Depending on the email marketing software you use, it’s important to learn all the features that it has so that you can use it to its fullest potential. You might not even be aware of all the things your email marketing software is capable of doing. If you aren’t sure, consider seeking out someone who is an expert with your particular software choice so that everything can be set up to be the most effective and the most personal in nature.
1. Craft Interest-Targeted Email Messages
Use the software to capture the information needed to personalize and craft email messages toward what your subscriber wants to know about. This is an important way to move your subscribers enough to purchase from you. Capturing the right information will enable you to point your subscribers to the products and the services that they want. The more targeted, the better!
2. Create Geocentric Messages
It is likely that your email software allows you to capture location-based information from subscribers. This location-based information can be used for a variety of purposes, from marketing events in their area to encouraging them to visit your location if you have a local bricks-and-mortar business.
3. Let Them Define What Information They Want
Sending a poll or checklist to subscribers that lets them define what information they want to get is a good way to find out exactly what your subscribers need and want to hear from you.
4. Acknowledge Purchases Made
Each time a purchase is made it’s important to acknowledge it with a thank you but to also move them off a list that keeps promoting that item. If they feel like youíre harassing them to buy something they already have, they wonít respond to well when you market something new to them.
5. Encourage Social Sharing
Put social share buttons on appropriate email messages so that your subscribers can help you get more people to sign up for your email marketing lists. This is a type of personalization that encourages them to share with their friends but also encourages them to friend, like, and follow you on other social channels.
6. Insert Predefined Fields
Most email programs allow you to insert different predefined fields. For example, if you have a website that is devoted to selling art, you could send a questionnaire to your audience asking them what their favorite style is. Then the software will not only trigger the right emails to go out based on that style, but it will also mention the style within the email message. If they donít fill it out, it will insert some other value that you choose into that predefined field.
7. Use Date Insert Fields
It’s important for many of your emails to be pre-crafted, but you can make the email message look as if it was just created by using the date insert field. Then the email message looks timelier. With that function, in conjunction with special sales pages that also show the current date, you can personalize by keeping everything looking current.
8. Use Retargeting Technology
When someone visits your website or buys something, it’s important to use the technology available to you to retarget them for buying something more. When your user receives your email and opens it, a software program can be used to install a cookie that will then allow specialized ads to be delivered to the user when they visit various webpages.
9. Ask for Reviews for Products Purchased
Whenever a customer buys a product, send them a thank you message and then a series of follow-up messages. One of these can be a request for a product review, after giving them enough time to try and use your product or service. The form they fill out for the review will also ask for more information about them that you can use for further targeted marketing.
Even though most consumers are savvy enough to realize that a lot of email marketing is automated today, they still respond better to more personalization than less. Therefore, if you want to compete with others it’s imperative that you use your software to its fullest potential by using as much personalization as it’s capable of.
Wow. Paul – I had no idea about 1, 2 and 8. I am crossing my fingers that “You can’t teach and old dog new tricks” isn’t true because I DO want to succeed! Your guidance is always solid. I appreciate it!
I have no doubt that you will MASTER all of these – if you want to!
Point number four is a very important one for me. I can not believe how many otherwise organized companies do not have more than one list. The important stuff gets lost in all of the “same as” and “already done that” stuff.
I’m thinking of the $50 bill that gets lost in all the leaves that fall to the forest floor.
I am in the same boat. I am getting ‘pestered’ at this point for a product that I have already purchased! The company knows this and they should stop trying to see it to me again! One is enough (it is not like face cream that I will us up and require another purchase!)
I like the idea of personalizing emails.Its indeed very helpful.
Yes! Always write your emails to one person and have your automation put that person’s name in the email.
There were several great ideas there that I hadn’t thought of, Paul! I’ve thought of the interest-targeted emails, before but I don’t know how to do i
It depends on the email system you are using. Check with them, Jeanine.