This blog won’t be the first to tell you that you need a strong subject line, or a salesy call to action, or even a killer design, to have a successful campaign. What it will tell you is how to think strategically and holistically about your email campaigns. So, let’s go back to grade school (ahh, the simpler times) and use the 5 Ws to provide you with the fundamentals that comprise a strategic email marketing campaign:

WHO: Audience

Arguably the key piece in any marketing campaign, if you’re not reaching out to the right audience, it won’t matter how amazing your email is, it’s not going to perform well. Plain and simple. Whether you’re starting from scratch in terms of building you database of email subscribers or already have an established list, making sure you have the right contacts is key.

Starting from scratch? No worries. From web pop-ups that incentivize users to sign up for your newsletter to Facebook’s Lead Generation ads, there’s a myriad of ways to start building a qualified email list.

Already have a database? You’re off to a great start! But making sure your list is not only cleaned but GDPR compliant is key. Ensure that all contacts on your list have subscribed to receive marketing material from you before deploying your campaigns.

Some of most profitable campaigns that you can execute are those that are triggered by user behavior. From emails that kindly remind you when you’ve left an item in your cart to incentivized discounts on your birthday, email service providers (ESPs) such as Klaviyo have made it super simple to launch automation campaigns. Here’s some food for thought on other potential automations that drive a significant increase in revenue:

Lapsed Customer: have a large list of customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while? Send them an incentive to come back and make a purchase right at your average lapse point.

Large Lifetime Value: don’t forget about your loyal customers. By sharing new arrivals before they hit the shelves or discounting their next purchase over a certain amount, will not only show your customers you care and value their business but also help drive additional sales from the lowest hanging fruit.

Inactive Customers: The phrase “all is not lost” can be applied here. Most brands find that a large part of their email subscribers have not actually made a purchase. Use this as an opportunity to test out new email lay-outs, featured products, or incentives to learn how to better convert this untapped audience.

WHAT: Content & Design

Unfortunately, there’s not a black and white answer to what design or subject line is going to work best for your audience. The key here is to test, test again, and then test again. But remember to test one piece of the email marketing puzzle at a time so you can understand what variable is causing the desired (or undesired) outcome.

WHERE: Landing Page

This one’s simple. If you’re promoting a specific product, blog, service on your website, make sure you are driving the user to that specific page on your site. Dropping a user on your homepage will not only seem lazy, but creates a disconnect in the conversion flow, causing the reader to most probably leave your site immediately.

WHEN: Send Time/Day

Use your current email analytics to understand not just what day and time you receive the most opens or clicks on your emails, but when you see the biggest uptick in revenue. While you may see a 35% open rate on Wednesdays, if those opens aren’t driving revenue, you may need to reevaluate your deployment schedule.

Not sure where to start? Use Google Analytics to find out the highest trafficked day/times on your website. This can serve as a great starting point for testing your deployment strategy.

WHY: We’ll Let Our Results Speak for Themselves

When using the tips and tricks outlined above, our client’s email marketing campaigns have seen an average increase of 51% in revenue. Not to mention, the automation campaigns comprise 46% of the total revenue driven from these campaigns. If you want to start to see these results for your business, simply use the 5 Ws listed above. Happy Sending!

Author Bio

Danielle Butera is the Chief Marketing Strategist at Blueswitch. Her team of marketing strategists use their experience to drive traffic, create a larger customer base, and increase conversions for a variety of clients. BlueSwitch takes new or existing business to the next level by building a website that engages customers and drives sales.