EMAIL MARKETING 101:The ABCs of Engaging Your Audience

Email Marketing 101: The ABCs of Engaging Your Audience

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Email Remains No. 1 for MarketingGetting StartedCreate GoalsQualify Target AudienceTarget MessagesDesign the EnvelopePersonalized ContentAccommodate New PlatformsTest and AnalyzeKeep Your Email Marketing Impactful

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Email Marketing 101: The ABCs of Engaging Your Audience

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EMAIL REMAINS NO. 1 FOR MARKETING

Communication has become easier than ever. In both consumer and business spheres, new technology and innovative platforms provide multiple opportunities to connect. However, while marketers must recognize the potential of new ideas, they can’t ignore proven best practices.

Email is a cost-efficient and effective medium for marketing. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email can produce a 4,300 percent return on investment when deployed properly.(1)

Marketers still consider email the best resource for awareness, acquisition, retention and conversion.(2)

A 2016 HealthLink Dimensions survey found most doctors and nurses – 68 percent – prefer email over other methods of communication, such as in-person visits or direct mail.(3)

Email Marketing 101: The ABCs of Engaging Your Audience

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GETTING STARTED

From the subject line to call-to-action, health science email marketers need to design every detail with audience preferences and end goals in mind. Unfortunately, many companies don’t put much thought into their overall email strategy.

As medical device manufacturers, insurance providers, and others start creating content for marketing campaigns, they often skip documentation.

Most just operate with a vague idea of what the business expects content to do. This is indicative of the lax attention businesses pay to digital marketing campaigns.

It’s time for companies to give email the focus it deserves.

The Content Marketing Institute reported three-fourths of companies have a marketing strategy but only a quarter of them write it down.(4)

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CREATE GOALSWhat email open rate should marketers consider successful? How many sales justify marketing costs? In order to create goals, marketers must consider what both they and their audiences require from content.

INTERNAL GOALS:Marketers should start by identifying the primary purpose for each email campaign. This means establishing benchmarks for company success and metrics to identify when goals are reached. Consistent terminology and data visibility is important so that every stakeholder recognizes performance and contributes with central goals in mind.

AUDIENCE GOALS:Marketers should start by identifying the primary purpose for each email campaign. This means establishing benchmarks for company success and metrics to identify when goals are reached. Consistent terminology and data visibility is important so that every stakeholder recognizes performance and contributes with central goals in mind.

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QUALIFY TARGET AUDIENCE

In order to create goals for performance, you have to understand the audience you’re working with. For example, if success is based on 20,000 names in your list of physician emails, it’s critical to be certain each of those addresses is capable of receiving.

MarketingSherpa research discovered nearly a quarter of contact data becomes obsolete after a year.(5)

This inaccurate data prevents messages from reaching audiences and stops companies from properly analyzing campaign success.

Unfortunately, many marketing datasets contain incorrect information, which cost marketing and sales teams time and money.

As doctors change jobs or email addresses, its important marketers keep their data up to date. Utilizing consistent data append and cleansing services helps companies maintain reliable contact information. Searching for duplicate, inaccurate or missing information and adding names when necessary is essential.

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TARGET MESSAGES

There are best practices for speaking with all medical professionals. Most doctors are busy, so short messages usually perform better. The Wall Street Journal reported modern doctors often feel a lack of respect, so emails should provide a courteous tone and acknowledgment of medical professionals’ important work.(6)

It’s incredibly helpful to break down email lists by type of medicine practiced, size of organization, geographical location and other details that will play an important role in buying decisions. Using this data, email lists can be segmented to offer personalized content to audiences.

MailChimp reported proper segmentation can increase click-through rates by more than 50 percent.(7)

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DESIGN THE ENVELOPE

SUBJECT LINE:Over one-third of email recipients decide whether to open an email based on subject line alone(7). If marketers want to stand out in an inbox, the title needs to grab attention without resorting to the hyperbole associated with spam.

PREHEADER: The preheader is the summary text the recipient sees immediately following the email’s subject line in the inbox.

Preheaders should summarize content and pique the reader’s interest. Data analytics helps companies identify keywords and personalize content to particular medical professionals.

ADDRESS:The name that displays in the “from” column on an email message should be recognizable as a legitimate business. This may mean changing from a standard Gmail account to a dedicated bulk sending B2B solution.

