How to Develop an Effective Email Strategy

Many email marketing programs develop organically. An idea is born, an email is sent, it works, and another email is sent, and so on. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, you can often accomplish more in a shorter time frame by putting a strategic plan into place.

What’s involved in developing a plan for an effective email strategy? Is it your first email marketing campaign or an existing campaign that you want to take to the next level? Writing such a plan takes considerable time and effort, and may seem a bit daunting at first, but don’t let this deter you. Not only is a plan necessary for the long-term success of your campaign, it’s also critical for keeping you on track in the short term. Consider it a creative endeavor and you’ll soon discover that writing a strategic plan is actually quite a lot of fun once you get the hang of it!

A strategic plan is an evolving document. As your knowledge of, and experience with, email marketing grows, you’ll want to chop and change your plan to incorporate the new ideas that you’ve learned, and remove those that aren’t meeting your expectations. Even the most comprehensive plans will need tweaking with time, so don’t hesitate to do this - it’s normal and it’s smart.

Generally these are the appropriate set of steps that you can use in your own email marketing campaigns. This process involves the following tasks:

1. Undertake a competitive analysis.
2. Answer some key questions about your offerings, audiences, content, mailing schedule, goals, and budget.
3. Set quantitative goals for the strategy.
4. Set and allocate the budget.

An email marketing strategy is your map to success. It will point you in the right direction, keep you from veering off course, and identify the quickest routes by which you can reach your business goals. Like good directions, a good strategic plan will save you time, help you to budget accordingly, ensure that your email efforts are synchronized with your company’s goals, and allow you to plan ahead so that you don’t miss opportunities.