Ten Economical Ways to Refine Your Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the highest ROI producing marketing channels, especially during economically challenged times. Here are 10 tips from Simms Jenkins, an expert in the email marketing industry and author of the new book, The Truth About Email Marketing, published by FT Press:

1. Plan a subject line test.
2. Compare your current email metrics to data from the past year.
3. Document your current email campaign process and see where some efficiencies and improvements can be made.
4. Sign up for industry newsletters and read email executive blogs.
5. Work with your design agency on optimizing your email creative—especially in regards to image suppression.
6. Build a presentation for your CEO that outlines how important your email program is. You may not have the luxury of presenting it to him or her, but it will be helpful in other ways.
7. Simulate your email user experience, from registration to clicking on links to replying and unsubscribing from an actual email campaign.
8. Ask your email team and/or partner for the three best and worst things about your email program.
9. Plan an email focused subscriber survey asking subscribers what they want.
10. Review in detail your competitors' email promotions and newsletters and document what can be learned from them.