The success of your email marketing campaign depends on putting the right information in front of your subscribers using the right format in order to solicit engagement. And while mainstream testing plays an essential role in determining what form that information should take, there’s another option you should consider, one that could take your marketing effectiveness to a new level: heat map analysis.

What is Heat Map Analysis?

Heat map analysis uses eye-tracking software to determine what areas of the page viewers tend to look at most. Heat map studies enable you to more accurately determine where the most important elements of your email creative should be placed in order to attract user engagement. If your call to action is hanging out in a low-visibility corner, for instance, a heat map can not only point out the problem, but also show you where to place that call to action for better results.

Six months ago, if you had mentioned Dollar Shave Club to a room of people, you would have gotten all blank stares (even though the company has been around since June of last year). Today, there are over 4.5 million people who would nod their heads and smile. 4.5 million YouTube views. In just a few weeks. How did they do it?

A viral video incorporates strong planning, careful execution, and a little bit of luck. Fortunately for those of us who have never won the lottery, the strong planning and careful execution part carries a little more weight than the luck part. Can you design a video and guarantee that it will go viral? Maybe not, but by incorporating these lessons from Dollar Shave Club, you can at least ensure that it earns the right to be seen and shared.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

Humor is something Dollar Shave Club does really well. Seriously. There’s hardly a straight line in the entire video. But they’re not just cracking jokes either. Some of the humor is obvious and some is a little more under the radar, but all of it works together to communicate the vital information you need to know about the company. And it leaves you with that “You’ve gotta see this!” feeling.

Create a Unified Approach

Take a long look at your existing website and craft your video so that it supports your current marketing strategy. When you visit the Dollar Shave Club site, every element hangs together and sends the same vibes you received in the video. Your website visitors shouldn’t wonder whether you’re the same company as the one that produced the video they loved.

Put the Most Important Stuff First

In the first ten seconds, we know what Dollar Shave Club does, how much it costs, and what the quality of the product is. We get our questions answered: How can they afford it and are the razors any good? If we decide to stop viewing (which we won’t, because their fabulous style holds our attention) we still have everything we need to know to pique our interest and entice us over to the website.

Put a Face On Your Company

Even if you don’t have the marketing background and camera-ease that Dollar Shave Club’s founder, Mike Dubin does, it still helps viewers connect with your company when you put a face behind the name. Make the story human and people will relate to it.

Creating videos people love begins with understanding how to communicate a message they can relate to and want to share. After that, who knows? You just might win the lottery.

Properly branding your company is one of the smartest decisions you can make. Keeping all of your marketing consistent will not only help simplify things but it will also ensure that your clients recognize YOU.

While we provide a large selection of general templates with every eConnect Email account, it’s impossible for them to truly capture the unique brand of your company. You can save thousands of dollars on professional design services by having our in-house design team give you the personalized look you need to really stand out.

Our design team can take your existing brand (logo, brand colors, collateral and/ or website) and build your company a custom email template, saving you time and money. Call us today to get started on your new template (866) 596-9997.

Here are a few of our latest email template designs:

Click here to learn more about this service and view more custom designs.

Today’s consumers have moved beyond being impressed with social media marketing efforts. Nowadays, it’s not impressive; it’s expected. But that’s old news for most marketers. If you don’t have a solid social media strategy in place, you’re a step behind. For those of you that do, the next step is integrating the various aspects of your marketing approach so that they work together.

Far from being competitors in the marketplace, email marketing and social media should be viewed as allies in your broader marketing approach. To accomplish that goal, start by integrating some of these popular email apps:

Social Sharing

This is a broad category that includes sharing buttons for a variety of popular networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, and more. Create a copy of your email to share with your social media contacts with the click of a button.

Facebook Share/Like

Even if you don’t include a variety of social sharing buttons, you’ll want to at least make it possible for your subscribers to share your email content on their Facebook pages. Include a share/like button and recruit your loyal followers to help spread your message among their friends.

We know that your popular but there’s a limit to how often your email subscribers want to see a message from you in their inbox.

Have you ever thought about sending a follow-up email just a day after the initial email? Think again. There are two words you should consider deeply when you’re thinking about how often to send emails.

Inbox Exhaustion

Inbox exhaustion may sound like a serious problem, but you can totally avoid it. Inbox exhaustion occurs when you send way too many emails to your subscribers, wearying them with emails and making them unsubscribe, or even complain that you’re sending spam.

Now there isn’t a convenient guide telling you just how often you can email your subscribers. It’s just common sense. Even so, a lot of marketers ignore their common sense, especially near the holidays. Really, who wants to get an email from your company, or any company, every day for days on end? It’s annoying. And it’s inbox exhaustion – when the subscriber is worn out and frustrated by frequency.

How can I tell when often becomes too often?

Keep an eye on your stats. When you send out more frequent emails do your opens and clicks stats remain steady? Or do you see them drop? If they’re dropping, change your habits accordingly. Or, here’s an even better idea: ask your subscribers how often they want to hear from you. If you can, give them the options of yearly, quarterly, monthly, or bi-weekly emails. We live in an on-demand society. People will appreciate your emails more if they feel like you’re giving them just what they want.

When you’re trying to avoid inbox exhaustion, here’s the golden rule: use common sense. If you don’t like to get multiple e-mails from the same company, day after day, then don’t send them. Avoid filling someone’s inbox with multiple marketing messages within a day. Be patient rather than overbearing. If you have a good offer and clear message, those who want to will take action.