Despite newer forms of communication such as social media or live chat, statistics show that email is still the leader of the marketing channels.

As a result, marketing experts say that if this method isn’t working for a business, it’s not due to the medium itself, but the way that it’s being used.

Here are the top 3 ways to boost an email marketing campaign, backed by marketing experts and email statistics:

1. Clearly define the goals

Clearly defining the goals of an email campaign is the No. 1 key to success, according to experts.

Email marketing can be used to achieve a wide range of business goals, including customer engagement, sales, brand awareness, positioning the brand as an expert source of information, and more.

An effective strategy needs to match the intended goals, experts say, and must also match specific email lists.

2. Personalize the message

According to SmarterHQ, 72% of customers will only engage with personalized messages, and Salesforce data shows that 70% of consumers are more loyal to companies that understand their individual needs.

The bottom line: Personalization is essential to an effective email campaign.

Personalization also is a multi-step process, beginning with data and ending with a carefully crafted message intended only for the recipient.

Businesses are competing against hundreds of other campaigns each day, which can make it difficult to capture the eyes of the intended recipient.

According to MarTech, it’s important for marketers to remember that personalization is not the end goal, but a method to achieving the end goal.

In other words, the personalization is what draws in the customer to the actual message and purpose of the email.

This personalization, then, is backed by data — which allows a business to understand what it is their customers specifically need in the first place.

3. Measure the success

To determine the success of a campaign, it must be measured, and experts say the metrics must align with the initial objectives.

Marketing experts say success is much more than open rates. No matter how great the open rates are, if the intended goals were not reached, it wasn’t a success.

However, opening the email is half the battle, and can provide marketers with a solid starting point in evaluating how to improve.

Maybe the subject lines are on track, but the message or call-to-action is not as strong.

Experts say that without consistent, high-quality, useful content, it will be hard to bring the customer to action.

Businesses can get started by brainstorming their unique goals for a specific campaign. Marketing experts encourage businesses to seek help from a digital marketing agency if they need assistance with data and lead generation.

Image by Muhammad Ribkhan.