For every retail marketer, the ultimate goal is to ensure that all promotional activity is aligned, both on and offline, and that customers receive a personal and authentic message every time they engage with the business. Over the last few years, email marketing has evolved from the traditional ‘batch and blast’ approach, meaning that marketers looking to reach multiple recipients are challenged to deliver the right message at the right time.
Today’s business customers, like consumers, demand more of suppliers and in turn retailers need to ensure their strategies are up to the mark. However, there are several key areas marketers can address in order to optimise the effectiveness of each email marketing campaign.
Here are some basic but fundamental steps to consider:
Data cleansing
It’s vital to ensure communications are delivered to the right people at the right time. Keeping data up-to-date is an essential part of delivering a successful campaign, and will ultimately lead to more conversions.
Effective segmentation
Accessibility is key. This means understanding user engagement and sending targeted emails that include the most relevant information for that particular audience. In addition, giving customers clear guidelines on what the information is and how they can use it may sound obvious, but should never be overlooked.
Consider different platforms
With the arrival of smartphone and tablet mobile technologies, there is more opportunity for corporate marketers to use email across a wider number of platforms, and optimise in-store sales with new incentives – such as mobile discounts for use at the point of purchase – but this places even greater importance on message design.
Tailored design
Although an email marketing campaign’s creative is often overlooked by data purists, it is key to establishing a brand’s credibility, currying favour with clients and prospects and can ultimately act as an effective shop front for a larger e-commerce site. When designing multi-platform messages, high resolution images and graphics should be avoided as they can take a long time to download using 3G signal. The text should be simple, concise and easy to read if you expect recipients to use the information on the go.
Ultimately, customers respond to relevant and easy-to-use value incentives. Getting the formula right will ensure quick hits have a greater chance of becoming long-term profits.
