3 Signs that your campaign isn’t working (and how to fix it)

This article will have links to previous posts I have created throughout it that go into further depth about certain subjects. I hope this helps!

1. Your open rate is low

Okay, so your campaign is stumbling at the first hurdle. You need to ask yourself the following questions:

How was my recipient list created?
If the answer to that question was “it was bought” then you can’t be expecting miracles. If you’re receiving opens of around 10 – 15 as a minimum.

Is your email subject enticing them in?
It’s all well and good having amazing offers and content in the email, but not letting the world know about it in the subject line is a cardinal sin. The subject line needs to be a very short summary of what they can expect inside. Scrap the “March 2008 issue #1” and go for “15 doesn’t mean that the same people are opening your emails; you may have an active readership of 30% but your emails don’t appeal to all of them. Just remember not to stick to one area though or the other subscribers will switch off. The best thing to do would be to segment your list into several lists and then send targeted emails to each of them.

Are you receiving a high level of bounced emails?
This could be a deliverability issue. Firstly, is there a large amount coming from a certain server? If so, you could have been blacklisted by them. You will need to contact the postmaster there and sort out the issue with them before sending again. To prevent this from ever happening though, make sure you have a decent list hygiene routine in place.

If your list is predominantly business addresses opposed to webmail addresses, the likelihood is it is your content that is causing the blocking. The problem with business addresses is that there is no standardised reason for getting blocked by them, some filters block tracking links within the email, some block it because of words within the email and some just don’t get along with html altogether. It really will be a case of trial and error. Be prepared to compromise on your design and content though. You may have to lose your tracking facilities to increase the success of your campaign.

2. My link click-through rate is poor

Your open rate seems fine but your click-through isn’t. The good news is your list are at least still listening to your message but for how long we don’t know. This can be attributed to the content of your email.

Content
You need to be clear and to the point. Don’t go over the top with content or you risk losing the recipients attention. IT could be that the recipient just isn’t interested in what you’re writing about. In which case you need to look at what you have previously promised, or done. That subscriber may have initially signed up as you promised to give away special offers exclusively to your email subscribers. Now though, you’re just updating them on developments about your company and informing them of new lines of clothing….but where’s the offer?

Design
Maybe you’re keeping to your promise of content but you’re still not getting those click-throughs you desperately want. Well the finger can be firmly pointed towards your design and layout. Is your offer tucked away near the bottom of the email? Is it bold and stand out enough? You need to make sure that your recipients eyes are directed to wherever your “call to actions” are. Do this and you will see those click-throughs rocket. It could though, be that your email just doesn’t look that nice. People make judgements within the first few seconds of looking at an email and if they don’t like the look of it, they will not even bother with the content (which is also another reason for having your call to action in an eye catching place).

3. My Conversion Rate is Poor

This is probably the most important indicator of your campaign. If you have so far followed the advice on this article (and the rest of my blog) you should be seeing a good level of conversions now. If that is still not the case then there could still be a couple of issues that need resolving.

Firstly, are you directing your recipients to the exact page they wanted to go to. If they wanted to see the offers on some of your products don’t go and send them to your index page. Having to look for the product they want will turn them off of the idea.

Secondly, make sure that your campaign matches your websites branding. There is a lot of spam on the internet (you may have noticed) that is still hindering people’s confidence in e-business. It is your job to minimise this, and the best way to do so is by having a consistent branding throughout your communications with the public.

Well, that should have your campaign back in working order now. If you’re still having problems, email me with your problem and I’ll try and give you a hand.

About the Author

Alex Fenwick works for mailingmanager, an online Email Service Provider. Alex Fenwick manages to gain quite a broad view of email marketing by working for an ESP. It gives me an insight into the workings of both B2B and B2C marketing, as well as monitoring different sending trends from varied sectors (retail, industrial, charitable etc).