Key takeaways
- Adopt a “less is more” approach: reduce email quantity, focus on quality and avoid spam tactics to prevent marketing fatigue and backlash.
- Personalize beyond mass blasts. Using names, locations and purchase habits can improve open rates.
- Use seasonality and upcoming events (New Year’s resolutions, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Canada Day) to make inbox content more relevant.
- Experiment with creativity via A/B testing so you can try new ideas while limiting risk and scaling what works.
Introduction
With 2016 right around the corner, we’ve officially entered the part of the holiday season where commitments to eat healthier, pursue a new hobby, and other declarations are out and about in full force. While most of these New Year’s resolutions are nothing more than wishful thinking, there’s no denying that a fresh start can be a powerful way to get back on track for happiness and success.
In the world of email marketing, all of the above sentiments regarding resolutions definitely carry some weight. With this in mind, let’s take a moment to talk about some of the best resolutions you can make for your inbox operations in the New Year, as well as what it takes to make these commitments truly come to life.
Embrace the “Less Is More” Concept
At the top of the list of effective New Year’s resolutions for brands that operate in the inbox – according to Stephen Dietrich of Venture Beat – is aiming to reinvigorate your commitment to the “less is more” approach. Dietrich notes that far too many organizations simply don’t know when enough is enough, so make it a point to reconsider your stance on email quantity and frequency as you hang up a new calendar.
Instead of assuming that flooding the inbox is your best bet for securing a conversion, let 2016 be the year in which you place an emphasis on quality and avoiding spam tactics. Doing so can ensure that you don’t annoy your email marketing audience and leave the concerns surrounding marketing fatigue and backlash in the past.
Make the Most out of Email Personalization
Additionally, Dietrich also suggests that any brand still relying upon generic mass email blasts that target the organization’s entire contact list need to make a change for the coming year. The big key here is that even the smallest amount of personalization can improve open rates by up to 22 percent.
The customer of 2016 demands a unique user experience in the inbox, so leveraging the power of names, locations, and purchasing habits via your contact list and consumer data is a must. The more specific your brand is willing to get with each silo or segment of its audience, the more likely you are to generate a truly meaningful – and profitable – connection with these valued shoppers.
Play into the Power of Seasonality
Business 2 Community’s Ben Smith points out in his look at working New Year’s resolutions into your email marketing operations that there’s no reason why you can’t build content that plays into this – and other – seasonally relevant events. Odds are that the vast majority of your contact list is currently working out resolutions of their own, so why not tailor upcoming content to these concerns, desires, and commitments if possible?The best part about this approach is that it doesn’t have to end with inbox copy that relates to the New Year’s resolutions of the person on the other side of the screen. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Canada Day, and plenty of other major holidays are all perfect opportunities to engender your brand to these viewers via seasonally relevant offerings and content.
Take More Chances with Your Email Operations
Finally, don’t be afraid to try new things in the inbox in 2016. With three out of every four viewers expressing frustration at generic marketing messages, the time is ripe for brands like your own to win over these jaded or disgruntled masses with something new, exciting, and different in the inbox.
Of course, trying out creative takes on the email marketing process is often far easier said than done. Fortunately, with the help of A/B testing, you can explore different and unique opportunities via a measured and precise approach. As you find tactics and topics that resonate with a slice of your audience via this split testing method, you can expand this portion of your operation and expose new portions of your contact list to this emerging practice. In other words, taking more chances the right way mitigates risk and enhances your ability to generate a positive impact with these viewers.
With the past year coming to a close and the holidays winding down, the most important thing to understand is that no matter how great 2015 was for your brand in the inbox, 2016 can always be better if you commit to going above and beyond your current standing. All that’s left to do now is answer one final question: What’s your email marketing New Year’s resolution going to be for 2016?
FAQ
Prioritize ‘less is more’: rethink email quantity and frequency, favouring higher-quality, non-spammy messages that reduce marketing fatigue and backlash.
Reconsider how often you send messages and stop flooding inboxes. Focus on relevance and value in each send rather than increasing volume to chase conversions.
Even small amounts of personalization can improve open rates by up to 22%.
Use simple personalization like names, locations and purchasing habits to create more specific silos or segments and generate more meaningful connections.
Tailor content to seasonally relevant events and customer mindsets to align offers and messaging with what recipients are likely thinking about. For example, New Year’s resolutions now, then holidays such as Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Canada Day
Use A/B testing to trial different approaches on a slice of your audience. Expand tactics that resonate based on test results so you limit risk while scaling successful ideas.
Generic mass blasts can frustrate recipients (three out of four viewers express frustration), cause marketing fatigue, invite backlash and reduce the chance of meaningful engagement.
