3 Essential Email Marketing Message Types

It’s easy to bore your customers to death with email: just send them the same type of message repeatedly and you’ll succeed.  We’re often guilty of this when we send our e-newsletter and little (or nothing) else. 

And while a newsletter absolutely has a place as a staple in your email marketing program, it should be far from the only type of message you send your customers on a regular basis.

After your email newsletter (which can be weekly, every other week, or monthly depending on how much content and activity you have), I recommend weaving these three message types into your email marketing stream at regular intervals throughout the year:

1.       Announcements, alerts and reminders
Every event, product launch, sale or new venture you conduct should have email associated with it.  Anything with a looming date – especially events – deserves registration and/or deadline reminders.  Don’t be shy about frequency here – most marketers are actually not sending ENOUGH of these types of messages.

Enlightened Emarketing Tip:  The perennial wisdom “Tell them it’s coming, tell them what it is, then tell them again” applies here.  So, for each significant launch, event or offer plan a three-part series that a) gives your audience a heads-up as to when your initiative will “go live”, b) tells them when it’s official and c) reminds them before it’s over or expires.

2.       Helpful, educational content
This is probably the number one under-utilized email message type by all marketers save independent professionals (like accountants, attorneys, doctors, consultants, authors and speakers).  Don’t be the “friend who only calls when you need something”; that is, the company that only sends email when you need sales.  While sales and buy messages might dominate the email program calendar for retailers, you’ll develop greater customer loyalty and engagement when you weave content emails in between them.  Remember, selling by way of serving first is “in” and paying big dividends because it builds trust – trust you want in place BEFORE you make an offer.

Enlightened Emarketing Tip:  Email messages promoting your content direct customers to new blog posts, articles, white papers, videos, presentations, free webinars or all of the above.  Those message are an intentional traffic-driver under your control.  Plus, content email gives you opportunities to educate your customers on your products before and after the sale, increasing customer satisfaction and repeat sales.

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Mind Your Marketing Manners! Say Thank You!

Marketing manners matter!

Unless you were raised by wolves in the wild, at some point you’ve learned it is polite to say “Thank You”.  Not only is it proper etiquette, it’s just downright considerate and gracious.  Yet for marketers, saying thank you is about much more than just being polite.  If you’re in the business of building lasting, loyal customer relationships (and if you’re not, please question why you’re bothering to be in business at all ) it’s an essential practice that pays both monetary and good will dividends.  Without it, you’re both at greater risk of customer flight and a sitting duck for the competition.

If you don’t already have a “thank you” process in place, it’s easy to begin one.  I suggest matching the format of the initial thank-you message to the channel in which someone first did business with you, then expanding that over time.

For example, did someone purchase from you online? If so, email them a thank you with an offer to re-visit or purchase again, ideally with a coupon or free gift to entice them into action soon. Did they buy in your store or office? Postal mail them a thank-you follow-up.  Did they do business with you at a conference, fair or trade show? Email and mail them an invitation to engage with you at either your physical place of business, your online storefront, or both.  And keep the follow-ups coming.

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