Email and Conversion Strategies – another way to look at paid and unpaid mediums.

Email and Conversion Strategies – another way to look at paid and unpaid mediums.

Email is so undervalued as a medium. People DO open emails, and emails DO keep brands top of mind. You just have to work strategically,

For one one my E-Comm brands, the email that got the best open rates of all time was entitled ‘how an office communication bungle gave birth to a while new concept…’

Why was it opened by more people than any other email?

The recipients wanted to know what the bungle was. Simple. Their curiosity was piqued.

You can deliver curiosity piquing email subject lines no matter what your category is. Trust me! Thinking outside the square is key for getting email opens increased.

The thing is, brand owners tend to deliver emails with uninspiring subject lines and without clear calls to action, as a solus medium and wonder why there isn’t a tsumani of response.

What if email worked alongside your other mediums as part of your retargeting campaign – how cool would that be?!

The thing is, email is so undervalued, no one ever seems to consider it a potentially strong element of a retargeting campaign.

Give this a try and you’ll see for yourself how effective email can be.

When you ask people to opt in – you send them an email sequence to onboard them – right? Mostly, you’re not selling them anything – you literally are onboarding them, but if we take the onboarding sequence as just one example – how would it be if your opt in audience were to get retargeting ads that release at the same pace as your email sequence.

So – on the same day they receive your email about how you bungled your office communication and created a great mistake – they had this same line in their Facebook and Instagram feed – this would resonate much more fully.

When the next email lands in their inbox, they get moved to the next retargeting ad & they are paying more attention now. You could even tell them to watch out for your next big announcement on Facebook….

Retargeting audiences are tiny, so all you need is a very tiny budget, a reach objectiveand a rock solid strategy.

Given that relationship building is the key to developing the lifetime value of the customer, this will get you there FASTER!

How is this dual onboading strategy managed?

It’s a super easy strategy to pull off. Planning the content of the actual communications is the hardest part.

The opt in itself (registration event or viewing the ‘thank you for joining’ redirect page) is the trigger for delivery of the ads AND the delivery of the emails.

The email sending is straightforward in terms of automation (my preference is using ActiveCampaign because I prefer things to be super simple).

The retargeting audience is also very simple to establish. You need to set up several audiences based on the opt in (registration) even or the viewing of the thank you page as follows:

• Audience One: People who have viewed the Thank Your For Opting In Page within the last 3 days.
• Audience Two: People who have viewed the Thank Your For Opting In Page within the last 6 days [excluded audience = people People who have viewed the Thank Your For Opting In Page within the last 3 days].
• Audience Three: People who have viewed the Thank Your For Opting In Page within the last 9 days [excluded audience = people People who have viewed the Thank Your For Opting In Page within the last 6 days] and so on.

In creating an audience with inclusions and exclusions, you have complete control over the pace of your ad flow and a funnel that matches your email pace exactly – in the example above, your emails would be sending every three days.

Can I close sales with this technique?

YES!!!

The key here is not to go for the sale too early in the process.

Allow the audience to get to know you – reveal yourself, reveal your values, allow them a giggle, make sure there is some nodding of the heads – bringing them in gradually and steadily. Don’t suggest a transaction until email 5 or 6.

It’s kind of an email seduction process amplified manifold by the personalised email.

The thing to remember about email is that it’s personal.

The email inbox is a personal space – make sure you include personalisation. When people start replying to your emails – that’s when you know you are nailing the communications – that’s your goal! Write your emails just as you would speak – make them personal to your style and personal to the reader.

Being allowed to stay in the inbox – opened or unopened is pretty special. It means you’re allowed in the personal space – what you have is of value and considered a relationship be the receiver – even if your emails aren’t all opened.

It’s food for thought!

Email in its own right is an excellent conversion tool, due to its personal nature.

Delivering interest piquing subject lines, clear calls to action with follow ups in their own right – the YES THEY DID IT path and NOT YET COMPLETED THE ACTION path is the best way to engage, upsell and build your audience – and it’s all but free!