Mapping Out Your Plan
Before embarking on a road trip, it is important to identify the destination and aspects of your drive such as routes (scenic or fastest), cost (gas, food, shelter), stops, and attractions. Unless you have an unlimited amount of time and cash, it is important to be specific so you can optimize your resources for the best possible trip. This is also true when it comes to planning out an e-mail marketing strategy.
Where Are You Going?
Before deciding on the content, lists, or anything else, it is important to first identify the destination. What do you want the results to be? What is your objective? Do you want more revenue, a higher volume of sales, more subscribers? These metrics will identify when you’ve arrived at your destination. Without them, it is not a trip worth taking.
How Will You Get There?
What methods will you use? These are the details of your trip. How much will you budget for gas, food, attractions, and miscellaneous purchases? If you’re driving a scenic route, how often will you stop to take pictures and how will it impact your objective?
Working Out the Details
In e-mail marketing, the details are things like, which subject line that will spark the most interest, which colors and images should be used, should there be more or less content and what’s the best way to present it? The details are important, but without an objective and method, the details are pointless.