Marketers are always looking for the "new" secret to success. They want to know the quickest, and most often cheapest, way to get customers to buy. But there is no secret. It's Marketing 101. Give customers what they want, when they want it and at a price they're willing to pay. That's called relevancy, and the new breed of email marketers are uniquely able to deliver it.
The laser-like targeting of highly personalized and meaningful messages is possible when utilizing an on-demand marketing execution suite able to integrate actionable data from a variety of sources. But the benefits exist only if you take the time to use the applications available with these powerful online marketing tools.
For example, surveys can help you learn more about your customers, but unless you import responses to your database and use the information for segmentation, you're missing out on the chance to create highly targeted messaging. Similarly, an email marketing system tied into a Web analytics platform can give you a wealth of information about customer interests, but without capturing the data in accessible ways, you end up with "nice to knows" instead of actionable information that can improve the relevancy of your messaging and boost the bottom line.
Also, the ability to keep customers engaged is a key outcome of improved relevancy. Even when interest seems to be fading away, email marketers can implement programs to reactivate recipient interest. Tips on how to do that are in the article "Reactivating Inactives: Three Tips to Get Them Back on Board" below.
New online marketing technologies give email marketers the tools to alleviate some of the guesswork and deliver what recipients want when they want it. But to truly achieve engagement with customers in increasingly crowded inboxes, you need to actually use the powerful features available to you.
Cheers,
Bill Nussey
