So you have been using email marketing to reach your audience, but now let’s look at the five most effective variables you can test in your email campaigns. You may be thinking – what is a variable? It is a defined part of an email that you can adjust and test, most commonly used for copy, send time, subject line, etc.; however, it can be almost any part of the campaign.
1.     Target Audience
The most effective variable is your Target Audience. Although context is still (and will always be) king, it does not matter what’s in your email or how it looks if it’s sent to the wrong audience. If your message isn’t relative to the reader, then all the personalization in the world won’t save you.
2.     Landing Page
The second most-effective variable isn’t even part of your email and is your landing page. Your conversion rate suffers anytime the landing page does not reinforce the email’s message or style.
3.     Subject Line
By far, the most popular variable, the subject line is the most tested variable yet it is not as effective as the previous two variables. Consider using relevant, eye-catching subject lines that do not mislead the recipient. The last thing a recipient wants to receive is an email that is titled, “Get a free puppy today” and opens it up and sees sales information on pet supplies.
4.     Call-to-action
Instead of using links or buttons that say “submit,” “download,” or another generic phrase, I recommend using a value-based phrase to increase the effectiveness of your call-to-action. For instance, consider using “get your free whitepaper” or “get instant access.”
5.     Personalization
With FireDrum’s ‘insert member’ dropdown feature, you are able to personalize your message by adding recipient related information such as their name, company, interests, etc. If you are going to personalize the message with the recipients first name, open the message with “Hello [FirstName]” instead of “Dear [FirstName]” incase you do not have the first name of everyone in your database.
If you haven’t tested one of the top-five variables listed above, and you’re bogged down testing something else, then consider shifting your focus for a test or two. And if you’ve tested only subject lines for months and months, try stepping out of your comfort zone. You might like the results. And don’t forget, FireDrum is here to help you every step of the way.
