Without a List, You’re at a Disadvantage
Are you asking people to sign up for your email list on your site? If you aren’t, you’re not taking advantage of the best way to remarket to your existing customer base, and grow a list outside of that base.
“But people don’t want to sign up for lists,” you say. “They think they’ll get spammed.”
Well, it all depends on how you handle the signup. What’s the benefit to the browser, other than having their name on yet another enewsletter list? Well, let’s say you have a product that changes frequently. You could say something like, “Don’t browse–let us come to you. Sign up and find out about the latest updates on your favorite products as soon as they occur.” You’ve now given them a reason to sign up.
Oh, and the spam thing? Make sure your privacy policy is right there up front. Also make sure it’s understandable. If people know you aren’t going to sell their name, they’re a lot more likely to sign up.
Or, perhaps your IT director says, “Email is passé. RSS feeds are where it’s at now.”
Yes, that’s fine, and when the new version of Windows is out, with RSS a seamless part of the operating system, they have a point. Until then, you can use your email list to reach customers—and even get them to sign up for your RSS blogs and podcasts.
Once you have your list, it’s time to use the most advanced personalization methods available for email today. We’re not talking about simply including someone’s name in the offer. Today, email can be segmented by geography, by average spend, by user preferences, by individual products owned, and more. You should be able to customize the content of an email to be relevant to each specific recipient. Don’t offer them a lower price on a product they already own—sell them the upgrade. Don’t send them a free pass to an event that’s a hundred miles away—send them down the street. Doing this increases the sales from each email by 900%, according to Jupiter Research.
It’s easy to think of email as passé, but in actuality, it is the most effective way to remarket to your existing customers, and to turn browsers into future buyers.
Ignore the list? Turn up your nose at enewsletters? Do so at your own risk—your competition doesn’t.
