THE EMAIL MARKETING
SUPER BOWL
PLAYBOOK
In the spirit of the Super Bowl XLIX, email marketers have a big game
of opportunity ahead. Taking a few hints from this year’s champions,
the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, Campaigner has
pulled together a quick playbook for marketers to achieve success:
Dive into Double Days
When preparing for a big game, any good team is going
to double down on practices to perfect their winning
plays — competition is fierce, and players need
to be in top shape to beat their opponents.
Likewise, email marketers should invest in pre-game prep
to determine which campaign will score a touchdown. Use
A/B split testing to test a variety of factors such as graphics,
pricing, calls to actions, etc. to optimize a campaign and
ensure that each and every email is generating revenue.
Blitz into the Inbox
with Triggered Emails
Despite the amount of prep time done, in the
midst of a game there will always be blitz plays
coming out of left field completely unexpected.
This is when teams rely on quick reaction speeds
to re-strategize on the fly.
Luckily, marketers have one advantage in this situation: triggered
emails. Setting up automated drip campaigns allow marketers to
constantly get their brand out in front of their audience. Use triggered
emails based on certain user actions to follow any expected or
unexpected play. Automated triggers allow marketers to send highly
relevant emails without taking a time-out.
Invest in Your Email Marketing
Quarterback – The Subject Line
This Super Bowl, all eyes are on Tom Brady and Russell
Wilson to lead their teams to victory — after all, the
quarterback is the key to game-day success.
While these QBs are prepping for their big game, marketers should invest equal
attention to their own secret sauce: the subject line. In any email marketing
campaign, the subject line is top priority as it drives the most interactions and
determines whether or not users will open the message. Take the time this
season to get creative and make a splash. Use A/B split testing to find a subject
that draws the most interaction and make that one your starting QB.
Avoid Foul Plays
Though crazy or shocking subject lines might be
the most effective for grabbing customer attention,
they might not always be worth the foul play.
If the Seahawks gained 10 yards but were called for
holding, the play entirely results in no beneficial
outcome. Similarly, a surprising subject may very well
result in yards gained through high open-rates, but with
no resulting click-throughs, it’s not worth the yellow
flag. Don’t be afraid to take a time-out, go back to your
reporting and analyze user interaction. If it’s not
positive, it’s time to re-strategize and try a different play.
The Best Offense is
A Good Defense
When playing in the email marketing
Super Bowl, the best offensive strategy
is to have a solid defense. This means
actively pruning out inactive customers
and altering frequency accordingly.
The Patriots wouldn’t keep a player in the game if they kept throwing incomplete
passes, so marketers shouldn’t keep sending to contacts who don’t interact with
their emails. It’s critical to maintain lists by identifying inactive users and mailing to
them less frequently, while also pin pointing the star players and giving them some
first-string attention.
Get out there marketers
and start scoring some
touchdowns!