Who are Best Qualified to Design Your Unique Marketing Emails?

                    Blog Post #1:  

         There is without a doubt a lot of conflicting information 

    The most qualified experts to design your emails are your e-mail readers !!!

Who are better qualified to decide what will appeal to your “reader audience” than your “reader audience?” 
    I must admit that there are some email design rules and tips that apply
   generally to all emails – no matter who the reader is, or what product or

   services are being promoted.

   So, how can you find out what your readers like? 
   By using “Split testing!” Also called “A/B testing.” 
   Split testing is a method of testing where two versions of an email are sent to a test
   audience to determine which performs better. 

    For example, you can split test emails A and B. 
    'email A' can have an ‘embedded video' offer & ‘email B' can use a graphics offer. 
    The email that gets the most click-throughs ‘wins' and you can send it to the rest of 
    your list. 
  NOTE: The “winner” also provides you with valuable information about your readers,
    for example, that they prefer to receive information via video, not text, the opposite!

  You can split test various elements of email content, layout, and design including
  the following suggestions:
        >>>  2 different calls-to-action
        >>>  2 different subject lines (e.g., one with first-name personalization, one without) 
        >>>  use Images/& no images (or 2 different images in each)

  Most email marketing platforms have split testing capabilities and will walk you
  through it, step by step. All platforms are unique, but the following is roughly the 
  process you will go through:

  (a)    Choose your goal (increase open rates, click-throughs, etc.),
  (b)    Decide what to test , 
  (c)    Select test market and size,  
  (d)    Decide how long to run the test, 
  (e)    Monitor results and choose best results
  (f)    Send most successful version to the rest of your list
 
How to Get Started
Test a few elements of an email you've already created to see what gets the most interest. Most platforms will recommend the best variable to test based on the goal you choose, but don't be afraid to branch out and test other elements. Every test you run will provide you with valuable insight into your customers – so testing is never a waste of time!

Your target reader is unique. Find out what motivates them !
More next week!