Email has developed a bad-boy reputation as a blanket direct marketing method. The ‘spray and pray’ approach to business acquisition has resulted in customers opting out in their droves and the proliferation of anti-email technologies.
Let’s face it email marketing has become more difficult and a different approach is needed if it is to get its respectability back. It is the issue of customer engagement that separates the men from the boys and transforms email from a basic mechanism to a powerful retention solution. Here are five top tips that will help you to leverage email’s true potential.
1. Avoid a lottery
The use of email is reliant on the voluntary opt-in of the customer but the relationship is based on little or no understanding of the customer unless this information is forthcoming. As a result, email communication is sent to the customer in a blanket fashion.
This can have one of two outcomes; either it’s deleted because it is not appropriate or, due to more luck than judgement, it stimulates a response. The long-term effect of sending out inappropriate email communication will result in an unsubscribe request at which point you have lost the relationship and possibly any further business.
2. Automate email communication
Customers play out their lives online prior to purchase through searches, information requests and downloads. This allows the creation of an individual profile that can be used as a dynamic template for ongoing communication through automated relevant content. Connect this information with previous on and offline interactions including previous transactions, online searches, financial information, etc, and you now have a much broader view of the customer and individual needs that can be leveraged in the email correspondence.
In this scenario, email is used to send personalised data, suggested purchase options and offers that meet the customer’s ‘observed’ preferences, budget, activities and timescales. All responses are tracked and stored for future campaigns.
3. Intelligent personalisation is key
By personalisation I don’t mean the rudimentary mail merge of data variables or the flipping of an image per segment that is often lauded as cutting edge by most ESP, it’s a lot more sophisticated than that. Personalisation is geared around derived behavioural content, relevancy of the message, timing and utilisation of cohesive data structures to provide intensely suitable messages that generate repeat visits, customer re-bookings, brand loyalty and a positive ROI.
This methodology is, of course, underpinned by sophisticated technology and software solutions that have the capacity to capture, analyse and make sense of millions of rows of engagement database information. Conceptually, the method of engagement is the same regardless of the business type or sector.
Everyone desires to be understood and sold to in an appropriate manner. By harnessing the one-to-one customer engagement model, you will retain more customers, marginalise the competition and gain repeat sales.
4. Strengthen customer buy-in
Many organisations have been successful in proactively creating online communities of subscribers with common interests as a marketing initiative. They are prime structures for email applications, e-marketing techniques and management solutions, and are used to disseminate information and ideas and offer broader services to subscribers.
Crucially, they are generally created as an opt-in, permission-based arrangements that automatically allow freedom of access and email communication. Membership, albeit free, also promotes association and loyalty. Central to all of this is the capacity to deliver, via email, relevant, useful and appropriate information.
5. Use customer data intelligently
The cornerstone of building and developing online communities is customer data. This allows customer acquisition initiatives to be rolled out and email activity to be captured, classified and analysed. It creates the framework that drives engagement and interaction.
To deliver co-ordinated services, a common hosted platform is required. This circumvents duplication of process, data and resource, and allows integral analytical activities to be carried out on the accumulated data. A tailored one-to-one email channel then provides the essential mechanism for professional content delivery. Reliance on such services and email communications help to build customer relationships.
To gain maximum benefit, encourage opt-in through marketing activities, guiding customers to subscribe to online services. Gather transactional information from all possible sources and use this to model customer interaction. Use this data to shape automated email services. Make the customer feel special as if they are the only person you are communicating with and respond to needs as quickly and as best you can. Utilised in formal community structures, email can be used in a cementing role underpinned by the needs and activities of its subscribers.
[email protected]
