Takeaway notes from a DMNews webinar by Aliza Bornstein, copywriter, Melissa Data.
In “The New Email Imperative: Subscriber Engagement” webinar on May 20, Loren McDonald of Silverpop insists email marketing is not dead. However, bad marketing is on life support.
In this sense, subscriber engagement becomes imperative.
Step 1: Give Subscribers a Stake in the Relationship
If there’s no data, there’s no relevance.
Target communications based on age:
Under age 26 targeted.
Age-centric subject line.
Sent to recipients under 26 years.
Open rates are around double the average open rate.
Mailing for the over 50 crown.
Targeted discount offer.
Open rates 75% above average open rate
Preference centre touchpoints:
At opt-in.
Welcome email.
Normal email stream.
Transactional emails.
Website/transactional process.
At opt-out
Step 2: Welcome Emails—Start the Relationship Right Away
Research by marketing publisher Marketing Sherpa shows mail subscriber interest begins to disintegrate as early as two weeks after the opt-in, as measured by the open rate.
Within two months, the open rate typically falls 20% to 25%.
Welcome Emails: Goals and Purpose:
Goals
Speed up Conversion
Minimize list churn
Strengthen brand perception.
Reduce inactivity
• Purpose:
Educate subscriber.
Reward/incent.
Instill/reinforce trust.
Enable immediate “email experience”.
Provide administrative information
Step 3: Make it Human—Use Personality
Customers want a personal note, not a direct marketing promotion. More than ever, customers want to connect with brands via real people (think Twitter).
Step 4: Get Them Involved
Ratings, popularity, top sellers, most read articles, Top 10 albums, top springtime recipes, etc. Social email is the new rival.
Are your messages share-worthy?
Are you a trusted source?
Tribal interests—what motivates your interest groups?
Simplicity of message.
Ease of sharing.
Obvious value.
Timely and relevant content
Step 5: Use the Data and Date Value Through Additional Email Streams
Use relevancy based on purchase data.
Cart Abandonment
Diapers.com implemented a cart abandonment reminder campaign. Compared to previous email campaigns they tried, they saw big results after only one month.
48% lift click-through rate
129% lift in net conversion rate
Break through the clutter with new message streams:
triggers
notifications
alerts
reminders
aggregators
updates
closeouts
…and more
Step 6: Don’t Let Them Disengage or Walk Away
List Churn and Inactives—The Good and Bad News
The Bad News
A typical list will lose 1/3 of its members each year. (Bounces, spam complaints, and unsubscribers account for 2-4% per month).
25% to 80% of your list is inactive. (Subscriber has not opened or clicked in the specific time frame of 6 to 12 months).
The Good News
Churn can be reduced.
You control most of your destiny.
Some inactives can be reengaged
It’s hard to get people back once they’ve unsubscribed, so ask for feedback on how you’re doing or create a rating system within a survey.
Also, promote alternatives to unsubscribing. Offer email preferences on your unsubscribe page.
---Source: DMNews May 20, 2009 webinar (www.dmnews.com). Loren McDonald is the VP of Industry Relations for Silverpop. Reach him at lmcdonald@silverpop.com.