Drowning in email? You’re not alone. We spent more time in our inboxes last year than ever before. But what were we actually doing during all those hours? And how can we use that time more effectively?

According to research by Baydin, the makers of email plugin Boomerang, the average email user receives 147 messages every day, and spends more than 2 ½ hours on email a day. On average, we delete 71 of those, which takes roughly 5 minutes. On average, we get 12 messages a day that require substantial work. Surprisingly, those messages alone take up almost 90 minutes per day.

When we email:

 The best words to use in email titles

So you have been using email marketing to reach your audience, but now let’s look at the five most effective variables you can test in your email campaigns. You may be thinking – what is a variable? It is a defined part of an email that you can adjust and test, most commonly used for copy, send time, subject line, etc.; however, it can be almost any part of the campaign.

1.      Target Audience

The most effective variable is your Target Audience. Although context is still (and will always be) king, it does not matter what’s in your email or how it looks if it’s sent to the wrong audience. If your  message isn’t relative to the reader, then all the personalization in the world won’t save you.

2.      Landing Page

The second most-effective variable isn’t even part of your email and is your landing page. Your conversion rate suffers anytime the landing page does not reinforce the email’s message or style.

3.      Subject Line

By far, the most popular variable, the subject line is the most tested variable yet it is not as effective as the previous two variables. Consider using relevant, eye-catching subject lines that do not mislead the recipient. The last thing a recipient wants to receive is an email that is titled, “Get a free puppy today” and opens it up and sees sales information on pet supplies.

4.      Call-to-action

Instead of using links or buttons that say “submit,” “download,” or another generic phrase, I recommend using a value-based phrase to increase the effectiveness of your call-to-action. For instance, consider using “get your free whitepaper” or “get instant access.”

5.      Personalization

With FireDrum’s ‘insert member’ dropdown feature, you are able to personalize your message by adding recipient related information such as their name, company, interests, etc. If you are going to personalize the message with the recipients first name, open the message with “Hello [FirstName]” instead of “Dear [FirstName]” incase you do not have the first name of everyone in your database.

If you haven’t tested one of the top-five variables listed above, and you’re bogged down testing something else, then consider shifting your focus for a test or two. And if you’ve tested only subject lines for months and months, try stepping out of your comfort zone. You might like the results. And don’t forget, FireDrum is here to help you every step of the way.

Email marketing terms everyone should know:

• Blacklist - This is a list that organizations put together of IP addresses that belong to certain organizations or people who send numerous SPAM e-mails.
• Click Through Rate – This is a percentage of clicks your recipients actually click on a link you send them in the e-mail.
• Conversion Rate – When sending out an e-mail, there is usually a desired action you are asking your recipients to do. The conversion rate is the percentage of people who actually do the task asked compared to the people who do not.
• Opt-in – The recipient of the e-mail has given permission (i.e. opting-in) before you send the e-mail.
• Double Opt-in – Double opt-in is the action of someone who opts-in for your e-mail, and is then asked one more time to confirm they are opting in.
• E-mail Service Provider - These providers are equipped to help you send out mass amounts of e-mails with a single click. They usually will also have templates for you to pick from to help you design the layout of your e-mail.
• Hard Bounce – A hard bounce is when you send an e-mail to an address that no longer exists.
• Soft Bounce – This is what happens when you send an e-mail, but the e-mail is sent back due to an inbox being too full. You can send these messages later on if need be.
• Open Rate – This is the percentage of people who actually open the e-mail. It is counted by an invisible image that is inside the message. A downside to this metric is that if a person is blocking your images they won’t be counted in the rate.
• Unsubscribe – This is a link that allows your recipients to opt-out of your e-mail list without reporting you as SPAM.
• SPAM – SPAM is considered anything that is sent to you that is unsolicited. Because SPAM became so popular in the early 90’s, there are now laws against SPAM and there are more strict filtering techniques used by e-mail clients.

If you are interested in learning more about these terms or any others that I left off the list, please contact FireDrum today at 480-699-1524 or leave a comment.

FireDrum’s email marketing application allows you to create a custom sign up forms on your website or blog. Once the form is generated, the application provides HTML code which you can copy and paste into your web site.

It’s easy to create a Seamless Member Sign Up Form:
1. Go to the My Account tab > Forms
2. Click the icon to the right of Seamless Member Sign Up in the list of forms.
3. Place a check in the box to the right of every standard or custom field you want included in your form.
4. Select your option for Category form element type. A checkbox will be placed beside each public Category to allow the Member to select the Category.
5. Select which Categories you want to offer on the form.
6. Click the Generate Form button.
7. Select all of the code displayed under the Generate Form button and copy it.
8. Paste the code into your web page.

Now you’re ready to allow people to sign up for your newsletter directly on your website.