How to maximize your conversions from e-mail campaigns
The old adage rings true: If you don’t have a solid foundation, you won’t have a stable structure. The same principle applies to maximizing your e-mail conversion. We can't stress enough that maximizing your conversion means you must maximize every step prior to conversion. After all, if people don't find your capture, they won’t subscribe. If they don't confirm their Opt-In – and in turn become a Double Opt-In - they won’t get your campaigns. If your e-mail does not reach their inbox, you will have tremendous fall off.
Still, assuming that you do capture their e-mail, and that they subsequently subscribe, add you to their safe sender list and that your e-mail lands in their inbox, how do you then entice them to open your campaign?
The best way to learn is by example. Let's look at a recent success story, Groupon. Groupon has developed an e-mail campaign system that’s second to none. This enterprise sends commercial e-mail every single day and their subscribers cannot wait to get their e-mail. How do they do it? Well, there’s no one ingredient, but rather several key factors which contribute to Groupon’s success.
First, their offers are outstanding. Their subscribers know that when they open a Groupon e-mail, they will get a relevant offer guaranteeing at least 50-90% off – and since the offers are extremely relevant, they will not dismiss one offer just because they are not interested in it that particular day. The recipient is confident they are only being sent offers that are applicable to them and their desires. Best of all, Groupon's commercial e-mail campaigns generally take less than 10 seconds to digest. This means that before they even open the e-mail, readers know they won’t have to make a major time commitment.
It sounds almost perfect – and it is – but bear in mind Groupon is a bit of an exception to the rule. It is their business model that makes e-mail advertising work so well. In an ideal situation, your e-mail campaigns will be quickly digested by your subscribers and they will consistently contain incredible and relevant offers. If your e-mail can be digested in less than 10 seconds, you stand a good chance at getting away with daily e-mail. If not, though, you’ll need to ensure the content of your e-mail is interesting (i.e. valuable) enough to entice your audience to read its entirety. Too many random daily offers will increase your number of unsubscribes. In short, you’ll lose a lot of current readers and potential customers. More isn’t always better.
This principle doesn’t only apply to the content of your e-mails, but also their frequency. Sending e-mail campaigns every day can be a lot of work. If you can't afford the time and dedication required to manage daily e-mail campaigns, it’s better to send campaigns less frequently. Consider though: What would happen if Groupon sent less frequent campaigns? Their productivity would likely decrease to approximately 1/7th with a weekly campaign or 1/30th for a monthly campaign. Sending more frequently can bring you more revenue through e-mail campaigns – but, as mentioned previously, not always. You will need to determine proper frequency through testing. Can you offer fresh new content that appeals to your audience and that they look forward to receiving? Can it be quickly digested? Are you able to afford to put the effort in to produce it? If you answered yes to all these questions then you should give daily e-mails a try. Otherwise, weekly e-mails are likely your next best option. Consistency is key. Your readers need to know what to expect. If you attempt to send e-mail sporadically the people who love your e-mails and want to read them won’t have any idea when to expect your campaign. The result is a reduced open rate.