In our previous blog, we talked about how personalizing an email marketing campaign can often spell the difference between an email opened or not opened. Many studies and interesting articles can be found on the Internet to support the effectiveness of personalizing email marketing campaigns. Experian recently reported “The unique open rate of emails with personalized subject lines is 26 percent higher than those without personalization.” The bottom line is, it works. So, what are you waiting for? Make it personal…and get better results with these three tips!
TIP #1 – Add First Names to the Subject Line
Dale Carnegie once said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Fast forward to the age of the Internet, and it could be said that the sight of a person’s own name in the subject line of an email is—well—a sight to behold. It says, “Someone knows me.” Go one step further and add that person’s specific interest, such as “Jane, classes in Medical Assisting are starting next week!” Now your message says, “Someone knows me and they know that I’m interested in a career as a medical assistant.” Now that’s an attention grabber!
If done right (by using consistent, accurate and meaningful data), personalized email can improve open rates, simply because the recipient feels like they weren’t a random, nameless target. So, what’s in a name? It’s a personal touch that can trigger the start of a trusted relationship that studies show can lead to improved open rates.
TIP #2 – Make Changes to Your Personalization – Then Test What Worked Best
You’re not done yet. You’ve personalized your subject line with a first name. Check! You’ve personalized the subject matter to grab the recipient’s attention. Check! You’ve personalized all subsequent touch points, right through to the landing page. Check! How do you know if your personalization is the best it can be? You can continue to refine your personalization, making changes to copy and images, and then test your changes to see which produced the best results. You can do this by using A/B Testing, which is a simple way to test changes to your page against the current design.
So, don’t just set it and forget it! Closely monitor your campaign every step of the way, tweaking personalized information in the subject lines, email content and landing page to maximize your campaign dollars and overall results.
TIP #3 – Include These Elements – Make Your Landing Page Awesome!
Once a recipient has opened your email, and clicked through to your landing page, it’s time to grab their attention and get the results you are looking for…most often that means getting someone to submit their information because they’re interested in buying what you’re selling. Make your landing page awesome!
But, what are the elements that make up an awesome landing page, and get your prospects from shopping to buying?
- Grab Attention in Seconds – Your landing page should get the attention of your visitor in the first few seconds. Capture attention with bright colors, quick read personalized text and images that support your visitors’ interests. Personalize your landing page, and your visitors will probably feel it’s worthwhile to give it a few seconds more.
- Convince Them “You’re the One” – Make sure your landing page is clear and concise about why you’re different from the rest, what you’re offering, and provide a compelling reason why they should choose you. A good marketing agency can help you design a great landing page to meet your unique needs.
- Make “Taking Action” Easy – The objective is to get your visitor to take action, such as submit their contact information and agree to further discussion with a representative. Design your submission form as simple to understand, quick to complete, and easy to submit. Remove complexity and you’ll remove anxiety. Make taking action easy.
We hope these three tips were useful. In next week’s blog, we’ll wrap up our 3 part series on Personalized Marketing Campaigns. Stay tuned for some more great information on Making It Personal!
