Maximizing the ROI of Your Email Marketing Program

In my years as a marketing communications professional - and especially as an email marketer - I'm constantly told that to maximize results, I need to be constantly testing content, copy, images, and layout to multiple test audiences. In fact, Internet marketing and advertising news publication ADOTAS says it’s one of the things you simply cannot ignore if you want to have a successful email marketing campaign. But in the real world, it’s just not always possible. At many companies, writers and layout artists are stretched too thin and can’t possibly create that many messages.


So where to start? Email Marketing firm iContact has some great ideas about things you can test that won’t take up too much time but will still get results. 

• Subject Lines - If you do nothing else, make sure you’re testing subject lines. If you can’t get people to open your emails, any other content testing you’re doing won’t even be seen. And let’s be real—it takes almost no time to write two or three subject lines.  

• Images - Similar to subject lines, it’s not difficult at all to pick two masthead or main images and see which resonates more with openers. For examples: if you’re selling hotel rooms, test hotel exterior image vs. guestroom shot or spa vs. restaurant. If you’re selling men’s clothing, how about pants vs. shirts or clothes vs. accessories.

• Call to Action - Test text or colors. Does “Book Now” or “Save 20% in Cancun” work better? Orange or blue text? Any of these are easy to change and can get instant results.

With just these simple steps, you'll immediately begin learning more about what tactics will get results with your audience. And even better, if you can prove that you get results with just these simple steps, you’ll have numbers that will back up your efforts and could lead to you convincing superiors to give you more resources.

Pete Roccaforte has been a marketing communications professional for nearly 10 years and is currently a graduate student in the Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University’s Medill School. Follow him at @proccaforte or on LinkedIn.