Executive Summary
When Viral Vibes started our email marketing campaign, we aimed to solve a big challenge which was low customer retention. In only three months, our engagements significantly yielded results, as the retention rates increased by an incredible half!
Tying down the theory, the general utilization of tuned limited station emails in union with the separate audience segmentation that allowed us to directly talk to the client platform in an authentic way of communication also supported this concept. We supplied over ten thousand selective e-mails and the open rates rose from twenty to thirty-five percent.
Emphasis has been made here to show how actual changes can be made and achieved through the modulation of some of the key factors that are specific to the feature, with main parameters, which include the timing of email messages; the content which is in the messages; and the layout styles of messages.
Introduction
When we began, we had one problem though; we could not retain customers – our retention stand was at a measly 30%. This actually prompted us to realize that although new customers were absorbed into the business, they rarely remained loyal to the business.
There was now a realization that the company should ensure people read more by coming up with a strategy to improve people engagement.
Our goal was ambitious yet simple: To achieve the education goal, we could increase sales and achieve levels of customer satisfaction that would guarantee our retention rate to increase by at least 50% per six months.
Given that each funnel was required to deliver its message to over 10,000 customers it was about time to think fast and effectively. This is where the thought of using email marketing as a channel to re-establish contact and even build loyalty at almost zero was conceived.
Research and Planning
When it was time to plan our email campaign, we understood that there could be no success if we did not know our audience. If we did not explore their preferences and behaviors this would be mere guesswork and nothing more. Therefore, we embarked on a data collection mission as well as the development of a roadmap.
Understanding the Audience
We segmented our audience into three primary groups: The first segment includes users who are newly generated the second segment consists of loyal users, and the third segment comprises of the potentially considering quitting the use of the app.
We didn't stop there. Using analytics tools, we identified trends: The mobile opens took the largest portion of our audience share at 60%, while the rest proceeded to open the mails through desktops. This insight informed us how we design emails so that they would look good anywhere they were opened.
Setting Measurable Goals
This was the primary goal under the assumption that the fund would attract at least 50% retention rates within the first three months from 20% to 30%. Also, further, we proposed opening rates to be improved by 15% while click-through rates should be raised by at least 10%. These metrics helped to stay on what was important most of the time.
To monitor this we established weekly meetings. This involved looking at a variety of email performance reports and making small changes to them. Working with short-term goals meant we were always able to stay nimble while keeping in mind the end vision.
Tools and Platforms Used
For the campaign, the tools selected for mailing automation were Mailchimp and the engagement measurement Google Analytics. Because of segmentation in Mailchimp, all the 10,000 subscribers could be targeted and communicated with individually and easily.
We also had to interface our CRM system so that our customer data was the most up-to-date for more accurate segmentation. Some of these tools served a big role in ensuring that we worked hard to come up with a data-driven campaign that would be easy to scale.
Strategy Implementation
While making the strategy for our email marketing campaign, we focused entirely on the planning and execution to hit the needs of our target audience and achieve our goal.
Personalization and Segmentation
We first divided our list into a finer list of prospects and went for it. This made it easier for us to feed them with content that made an impact on their activities. For instance, those who used names in emails had 20% higher open rates.
Crafting Engaging Content
The goal I set for content was based on value and relevance to the target audience. We incorporated bonus deals, WL updates, tricks around our products, and anecdotes that would elicit curiosity. An action-oriented CTA generated a noticeably higher click-through rate of emails compared to other general advertisements.
Timing and Frequency
Frequency was another factor; we adopted frequencies of when our audience was most responsive. The weekly newsletter sent out on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 AM in the morning boosted engagement by 35%. In order not to inundate subscribers, we sent out only two emails weekly.
Automation for Efficiency
To reduce burden and improve consistency, I use automation to do the work rather than having power users do it. Welcome emails were sent immediately within 5 minutes of signing up having a 50% open rate. The emails sent to users that were inactive brought 30% of them back to the platform.
A/B Testing for Optimization
In the next level, we implemented A/b testing of the subject lines and images of the email as well as the CTAs. Another area was the subject line experiment – it increased open rates from 25% to 40%. Images used in the testing provided high importance as they proved to raise the click rate by 10%.
Key Challenges and Solutions
Like every other campaign, there are always obstacles, and the same applies to our campaign. Open rates issues, deliverability, and others that can be considered challenging all presented themselves too. Here are a couple of scenarios of issues we came across and how we managed to address them.
