifuentes. “Behaviorally, we’re just more likely to open an email with information, or a deal, we might find useful than we are to click a banner ad. This naturally lends the channel to be more successful than others from a marketing perspective, even if you’re not operating it at optimal levels.”

Simple tricks for email marketing success

Fourth Source recently offered a few suggestions to email advertisers, first urging them to get a handle on their data management and analysis processes, as this is a fundamental component of marketing today. The website also recommended leveraging automation tools when possible, and specifically using the solutions for enhanced targeting procedures, as this will be a more efficient and effective approach.

Furthermore, the source noted that surveying recipients to learn more about what is working and what is not is always a good idea and that integrating email ad campaigns with other digital marketing initiatives can significantly improve the power of the overall branding process. Again, email advertising can be a bit tricky, and business leaders must first recognize the challenges before they can craft an optimal program. Of course, nothing can beat having a personal expert in your corner, and Moving Targets is here to help!