How to Check Competitors’ Email Marketing Campaigns

How to Check Competitors’ Email Marketing Campaigns

In today’s digital world, staying ahead of the competition often means learning from them. When it comes to email marketing, understanding what your competitors are doing can give you insights that help refine your strategy. So, how can you check and monitor your competitors’ email marketing campaigns? Let’s dive into the practical steps to take, the tools you can use, and why it’s essential for your success.

Why Analyse Competitors’ Email Marketing Campaigns?

Competitive analysis is one of the most powerful ways to gain insights into what’s working and what isn’t in your industry. By analysing your competitors’ email marketing campaigns, you can:

• Identify industry trends and opportunities
• Discover new content ideas
• Spot potential gaps in your own strategy
• Understand what resonates with your shared audience

Staying aware of these aspects can help you tailor your email marketing efforts to stand out from the crowd.

How to Start: Identifying Your Competitors

The first step in analysing your competitors’ email marketing campaigns is identifying who your competitors are. Start by defining your industry, niche, and target audience. Next, find the brands that offer similar products or services, especially those with a strong online presence.

To make the process easier:

• List your top 5-10 direct competitors
• Research brands that your target audience also follows
• Use tools like SimilarWeb to identify competitors in your niche

Subscribe to Competitors’ Newsletters

One of the simplest ways to get a front-row seat to your competitors’ email strategies is by subscribing to their newsletters. This allows you to see what types of emails they are sending and how frequently they send them. Set up a dedicated email account for this purpose to ensure your primary inbox stays clutter-free.

Make sure to:

• Categorise emails based on type (e.g., promotional, welcome, follow-up)
• Use folders or labels to organise these emails by competitor
• Take note of patterns such as seasonal campaigns or special offers

Use Email Monitoring Tools

If you want a more in-depth look into your competitors’ email marketing strategies, there are several tools designed for this exact purpose. These tools track various metrics like send frequency, subject lines, and open rates.

Here are some popular options:

• MailCharts: Tracks emails from various brands and provides insights into frequency, design, and timing.
• Owletter: Monitors competitors’ emails, analyses content, and offers useful insights.
• eDataSource: Tracks competitors’ email campaigns and shows performance data like opens and clicks.

Using these tools, you can get a clear idea of how successful your competitors’ campaigns are without manually tracking every single email.

Analyse Email Design

Design plays a crucial role in the success of any email marketing campaign. Pay close attention to how your competitors structure their emails:

• Do they use a lot of images or minimal design?
• What kind of fonts and colours do they use?
• How are their emails optimised for mobile users?

Design consistency and branding are essential for email marketing. Make sure to learn from your competitors’ designs and see what engages your shared audience.

Examine Subject Lines

A well-crafted subject line is the key to getting your emails opened. When analysing your competitors’ emails, consider:

• Are they using short or long subject lines?
• Do they include emojis or special characters?
• How often do they run subject line tests?

Tools like SubjectLine.com can help you test the effectiveness of different subject lines, offering you insights into what might work better in your own campaigns.

Dissect Email Content

What’s inside the email is just as important as the design. Focus on the tone, messaging, and overall structure of the content:

• Is the content focused on education, promotion, or storytelling?
• What types of CTAs (Call-to-Actions) are used? Are they clear and compelling?
• Are they offering discounts, freebies, or exclusive deals?

These insights can guide you in creating emails that are equally or even more engaging. Also, read our guide on how to construct the perfect marketing email here.

Track Frequency and Timing

Another crucial factor in email marketing success is the timing and frequency of emails. Sending too many emails can lead to unsubscribes, while too few might mean missed opportunities.

• How often are your competitors sending emails?
• Do they have a set schedule (daily, weekly, monthly)?
• Are there specific days or times they send their emails?

Use tools like MailCharts or even create a spreadsheet to track how often competitors send out their emails. Find a frequency that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming them.

Evaluate Personalisation Techniques

Personalisation has become increasingly vital in email marketing. How do your competitors use personalisation?

• Do they include the recipient’s name in the subject line or email body?
• Are they using dynamic content based on user behaviour?

Personalised emails tend to perform better in terms of engagement, so understanding how competitors personalise their emails can help you enhance your own strategy.

Analyse Segmentation and Targeting

Audience segmentation allows brands to tailor their messages to different customer groups. Look at how your competitors segment their audience:

• Do they send different content to new vs. returning customers?
• Are there different offers for various age groups or locations?

Tools like Klaviyo can help you segment your own audience better, offering more personalised and relevant email content.

Look at Competitors’ Automation Strategy

Email automation is a game changer in marketing, helping to engage customers without constant manual input. You can gain insights by looking at:

• What types of emails are automated (welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase)?
• When do these emails trigger?
• How do they structure their automated workflows?

Many competitors use automation to keep their customers engaged long-term, so make sure to adopt a strategy that works for your brand.

Check Engagement Metrics (Opens, Clicks, Conversions)

While it’s tough to know exact engagement metrics for your competitors, you can estimate their success by looking at:

• The frequency of follow-up emails (indicating high engagement)
• The types of CTAs used and their placement
• Whether they encourage social shares or referrals

Tools like eDataSource can give you an idea of open and click rates for competitors’ emails, helping you benchmark your own performance.

Benchmark Your Performance Against Competitors

Finally, it’s crucial to use all the data you’ve gathered to benchmark your own email marketing performance. Use tools like Litmus or Return Path to:

• Compare your email metrics to those of your competitors
• Identify areas where you can improve (e.g., subject lines, frequency, design)
• Set realistic, data-driven goals to outperform competitors

Conclusion

Monitoring your competitors’ email marketing campaigns is more than just spying—it’s a strategic move that can enhance your own marketing efforts. By following the steps outlined above, you can learn from their successes and mistakes, allowing you to create campaigns that stand out in the inbox. Remember, it’s all about staying relevant, personalised, and consistent in your email marketing efforts.