<< Email Campaign Workflow: How to Create a Successful Campaign
Step One: Find a Partner
You can purchase the technology or attempt to build a system in house. Each option requires a full team of IT and marketing specialists. Tackling a complex business function solely in-house demands a great deal of time and dedication, not to mention a substantial up-front financial investment. In-house solutions require a full-time team with specialized skills dedicated to Spam compliance, network development, maintenance, security and business continuity, graphic design, and application engineering.
Unless you have the capacity to absorb these costs and commit to paying them for at least 10 years, it is typically more cost effective to partner with an outsourced email marketing firm. Companies like Listrak offer dynamic functionality typically affordable only at large corporations. But, offered as a subscription solution, anyone can gain access to the same industry-leading tools and functionality. At Listrak, we already have proven applications and functionality in place, as well as high-level technical and operational staff dedicated to remaining one-step ahead of all legal, governmental, and industry regulations. So you acquire a high-level solution at low, subscription-based pricing. Furthermore, services are offered on a pay-as-you-go basis so you bypass long-term commitments.
Finding the right partner is critical to the success of your email marketing strategy. There are many email marketing solutions available that offer different feature sets, different services, different tracking capabilities, and different price points. In order to choose the right partner, you must first carefully define what you would like to accomplish through email marketing as this will determine what sort of solution you need. For example, are you looking for a system that will let you segment your customer database so you can send preference-based emails that are personalized and customized to your members and track the results to the individual user level? Do you want to integrate RSS technology with your email campaigns? Do you need to have access to a support staff that will keep you up to date with trends, new features, and ideas that will improve your campaigns? Do you have items and a budget in place that will allow you to grow? Even if you are just getting started, look at your long term direct marketing strategies so you can find an email marketing partner that will enable you to reach your goals.
After you have defined your strategy, it is important to research, demo, and test different products on the market. While testing, be sure to save sample data and reports so you can easily compare results and can accurately set goals for email campaigns. At this point, you should be able to short list the vendors and request price quotes so you can properly budget for the project and make your final selection on which vendor to choose and which product to implement.
Product implementation ranges from a simple online log-in to a complex product integration that works with CRM, web analytics, or other software packages. Details must be defined in advance so you may choose the correct software package, budget and schedule correctly for any product implementations, and ensure the resources are available and in place before you begin. Working with experts in the email marketing industry, like Listrak, will make the implementation smooth and easy as they will provide all of the information you need up front so you know exactly what to expect.
Finally, you will need to schedule a detailed training session for yourself and any staff members that will be using the product. Be sure you are comfortable with the product and all of the features even if you do not expect to use them all right away. Knowing the full product capabilities in advance will help you build a clear growth strategy. Also, even if the product seems straightforward and easy to use, take detailed notes during your training session so you will be able to set up your first email campaign on your own with confidence.
