Happy New Year from OpenMoves!  What are your New Year’s resolutions?  We’re not talking about eating healthier or exercising more (although those are very important) – no, we’re talking about your business resolutions. Make 2010 the year you take your e-marketing efforts — and results — to the next level.  Here are four resolutions to boost your e-mail marketing success in the New Year:

1. Use “split testing” to improve your e-marketing ROI

It’s also called an “A-B” test and it allows you to determine which subject line, which content, which “from box” will motivate more readers to take action — to either open your e-mail or to click on links inside. Just create two or more versions of your e-mail, hit “send,” and let your e-mail platform determine which generated the better response rate based on the criteria you chose. Then deliver the remainder of your campaign using the “winning” version. We’ve seen open rates at 20% spike to 35% and click-thru rates jump from 4% to over 10% just by trying two different subject lines.

2. Preview your e-mail to avoid disasters

Most people don’t realize that the same e-mail will look different depending on the platform on which it’s viewed. Imagine perfecting your e-mail in, say, Outlook, hitting the “send” button, and having your reader receive a completely “broken” version — text jumbled, images distorted, lines out of whack — simply because they viewed it in, say, Lotus Notes. It happens all the time … which is why you need to test for quality and consistency across all the platforms your readers use. Our email platform, OM2, can provide a preview of how your email will look across all the popular platforms so inconsistencies can be fixed before they get to your customers. Remember, you invest time and money in your e-mail campaign; if what you’re sending is broken, what kind of impression are you making?

3. Give your newsletter a makeover

When you receive e-mails from lawyers, from restaurants, from software companies, do they all look the same? We think not … not if they come from professionals who want to look professional. Sure, there are some companies that use cookie-cutter templates and stock photography because it’s cheaper to do it that way. But marketing is all about branding and creating an image that you share with no one. Take a look at your e-mail template and decide whether it gives your readers the impression you intend it to give. If not, it’s time to upgrade, to customize. If your e-mail looks like your competitor’s, what are you achieving?

4. Raise your grade point average

Just as in school, it’s hard to know how you’re doing until you receive your grades — and, in the case of e-mail marketing, your “grades” are seen in the reports — or click-thru statistics — that a good e-mail platform generates for you. Are people opening your e-mails? Are they clicking on your links? Don’t be passive; be proactive. Check your analytics regularly and use them to determine what information your readers are accessing and how you can best deliver it to them. E-mail marketing is not just about sending out e-mails; it’s communicating with your clients and prospects — and communication needs to go in both directions!

If you’d like to run your most recent e-mails by someone and get some feedback, feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to share a few ideas with you to help get 2010 off to a strong start!