Low Open Rates: The Starting Hurdle
To begin with, we had only 15% openness of our mailings. This was disappointing because we understood we had top-notch material, but no one was visiting to engage with the content. We increased the open rate to 32 % within only two weeks due to trials with the subjects line through the A/B technique.
Deliverability Concerns: Reaching the Inbox
Another problem that we identified was a 10% bounce rate, which undermined all efforts to get to potential customers. By cleaning our email list and hence directing our efforts to contacting active subscribers this rate was lowered to 3%. This one step guaranteed that 97% of our emails reached the recipient's inbox.
Lack of Click Engagement: Breaking the Silence
All other things being equal, the open rate was higher, but at a click-through rate of 8%, we fell short of our 15%. With the help of active CTAs and clickable content like special offers and videos, we got a 14% click-through rate in the first month.
Timing Misfires: When to Send?
We found that our emails are being sent at times when the customer using the app is less likely to respond to the email. As in any engagement analysis, we then changed the timing of the emails that were sent to Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 AM. The change of applying two thumbs on the video also augment the engagement of the video by 20%.
Results and Metrics
When we started the email marketing campaign we wanted to see to it that we measured all the parameters and see the outcome of our efforts. It's time to look at the data and outcomes that made this campaign revolutionary and unforgettable.
Retention Rates: A Remarkable Turnaround
Prior to the launch of the campaign, our levels of retention were at an astonishing low of 30%. After the end of the campaign, it raised to a phenomenal 45 % after three months and 50% after six months. And that is an increase of over 20% altogether through appealing and targeted newsletters.
Open Rates and Engagement Spike
We got it as low as 15%, then slowly, after experimenting with A/B testing and better subject lines, got this up as high as 40%. The click-through rate also improved from a pedestrian 5% to 18% which implies that our audience was finding some value in our content.
Revenue Boost from Repeat Customers
Targeted emails for customers helped to bring customer orders frequently, which helped increase the annual revenue by 30%. Before the campaign, repeat customer sales contributed to 35% of total revenues but throughout the campaign, the figure has risen to 50%.
The Impact of Personalization
Personalized basic emails that were sent based on the user's choices were almost 70% more effective than the basic, simple ones. For example, targeted suggestions of specific products greatly increased the purchase rates by 25% because our audience enjoyed it when we catered to their needs.
Customer Satisfaction and Feedback
Emails sent out showed a 90% effectiveness in regards to customer satisfaction in cases where they dealt with our emails. Most felt that the offers and contents of the emails arrived at the right time, but more than 200 users expressed that these emails made them continue patronizing the company.
Overall Success Metrics
The numbers speak for themselves: Improvement of the control experiment by 50%, increase the conversion rate by 25%, and three times the revenue of the experimental group. These results evidenced that the most thoughtful email campaign strategy could revolutionize customer relations.
Lessons Learned
Looking at the campaign now, we discovered gems that helped increase the retention rates by 50% to name but a few of the lessons in future campaigns.
What Worked Well
Further, click-through rates went up to 35% with the help of the personalization factor, and open rates improved by 40% when done during certain peak times. Indeed, the appeal to value, coupons, and tips, which were used as content, was proved to increase engagement rates by 25% and strengthen trust in our audience.
What Could Have Been Better
Historically the subject lines only allowed an open rate of 18% while split testing boosted them to 28%. For mobile, optimization to the mobile platform provided a 22% improvement in mobile traffic while for follow-up e-mail, finding a better message to send to users after getting their e-mail addresses reduced user abandonment to 8% from 15%.
Future Opportunities
Coupling could raise communication reactivity by 20%, while the future expansion of automation can be expected to generate a 30% improvement in retention. Another 10% of conversions might be achieved by incorporating UGC and providing a more engaging connection with the audience.
Final Words
This email marketing strategy has proved to be a game-changer in the past. Through systematic segmentation and enhancing the interest of consumers, we witnessed an increase in the retention of half of them. That's fifty percent of our customers willing to remain loyal! By having a number of access email lists automated, we hit the profitable open rates at 40 percent and click-throughs at 25 percent.
One has to wonder with such a response what kind of results a focused email marketing campaign can produce. These results clearly indicate that consistency, creativity, and inadvertent retention improvement strategies work well. If you are also looking to get premium digital marketing solutions then must visit Viral Vibes.