With so many screens (tablet, desktop, mobile) and channels (email, search, social, direct) in play this presidential election, it's safe to say this presidential race is much different than in the past.
For some help deciphering the marketing trends of this election - and how marketers can learn from them - let's turn to Adobe's Kristin Naragon who provides the following takeaways:
- Move Away From Batch-and-Blast
o Email is still the workhorse of marketing, despite newer and emerging channels like SnapChat, Instagram, and messaging apps. In fact, email marketing yields the highest ROI for marketers, returning $39 for every dollar spent. However, when it comes to email, batch-and-blast is not effective. As we saw last month, this method is what landed Donald Trump's first email campaign in the spam folder.
ÔÇß Pro Tip: Send with context in mind. Poor email list management and failing to target your message to appropriate segments of your mailing list leads to poor ROI and may have a negative impact on your brand equity. If the emails are being flagged as spam or receiving a high rate of complaints, you're heading into hot water. Curate your list carefully before sending, and make sure the content is relevant and timely to the right recipients.
- There's No Campaigning Without Cross-Channel
o Gone are the days of isolated TV, direct mail and email marketing; today it's essential to take cross-channel approach. Analyzing both online and offline behaviors of your target audience allows politicians to discern the unique characteristics of each demographic, or even down to individuals. The value of data is in the ability for politicians to serve up content based on individuals' preferred channel of communication.
ÔÇß Pro Tip: The job of a campaign manager or political marketing executive is to know their pool of voters. Campaign management needs to be as much about web analytics and content management as it does about email execution. A/B Test Your Subject Lines
o In 2012, the Obama campaign tailored its email campaign with one simple subject line: "Hey." Obviously this worked since Obama was reelected. This grabbed the attention of millions of Americans because it was casual, as if you were opening an email from any old friend.
ÔÇß Pro Tip: The lessons from this email campaign aren't just a recipe for making money, but can lead to increased open rates, click-through rates and increased engagement. The best way to learn what works best for your audience is to A/B test subject lines for optimization. In just a few tests, you'll learn what your recipients are more likely to respond to. Maybe it is a simple "Hey."
- Up Your Design Game
o As attention spans shrink, good design and optimization are paramount. In a survey we conducted, consumers ranked display (65%) as the most important aspect when it comes to content experience in their personal life, and 54 percent listed overall good design, such as appealing layout and photography as important.
ÔÇß Pro Tip: Consumers are multi-screening more than ever before, so it's essential that you optimize your content and design to address this.
