If you were lucky, you had a mentor guiding you in making early career decisions. Now that you’re tackling complicated integrated marketing strategies, where do you turn for ideas on the ever-changing world of email marketing?
At the Mediapost Email Insider Summit held in May, the Direct Marketing Association convened a panel of smart email marketers talking about the top challenges in email marketing. Acting as mentors, they shared a treasure trove of “ideas to steal.”
You can read a collection of the masters’ guidelines at DMA Advance, but we culled three of the most surprising tips for you to try now:
Personalize Email to Boost Open Rates
Barnes & Noble touts the value of getting personal. “This used to be considered a little creepy in a big brother way, but many customers have come to expect you to know what they buy and to suggest what else they may like to buy,” said Alison Aguiar, senior manager of email operations.
Here’s another tip: According to Eloqua, the best-performing emails include subject lines personalized with the recipient’s name and an additional value point, such as location or recent purchase history. You’ll need solid data to make this strategy work. For ideas on how to take the guesswork out of email marketing, read “The Data Dilemma: Four Ways to Email Smarter.”
Remember It’s Not a Beauty Contest
Email marketers could learn a lesson from the homely little bird in “The Ugly Duckling” fairy tale. Barnyard bullies may have taunted him, but he grew up to be a handsome swan — the most beautiful bird of all. And just like that plucky story, Living Social has found that a little ugliness grows to be handsome — handsome profits, that is.
“Usually the ugliest email wins,” revealed Alan Clifford, vice president of email marketing and merchandising at the online marketplace. “Test and target.”
Incorporate the Element of Surprise
If you’ve ever received a gift from a friend “just because,” you know the thrill an unexpected gesture of goodwill brings. Drew Price, director of email at IGN/Ziff Davis, urges email marketers to adopt this strategy.
“You can create more ‘delight’ for subscribers by doing fan-service campaigns outside of the normal peaks,” he said. “They may expect a ‘prize’ at the holidays, but not on a random Tuesday.
For ideas on selecting meaningful prizes, check out our guide to promotional items:
“Trinkets, Tchotchkes, Geegaw and Swag. Really?”
