A good marketing campaign is like designing a recipe. It takes a lot of trial and error to first get the framework in place, then plenty of room for personalized, custom interpretations.
In other words, there are no strictly defined best practices for an email campaign, particularly in the wild-west environment of ecommerce.
One thing is certain, however: there are 12 components to a good marketing campaign that need to be part of your game plan, from concept to launch and follow-up findings.
Marketing campaigns are all about problem-solving and putting your own twist on things, but without the following essential ingredients, you won’t have much to work with.
Let’s get to it: the key features that a good marketing email campaign must have.

1. Creative Inspiration

At the core of any campaign is a creative spark, and this means tapping into something real and relatable about the world. Inspiration can happen at the most unexpected moments, so be ready.
“The most memorable campaigns are necessarily the most expensive or the flashiest, but they have a strong and original message that people can plug into immediately,” said Joshua Chin, CEO of Chronos Digital. “That’s how you make your money go a long way in marketing. The strength of the message will carry the campaign, and everything else is just a matter of execution and following through.”

2. Technical Proficiency

The tech side of marketing campaigns should not be underestimated. Today’s software is complex and must be used to its full advantage if you wish to maximize returns and limit errors.
“Marketing managers have a responsibility to support their staff with technologies they need, even if that means buying new software suites and getting rid of old stuff that holds people back,” said Jake Langley, CEO of Span Health “It’s always better to master the next generation of software than to be two steps behind.”

3. Automated Busywork

Not all software needs constant input from team members to work, which is where automation comes into play. Nowadays, a surprising amount of campaign to-do’s can be automated.
“To maximize the work capacity of your team and save tons of time, you need to automate as much as possible about your marketing campaigns,” said Tirzah Shirai, CEO of Blink Bar. “This means scheduling content deliveries and social media posts, but also compiling data in a way that’s readable and actionable. Make automation a priority before the campaign launches and you’ll free up so much extra bandwidth for creative work and direct customer interactions.”

4. Multi-Channel Approach

Beyond email, it seems like new marketing channels come into play each year. Campaign directors can’t miss a beat. But by mastering multi-channel marketing, brands set themselves up for success.
“Too many campaigns have weak points in their multi-channel strategy, and they miss out on tons of audience engagement opportunities as a result,” said James Ville, Chief Product Officer at GunSkins. “The key is to create a consistent customer experience across all channels, with email and social media platforms being the core focus. There should also be ways to communicate directly with customers through your main webpage, SMS messaging, and over the phone. Don’t let anyone channel fall to the wayside.”

5. Total Team Coordination

With a fully coordinated team in control of a campaign, there’s no way to lose. This means figuring out the best workflows from square one and eliminating inefficiencies.
“Everyone should know exactly what role they play in a campaign before it ever sees the light of day,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, Co-Founder and CEO of Nue Life. “Managers need to map out all the high-priority tasks for each team member and set up contingency plans for unexpected situations that may arise. It’s better to be over prepared than to end up scrambling for a solution in the middle of a crisis. The last thing you want is to play the blame game and disrupt the team dynamic. Give yourself and your team peace of mind from the start and coordinate.”

6. Launch Day Checklist

When the big day arrives, there’s a lot of details to cover. Make sure a checklist is ready and on hand so that nothing important goes missing or misfires on launch day.
“All the content, roles and responsibilities, visual templates, target personas, and competitor analysis needs to be in place for launch day, plus a real-time plan to execute on objectives,” said Rob Bartlett, CEO of WTFast. “Your checklist for day one should be agreed-upon by everyone with all bases covered. Managers will take the lead and ensure all those points are addressed in the proper order as soon as the moment comes. To formulate a comprehensive checklist, hold a meeting with your team and brainstorm together so nothing is assumed or missed.”

7. Immediate Impressions

Instant feedback is the name of the game in modern marketing, so this must be a priority from the moment the campaign first hits the airwaves.
“Prepare to be bombarded with feedback on the day of launch, and quickly fix any issue that could derail your campaign,” said Roman Taranov, CEO of Able. “You’ll get an idea of how customers are responding with KPIs and how day-one sales shape up. On the other hand, don’t rush to fix anything that isn’t broken about your campaign on the first day, because it will take at least a week to get a more complete sample size of data. Take these first impressions seriously, but don’t be discouraged if it’s not an overnight success.”

8. Ongoing Improvements

At this point, an email campaign is a living organism, and must be fine-tuned with ongoing insights and analytics. Quick pivots and revisions are simply status quo, so being stubborn won’t work.
“You are obligated as a manager to improve your campaigns from the moment they’re launched,” said Patrick Samy, CEO of The Health Company. “This could mean retargeting to a different audience segment, or repurposing content for various platforms that you didn’t originally plan to cover. It’s okay if your campaign looks different at the end of the year than how you planned it. In fact, that’s usually a sign you’re being attentive and effective.”

9. Highly Targeted Ads

It’s not the most glamorous part of campaign management but targeting ads and spending efficiently are vital. Luckily, there are advanced tools available to make this happen.
“Marketers are buzzing about the potential of Google’s Target CPA bidding, which pairs machine-learning and AI to deliver cutting-edge insights and results,” said Adam Ortman, VP of Growth and Innovation at Generator Media + Analytics. “It gathers as many conversions as possible at a specific target cost per acquisition, so it’s quickly gaining popularity in marketing. Target CPA uses real-time signals, such as browsing history and location, to serve ads. It also conducts auction-level bidding faster than humanly possible. Campaign managers can’t bid on every impression at every second of the day, but artificial intelligence makes that a reality.”

10. Influencer Support

The power of social media influencers can’t be ignored any longer, so make sure you have at least a few popular content creators in your corner. A boatload of cash isn’t necessary.
“The right influencer can help skyrocket the results of a marketing campaign, even if they don’t have a huge reach or millions of followers,” said Ely Khakshouri, CEO of Retrospec. “What matters most is authenticity and a strong sense of trust from the audience when your products are recommended. Avoid emptying your pockets to pay influencers who are all flash and no substance.”

11. Media Connections

The media is a huge driver of public opinion and should be part of your marketing campaign coalition. Figure out how to leverage the media in a sustainable way and make sure all news is delivered via email.
“Connect with journalists and writers in your industry so that they can put in the good word about your brand without making it seem salesy,” said Heather Pulier, CEO of Outset Financial. “Guest posting is also a good way to expand your influence in media circles, because you’re offering value for positive publicity. When you generate that reciprocation and trust, audiences sense it and are more likely to pay attention.”

12. Treat People as People

It should go without saying, but all great marketing campaigns focus on the human experience rather than strictly analytics and metrics.
This can be tricky in the digital age, however, so it’s even more important than before.
 “One thing that the pandemic has changed is that people don’t see themselves as consumers – being an engine for consumption is not a positive thing to think about,” said James Sallows, Global Head of Consumer and Business Insights Analytics at GSK. “So, our view of people has changed, we don’t think of them as consumers but individuals. Try to always think about what people’s role is in brand building and take a medium- to long-term view, and also think about how that can align with our purpose.” 
A winning marketing campaign must bring these dozen components together, along with a strong sense of purpose for the future of the brand and its customers.
When coordinated correctly – with a bit of timing and luck – you can knock your next campaign out of the park and set a new precedent for greatness with your company.