How to Turn Off Customers and Win Enemies

Written by Laura Burgess, Founder of LBM

Many marketers have the best intentions when it comes to creating email newsletter campaigns. How hard can it be?

Goal + Assets + Verified Customer List + Perfect Timing = Success!

But the reality is more like:

Last Minute Sale + Customer List Last Scrubbed in 2005 + Send Friday Afternoon = Customer Delete!

All too often, marketers use email marketing to move products off shelves in rapid-fire emails that clog customer emails, doing nothing but activating the “Delete” button. Sale campaigns certainly have their place and can be part of your email marketing, but they should not be the center of it. Let the sales department do their job, and you do yours.

First of all, determine your goal. Is it to increase sales, enhance your brand and increase awareness, build customer loyalty, or generate feedback, all the while building new leads? Is it one or several of the aforementioned goals? You can generate campaigns specifically for each goal or combine multiple goals within a single campaign.

Your campaign can be of a limited time, perhaps aimed at building brand awareness and loyalty while offering a unique sales incentive. You will create a campaign that lasts several months, targeting existing customers and encouraging customers to share content to grow your list for the impending offering at the end of the campaign.

Or, perhaps your goal is long-term, and your email campaign is to build the brand into a lifestyle that encourages feedback and sharing of content while learning about your customers and providing products and services that build loyalty. This type of email newsletter can be the standard bearer for all your marketing for that brand.

So, drop that emergency sales flyer, and let’s figure out what type of email newsletter we will create:

• Content with Value: This type of email offers subscribers information on products or services, industry and related info, related articles, testimonials, promotions, company info, etc.
• Drip Campaign: Usually a limited campaign (around three emails over a scheduled period) that can focus on nurturing leads or new or repeat purchases. By offering a certain amount of information over some time, the emails are more likely to engage the audience while providing you with relevant marketing information.
• Customer Reactivation: Hello? Are you still there? Have an old list, or are some of your subscribers in need of resuscitation? This campaign focuses on getting these customers re-engaged by offering a specific one-time promo, a survey to find out what’s lacking in your marketing, etc.

And yes, you can incorporate multiple types of email marketing into your marketing plan. Next week, we’ll discuss best practices to ensure your email campaigns are effective and well-received by your audience. Stay tuned to learn how to craft messages that resonate, segment your audience for maximum impact, and analyze your campaigns for continuous improvement.

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