Email marketing still rocks. Hard. According to the eConsultancy 2014 Email Marketing Industry Census, “email was ranked as the best channel in terms of return on investment, with 68% of companies rating the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.”

Email marketing can benefit just about any company. Whether you are sending one-thousand messages a day or one-million, there are just five steps you need to rock the in-box.

Step 1: Data

Great data sets the stage for great mailing. To be successful at email marketing, you must know your data. It does not matter if your email records were generated off a product purchase or come from a third-party, to properly tailor your messaging you must know how your email recipients opted-in. You must also maintain great list hygiene. Otherwise you will be pummeled by complaints and bounces.

Step 2: IPs

IPs are the ultimate inbox gatekeepers. They are the reason email service providers (ESPs) have such rigid sending policies, and also why ESPs charge a premium to high-volume senders. Procuring and maintaining your own IP space might be the best option if you are sending millions of emails a day. Binding your own IPs to a mailing platform (MP) gives you the freedom to send as much as you want cost-effectively. Always opt for the very best IPs you can find.

Step 3: Domains

Use common sense. Domains are more about engagement than deliverability. Choose a domain name that complements your messaging. There is no need to assign a single IP to a single domain or buy super expensive, aged domains.

Step 4: Software

The ability to send high volume should be a major consideration when choosing email software. A reputable ESP will do fine for most e-mailers. If, however, you mail to millions of records a day, you may want to choose software which allows you to manage your own IPs. Mailing off your own IP space can be more challenging but, it is a great way to scale-up your business economically. Just remember that no ESP or MP is powerful enough to overcome bad data or spent IPs.

Step 5: Creatives

Creatives require creativity and science. If you have done all the work to get to step five, you owe it to yourself to have strong art direction. There are oodles of articles online about design, a/b testing and how to write compelling ad copy. Read them. Implement these ideas, analyze the results and implement even better ideas. Rinse and repeat.

A strong email methodology can seriously amplify your marketing. Just focus on these key elements and you too can rock-n-roll all night and email every day.

This article appeared in Issue 30 of FeedFront Magazine, which Affiliate Summit published in April, 2015.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Ellie Johnston

Ellie Johnston, head of marketing for VoloMP, is funky, and likes her oatmeal lumpy.

Latest posts by Ellie Johnston (see all)

• 5 Steps to Improve Your Email Strategy - 06/10/2015