Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Strategies for Expanding Your Email Programs

In order to survive, any business needs to expand and diversify. In email marketing, increasing the frequency of your mailings can be a tricky proposition, especially if you start peppering your subscriber with more messages on different topics than they opted in for at the start.
You're probably thinking, "What's the big deal here?" You already have permission to mail to your current subscribers. So what's the harm in increasing frequency by adding a newsletter, sales flyer or new-product info? After all, you need to expand your program if you want to build your business, and you know these people already want to hear from you.
It's not that simple, though.

Welcome to the place where the rock of your email program goals meets the hard place of subscriber expectations and preferences. The typical email marketing program has a built-in tension: You need to get as much use out of your subscriber database as possible in order to get the most return on member acquisition costs. But you risk irritating your current subscribers, who didn't necessarily sign up for your new information, and prompting a flood of unsubscribes or spam complaints or just indifference.
Your subscribers’ permission is the most valuable asset that you have – and the easiest to abuse. Remember these three principles when you think about increasing how frequently you email your list with new message categories:

1. "Interest" and "permission" are not interchangeable.

Sure, you have no better audience to market your new email messages than the database of people who gave you permission to email them. That doesn't automatically mean that they want to receive anything else from you for which they didn't specifically sign up. Never assume you have permission to email them anything they didn't request.
2. Each message must deliver high value.
If you merely want to increase frequency, rather than introduce a new product or email message, do you have enough content to make each message valuable to subscribers? Moving from a bi-weekly to a weekly message means you will need to have twice as much content so that subscribers don't assume they're receiving duplicate mailings several times a week.
3. Subscribers still retain the control.
Relevance is the holy grail of targeted marketing. If you can't send out highly targeted mailings because you don't have the database capability to segment your list, you can make up for it somewhat by adding more specialized email publications to your current offerings.What you can't do is impose your will on subscribers. You can lead them to your new content by making it as enticing as possible, but you shouldn't send it to them without permission first.
The trick is to introduce your expanded marketing program to your current customers in such a way that you don't violate their expectations or your original permission grant and respect their interests.

The Right or Wrong Way?

Here are two real-life examples where online companies expanded their email product offerings. One is the wrong way; the other is the right way. Can you tell which is which?
Example A: Floral Retailer
An online floral retailer issues a weekly sales newsletter promoting special values on cut flowers and arrangements, as well as one-off sales flyers near seasonal events and special occasions. After the company acquires a mail-order gourmet food business, it begins sending out a separate weekly sales newsletter to its floral database but under the new business' brand name.
Example B: Cable-TV network
This entertainment company specializing in food and lifestyle shows publishes a weekly email newsletter promoting show content, hosts and special guests. When the Christmas/holiday baking season approaches, the newsletter includes a special promotion urging subscribers to sign up separately for a 12-day series sharing one cookie recipe each day. This secondary mailing ceases after the 12th recipe is sent out.
Why is B a great example of adding new content and increasing frequency the right way while A

comes close to spamming its own subscribers?

1. It promoted the new offering in existing newsletter space, whereas the floral retailer simply began mailing the new newsletter to its existing database and assumed permission and interest.

2. It left the opt-in decision up to the individual subscriber. The floral retailer forced subscribers who didn't request the additional email and who didn't want it to unsubscribe. Although the floral retailer followed the letter of the CAN-SPAM law, it forced uninterested recipients to opt out. The cable-TV network example gave their readers the choice up-front, and delivered the new content only to those who requested it.

3. The cookie series was relevant to the original newsletter's content. Flowers and gourmet food might occupy the same general niche in the consumable-product department, but they don't have that direct tie-in or association that you have between general food news and specific cookie recipes. Don’t assume that consumers will be interested in a related area – ask and give them the option to opt in.

Strategies for Increasing Subscriber Contacts

As these examples show, there are right and wrong ways to expand your email program. Consider these strategies when developing your game-plan:

1. Calculate the cost of increased frequency

Technically, we should file this discussion under "increasing frequency," because at the heart of it, that's what you'll be doing. You might think each kind of email message belongs in a different category but your subscribers might not distinguish between a regular weekly newsletter and an on-the-fly solo offer. To your subscribers, each email you send comes from you, regarding of the category. If you are simply sending them more email, it may be more than they wanted or requested at sign-up.
You can find more strategies and recommendations, as well as several formulas that can help you assess whether you would gain enough in sales, registrations or other relevant metrics to cover the costs of more frequent mailings, in Loren McDonald’s "Calculating the Cost of Increased E-Mail Frequency," parts one and two.

2. Promote from within first.

You can safely upsell existing subscribers using three message channels already open to you. The fourth is a little trickier but can pay off if you do it right.

1. Regularly scheduled mailings

When you need to upsell your current subscribers, always start by promoting the message category in emails they already receive. In the cable-TV network example above, the limited-run newsletter was advertised within the existing newsletter, where subscribers were given a separate link to sign up.

2. Transactional messages

Many marketers fail to mine gold from transactional messages, which come as close to guaranteed opens as you'll get in email. If buyers fail to sign up for your email program during the buying process, take advantage of the transactional email you send out to confirm the purchase to promote your newsletter.

3. Welcome emails

Because new subscribers are usually the most enthusiastic, you should capitalize on eagerness to read your content by listing in your welcome letter other email offerings that may not have been chosen at sign-up. Keep it brief by focusing on the benefit, and link directly to the subscriber's preference page where they can edit their sign-up choices.

4. One-off sample issues

This is where upselling can get tricky. Any food marketer will tell you that sampling a new product in the supermarket is the best way to drive sales. Email is different, though. If you think sending a sample issue will get you the most attention, go for it. But, follow these guidelines to


avoid even a whiff of in-house spamming:

Test the sample first on a relevant segment of your list, such as recent buyers, new subscribers, or subscribers who have not responded to mailings in a certain time period.
State clearly near the top that the mailing is a sample only and that subscribers will continue to receive it only if they sign up for it, and link to the preference page.

Final Thoughts

To grow your business or your email program – and to appeal to as many subscribers across the spectrum as possible – you'll need to branch out and diversify your email holdings. You'll find your greatest success when you let subscribers retain control over their inboxes and promote the mailings using the channel for which you already have permission.
via:emaillabs

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