How can email marketing work in politics?

Email marketing is one of the main marketing channels across the globe. Moreover, with, the number of email users expected to reach a whopping 255 million in 2020, the scope of email marketing is only going to escalate. Well, that’s the reason for email marketing reaching the political domain too. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that email marketing is playing a pivotal role in shaping contemporary politics.

In this context, talking about Obama’s win in the US elections of 2012 is critical. The fact that his email campaign helped him raise a huge $690 million US dollar in donation speaks volumes about the success of his campaign. So, if you are looking to get a competitive edge over your political competitors and make a name for yourself in the democratic landscape, it is high time you leverage email marketing for your political campaign. Take a look at the best email practices that can help you get ahead in the race.

1.  Go for segmentation

Segmentation is critical in political marketing. As a politician, every one surely has a target audience. But segmenting it further in criteria like gender, income, age, demography etc can make your email campaign more relevant. Remember, your prospective supporters have different ideologies, thought process and interests. So, the best way of engaging with them is sending them emails that hits their chord and is related to the things they care about. Consequently, you can find more about your supporters through the signup forms. It is a great way of carving information from your base without being too clingy. It will help you go for a proper segmentation where you can create a few different segments of similar people and target them accordingly.  It will not only increase your relevance but also enhance the chances of people responding to your campaign.

2.  Timing matters

People have a tendency to forget things. So, it shouldn’t come to you as a surprise when people forget that they signed up for your email updates, resulting in annoyance and confusion. This is where an autoresponder comes in handy. It sends a message as soon as a visitor subscribes to your email updates. The message could either be a warm welcome email or a strong CTA such as asking to visit the candidate’s website, social media handles or make a donation. Once you have sent the initial email, the next step is to keep your subscribers hooked. So, make sure you send them emails on a regular basis. However, do not overwhelm them with your emails otherwise you might end up in the spam box or face high subscription rate. With spam messages accounting to 54.68% of the email traffic, it is imperative to keep a check on the subscriber’s opinions as well as their attention span and give them the right thing at the right time.

3.  Pay attention to the subject line

Subject line undoubtedly is the most critical aspect of any email. If you don’t do this right, the great content inside your email is of no use. A good subject line is all about being short (ranging between 30 to 50 characters), precise, timely, has a sense of urgency and connects directly with the email content. While a relevant subject line connecting with the email component resonates with the recipients, emails with deceptive or ambiguous subject lines might frustrate your customer base for sure. Another aspect is the length of the email. Instead of jam-packing your email with all the information, it is better to keep it to the point. Overly lengthy emails often witness low levels of readership.

4.  Personalization always works

Subscribers love personalized services. After all, 90% of consumers find marketing personalization appealing. So, why should your political campaign be any behind? Once you have segmented your subscriber list, get going by addressing each of your segment with a personalized message. From addressing the subscriber with their first name to sending content that’s relevant to their interest, there are a lot of things that personalization can do to make your political campaign top-notch. Another great way of using personalization is by sending a more personal “From” line. While emails with a “do_not_reply” look extremely impersonal and are in no way going to help you escalate your open rates, a personal “from” line works effectively because it gives the impression that the mail has been sent from a personal email.

5. Get interactive

Rather than focussing on huge content, a political email should put its attention on interactivity. Why so? Because nobody wants to get bored by reading a lengthy political content. So, it is better to invest in short and crisp emails which are interactive. You can include links and referrals for those willing to know more about the campaign. From letting people ask you questions and allowing them to participate on a personal level to listening to their opinions and discussing it, interactivity can uplift your campaign to an altogether new level.

6.  Optimization is a must

With 43% of emails being opened on mobile devices, optimizing your emails for mobiles is a must. Your political campaign will be successful only when each and every of your subscriber gets a seamless experience. Therefore, create such responsive email templates that ensures good email experience for mobile users too.

7.  A/B testing is the key

While all the above-mentioned points can work wonders for you, the key to your successful political campaign depends largely on A/B testing. A/B test helps you analyze the different variation of the same email with a small segment of your subscribers. It will let you know which version works best for you, thereby helping you leverage email marketing in a successful way.

Wrap up

From the right sending time and precise subject lines to strong CTAs and AB testing, these are a few of the many email marketing ways that can help you rock the world of political campaigning. It wouldn’t only help you strike a personal chord with your audience but also boost your political career like never before. So, if you want to become the leader of the millennial mass, get going the email way and witness yourself reach an unprecedented height of success.