We all know email marketing is a crucial element in our marketing plans, but how can we use it more effectively?
In this interview, I sit down with Caroline Matis from Emma and we talk about how to map out and use email marketing throughout the customer journey. Caroline also gives us a sneak peek at what she will be talking about during her session at Experience Inbound this June.
1. How long have you worked at Emma? What is your role?
I’ve been with Emma, a CM Group brand, for eight months. Within this time, I’ve held a few roles. My first position included overseeing all social media and public relations for the company. Now, I’m the Corporate Marketing Manager, responsible for a larger portion of the marketing mix including communications, demand generation, events, and more.
3. How has marketing automation software contributed to Email success?
Marketing automation is a big deal, especially in email because it’s the best way to serve up timely content at scale. And the results speak for themselves, automated emails get 86% higher open rates, produce a 196% increase in click-through rates, and generate 320% more revenue than standard promotional emails. This increase in revenue or big business-style marketing has also become available to businesses of all sizes because of email automation’s ability to save marketers time. With email marketing automation, it doesn’t matter if you have a team of one or 20, with a little planning in the front end, marketers can see this return on investment.
4. Should marketers map out an email sequence for each step of the customer’s journey?
Yes, if you are planning a lead nurture it’s best to map out each step of a customers journey from Awareness to Consideration and finally to the Decision/Purchase phase.
By mapping each phase and branch your customer could go through, you’ll be able to better prepare what kind of content each subscriber wants to receive, hopefully increasing your most important KPIs.
5. Where does video play in email?
Everyone loves video. In fact, one-third of all time online is spent watching videos. If you haven’t tried video in an email yet, I highly recommend trying it out because including a video in an email can lead to open rate increases of 6%!
6. For Business, is it professional to use Emojis in an email?
It seems like emojis are everywhere, and more and more brands, including B2B brands are using them within their emails. That’s because emoji symbols are colorful and approachable, and 56% of brands who used emojis in subject lines had a higher unique open rate. They’re great for all brands to use to make a promotional email stand out, increase engagement around a seasonal observance, and to help your subject line fit on mobile devices. However, there are some times when you should leave out the emojis and stick to text. First and foremost, omit emojis if they don’t match the tone of your brand. Leave them out of all transactional emails and try to use them sparingly–if you’ve used too many too many times, it could become overwhelming to your subscribers. Emma has an awesome video all about when and where to use emojis.
6. What KPIs are important to review with email? Or is it different pending the goal of the email?
Obviously, some of the most important KPIs to measure with email are open rates and click-through rates. But to take your email practices to the next level, it’s best to look at what KPIs your marketing department is being measured against. How much traffic to the website are you driving from each email? Can you tie revenue back to an email? Whatever goals you have inside or outside the inbox will depend on what KPIs to pay attention to and review.
7. Where do you see email heading in the next 5 years?
Email continues to prove itself as a timely and adaptive marketing tactic, and with that in mind I see more and more organizations using email as a way to have more 1-on-1, personalized conversations with their audiences. With this need for advanced personalization will come the need for more ancillary technologies, which is where I think we'll continue to see an increase in new email specific technology being developed.
8. What can attendees expect to walk away with from your Experience Inbound session "4 Automated Email Series That Get Serious Results"?
Attendees can expect to learn how to uncover what results look like for the four automated emailed series and how to effectively increase revenue.
After this session, attendees will be able to:
- Produce 18x more revenue through content nurturing
- Send personalized content based on specific user actions
- Increase profits by 30% with behavioral emails
9. Do you have a favorite Go-To website or Email newsletter you like to read?
One email newsletter I always read is The Skimm which gives me a daily download of current events. As a communications professional, staying up to date on world events is important, which is why I dedicate time every morning to read their newsletter. For websites, I am constantly checking out Buzzfeed for current events, Social Media Examiner for social best practices, and Unmarketing and Marketing Profs for staying up to date on the latest happenings in marketing.
10. Is this your first time in Wisconsin? What are you looking forward to?
I’ve been to Wisconsin many times! I lived in Chicago, IL for two years before joining Emma in Nashville, so there were many opportunities to visit. I’m looking forward to being back in Wisconsin ,having a cheeseburger with real Wisconsin cheese, and connecting with Emma customers and supporters..
11. Tell us one thing about yourself that we might not know?
I’m a firm believer in having hobbies and of constantly pushing myself to learn new things outside of my comfort zone! That’s why outside of work, I’m a spin instructor at a local cycling studio in Nashville, TN.
