TLDR: Set up a complimentary meeting with us using this link. We’ll be glad to help.

Answering these ten questions will help you improve the results you get from your email marketing program.

Who on your team was involved in the development of the strategic planning for your email program?

Before you look for hidden issues with your email marketing program, look at the team who is involved in creating the strategic plan for it. The success of your program requires input from everyone who participates in its implementation.

How do you define and measure success?

There is more than one way of using email marketing. You need to define the outcomes you want from any program before you can design the program, and email marketing is no exception. If you want to improve your results, start by considering what you are trying to achieve, then make sure the tool you are using can get you there. If it can use the tool with the outcome you define in mind.

What are you doing to keep your email contacts list clean and current?

In addition to a process for keeping the data clean, your strategy should include ways to enhance or enrich the data you have, and how to use that enriched data. The first step is to make sure you are using the best email addresses possible. If you are sending to unattended email accounts or throw-away addresses, your success metrics will be skewed. Encourage subscribers to provide their primary email address and routinely clean your list. Then create content that enriches the data you have on your contacts.

How are your automations working?

If your automations are not working as planned, you may have an issue with the audience, the content, the setup of the automation, or the triggering event(s). Before you decide that it’s the content or audience, make sure you used the correct parameters for the triggering event and have accurately assessed the audience interests. For one client, I found that the trigger event had a typo in the link address, so it was never going to trigger. We fixed the typo and the automation started working – no surprise.

What is the tone of your emails? Is it brand consistent?

When your content and tone are not consistent with your brand, your audience will be less likely to become clients. It all goes back to the Know, Like and Trust triad. If the messages are inconsistent, the audience may feel uncertain about all three of those.

What is your campaign workflow?

Does your campaign workflow include in-person activities, and are they aligned with the email workflow? Does everyone understand their role in it? People rarely buy from an email. Your team will be involved at some point. Make sure everyone knows their role and timing.

Are you using transactional emails?

Email needs the same differentiated content types as blogs, websites, and other marketing collateral. Your email marketing program should include transactional emails, and you should be closely tracking the results. If you’re not getting the sales results you expected, check your content.

Are your email results captured in your CRM?

Your Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) should be integrated with your email marketing platform. Some marketing platforms include a CRM, but it may not be as powerful as the CRM you need. Make sure you are using both tools as effectively as possible to generate leads, score the conversion potential and automate the marketing and sales processes as much as possible to maximize your sales without overburdening your sales team.

What are the goals for your email marketing program over the coming 12 months?

You always need to start with the end in mind, but once you have an email marketing program in place, you need to consider the success rates you are experiencing, then diagnose and fix those issues before you set the goals for the next 12 months. This is true even if you’re experiencing disappointing results. All results are important when setting realistic goals.

Where can you achieve greater success by using outside help or expertise?

Sometimes you won’t have the time and expertise required for finding and fixing issues in-house. When that happens, carefully evaluate where you need assistance and where you are doing fine without it. That’s the best way to find the right consultants and contractors to help your business succeed.

If you would like to discuss your email marketing program with us, please schedule a complimentary conversation using this link.