So how do you get an email campaign off the ground and do it the right way? I am asked this question all the time, and my response is always a little different based on the type of business, its specific goals, internal resources, technical requirements, etc. However, there are seven core steps that I almost always recommend to clients, and I'm going to share those here.
As you'll see below, the steps start at the very beginning, and that's critical. In fact, the first four steps should be taken before you even start designing the campaign. Laying the right foundation will go a long way towards ensuring compelling results down the road, so I recommend that you resist the temptation to jump ahead. Your conversion and customer satisfaction metrics will thank you.
Step 1: Determine what you want to accomplish with your email campaign
Unless you take the time to put together a mission statement for your new campaign (even at a basic level), there's no way you will be able to determine if it is a success or not. Without true metrics and goals in mind, you will not be able to effectively answer and address the key questions that will inevitably come up later in the process.
You first need to decide if your new campaign is for retention of current customers, acquisition of new customers, revenue generation (e.g., a spring sale), brand awareness, or some other purpose. Next, you need to outline the objectives for the campaign, whether it is an increase in certain types of members, increased average order size, etc.
Step 2: Determine which tools you will need to accomplish your goals
Once you understand what you are trying to accomplish with your new email campaign, you must then figure out what tools you will need to help you reach your goal. Are you currently using an email service provider (ESP) to send your mail or an in-house solution (which can be custom-built or a commercial application)? If you are using an ESP, will they be able to handle an additional campaign, and will the cost to use the ESP be more then it is worth to send the email?
If you are using an in-house solution, can your IT team ensure that everything is properly set up for you (or that system administrations services from your provider can take care of it)? Do you have the right reporting tools needed to analyze the metrics in order to determine if the campaign is successful? Whenever you are sending a campaign, it is much more than just hitting the "send" button.
And don't forget complementary tools that can help you optimize your campaigns. Do you have a web analytics tool to help you? Do you have the right monitoring tools that will allow you to easily track the success of the campaign without too much effort?
If you don't have any of these types of tools, or they are not easily integrated with each other, you might want to look around for a solution that can give you what you need in the way of integration. Web analytics solutions from providers like Omniture and Coremetrics can go a long way to capitalizing on user behavior after they click, while deliverability tools from Return Path or Pivotal Veracity can help make sure your email gets into the inbox in the first place.
The last thing any marketer wants to do is to spend a bunch of time trying to figure out if the campaign was successful. If you find yourself in this position, then more than likely, you as the marketer will probably decide to just go with your gut without any data to back up your assumptions.
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