4 Springtime Tips to Reinvigorate Your Email Marketing
Successful email marketing programs need constant care and attention, and that includes taking a fresh look at your programs to reinvigorate your programs and team.
Successful email marketing programs need constant care and attention, and that includes taking a fresh look at your programs to reinvigorate your programs and team.
I love this time of year. Baseball spring training is in full swing, people are in a joking mood (April Fools!), and I’m on spring break! Before I set off to recharge my batteries, I thought I would share some tips to reinvigorate your email programs as well. It’s spring after all, and there’s never a better time to make some changes to keep your email marketing programs fresh.
1. Creative redesign. Yes, your email templates need an annual refresh. It’s only human nature to notice and react to change, which is why creative redesigns traditionally generate up to a 25 percent lift that can last for up to three months. In order to maximize your results, you’ll want to apply some analytics to your creative redesign process. A well-executed multivariate test, where you can simultaneously test call to action, layout, and tone in rapid cycles, will help ensure a strong (and successful) creative refresh.
2. Reengagement campaign. If you aren’t currently running an automated win-back campaign, then build into your campaign calendar a reengagement campaign for the spring. The first step is to define the timeframe for identifying inactives, which varies by business, buying cycles, and other factors. Ideally, your identification process will also include a review of engagement across all channels, as a customer who happens to be unengaged in one channel could be active in another, and you should message to them accordingly. Once you’ve established the parameters for targeting inactives, you will see the immediate benefit of attracting lapsed customers back to your brand – not to mention the extra benefit of understanding the percent of your database that has lapsed in the past year.
3. Dare to say thank you. Many of you will find the latter part of spring sluggish on sales. That’s OK! Even the NFL has a slow season. If you’re in a slow period, consider mixing it up by swapping out a weekly promotion for a “thank you” letter instead. You can also try building brand loyalty by calling out a corporate charity or emphasizing how you’re giving back to the community. Reminding your customer of the humanity behind your brand will pay off in loyalty and repeat purchases during your peak season. You’re building a relationship with your customers, so show them that you’re more than one-dimensional.
4. Switch team roles. If you’re fortunate enough to have a large team, then let them take a walk in their peers’ shoes. Let the analysts, content managers, and producers learn from each other and improve their working relationships. Not only will they gain insight for doing their own jobs more effectively, they will likely build tighter bonds that facilitate better communication and coordination over the long term.
Successful email marketing programs need constant care and attention, and that includes taking a fresh look at your programs from time to time to reinvigorate your programs and team. OK, that’s enough for now; I’m off to the pool!