What Are Heat Maps & Why Are They Important
Have you heard the term “heat maps” before? What if I told you that a heat map analysis may be one of the most important things you do for your email marketing and lead generation campaigns?
So what, exactly, is a heat map?
Heat Maps Defined
A Heat Map is simply a graphical representation of data where colors represent the given values. In email marketing, that could be many things. The hot click buttons, the place where the eye of the consumer lingers, and the content that holds their attention are just a few ways in which heat map analysis is used.
How does it do this?
It uses a sophisticated cursor-tracking software to find the areas most prominently scanned by visitors. This allows you to figure out where and why your email marketing campaign is nailing it or falling short. Heat maps can give you immediate feedback with your lead pages and ads. Calls to action are a key aspect of your lead generation, and you want to ensure you’re getting the maximum benefit. (ProTip: putting Calls to Action at the bottom of an email is not as effective as peppering it throughout the post).
Social media is a volatile environment with unpredictable outcomes, but the email list is still king when it comes to lead generation. A heat map analysis can guide you by isolating problem areas, showing the focus of your readership, and offering suggestions for future correspondence based on user interaction. The same goes for your website. Which areas are drawing the most attention? How can you capitalize on that to gain more interaction and generate the leads you need for your business?
You do that by conducting a head map analysis (or having one done for you).
Using a Heat Map Analysis
A Heat Map Analysis lets you take the strategies you already use and tweak them for maximum benefit in both your email list and website interaction. It ensures that the most important parts of the message are getting through to your potential clients and customers.
Your message isn’t exactly the same as others in your field. The way you tell a story, get their attention, create your calls to action, etc. are different. But so is your audience. Heat map analysis can pinpoint your audience requirements and take the guesswork out of formatting your engaging content.
Redefining Your Email Marketing Strategy
Heat Map Analysis has taught us a few things.
- The upper left hand corner of the screen is the most viewed location.
- Lengthy copy is favorable over shorter copy since you have more room to explain the important information related to your products/services.
- Placing navigation bars at the end of emails and posts are perfect for those who didn’t find anything of interest on the main page/message.
- The headline’s FIRST WORD is the most important part of the title. Make sure your first word is relevant and exciting.
These tips alone are enough to get you started, but here’s something you may not know. Heat map analysis can take place in real time, so you can see the interaction as it happens. This means you can tweak your ads, posts, sites, etc. as you go. No more guesswork.
Heat maps are essential to running efficient marketing campaigns. Your viewers don’t have time to waste, and neither do you. It’s never too late (or too early) to use heat maps in your workflow. Set yours up today.