Occasionally an email campaign fails to deliver the expected result. But a poor showing can be turned into a valuable lesson if you are prepared to be objective and keep an open mind. A quick analysis will usually pinpoint the causes and provide valuable info to fine tune future campaigns.
This happened recently to a client who ran his own promotional campaign. Michael asked my advice after his email campaign resulted in a less than encouraging response.
The Nuts and Bolts
Michael rented the list from a list broker.
He sent out a HTML email, personalised.
Send address was his own email address.
Subject line: "On offer to you from (the company)"
The email was sent on a Thursday at 3pm.
The Campaign
The campaign was quite straighforward A HTML email offering a variety of services targeted at medium sized business. The objective was to collect responses and subscriptions from the rented list to allow future email newsletters to be sent to the newly acquired contacts. A secondary objective was to drive traffic to the web site. The recipients were provided a number of services including domain name registration, training, and multimedia design
The Result
From a broadcast of 2800, only three responded by subscribing to future sends.
Surely he should be able to expect a better that 0.15% response? What went wrong?
Analysis
Nuts and bolts
Since the list broker was unable to provide open rates a conversion rate could not be calculated. Open rates are an important measure of the effectiveness of the group targetting and subject line. (Demand these form your list broker or broadcaster as well as a list of bounced email addresses. I have had many woeful tales from clients who have rented lists with alarmingly high failure rates.)
HTML personalised, no problem here except that (this is a personal opinion) the layout of the email lacked real impact. The text was white and yellow on a black background - difficult to read on most computer screens. The copy was too long to be absorbed easily.
My feeling is that the subject line was way too broad and weak. Since the target group had no previous relationship with the company they had no idea whether they were being offered Viagra or a real business opportunity.
While 3pm on a Thursday is not disastrous, perhaps making the offer earlier in the week would have improved the resonse.. From the experience with other campaigns we have managed, Tuesday or Wednesday at mid morning would have yielded better results.
The Campaign
Let's look first at the objective - the most important part of any campaign.
The objective was to get as many qualified people as possible to subscribe to future mail outs. The secondary objective was to drive traffic to the website and thirdly to build brand awareness.
How did campaign meet these objectives?
Only three people out of a potential 2800 subscribed. A 0.15% response rate; so gaining new clients just didn't happen.
The hit rate on the web site reached an all time high.
The offer in the email was multi-targeted. It aimed to get the best response by offering something to meet everyone's needs. However the result was a long series of offers that diluted the message. Also while there is a reasonable chance that the target groups may have a need, there was no compelling reason to take up the offer from this company over any other.
Michael wanted people to opt in to receive future mailouts - yet at no stage were they asked to. There was also no incentive to subscribe: a must for a rental list.
With rental lists, you don't get a second chance without paying again. You need to grab their attention fast and firmly.
How could it have been done better?
Let's look at the primary objective again. Gather new subscribers for a ezine which will be used to bring offers to clients for a variety of business services - from CRM to domain name registrations.
The List
If you are using a rental list, (something that I don't generally recommend) you need to provide a very good incentive for people to respond. It's quite clear that the people on the rental list belong to someone else who has managed to get them to allow third party communications. These types of lists are quickly degraded as addresses change and members unsubscribe so demand reports from your broadcaster with bounce rates, open rates and unsubscribes. Negotiate to pay per acquisition. This way your list renter will actively participate as your partner.
The Message
The target market was business professionals with little time to waste.
Make the message short and clear. Tell them what you want them to do and why in as few words and as clearly as possible.
The Incentive
Offer an incentive to sign up and make that the only objective. Offer a free consultation, or a competition - a chance to win a state of the art PDA, for example. The cost is easily justified if you get results. Compare the acquisition costs of a print campaign, and approach it with the same devotion.
Subject Line
Grab attention with a strong subject line like '13 ways to improve your online strategies', 'Book for your business streamlining consultation now', 'Is this your Compaq Organizer?'. If it doesn't get opened, you don't stand a chance.
Look and Feel
Make the design professional and clean looking.
Basic design etiquette and clear formatting means the reader can scan quickly and understand the message better.
Ensure that they know that they can unsubscribe at any time.
Keep it short. I know the temptation to throw it all in at once to and make the best use of your broadcast is strong - but if the result is a confusing message you will achieve nothing. You are there to please some of the people some of the time.
One positive result from the campaign was the secondary objective - increased web traffic. The site stats showed a dramatic increase in web traffic generated directly from the broadcast. This is normal, so make sure your landing pages or micro-sites are well prepared prior to send. Make sure there is a subscribe popup or incentive on the web site so that you increase the chances to gather details.
Finally, remember: people will buy when they are in need. The fact that they have found your web site as a result of the campaign is the first step in building a relationship. Treat the campaign with dedication.
