A simpler way to overhaul your email program

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We hear of so many suggestions, both practical and impractical, about how we can totally overhaul our email marketing program. While it is tough for us to make too many changes in one swoop, it is also equally hard to measure the success of change unless you do something dramatic – so today’s post is around how to find that balance.

Before making dramatick changes, start by picking a few of your past campaigns. Pick ones that you liked that might not have been star performers, now overhaul them – the look, copy, call to action and landing page… make it stand out. Now take this revitalized (“NEW”) campaign and send it to three targeted segments:

1) Your First Responders: These are people who respond to your queries, your surveys and regularly provide you with feedback. These are people you may have written to, thanking them for their previous ideas. Let them in on the secret (sort of); sending them a simple note – tell them you truly need their feedback to improve your campaigns and your offers. Tell them you would like for them to receive a special set of emails each week, one “NEW” and one regular one, and that you would like to get their feedback on these campaigns – stress the importance.

2) Your Middle of the Road: These are the people who regularly open, sometimes click and occasionally convert. Target a random list of them with your “NEW” communiqués, keep this group small at first and grow the number of people you target as you are able to get more confident with your messaging. Don’t tell them what you’re doing, just watch.

3) Your Dead File: These are your non-responders, those you had lost all hope for. In addition to targeting them with the NEW creative you should even get a little bolder with your subject lines. If you can convert any one of these people it is a bonus.

Try this approach for updating in 2011; I’ve found that the ideas are always there, the biggest hold-up is the who we should target. Use this strategy to implement any new ideas you have. Remember, successful email marketing is about creating a dialogue with your customers and prospects – so pick a group of people and just do it!