It’s hard to argue with the ROI email marketing can bring to marketers, yet many businesses aren’t getting nearly enough out of their programs. It’s not because they don’t see the value, it’s because achieving a strong ROI with email is harder than it looks.

This  leaves smart marketers with a decision to make. Hire outside email marketing experts (shameless plug), in-house talent, or a combination thereof? The answer of course depends on their unique needs.

If you’re one of those marketers (who knows they could be doing so much with your email marketing), this guide will help you to assess your current efforts, and most importantly, plot a course for Resultsburg.

Step 1: Define the Scope

A successful email marketing program requires a lot of planning and thoughtful consideration, including:

• Best Practices and Frequency Strategy
• Editorial & Promotional Content Planning
• List Growth & Win-back Strategy
• Up Sale, Cross Sale, and Referral Strategy
• List Segmentation (via customer profiles and behavior)
• Flexible Design (on-brand, actionable, and in the inbox)
• Trigger-based Emails (using customer behaviors or events)
• Customer Engagement Measurement (One of the biggest factors in deliverability)
• Social Integration (It’s a two-way street)
• Testing & Optimization (Need I say more)
• Email Service Provider (ESP) or Mailing Solution Evaluations

Does the list above encompasses more than you’re doing? You may be under-utilizing this lucrative channel and missing out of profits. Perhaps it’s time for a fresh marketing partner or maybe you need to reallocate budgets or provide your in-house team with more training? Now move on to steps 2 and 3, but be honest with yourself and go with your gut.

Step 2: Look in Your Own Backyard

If you prefer to utilize in-house talent, consider this:

1. You (meaning you or your team) know your business; are you also well-versed in email marketing?
2. If yes, do you have time and energy to be effective?
3. Is your program founded on data and subscriber behavior?
4. How frequently do you test and then optimize your efforts?
5. Does your email marketing drive sales AND reduce marketing costs?
6. What’s your attrition rate?
7. Could your in-house team use some guidance, recommendations or training?
8. Is your email ROI above $40 for every $1 spent?

Step 3: Working With Experts

If you already have a marketing agency or other outside help, ask yourself:

1. Do they understand our target market and business processes?
2. Do they specialize in email?
3. Do they generate an ROI that’s in-line with the findings above?
4. Do they think about your email marketing without being prodded?
5. Have they monetized all the options?
6. Is their work for fresh and reflective of best practices?

If you’ve determined that you need help, check out How to Hire Email Marketing Experts. It will help you evaluate qualified talent that fits your most needs, including a tight budget.

– Scott Hardigree | Indiemark