In part 1 of this series, we provided a guide to the 6 simple steps to plan a powerful healthcare email marketing campaign.

In this second part, we outline the 7 steps you need to create and track your campaign.

Creating your campaign

1. Craft compelling subject lines

Arguably the most important line of your email.

In fact, studies show that 64% of people decide whether or not to open an email based on the subject line.

Here are some basic tips:

•  Make it concise—no more than 60 characters [otherwise it will get cut off]

•  Make it relevant—be sure you are addressing your audience’s needs

•  Make it personal—if possible, add the recipient’s name to your subject line

2. Write short copy

The core content of your email must be relevant to your audience, of course.

At the same time, it must be brief. Keep the body copy to 50-150 words. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to encourage easy scanning.

Speak to your audience on a personal level so they know you understand their needs and challenges—and how to help them.

Done right, you can build great interest with very little copy.

3. Design to be eye-catching

People look before they read. And a well-designed email encourages people to read your content.

Choose and use visual elements—photographs, illustrations, infographics—tastefully to quickly tell your story.

And keep file sizes small to prevent slow loading times.

4. Optimize your email for mobile devices

When using a template created by an email deployment platform, make sure it is responsive. (Most are.) That way, your email will display properly on any device: laptops, tablets, and especially mobile phones. That’s important: more than 50% of emails are read on phones.

5. Include clear calls to action (CTAs)

Your audience liked your subject line, opened your email, and read it. Now it’s time to close. A persuasive CTA will help you do just that.

Ideally, your CTA should offer something of value to your audience. For instance:

•  Download your free guide

•  Schedule a complimentary consultation

•  View the video now

The CTA can link to a relevant webpage or, even better, a landing page tailored to the campaign where you can track responses more thoroughly.

6. A/B test your email to see what works best

With A/B testing, you create two versions of your email with different elements. For instance, test two different subject lines. Two variations of the body copy. Two CTAs. Two designs. Then, measure which performs better. It’s a simple yet effective way to improve the performance of your campaigns.

Tracking your campaign

7. Assess metrics to measure success

Email deployment platforms give you the ability to track how successful your campaigns are performing across a variety of measures. The important metrics to monitor include:

•  Delivery rate

•  Open rate

•  Click rate

•  Click to open rate (CTOR)

•  Bounce rate

•  Unsubscribe number and rate

•  Spam percentage and complaint rate

With measurable results in hand, you will be better able to improve your campaign’s performance and reach or exceed your goals.

We can help you plan your email marketing campaign

The team members at Bryant Brown are specialists in healthcare marketing, with experience everywhere in healthcare: medical devices, health information technology, hospitals and health systems, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, and patient and professional advocacy.