Four Questions to Ask Yourself About Trigger Email "Trigger emails have thrust their way into the online marketing consciousness with a confident swagger and the promise of a brighter future for all," writes Mark Brownlow at Email Marketing Reports. "The positive press has its justification: trigger emails seem to solve the main challenges faced by the modern email marketer. And the campaign results make impressive reading."
But what questions should you be asking if—like Brownlow—triggers aren't your area of expertise? He brainstorms several, including these:
Have you optimized your campaign basics? Before rushing to implement trigger email, be sure your email marketing fundamentals—subject lines, preheaders, designs, layouts, copy and calls to action—are in tip-top shape.
How will trigger email affect your frequency caps? "If you've decided there is some upper limit on the number of emails any one person gets from you in a set period of time, do trigger emails count?" Brownlow asks. You might exempt them from caps because they're highly targeted and highly relevant—but will subscribers simply see more email than they wanted?
What happens when customers get savvy to potential trigger perks? Just as constant discounts train customers to wait for discounts, there's a chance they'll get wise to the benefits of manipulating a trigger. "I won't lie," says Brownlow. "I've abandoned shopping carts to see if the etailer sends me an abandoned cart email with a coupon in it."
Will customers find your knowledge of their behavior unnerving? "As someone with over a decade of email marketing behind them," he explains, "I still get big brother goose bumps when an email casually states 'we noticed you haven't opened any recent emails from us.'"
The Po!nt: Think before you launch. Trigger email holds great potential—but successful implementation takes plenty of thought and testing.
Source: Email Marketing Reports.
Looking for great email marketing data? MarketingProfs reviewed hundreds of research sources to create our most recent Email Marketing Factbook (May 2010). With 129 pages and 90 charts, it is full of relevant email marketing stats and trends. The Email Marketing Factbook is Part 1 of the complete Digital Marketing Factbook (our 296-page full report).
|
