So you have your subscriber base and you’re ready to create your first e-newsletter or Electronic Direct Mail (Otherwise known as EDM). There are a few points to consider before setting up your digital campaign. It’s best to ask yourself the following three questions to help determine how your e-newsletters will work for you.
Points to consider
Which online email marketing service will you use?
Choose a service that offers an easy build of your EDM. You will also want to ensure you choose a service that offers a reporting system. Having the option to send automated emails is also a good tick of approval. Our pick? We like MailChimp.
What are your goals for sending this EDM?
You may be looking for sign ups to an event. Perhaps it’s sales you want to increase. It may be that you are raising awareness about a particular issue. Whatever your goal is, make sure you define it in your message.
What will success look like?
Being able to measure your goals is important in determining the success of your EDM. This could be reaching a particular amount in sales or a percentage increase in sign ups for the week.
What to include in your e-newsletters
Content
Firstly, you will need to decide what type of content you are going to include in your EDM. It will be best to refer back to your goals when you are determining this. Content should be fresh and enlightening. Think about what your user will want to read, opposed to exactly what you want them to read. Make sure the message you are delivering is informative and interesting. Most importantly, ensure your content is original and always personalise your content!
Structure
Once you have gathered together all of your content, decide how you are going to split your EDM up. How many sections will you have and what images or graphics will you need to accompany these sections. The flow of your EDM will determine how many people will read through until the end.
Images and Graphics
Where possible, use original images. Being creative will keep your readers interested for longer. Use images that are appropriate to your message. If needed, choose a professional stock photo or graphic.
Call to Action
Ensuring your EDM has a call to action will help increase your success rate. Instructing your readers to do what you would like them to is also of importance. For example, “Take advantage of this offer today”, or “Sign up now”. Be sure to present your call to action with an easy to click button.
Next steps
Your next step will be to build your EDM. MailChimp offer an easy to use drag and drop designer. However, if you need help with an e-newsletter template design Punch Buggy have a full design team on hand to help.
Before you send your campaign out, make sure you get it proofread! Sending out a campaign with spelling errors and bad grammar is not the look you want for your business.
Another great tip is to send a test email to yourself first. Check everything is displaying as it should be. Ensure everything clickable goes to the correct page. It is also best practice to check your EDM across multiple devices. Desktop, tablet and mobile.
Once your EDM has been sent you will want to ensure you are monitoring its progress and looking at your reports. Analysing your data will help you to improve your next campaign.
Look for the following:
- How many people opened your email?
- How long did they view it for?
- What was the click-through rate?
- Did you receive any unsubscribes?
- Did any emails bounce? Why did they bounce?
If you want to leave your e-newsletters in the hands of experienced professionals, contact Punch Buggy today on 02 8911 3849 or email us at [email protected]. We deliver and build clean, captivating EDM’s to help ensure your amazing campaign lands in your audiences inboxes successfully.
