Author: David James

An effective email campaign is all about controlling communications between your company and the buyer.  In order to do this, you must devise a timeline that takes into account when the buyer is most likely to purchase your goods and services, as well as anticipating market shifts.  Companies typically rely on different variables for developing their own unique timelines.  The one that you develop will likely depend on your industry as well as the unique needs and requirements of your customer base.

Many businesses rely on seasonal changes to determine campaign shifts.  If your company is in retail apparel, for example, then you probably won’t waste time marketing summer clothing during the dead of winter.  Holidays also figure prominently in these timelines.  Chocolate candy companies may make a big marketing push just before Valentine’s Day and again around Easter.  Even the most general of online businesses can take advantage of the holiday spirit. In recent years, for example, design and web host companies have offered discounts and coupons during Christmas time in order to entice new customers.  Obviously the email campaigns must be designed in order to send relevant information ahead of these holidays but also give buyers adequate time in order to make a purchasing decision.  Typically, an offer should be valid for at least three weeks to one month.

Of course, companies can’t simply start out by sending offers to prospective buyers. As we’ve all learned from the countless articles about email marketing, first a company must build up trust with the readership in order to get an adequate response to an offer later down the road.  Companies usually accomplish this by maintaining either a weekly or monthly newsletter that is used only for content purposes.  These newsletters offer great value to the reader and keep them subscribed to the list. Over time, not only does this lead to an increase in brand awareness but a unique trust is formed between the reader and the company.  The email campaigns are then used to promote products and services directly to these same readers.

One of the popular choices is the use of a drip campaign.  With this approach, a campaign is designed to deliver a series of emails over the course of several days to several weeks, the messages increasing in urgency as the desired date of action approaches.  For example, a Christmas campaign may start with an introductory list of offers and coupons on December 1th.  On December 10-12nd, a company sends a follow up email, reminding potential buyers of the great savings that can be had by simply buying right then and there.  Finally, on December 23rd a final reminder is sent to let the buyers know that this is their only chance to lock in savings by purchasing the company’s product or service before the expiration date.

When designing email marketing timelines, companies must acknowledge shifts in the needs and requirements of customers in order to remain effective and receive an adequate response from a given campaign.  Often, these shifts coincide with seasonal changes as well as special events and holidays.  As such, successful companies will always strive to provide through multiple campaigns the services and products which customers demand at any given point throughout the year, preferably at the lowest prices available.

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Publisher and President of Bethesda Emedia Marketing and Bethesda List Center, David James offers many years of experience in direct marketing, eMail marketing and social media marketing.

Both organizations work with business-to-business marketers, medical and life science, associations, publishers and the like. Follow David on Twitter as well! djamesbethesda

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Image courtesy of (renjith krishnan) from freedigitalphotos