Published: August 2024

While our dedicated account team continues to manage the sophisticated, AI-powered automated messages for Sales and Aftersales communications, many VoiceBox users are taking advantage of the platform’s self-serve option to create and send their own ad hoc marketing campaigns.

You’ll frequently find us discussing data capture, consent, and accuracy, alongside the email marketing benchmarks we share, and with over 300 years of combined automotive experience, including 200+ years in marketing, we are confident in advising our clients on improving open rates, engagement, and, ultimately, results.

With this in mind, we’re sharing six easy-to-implement tips and best practices for running a successful email campaign.

1. Send from an Authenticated Domain

Using an authenticated domain is crucial for maintaining a low spam score and enhancing email deliverability.

All VoiceBox emails are sent from a DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) authenticated domain. This means that the emails we send on behalf of our clients, as well as the ones they create themselves, include a digital signature that verifies the message comes from a trusted source, reducing the risk of being marked as spam by mail servers.

2. Enable Two-Way Communication

It is important to send emails from an authenticated ‘reply-to’ email address to enable two-way communication. Often, we receive valuable responses from campaigns, informing our clients about changes in purchasing decisions or addressing outstanding questions.

Customer replies can also serve as a data-cleansing exercise, for instance, they can update any marketing preferences or their latest vehicle information. Maintaining clean data enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of all future campaigns.

Read more on why noreply@ emails are bad for business.

3. Segment Your Data

While it might be tempting to focus on quantity to achieve impressive results, quality is what truly matters.

Email marketing is more than just achieving short-term goals – whether it’s booking test drives for a new model launch, inviting customers for a vehicle health check, or informing them of an outstanding recall. It’s about nurturing long-term relationships with customers and reaching out to them at the right time and in the right way.

For example, a customer who recently received their new vehicle is unlikely to be interested in a launch event. However, a customer with an ageing vehicle, or one who has missed recent maintenance appointments and therefore become lapsed, will likely appreciate a safety recall reminder.

4. Consider Your Subject Lines

The email subject line is the first thing your audience sees and is crucial in determining whether they open the email. Make sure your subject lines are snappy and clearly convey the email’s purpose.

Where possible, personalise your subject line by including details such as the recipient’s name or registration number. This helps your email stand out and increases open rates, though it’s important to note that this only works with accurate data. Be sure to cross-reference your email against your data source and run a test before sending to ensure you’ve mapped the personalisation fields correctly.

It’s also important to avoid certain ‘spammy’ words within your subject lines to maintain a healthy score. For example, words related to commerce (e.g. “buy,” “save”), financial terms (e.g. “cash,” “earn money”), marketing (e.g. “click here,” “subscribe”), or offers (e.g. “free gift,” “winner”) should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

Additionally, take advantage of the ‘Preheader Text’ that appears below your subject line. Use this space to provide more context and further encourage recipients to open the email.

5. Always apply Alt Text to Images

Alt Tags, Alt Text, or Alt Descriptions – whatever you call them – provide an alternative way of understanding the images in your email.

Alt text displays as text before your audience downloads any images, which is particularly useful for image-heavy campaigns. Without it, emails can appear blank.

Using alt text also ensures your emails are accessible to all, aiding screen-reading tools in describing images to visually impaired recipients. Moreover, spam filters analyse images as part of their detection algorithms, so relevant alt text helps support your email’s legitimacy.

6. Define Your Call to Action

Start with the end in mind – although the call to action (CTA) may appear towards the bottom of your email, it should not be an afterthought. It is typically the primary way to gauge a campaign’s success, so be sure to define your objectives from the very start of your planning process, as these will influence your CTA.

Make it as easy as possible for your customers to take the next step. Whether you want them to submit their details via a form or visit your website through a button or text link, ensure your desired outcome is clear and straightforward.

Next Steps

No matter the campaign, email marketing ultimately begins with a list of people you wish to communicate with. All of the above strategies only work if you have accurate data; otherwise, you risk customers losing interest in your marketing and wasting valuable budget.

To practice what we preach, we’re ending this blog with a clear call to action: invest in a data audit – it will save you money.

For more information on any of the above tips or to request a soft-search data audit to identify your level of opportunity, contact us today.

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