Plan an EDM campaign by choosing one audience, one useful message and one main action. Then prepare the destination, list, measurement and follow-up before designing the email. This keeps the campaign focused on what the business and the reader need.
Electronic direct mail can promote a product, explain a service or support an existing customer relationship. The right structure depends on the job the email needs to do.
Define the audience and reason to send
Write down who should receive the message and why it is relevant now. A recent customer, an existing enquiry and a newsletter subscriber may need different information. Where practical, segment the audience so the content matches that relationship.
For Australian commercial messages, ACMA’s guidance requires consent, sender identification and a working unsubscribe facility. Check the permission behind the list and honour existing suppressions. Having an email address does not by itself establish permission to send marketing.
Choose the action before writing the subject line
Decide whether the reader should request a quote, view a product, book a time or read a useful explanation. Make that action clear in the email and prepare the destination so it continues the same message.
A product campaign could take the reader directly to the featured range. A service campaign could explain a specific problem and offer an assessment. Avoid asking the reader to navigate a general homepage to find the promised information.
Build a simple content brief
- Audience: who receives the email and why it matters to them.
- Message: the main point in one sentence.
- Evidence: the product detail, example or explanation supporting it.
- Action: what the reader should do and what happens next.
- Measurement: the enquiry, sale or other outcome to review.
Use a subject line and preview text that accurately describe the content. Keep key information readable as text, rather than putting the entire message inside an image. Check that the email remains understandable if images do not load.
Test the whole journey
Send tests to mobile and desktop inboxes. Check links, prices, contact information, image descriptions and the unsubscribe process. Complete the form or checkout from the email to confirm that it works and that notifications reach the correct team.
Use consistent campaign parameters on destination links. Avoid putting personal information such as an email address into a tracking URL.
Plan follow-up without overwhelming the audience
Agree who handles replies and enquiries, how quickly they should respond and what information they need. If a reminder is appropriate, make its audience and purpose deliberate. Do not assume every recorded non-opener genuinely ignored the first email; privacy and automated systems can distort engagement signals.
What should the campaign review include?
Review delivery, useful clicks, website actions and the resulting enquiries or sales. Record what you would change next time. The purpose is to improve relevance and outcomes, rather than simply send more frequently.
Read what an EDM is and how to measure email enquiries and sales, or speak to imexpert about EDM services.