Last time I explained that email offers some major benefits over print
and other media. Email gives you quick feedback that allows you to
design your message for your contacts. It's about providing value for
your customers and connecting with the audience at large. Today I'll talk about how you can use email tracking to improve your messages.
With
email you can easily test your messages on a portion of your audience
without spending extra money. If you use a software program like
iContact, you can use its tracking features to get feedback from your
customers.
For example, imagine that we sell sporting goods.
This month we have sales on three products: footballs, basketballs, and
running shoes. Our newsletter must include an article on each product.
It should also highlight the most popular product. All we need to do is
divide our contact list into three separate segments and change the
article order for each segment. We could send each article to a
different segment then use our tracking software to measure the results.
Let's
say that the message that highlighted the running shoes had the most
clicked links. Since this message performed well, we know that running
shoes are the most popular. We might consider extending the sale and
focusing more effort into promoting shoes.
Email will never
replace traditional market research, but it can be an excellent
supplement. For a smaller business that might not have the resources
for holding focus groups, email is an effective way to receive quality
feedback.
Next time I'll talk about the benefits of sending email surveys.
Cheers,
Ryan Allis
