Step 2.5: What do you do if you are not currently using an ESP or in-house solution?
There are so many ESPs and email solution providers out there that each marketer should be able to find one that fits their needs. Are you sending to a smaller list? If so, you probably want to look at an ESP that focuses on these types of clients, such as Constant Contact or Vertical Response. If you are sending larger numbers, then you will want to look at more enterprise-level email solution providers and ESPs.
Once you determine the type of provider, you should then investigate if they offer any additional services that you might need, such as deliverability services, strategic services, even creative and production services. If you do not have these capabilities internally, you will definitely need to find a provider that does. You shouldn't overlook the value in having the proper resources to troubleshoot a deliverability problem with a major ISP, or a creative expert to help improve the effectiveness of your campaign template.
Step 3: Understand the end-user and how you obtained their information
One of the most important factors in any form of marketing is understanding your audience. If you don't know who they are, or where they came from, you can run into a lot of problems. This is no more evident than in email marketing. I have seen a number of marketers who either buy or rent lists, use co-registration, or gather names from any of a hundred different ways. Participating in these practices means you do not fully understand where these names and email addresses came from, and therefore you don't know the quality of the list.
I am not saying that you should always avoid these options, but depending on the type of email you are planning to send, I would be cautious when using addresses that are not currently in your "master" list. Again, this really depends on your goals for the campaign; if it is acquisition, then it might make sense for your business to look into one of these options. No matter what you decide, if you use a partner to acquire some, or all, of your list, make sure that you know who the partner is, their reputation within the industry, and the quality of the data that they are providing.
Step 4: Create a comprehensive strategy for your campaign
Without a full understanding of the strategy behind your campaign, the less likely it will be successful. If you do not have an internal resource to help determine the strategy, I suggest reaching out either to your current email marketing partner or an outside strategy agency, such as Smith-Harmon. These strategy experts can help you answer various questions that will be important to the success of the campaign. Some of these questions might include:
- What other campaigns are you sending to your users and at what frequency?
- How will this new campaign be different from existing campaigns?
- Would you be better served by simply combining a current campaign with some updated content rather than creating an entirely new set of templates and campaigns?
- What kind of demographic or behavioral data do you have to key off for more relevant communications?
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