Audit Your Email Marketing Strategy

from Net Atlantic

"Audit" – not everybody loves to hear that word, but it can also be your best friend.

If you send regular email campaigns, it's a good idea to check out the soundness of your strategy every once in awhile. A complete audit of your email sending tactics and practices will help identify problems with your lists, your content, your segmentation, your schedule, and your campaigns.

It's also a good idea to run an email marketing audit if you notice your response rates dropping, such as opens and clicks, or if you see a rise in unsubscribes and bounces. The audit can reveal where the problems might be.

Even if there is something going on that you can't control, like regular policy changes made by ISPs, the audit can help identify whether you have a serious problem or just need to adjust your strategy.

To run an email marketing audit and keep your campaigns humming, follow these simple steps below:

When Building Lists...

• Do your list members consist 100% of known opt-in subscribers?
• Do you store and suppress unsubscribed list members so you avoid sending them email?
• Do your subscribers know what kind of email campaigns you will send to them?
• Do your subscribers know how often you will send them email messages?

When Managing Segments...

• Do you segment your list by demographic information (by region, role, industry, client status, etc.)?
• Do you segment your list by behavioral information (by purchases, downloads, clicks, views, etc.)?
• Do you create dynamic segments that automatically update whenever list members take action?
• Do you automate your campaigns with triggers that send sequenced messages following actions?

When Creating Content...

• Do you personalize messages using dynamic content such as merge fields and content blocks?
• Do you use a subject line that quickly and clearly describes the message and action?
• Do you include social media tags, public archives, and forward requests to help campaigns go viral?
• Do you have a clear call to action in each email message?
• Are you sending the message out of duty or because you have something important to say?
• Are you including informative content as well as the typical sales-oriented information?
• Honestly, Is your email interesting? Would you want to get it and read it? Really?

When Sending Mailings...

• Do you use a ‘mail from’ email address that readers can reply to and get the right person?
• Do you have a calendar for all of your projected outgoing mailings?
• Do you automate your campaigns with triggers that send sequenced messages following actions?
• Do you test all the links in your email, and test with different email readers?
• Do you send test messages to yourself and others in your organization?
• Do you run split tests when sending to more than 1,000 subscribers, for best results?

Download our Email Audit Checklist and see how it can help improve your campaigns! Also, let us know what we missed – we’re interested in hearing your thoughts on how to run a good email marketing audit.

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