The Integrated Email
By Debra Ellis
About Debra
Email marketing is the most effective way to increase sales, improve service, and keep customers coming back. Getting the most out of email campaigns requires an integrated strategy that crosses channels and motivates people to act. “The Integrated Email” provides realistic solutions and best practices for navigating the land mines of spam filters, short attention spans and increasing competition that marketers face today.
Debra Ellis is a seasoned direct marketer specializing in using integrated strategies to keep customers coming back and buying more. She is the author of several marketing guides and the Multichannel Magic blog. She can be reached via email (below), on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook.
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Email Marketing Redefined: Driving Sales
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Increasing sales is the primary objective for most email campaigns. Email marketing works so well for driving revenue that people forget it is a multifaceted tool. There is a tendency to create a template and then delegate its population to a lower level team member. Doing this provides consistent revenue generation without requiring allocating additional resources. Since it works so well, why invest in making it better
The argument against the status quo in email marketing is simple. Redefining your strategy increases sales, improves loyalty and reduces costs. It is an investment that delivers a strong return. The best thing about changing your strategy is that it can be done without having a negative effect on revenue. There is no down time or culture shock if you implement the execution gradually. To do this, plan your new approach complete with expected responses from your customers and then start adding your new messages to the mix.
If you are uncomfortable about making changes because your email campaigns are working so well, select a segment of customers to test your new strategy. Comparing the results with your control will help you determine the best way to go forward. In addition to guiding you down the right path, the results provide analytical proof that making the changes benefits your company.
There are four types of emails that contribute to short-term sales and long-term growth—Promotional, Highlight, Trigger and Informational. There may be some crossover between the types, but each email should have one primary objective. Limiting the focus improves response and makes it easier to measure results. A singular message is less confusing to recipients. People respond better when they know exactly what you want them to do.
- Promotional emails include special offers, discounts and events. They are time sensitive and predictable. With a little history, marketers can project the number of orders and amount of revenue generated from each planned email with a high level of accuracy. People respond well to promotional emails because of the time sensitivity and the opportunity to save money or participate in an event. This is the staple of your email strategy because of the effectiveness in delivering short-term revenue.
- Highlight emails showcase products and services. They may be used to introduce new items or share additional information on established ones. These emails are most effective when sent to segmented lists of people who have shown an interest in the items by inquiry or purchase. They deliver a higher return on investment than promotional emails because the items are offered at full price.
- Trigger emails put your marketing on autopilot. They are designed to automatically transmit when people perform specific actions. They can be used to welcome new subscribers, provide transactional information and convert abandoned carts. Best practices begin with the creation of the emails and follow with consistent review of the results to provide continuous improvement.
- Informational emails educate your customers and prospects. They may include promotional information in the form of links, but their primary objective is to teach people how to use your products and services. It's very easy to presume that the people that shop with your company know what they need and what you provide. This presumption costs you money because it is rarely true. Educated customers and prospects are more loyal and buy more often. Teaching people what they need to know provides long-term value.
To get started redefining your sales strategy:
- Review your existing campaigns. Make a list of what works, what doesn't and what's missing. Do you have an abandoned cart strategy? Are informational emails sent on a regular basis? When was the last time you changed your welcome email? Are products being introduced and highlighted?
- Outline your new strategy. Define and prioritize your corporate objectives for your email marketing. Using the review, identify opportunities to increase sales, reduce costs, improve loyalty and accomplish any other objectives. Rank the opportunities by how well they match corporate priorities. Document the results so you will have a path to follow.
- Test everything. Create an email or series of emails designed to fulfill a high priority objective. Select a segment of customers or prospects most likely to respond to your campaign. Define specific goals to be achieved before sending the first email. Send the emails, review the results and revise as needed. Repeat.
Expanding your email arsenal to include trigger, highlight and informational emails changes your strategy from one-off offers to integrated campaigns. It engages customers and prospects and makes them more responsive to all of your emails. Isn't it time to do this for your business?
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