Click Throughs In Email Marketing
Each marketing email should contain a hotlink, also known as a click through, to a landing page for the reader to buy the product or complete the action you want. Or rather, there should be a number of click throughs. One is never enough.
The first click through should be near the top of the email, there to catch the impetuous or the person who knows the product and is happy with the price. After you have been in email marketing for a while you will be able to trim your design to the requirements of those on your email lists.
Some readers will need convincing. They will scan the headings and maybe even the text underneath. At the bottom of your email, just above the mandatory elements, there should be another click through to ensure that those who needed that little bit extra information do not have to page-up to the beginning.
How many more you require will be down to the specific email. If the reader will have to press the ‘page down’ button then at each display there should be a minimum of one and preferably two click throughs.
A landing page is what is presented to the reader when they click through from the marketing email. Whilst again there will be variations, there should be a very high percentage of completions from those who get to the landing page. After all, they have shown themselves receptive. If your figures are low then you are probably doing something wrong.
The landing page is part of the campaign and should be designed at the same time as the marketing email. The layout and appearance can be critical.
The lovely warm and heady feeling of anticipation you created with your description of the Caribbean holiday and images of beautiful sunsets might be going through the readers’ minds. You will want to maintain these emotions so do not suddenly present them with a stark black and white order form.
There is a dichotomy with the landing page: it needs to be recognizably part of the same campaign in order not to confuse but it should be obvious to the readers they are on a different page with an entirely different function.
It is often suggested the offer should be repeated in the form of a brief reminder or congratulations. Others build up the anticipation: ‘You are about to book the holiday of a lifetime and at an unrepeatable price’. You can go too far, so keep the point size restrained.
Make the form as simple and as straightforward as possible. Whilst you want to know everything about your customers for your email list database you also need to complete the sale. Do not pester.
If at all possible have a page for each offer as no one will want to sort through irrelevant material. Once the process is complete, make it obvious to the buyer. If a number of people forced to phone to check any part, do not blame the software. The fault is yours.