E-mail marketing is a very effective way to both drive and nurture leads. However, it can be difficult to generate ideas, offers, and content…and to obtain the necessary approvals.

Here are five ways you can streamline your e-mail creation and approval process.

1. Designate a Gatekeeper

One person should be in charge of your e-mail marketing. This person is the one who will be in charge of making sure everyone responsible is getting their work done on time and that e-mails are being sent when and to whom they are supposed to.

Create an e-mail calendar that includes the e-mail topic, the call to action (CTA), and who in your organization is going to provide copy, data, photos, etc. for the e-mail. This ensures there are no surprises and everyone is working from the same page.

It’s also a good idea to designate one person in each business area as the e-mail contact. This person is responsible for reporting any e-mail worthy news from their department to the e-mail gatekeeper. One of the biggest obstacles with creating e-mails is having the content. This is a good tool to create a flow of content ideas.

2. Work Smarter

It’s a good idea to come up with two or three reusable e-mail templates. This way you’re not recreating the wheel each time. You can rotate the order of the templates you use so prospects don’t see the same template back-to-back. Then, all you have to do is drop in new copy, new images, and a new CTA and you’re done!

3. Establish Guidelines

It’s helpful to have some guidelines established before you begin. For instance, decide the contact name and information you will be using for each type of e-mail campaign you send and where it will be placed in the e-mail. Will all e-mails (regardless of who they are from) use the same logo and direct prospects to the same website?

Also, make sure each e-mail adheres to your brand guidelines and make sure everyone involved has a copy of your brand guidelines to refer to. You’ll also want to address what makes a good subject line as well as words to avoid in your subject line so you can increase your open rate.

4. Develop a Need-to-Know Mentality

Of course, in a perfect world, everyone’s opinion would count and everyone would get equal time to weigh in with an opinion on each e-mail you send. But, we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a fast-paced, results-driven marketing world. As such, it’s best if you streamline your e-mail marketing approval process to the bare bones. Whose eyes absolutely, positively have to see the e-mail before it is sent?

5. Meet to Discuss Progress

Figure out what works best for your organization, but a brief meeting to discuss new content ideas, what’s working, and what isn’t is essential. (Make sure you have someone from Sales present so you know how the e-mails are working for them.)

If you implement these five strategies, you’ll get your e-mail creation and approval process in check and start seeing the payoff of this effective marketing tool.

 

The success of video in social media can’t be denied. It has the highest conversion rate most likely because it’s the most personal medium, closely replicating real life. So, we marketers want to make sure our videos are hitting the mark. Here are four ways you can measure how your videos are working for you.

1. Make your video no longer than 90 seconds.

Prospects have short attention spans. Videos between 20 and 90 seconds in length are optimum. After that, your engagement is going to suffer. Make sure you know beforehand where you’re placing the video and what time constraints that platform may or may not have. Another recommendation to consider is adding captions to your video since most platforms have the videos play on mute unless the prospect clicks on the audio. If your captions tell prospects what the video is about, they are more likely to click the audio on.

2. Respond to what your view-through rate tells you.

Your view-through rate tells you how many prospects your video reached and how many watched it (for 3 seconds or more). If your view-through is lower than you want it, you need to address either the video or your reach. A/B splits are a good option to test the video content. Also, make sure you engage with your prospects from the start of the video or you will lose them.

3. Know that seconds count.

It takes just 3 seconds to be considered a view, but if you can get prospects to view your video for 10 seconds or more, you know you’re doing something right. You want your prospect to stick around and watch the video you created – hopefully to the end. Prospect video views of 10 seconds or more are considered positively engaged. Anything beyond that signifies highly engaged prospects and a real home run.

4. Feedback counts too.

Of the videos that reach your prospects and that they can view and that they watch, if those prospects rate your video poorly, then you’ll need to address your content. If, however, they like the video, leave a positive comment, or share the video, then you know your video hit the mark.

Video has emerged as one of the most powerful and effective marketing tools you have at your disposal – if you do it right. Use these four tips and listen to and analyze the feedback you get from your prospects. This will get you going in the right direction.