Email marketing is like going to the gym; everyone does it, but it requires work to do it well. We get stuck in a routine, and continue to go through the motions whether we see a return on investment or not. We know that one small change will help increase your ROI, both at the gym and in email marketing.
This is the second installment of a five-part blog series to help you make these small changes in your email marketing routine. As a warm up, you can find part one here.
Joining a New Gym: The Welcome Series
When members join a new gym, it is easy to feel intimidated because everyone there already knows the machines, the layout, the etiquette, and culture of the gym, which leads people to feeling frustrated, or just lose interest. The trainers and staff at the gym should speak with them, figure out their worries, and show them the benefits of being a member.
Similarly, when customers subscribe to receive emails from a retailer, they can also lose interest or get frustrated with the relationship. To keep subscribers engaged, retailers need to play the role of the trainers, and explain the benefits of maintaining the relationship, while exciting customers and prospects about the brand.
One way to encourage someone to keep their gym membership is to maintain a clean, welcoming atmosphere. Likewise, providing email content that is informative and visually engaging is one way to keep your new customer engaged. Instead of a text-based layout that offers little to no information about the brand, use an engaging, well thought out series of welcome emails with an image-based layout. The content should:
- Thank the customer – Just like members spend time at the gym they sign up for, the customer will be investing time into your relationship, and providing revenue for your business. You should thank them in advance.
- Build/act on your brand’s promise to the customer – Customers sign up to receive emails because they believe in your brand and the promises you made when you asked them to sign up. Keep those promises, and they’ll keep the relationship.
- Outline the breadth of your brand’s products, vision and benefits – Just like when potential gym members get a tour of the gym before signing up, customers want to know everything about your brand. Letting them know up front what your brand offers will make them excited about the relationship.
- Contain links to update email preferences – Allow your customers to interact with you when they want. Just like gym members want to control when and how they workout, let customers decide how often they want to be contacted by your brand.
- Offer contact information for customer service – Trainers should always be available to help new members get acquainted with the machines, switch up their workout, or answer any health-related questions. In the same way, retailers should make their Customer Service representatives available to help answer any questions for new customers.
- Links to social media accounts – Members want to stay in-the-know about the goings-on at the gym, like new classes, schedule changes, or new trainers. You want to let customers know what’s going on with your brand, and providing social media accounts is a great way for new customers to see your brand through a different channel.
There are a lot of different ways to welcome customers, from pleasant and inviting to disinterested and uncaring, and the empowered customer is quick to recognize the difference.
To read more, check out my article in Target Marketing for more tips on email marketing, and stay tuned for our next Strengthening Your Email Marketing blog post, with tips to personalize your email marketing with more than just the customer’s name.
