Does it seem like emails haven't been as effective lately? Well, there could be some very logical explanations for that.
Emailing is and continues to be an effective means of communication. However, there is a war being fought in the vortex. The vortex is all that stuff that happens in the background that you don't see, and that war is against spam. Spam filters have been doing a positive job of keeping junk mail out of consumers' email inboxes. However, some settings could possibly land "good" emails in the spam box which could go unread.
Once in the spam box, the email has gone to waste. Many consumers do not check that box frequently, if at all. And by the time they do, they have too many emails to pay attention to. Then the tendency is to hit the delete button. Other challenges with email marketing campaigns include—ad blocking, lack of engagement with email content, service costs, and content of emails. After all, the point is to get into the inbox so your desired target can be engaged and converted into a sale.
Here are some best practices to consider:
- Be sure that your campaign has content that is engaging. Many providers, like Yahoo and Gmail, are using engagement filters and determining which emails hits their subscriber's inbox.
- Be sure you purchase a quality list from a reputable provider. With all of the algorithms being deployed by providers (on behalf of their subscribers), it is best to validate your list via a service. This maintains the integrity of your list and keeps your company from being placed on untrustworthy list. Plus, there are services available for free that will tell you what your company's reputation rating is. This will let you realize if your emails are being blocked due to this rating.
- Consider using seed data to provide an accurate assessment of behavior-based placement in inbox by larger providers, such as AOL and Microsoft.
Marketing is truly a blend of science and art. It does require people who have the ability to tap into both sides of the brain. Review your staff and ensure that you are marrying the best talent to develop not only functionality of the message but also a messaging that will pop and engage the reader within the first few seconds of opening your email. There are a variety of ways that your email won't reach the inbox. Make sure it isn't because you may be contributing to the problem.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant, freelance writer and author of "Elements of Buying" (a self-help advertising guide), available at Amazon.com. Adele was listed as Black Enterprise's 2016 Women of Power in Advertising & Marketing and 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: [email protected]
