A bit over five weeks ago I bought an item of software. The company’s email campaign convinced me that it was just what I wanted. It was. I’m very pleased with my purchase. The email also told me that the price was ‘never to be repeated’. That too was correct. At least it was literally correct.
Any email marketing campaign needs to be planned with care. It is no good just picking an item, deciding the price and then banging it out to everybody on your lists. Not only would you be missing many of the advantages of email marketing, you would be falling behind your competitors.
Planning process for Email Marketing Campaign
Deciding to whom you will send the email is made easier by your email marketing software. Failure to use information is a recipe for failure overall. Keep records and keep referring to them.
I am using my recently purchased software whilst writing this article. It is behaving fairly well and much better than the software it replaced. Therefore, you would think, I must be happy. But I am not.
This morning I got my fairly regular marketing email from the software producers with their latest email marketing campaign. I am a repeat customer. I use their web authoring software, their publishing software and some more minor stuff, so I am somebody they should look after.
Imagine how I felt to discover that the cost of the software I had purchased at the never to be repeated price had dropped by some 14.2%. My first reaction was that I had been lied to.
I am not stupid. I can guess that the previous email marketing campaign, the dearer one you will remember, did not hit its target. The company was left with stock before an upgrade so a second email campaign was the obvious response. I have no problem with that.
It seems to me though that despite my regular purchases the company did not value my custom. They must know, or I hope they do, that I have already purchased the item. Their email marketing software should show that. However it seems they could not be bothered to check before hitting me with their latest email campaign, one which interested me only because it made me feel cheated.
Effective Email Marketing Strategy
There are a number of lessons here. The first is not to irritate your regular customers, of which I am one. I upgrade, buy regularly and have been on their lists for five years. I should be treasured. It is a competitive world out there, one full of companies which do not lie to their customers.
Secondly, an email marketing campaign has gone to the wrong person. It is a wasted email. There is a certain frequency of email marketing that will have me clicking the unsubscribe button so to offer me something which I have already bought from them is patently a waste.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the wording was deceitful on the original email campaign. Never to be repeated gave me the impression that the price of that specific item would never be as low again. Being literally correct is not enough.