e-mail marketing

E-mail marketing is still the most powerful tool to build traction and keep customers engaged. Many companies have lost the art. Like an e-mail, the content should be fun, engaging and useful. Short and sweet is also a key theme. Customers have short attention spans but always value learning something new. The idea of starting with a quick tip was smart but has become overused. The fact that any email can now say your first name has lost its personalization flavor. The catchy subject hooks are also too obvious. Nevertheless, there are number of other strategies companies can deploy.  I think the first thing a company should strive for is sincerity. Each company should assume that the email is the equivalent to a customer walking into their store. How would you communicate with them?

Rather than using general statements the access to big data can help you tailor your emails in much larger ways. If I went to Sephora and purchased eyeliner, Sephora should know this. Perhaps their email to me should be asking if I like the liner and suggesting related products. If you presume you are the shop keeper in a mom and pop shop trying to upsell to a customer you will be better at drafting creative and personalized emails.

Email remains a powerful way to connect with customers and influence their buying decisions: 66% of online Americans say they have made a purchase as a result of an email from a brand, more than three times the percentage of people who have purchased in response to a message delivered via Facebook (20%) or text message (16%), according to a study by Exact Target.