In the 90’s, 90210 was EVERYWHERE – from a poster in the bedroom to every magazine on the planet. Today, after years of obscurity, it’s making a comeback with what one might call the reboot of the decade. This reminds us of email – it came in hot, took a breather, but when done right, it’s still got that special something!
Lets look at the example below. With all this wrong data it’s safe to say that an irrelevant email like this is a perfect example of what not to do when developing your email strategy (more on this below). So, as you focus on 2020 email marketing, let’s all think of one word: “Relevance.”
When message and subject line are personalized, emails have an average open rate of 5.9% – Instapage
Get Irrelevant Email out of Your Communications
Let’s dive a little deeper into this email.
- Wrong person: While Stuart was part of the buying process, but the title is in my name and I handle the service.
- Wrong time: My car does not need service, this email came about 30 days after a big service that covered everything bumper to bumper.
- Where’s the Value? Great, you are telling me about the services offered but how about talking about the value of my continued loyalty to this dealership in a more accurate and personalized message? Or, if they were smart, maybe some similar newer models in stock I should check out and upgrade?
- Offer: Green, yellow and red buttons are cool, but how about a free detail or something to reward me for said loyalty.
It’s safe to say I will continue to open emails from Audi but wouldn’t it be nice if they were relevant.
Give Your Email Relevance: 3-point Rule of Thumb
As a marketer, it’s difficult to offer true 1-to-1 communications with your email and nurturing efforts. It takes a lot of planning, pristine data and great content.
While you build that long-term plan, how about getting rid of your obviously irrelevant communications? This month, go get an immediate win and make three adjustments:
This year, think about following this mantra–deliver the right content at the right time to the right people.
1) The Right Content/Offers: Promote an eval download during the early to mid stages of a lead’s journey. Or, if a customer just purchased a printer, send an email in 30 days offering a discount on ink refills.
Wrong content/offers: If the person has already downloaded the eval, don’t send another email with an eval download call-to-action. And that review from 2001, it’s time to replace it or give it the ax.
2) The Right Person: Know your audience. For example, deliver ROI content your executives and tech tips to everyday users.
Wrong content/offers: Don’t send “Expecting a baby?” diaper offers to a 60-year-old grandfather.
3) The Right Time: Send an onboarding string of emails after a person becomes a customer.
Wrong time: Don’t send an upgrade message to someone who hasn’t even purchased. Or, don’t deliver an introductory email promoting a “buy now” message when your product has a six-month buying cycle.
Conclusion: Plan for Content Relevance
To establish a deeper relationship with your audience, deliver content that people want to consume when they want to consume it. While you build that plan, work to keep the irrelevant emails out of your email communications.
On the 90210 front, kudos for being relevant again… meet you at the Peach Pit!
