A Murder Mystery for the Marketing Department.
We have all heard that email marketing can have great returns on investment, and who wouldn’t want to jump on that right? While this can be true… only if it’s done correctly. If you’re like me and you spend your weekends binging “whodunits” and Crime Documentaries, then you’re familiar with a typical murder mystery recipe:
- Motive (The big question – Why?)
- Weapon (How was it done?)
- Opportunity (The when – planned or spontaneous?)
and, last but not least, - WHO?
Email Marketing is a lot like this, not because it’s dangerous, but because it can be a “crime” if done incorrectly! Let’s break down each one to avoid that.
MOTIVE
Firstly, the motive – WHY? Before sending any email correspondence, be sure to narrow done what the goals are that you want to achieve and why you are email marketing in the first place. Is it to increase your database and drive traffic to the website? Or, are you focusing on thought leadership and education? Whatever the WHY is, that should be the driving factor when creating the content that is going to be murdered, I mean communicated.
WEAPON AND OPPORTUNITY
Next is your HOW and WHEN, or your motive and opportunity. Most (not all) of the suspects in these documentaries are pretty S.M.A.R.T., and your email campaign should be too. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time based. Use these basic principles to guide the process of creating the campaign so that you don’t become hyper-focused on just the click and open rates. These are important, of course, but don’t lose sight of the overall bigger picture.
WHODUNIT?
The last, but by no means the least, thing to consider is WHO. Who the email is coming from (in terms of what domain is being used to send) is important, and in the entertainment world, who the culprit is would be the most interesting part of the show. But equally as important – and often neglected – is, who was the victim? An email campaign should be pre-meditated, and the who should be very considered with a contact plan. Things to factor in would be where in the sales funnel the contact is, whether or not we can segment them and send more target communications, and what’s going to add the most value for the reader, considering their relationship with you?
THE WRAP UP
Your current email marketing may be working fine for now, but that won’t always stay the same. Having an identifiable strategy means that you won’t fall behind. Instead, you’ll find that you’re constantly tweaking and evolving your processes to stay within your strategy, leading to more reward.
Disclaimer: I am not condoning any heinous crimes, just hoping to improve your Email Marketing skills one binge series watching session at a time.
Blog written by Nastasya Koumaras