Email Applied: The BIG SALE!
Promotions are an important part of every marketer's email strategy — sales, discounts, discounts with purchases, gifts with purchases, free shipping, etc. These workhorse communications shouldn't be overlooked. They work well to motivate buyers to take actions, but they're not showstoppers. They won't make you stand out from the pack.
Strive to amaze and delight your audience from time to time. You'll cement their loyalty and keep them opening and reading your emails. Here are some easy ideas to try.
1. Don't Just Have a Sale, Offer Coupons
Coupons are a more tangible representation of a sale. A recent study by Experian CheetahMail found that, in most cases, coupon-based campaigns had significantly higher open and clickthrough rates for clients who used this technique, leading to a 64 percent increase in revenue per email. That's substantial.
Office Depot did it right in a recent email touting $10 off a $50 purchase:
- The coupon had a time limit (December 10, 2009).
- The copy under the "$10 off $50" main headline allowed redemption in all channels: "Valid in-store, online and by phone."
- Two call-to-action buttons allowed recipients to either shop online or print the coupon.
2. Involve Readers to Build Community
This is a great way to engage and involve your audience. It can be as simple as a one-question poll in an email, a request to have readers rate and review purchases, an ask-the-expert section, a reader tips column, or a survey. It's human nature to want to be asked for an opinion and to want to know what others think.
My favorite example from the past year was a clever engagement strategy from Talbots. The email highlighted "Your Worst Valentine's Day Gifts Ever!," which encouraged recipients to read the contributions and then add their own.
There were hundreds of posts. I spent more than a half-hour on the site perusing the user-generated entries. Some were hilarious! My favorite was from a woman whose husband bought her a beautiful silk teddy and robe. All was going well until she modeled the outfit for her husband and he murmured, "It looked way better on the girl in the store."
The experience also made me feel more connected to Talbots. Don't you think someone who spends more than half an hour on your site also will spend money with you online?
3. Take Advantage of Events and Holidays
Of course marketers wrap promotions around the major holidays, but there are many other opportunities available. There are online resources that allow you to plan for events and holidays. Take the time to review them, and create a calendar of events that makes sense for your business to target. This is a chance to connect and resonate with recipients.
March marked:
- St. Patrick's Day;
- daylight savings time;
- employee appreciation day;
- the first day of spring;
- national nutrition month;
- national craft month, and more.
Disney Shopping used the subject line: "Don't Be Late! Daylight Savings up to 30%." The email featured Alice and the white rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland." The rabbit was holding a clock, and the promotional code was "Daylight."
4. Make it Fun
Sometimes a tongue-in-cheek tone can connect with your readers.
One clever example is from JetBlue. The main headline read: "OUR CFO IS AWAY. It's time for a sale before he gets back on August 6th."
The airline used dynamic personalization to feature fares relevant to recipients based on their geographic locations. There was also a contest that wasn't featured prominently, which encouraged readers to enter to win one of eight trips the company was giving away in a 10-day period.
Add some pizzazz and vibrancy to your promotions. Then make sure you leverage your subject lines to capture interest and resonate with your readers.
Reggie Brady is president of direct and email marketing consultancy Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions (reggie@ reggiebrady.com).
