PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | E-MARKETING | GOOD TO GREAT
THE POWER OF THE INBOX Wendy Lewis offers some essential tips to ensure that
E-BLASTS T
your e-marketing campaign doesnÕ t get lost in the deluge of competition and spambots
HERE IS A VIRTUAL explosion
of
competition for eyes and ears online. There is more competition for your
WENDY LEWIS is President of Wendy Lewis & Co Ltd, Global Aesthetics Consultancy, author of 11 books, and Founder/ Editor-in-Chief of www.
beautyinthebag.com since 2008. She is a contributor to a number of trade and consumer publications in the USA and Europe.
contact
wl@wlbeauty.com
customerÕs inbox attention than ever before and it is growing. Everyone is competing with every other email customers and potential customers receive, as well as the sinister spammers that have created a hostile environment for legitimate businesses. That is the power of the inbox. However, email marketing is still
going strong and should not be abandoned. Email marketing is a rather cost-effective way for you to connect with customers and patients, and to encourage them to share your message with their networks to spread the word about your clinic. But to get your e-blasts opened, read and shared, requires a newfound creativity and commitment to getting it right. The key is to strike a balance
80 ❚
between being incredibly creative to grab the attention of the people on your mailing list, and be mindful of not unwittingly causing people to opt-out or having disgruntled customers complain rather than tick the unsubscribe box. Your marketing efforts should be designed to
January/February 2013 |
prime-journal.com
increase followers, add more sign-ups to your email list, and to spread the word about your products and services to increase your bottom line.
What are the best open rates? Most modern email marketing programmes include analytics that are handy tools to evaluate how your e-blasts are treated and maximise your efforts. These tools tell you what is working and what is misfiring, and also who is reading your e-blasts. For example, you need to evaluate what subject lines tend to work best for your list of subscribers. This will help you to determine what topics you should plan and which should be set aside. Some effective e-blasts may have a special offer in the subject line, such as Ô20% Off Facial Injectables for You and a FriendÕ . You should also look at who is
opening your e-blasts with regard to demographic profile. For example, is it the younger (or older) customers, which postcodes are more active on your list, what are people clicking on most? This level of detailed information is invaluable to determine what your e-blasts need to be more effective. Paying close attention to who is buying your
products or services enables you to confidently market to them.
When should you send e-blasts? There are a number of ways at looking at the ideal days, times and frequency to send your e-blasts out. For example, the highest percentage of emails get sent and opened at the beginning of the week; MondayÐ Wednesday, when most people tend to go through their emails. However, it is also when most e-blasts are sent out so yours could get lost in the crowd. If you look at click-through rates, weekends may have a higher percentage because people have more time to read. The time of day is also a determining factor. The middle of the day at around lunchtime (12 pmÐ 2 pm) tends to have the highest open rate. In many cases, people have more time to read during this period of the day. If you wait until the end of the day, your e-blast may get left until the next morning, where it could get caught up in the urge to purge the influx of new mail. Keep in mind that sending out emails too often is one of the leading factors that causes readers to unsubscribe. It is natural to think that if you sent out more e-blasts, you will naturally get greater click-through
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