BRANDING:The images, terms and colors associated with headlines and content should demonstrate professionalism and align with a company’s brand. Doctors should recognize the company from first glance.

In email marketing, the envelope refers to the elements digital audiences see first. These are the factors that will determine if a doctor opens your message and takes the time to read the content.

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PERSONALIZE CONTENT

Personalization doesn’t mean crafting an individual message for each doctor on your email contact list. It’s the practice of recognizing what audiences need and providing messages that will solve the problems and answer the questions of specific audiences.

SHORT AND CONCISE:Emails should focus on the data, educational materials and news that will inform doctors and make their lives easier. Studying the demands of certain health practitioners can help marketers decide exactly what should be included.

IMAGES AND VIDEOS: The HealthLink Dimensions communication survey found 79 percent of doctors want companies to send them patient education and support materials in emails.

Images and videos can help make information more digestible for all audiences.

LINKS TO INBOUND MARKETING:Personalization means offering audiences the opportunity to learn more from the medium they prefer. Email should serve as one step in an integrated marketing chain, so outbound links to social media accounts and company pages should be readily available.

CALLS TO ACTION:Marketers have to study their email audiences to see what phrases inspire activity. Hubspot found personalized CTAs increased conversion rates by 42 percent.(8)

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ACCOMMODATE NEW PLATFORMS

How do pictures show up on smartphones? Clickz found that anywhere from 15 to 70 percent of marketing emails are opened on mobile devices.(9) Seeing as Modern Healthcare reported 46 percent of doctors plan to use mobile devices when working with patients, marketers should prepare email messages for smaller displays and touchscreens.(10)

This may affect the content of an email message. Hubspot research found 60 percent of doctors say they want email content with HTML-based rich media as opposed to plain text.(11) However, testing found physicians actually preferred plain text in real-world applications.

15 to 70 percent of marketing emails are opened

on mobile devices.(9)

46 percent of doctors plan to use mobile devices

with patients.

60 percent of doctors want HTML email content.

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While doctors like modern message capabilities in theory, they’ll quickly give up on digital messages at the first sign of obstacles. It’s important marketers test their messages to see if they display properly on all devices and that links work as expected. If companies don’t have the necessary technology, they may have to make the most of simpler content.

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TEST AND ANALYZE

Before launching an email campaign, marketers should conduct thorough testing. After content is coded, structured and imported into a sending mechanism, the company should preview the message across different reading environments/ESP platforms. Do the links work? Is it properly formatted? Is it pleasing to the eye? It’s important conditions are tested with different email software and on various devices.

Testing and analytics should continue after deployment. Feedback should be monitored through software and audience reactions.

It’s probably best to start A/B testing with simple metrics like open rates, click-through rates and conversions.

Measuring other factors like time of day and frequency of messaging can help determine what makes certain emails a hit and where new opportunities may exist. MarketingSherpa said there is no one right time to send out marketing emails, but with the right analytics, companies can spot the recurring habits of certain demographics and build future campaigns off of known quantities.(12)

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KEEP YOUR EMAIL MARKETING IMPACTFUL

Even in the ever-changing world of communication technology, email is still a vital resource for marketing and companies need to treat email campaigns accordingly. This means devising documented plans for medical email marketing success and designing each element of content around specific audiences.

HealthLink Dimensions creates a solid foundation for marketing activities by ensuring email addresses are current, delivery lists are segmented appropriately, and data analytics provide insight into medical markets.

Instead of blindly creating messages and launching campaigns on uncertain terms, companies can work with a partner to gain access to the information required to make smart choices and realize results.

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(1). Email Marketing: How to Push Send and Grow Your Business(2). Workhorses and dark horses: digital tactics for customer acquisition(3). What physicians expect from marketing communications in 2016(4). Here’s Why Your Content Marketing Strategy is Totally Failing(5). The Little-Known Marketing Issue that’s Secretly Killing Your Sales(6). Why Doctors Are Sick of Their Profession(7). 9 Reasons Your Email Marketing Campaign Failed

(8). 15 Email statistics that are shaping the future(9). 15 essential mobile email marketing statistics 2015(10). Easy on those apps: Mobile medical apps gain support, but many lack clinical evidence(11). Plain Text vs. HTML Emails: Which Is Better?(12). Email Marketing Chart: How send frequency impacts read rate