Email is one of the most useful tools for productivity, but most people seem to have a strong dislike towards promotional emails filling up their inboxes. The problem isn’t so much the fact that marketers are attempting to connect through email to generate more leads and develop customers, but the way they go about it.
Today’s email marketing strategies must encompass some new ideas if marketers wish to be successful. Incorporating these five email marketing tactics is sure to increase interest and boost response rates, even from the people who constantly complain about junk mail.
1. Include Relevant Weather-Related Information
One of the best email marketing tricks is to target people based on information that’s relevant to them. For example, a company is likely to get much better response rates from people when they accurately target them based on the weather in their area. Instead of advertising milkshakes on a cold day, why not advertise warm apple pie? For apparel retailers, this might mean sending people emails with the best options for bathing suits and summer wear on warm summer days and sweaters or overcoats on cool fall days. Weather targeting can be a useful tool in order to target people specifically for the conditions they’re experiencing.
2. Incorporate Geographic Targeting
Just like it’s important to advertise relevant products for the weather people are experiencing, another one of the best email marketing tips is to target people based on their geographic locations. With the widespread use of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, it’s both easier and more important than ever to incorporate geographic information into email campaigns. Geographic targeting can provide people with information on stores close to them, as well as any deals or sales that might be going on nearby.
3. Display Real-Time Inventory
Giving customers the most up to date status of product availability can both drive demand and provide them with useful information for making purchases. This tactic can be used by retailers, event management companies, airlines, or any other businesses that sell physical products, tickets, or products that are limited. Within an email, real-time inventory can show the amount left for any given product as well as offering the possibility of an added feature to show the average time until a product will no longer be available in order to increase demand.
4. Format Emails With Website Cropping
This technique allows marketers to include portions of a website directly within an email. The benefit of website cropping is that it can create a dynamic email that changes over time. If a recipient were to check the email once and then check it a few days later, depending on changes in inventory, their location, the weather, or other sales or offers, the email would display different information. This gives email a fresh feeling away from the stagnant, standard email offers people are so used to receiving.
5. Include Social Media Content
Social media is wildly popular as a means of email marketing targeting, so why not include it in email as well? By merging these two marketing channels, marketers can take advantage of strong social media profiles and pages. Social media posts can be streamed live within an email, and companies can leverage the use of email by offering special deals only through email to their followers on social media.
