I’ve been working with someone gearing up for their first email marketing campaign. Sometimes you get close to a topic and you take things for granted, so it has been a good refresher course in how little some marketers know about email. We’re not talking the sophisticated emailing companies like REI or Alaska Airlines here, but the smaller company that has the wherewithal to be doing email marketing but not the knowledge.
With that in mind, here’s one really important aspect to keep in mind when planning your email marketing campaign: Have something people want. Have a great offer.
Just because you think it’s a good idea, just because you would want it, don’t assume the person getting your email necessarily wants to download your whitepaper or buy your gadget, or watch your video ad. Whatever you’re offering has to be truly compelling. You know how much email everyone gets every day because you suffer from the deluge too.
Maybe we take a lesson from Jim Collins book “Good to Great” when thinking about what we’re going to offer? He says good is the enemy of great, because if you’re good, you’re “good enough” and that’s not the same as being great.
Next time you’re planning an email marketing campaign, really evaluate that offer and ask yourself: is this a good offer? Or is it great? If it’s only “good enough,” go back and try again.
Otherwise, your emails will be wasted opportunities, not the revenue generators they should be.
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