l marketing: From campaigns to conversations

Imagine this…

You’re in Target scrambling for those last-minute dinner party items (and maybe a home decor item and a dress because, why not?). Two store promoters appear out of nowhere:

• Promoter A: He launches into his pitch about the newest, greatest blender without a greeting. He rattles off features, price and impressive performance without pausing. Minutes later, he continues to pitch the same blender despite your polite “no thank you”. You leave the store completely because you are fed up.

• Promoter B: You bump into another promoter on a different date. She asks what you’re doing and your day has been. You tell her you want to update your kitchen’s decor with Joanna Gaines and new appliances. She mentions a super blender which might be the answer. She offers you a coupon for a discount and then steps away. You’re interested and are seriously considering buying the blender.

Who are you most likely to purchase from?

It’s an easy decision. Promoter B all the way. She took time to listen, connect and suggest a solution tailored to your needs. When it comes to emailing, we tend to channel Promoter A – bombarding our subscribers with emails while crossing our fingers that they convert.

Even in the digital age, human connection is still important. A more conversational, personal approach to email marketing can transform your results. Let’s look at how.

Email marketing is changing.

Email Marketing is a far cry from its origins. It used to be all about numbers. The mantra was: Send more and sell more. The “blast” strategy is a shotgun approach that sends the same promotional emails to all subscribers on the list regardless of interests or previous interactions.

Guess what? It worked for a time.

This method is starting to show its weaknesses as our inboxes fill up and attention spans decrease. With over 332 billion emails being sent by 2022, this method will be a thing of the past. This shotgun method led to a decrease in engagement, as many emails ended up in the spam folder and were lost in the crowded email inbox. The result? Subscribers, feeling overwhelmed and undervalued by their subscriptions, hit “unsubscribe” leaving sales opportunities on the table.

Today, customers are looking for a more personalized and one-on-one experience. They want to be valued and understood. They want conversations and not campaigns. The shift to a customer-centric, conversational approach is not just a trend, it’s a necessity. Personalizing your email subject line can increase your open rate by 20%. Subject lines aren’t sufficient.

Enter Marketing Automation Tools. These tools are your rocket ship. They give you the scale that you need, without sacrificing personal touch. You can trigger emails based upon subscriber actions and milestones. They also let you deliver personalized content with ease.

Imagine that a customer purchases their first item from your online shop. Automated emails will welcome them and offer a discount on their next purchase. Let’s say that a customer forgot their cart in the middle of a shopping spree. The customer will receive an email that includes a picture of the items they forgot.

Automation isn’t all about efficiency. Your emails should feel more like a personal conversation than a mass email. How can we make sure that these conversations are relevant for each subscriber? This is where segmentation becomes important.

Segmentation involves dividing your list of email addresses into smaller segments that are easier to manage based on factors such as demographics, browsing habits, previous purchases or engagement levels. You can then deliver the correct content to the appropriate people.

As an example, consider a retailer of pet supplies. They could segment the list by pet type. Dog owners will receive emails with dog-specific content. Your subscribers will feel valued and appreciated when you pay attention to the details.

Explore 6 email automations that are essential but underused

Transition from campaign to conversation: Stepping stones

It can be difficult to make the transition from campaigning to conversational email marketing, especially if your experience is limited. Here are some practical steps to help you get started:

Know your tribe

Begin by getting to know your subscribers. You can collect data by using sign-up forms or customer surveys. What is your goal? Your goal?

Divide and rule

Segment your list of email addresses once you have collected enough information. Your emails will be more targeted if you segment your list finer.

Make it personal

Automate the delivery of tailored emails. Personalization doesn’t mean just putting their name on the email. It’s also about reflecting their habits and interests.

Test, learn, then improve and repeat

Success in marketing is based on constant testing and optimizing. You should keep a close watch on your email metrics, and adjust your strategy as necessary.

Encourage conversation

Ask questions, encourage replies and reply when your subscribers engage. Conversational marketing is not about delivering monologues, but creating dialogues.

This is not a simple task. It may be necessary to change your strategy, purchase new tools or train your staff. What is the return on investment? Subscribers who feel valued and seen. Isn’t this the ultimate goal for any marketing strategy?

Measuring Success: Beyond Open Rates and Click-Through Rates

Email marketing used to be all about the open and click-through rate (CTRs). The metrics remain important, but it is time to dig deeper into the conversational approach.

Consider metrics such as engagement rate, subscriber lifetime value and conversion rate. Engagement rate — the way subscribers respond to your emails, such as by replying or forwarded — is of prime importance. Conversion rates that measure how many people take desired actions (like buying something) provide a more accurate picture of the effectiveness of your campaign.

BarkBox is a good example. They saw an increase in open and click-through rates, as well as customer engagement and retention, when they switched to personalized, chatty email. What was the result? The result? This is a clear indication that focusing on relationships rather than transactions can be a successful strategy.

Email marketing: the future is bright

When we look at the future of email, it is clear that the trend towards conversational, personalized exchanges will continue. Subscribers today want more than mass emails. They crave real connections and personal interactions.

Future trends include enhanced automation and artificial intelligence for delivering hyper-personalized, relevant content. They also suggest seamless integration of email with other channels to create a unified experience for customers and interactive emails that allow subscribers to perform actions within the email.

AI and machine-learning will give email marketing more power, allowing for better personalization, analytics, and segmentation.

Remember that despite the technological advances, email marketing is still about nurturing and building relationships. The conversational and customer-centric approach is no longer an option, but a must-have.

Genuine, human and valuable interactions will stand out in a digital world rife with chatter. In the future, email marketing will be about transforming your email strategy into an emotional dialogue with your subscribers. The goal of this exciting journey is not just to be heard, but also remembered.

The article From campaigns and conversations: the future of email marketing first appeared on MarTech.