23 Apr Networx: Email Marketing – Why it still works
Our recent Networx explored what makes Email Marketing one of the most influential digital tools. Email has more users than all social media platforms combined.
The Networx panel included Email Marketing and CRM professionals and practitioners across banking, wellness and not for profit. They shared their insights and experiences on this powerful communications channel and provided practical advice on how to achieve cut-through with Email Marketing. Speakers included Simon Byrne, Sales & Marketing Manager at Andzen digital agency; Adin Alihodzic, CRM Specialist at Rabobank; Tahi Cody, Spa Manager at Endota Spa Martin Place; and Will Macleod, Online Communications Manager at RSPCA Australia.
Email Marketing expert, Simon kicked-off the night’s discussion reflecting upon the purpose of Email Marketing for businesses. He said that it ultimately comes down to defining what your customers/clients mean to you and what this audience expects from your business. Simon expressed that businesses should ask themselves; “What value can we provide to our clients?” In turn, this will dictate the types of emails that are sent out. Adin illustrated the purpose of Email Marketing at Rabobank Group. “On the RaboDirect side, you would virtually cut out half of your communications to the customer without Email Marketing.” He explained that as an online savings bank, Email Marketing serves the role of informing and educating customers.
Will highlighted that at RSPCA Australia, “Email Marketing is about having a one-on-one discussion with our supporters. We do a lot of campaigning and we view our subscribers as being a voice behind us, our ambassadors.” Simon expanded on this in saying, “Your email subscribers are always going to be your brand ambassadors, more so than your social media followers.” He attributed this to the fact that someone who has given you their email address voluntarily is always going to give a lot more value to you brand then someone who has just followed you on twitter or liked you on Facebook, because it’s a bigger commitment.
When it comes to structuring Email Marketing campaigns, Simon advised that it is important to remember “Customers don’t like to be sold to, they like to be educated, they like to be given value, they like to be shown that you care about them.” It is all about knowing your audience!
Adin said that because the Rabobank side is a relationship business, sending an email that promotes a product is nowhere near as effective as sending an email regarding a special event.
Tahi also shared how different demographics can dictate the tone of Email Marketing campaigns. She stated, “My target in Sydney CBD is corporate, and that’s not going to work at Terrigal for example. In Paddington, you have your social media mums and that’s where the focus is there.” Tahi highlighted that the corporate market is time conscious and therefore emails have to be concise and to the point, “It’s got a lot to do with the subject line.” In relation to this, Tahi has observed that emails that are disseminated at 9am have a high open-rate.
When it comes to segmenting your audience, Simon said that it is best to create key personas within your database through observing your subscribers trends. In line with this, all speakers highly recommended split testing subject lines as a way of targeting the email that is attracting the most subscriber attention.
As to how often you should be emailing Simon communicated, “There is no rule of thumb when it comes to how often you should be emailing.” He advised that businesses should email only when they have something of value to offer. Simon maintained that you want your recipients to say ‘that benefitted me.’
For more information about Networx visit http://networxevents.com.au/sydney/