Why personalisation is key to a successful email marketing campaign

Why personalisation is key to a successful email marketing campaign

When I posed this question at the Sherpa Summit 2011, the following email Ninjas gave me these insightful takeaways. As each Ninja shares a priority focus with me, it becomes increasingly clear that keeping subscriber content relevant and segmented while integrating email, mobile, and social media will be a strategic key to successful email marketing campaigns in 2011. ~ Jeff Ginsberg

What is the biggest challenge facing email marketers in 2011

 

The underlying principle of marketing is to promote a product or service in a way that will make people believe it would benefit their lives in some way. This is usually through time or money-saving tricks, ways to improve your health, appearance and intelligence or simply personal enjoyment. To ensure your marketing campaign is a success you must make sure that you explain to your target audience how your product or service is going to benefit them. This is where personalisation is vital.

 

Words like ‘you’ and ‘your’ should be used frequently. If your product or service is aimed at a business then you should still use these words â€" ‘this article will help your business deliver a successful marketing campaign...’.

Even if the person reading the material does not actually own the business they are working for there will still be a sense of ownership because they are an employee of that business.

 

After you have described exactly how your product or service will benefit the reader’s personal life or business you should include clear instructions of how you would like them to proceed to the next step towards making a purchase. Do you want the reader to visit your website, pick up the phone or email you directly? Be sure to include details of exactly what the reader can expect if they follow your instructions as this will make them feel at ease and you will gain their trust. Providing instructions in this manner is often described in marketing as a ‘call to action’ and is a vital component of any campaign.

 

When sending an email campaign you have the power to add further personalisation, aside from the use of language already discussed.

If you have an email contact list of people who are interested in receiving information from you then you should also have a list of full names that go with it. Never send emails to people who have not opted to receive them as they could be flagged as spam. Using your list of names you can add a personal greeting to each email such as ‘Dear’ or a more informal ‘Hello’. This will instantly grab your readers’ attention and more importantly make clear who the email is intended for and so reduce the risk of being blocked by a spam filter.

 

If you use email marketing software you can add a personal greeting to every individual email or even include the recipient’s name in the subject line. Remember to also add who the email is from using your personal name or company name, depending on which is more appropriate.

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