BTB Lessons for Email Marketers
September 29, 2003
BY REGINA BRADY
Most business-to-business marketers use email as part of their arsenal. This communications medium provides marketers with wonderful potential, but I’m concerned that we do not approach email with the same rigor we apply to our direct marketing efforts.
Direct marketers have a disciplined approach. They plan campaigns carefully, calculate break-evens and understand what is important to measure. They also take time in the planning process. A series of steps and decisions go into the development of a direct mail campaign or print and telemarketing efforts.
With email, there’s no need to plan months in advance because programs can be launched in days or weeks rather than months. That’s a real benefit; but this speed can lead to less- than-optimal efforts. Remember your roots and apply planning and discipline to email. Here are lessons from traditional direct marketing to use in email program development:
List research matters more than ever for email prospecting Most marketers work with one or more brokers to develop their direct mail campaigns. Work with savvy e-brokers; and a good email broker is probably not your direct mail broker. Your broker needs to understand the e-landscape. They should verify the level of permission, research how often the list is mailed, report what companies have continued with the list, negotiate rates on your behalf and coordinate message clearances.
This sounds similar to the “regular” process. However, though there are solid email lists on the market, there are plenty of others where the source of permission is suspect and the names are overworked. A pro will help you differentiate the good lists from the bad.
Good creative makes a difference We all know that the teaser copy on the outer envelope can make all the difference in getting a direct mail piece opened. The subject line in an email is like the teaser copy: it will “make or break you” in terms of getting your email opened. Many b-to-b e-newsletters simply use the newsletter name in the subject line such as “Company/Service July Newsletter.” Where’s the compelling value to the recipient? Include a reason for someone to open the message.
Grow your housefile as the foundation for success Marketers have many options. In prospecting campaigns your primary objective may be to sell a product or service; but always have a secondary objective of collecting email addresses. Offer a white paper or special report, an online interactive quiz geared towards qualifying leads, the opportunity to sign up for a webinar or your e-newsletter. All of these offers work well for business-to-business marketers and present the opportunity for a value swap. Recipients give their email address and contact information in exchange for your offer.
With retention email, include the suggestion that the recipient forward your message to a colleague. Mail received from a “trusted source” carries greater weight and can open new doors. Consider appending email addresses to your housefile. Many of the better e-append vendors now have a sizeable number of business names and addresses on their files.
Don’t forget your inbound call centers. Have your reps ask for email address on inbound calls and be sure to explain why you’re asking for this information. Some b-to-b marketers have seen up to 50 percent of callers provide an email address. Many marketers now include the number of email addresses collected as performance criteria for their call centers.
Have a data collection strategy At registration, collect only information you will use. Here’s an example of why this is important. A b-to-b marketer tested two different registration forms. The first asked for name, title, company, phone and email address along with one qualifying question. The second asked for the same information but included three qualifying questions. The shorter registration form had almost 50 percent more completions.
Remember, you are beginning dialogue and you will have the chance to gather further information from registrants over the course of your relationship.
Test, test, test This is a direct marketing mantra, but many email marketers forget this. The right subject line can improve open rates by 25 percent or more. Personalization can improve results. Text versus HTML can make a difference. Long form versus short form can impact click-through rates. Additional areas you might consider testing that have made a difference for other marketers are day of week, time of day, your “from” line, tone (formal vs. personal), offers and lead articles.
Segmentation Direct marketers segment their houseflies and measure results for each segment. Many email marketers use the “one size fits all” approach. Everyone gets the same message. Yet the medium makes it relatively easy to employ technology to provide discrete offers and content to different groups. The latter approach takes more planning, but the payback can be phenomenal.
A b-to-b office supplies marketer segmented its emails into three major vertical markets and four different desired activity buckets (reactivation, retention, upsell, channel migration). Email related sales activity has increased nine-fold over the past two years mainly because of the segmentation strategy.
It’s been said that nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But as DMers you already have the foundation for increased success in email if you employ these steps. Apply the learning and experience that you use every day in your direct marketing planning to email, and I guarantee you will reap the benefits.
Regina Brady is president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy. She can be reached at (203) 838-8138 or reginabrady@att.net.
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