Six considerations when switching from DM to email

1. Deliverability

The key to a successful campaign, whether it's a newsletter, invitation, alert or update. First there's the art of getting past the ISP, the spam filters, the myriad of customisable security settings and the company's Mail Server Rules, so that the email you've sent even reaches the Inbox. A 90-99% delivery rate (making sure this is to the Inbox, not the Mail Server) is what you should expect from a company using whitelisted servers, and that knows how to overcome this multitude of hurdles. Second, there's the real test - the click-through rate. It's dependent upon the message type, of course, but if you're not getting 20%+ something's wrong. And most of the time this is about design. 

2. Design

Ensure your HTML is optimised and works across different software and platforms - test it rigorously, ensure too that a plain text version is sent alongside the HTML. Treat each like you would a campaign, with a single, clear message, with calls to action above the fold, preferably within the limited space of the preview pane. Make it engaging, and appealing, make sure the subject line is relevant and compelling. Keep it short - put all the content you were tempted at first to include on to a microsite page. Here's your opportunity to expand on your theme and explain, and all the links from it point to your web site.

3. Cost

The relative cost alone is compelling, with a typical invitation to an event, or an e-newsletter costing ten times as much to personalise, print and mail than an email campaign.

4. Time

The benefits of formal or informal commentary on events happening right now, are many. Your client knows you're on the ball, and it helps build the brand and reputation of your firm, and continues the relationship between sender and client. This is especially so if you personalise the message, not only in the salutation, but within the body of the email - reordering or including content according to their profile.

5. The Environment

For DM, most charities consider a 5% success rate a great result, that means 95% is binned, maybe recycled (but probably shredded). Whether you're achieving less or more success than this, your green credentials receive a significant boost when you stop posting and start emailing.

6. Analytics and data

Measurement is the cornerstone of delivering a campaign or message digitally - robust Analytics and Reporting allow you to gain deep insight into any campaign. From a single web interface, you can see click-through rates, who clicked what, and when, and you can even track the subsequent online journey, who's unsubscribed and which addresses bounced. And being an online campaign, you'll be collecting any recipient response immediately in a simple form, with an opportunity to collect more data too. You get a greater response versus someone having to fill out a paper form and post/fax it back.

Posted by:
Peter Greatorex, Managing Director, Page Nine Ltd. www.broadcast-email.co.uk