Attention! 7 Emails That Break Through to Customers

It’s the most daunting challenge facing any email marketer: how do you make sure your message gets noticed among the flood of emails your customers are inundated with every day?

The answer is certainly not to bombard them with a daily barrage of communication in hopes that the odds of probability will work in your favor.

Instead, you must get strategic. When you send an email to your customers, make it count. Be creative. Be thoughtful. Be inventive. Be different.

Here are seven types of emails that are guaranteed to make your customers take notice:

The Name-Dropper

Hitch your wagon to the brightest star around. Namely, if you’ve got a hot brand or a hot commodity sitting on your shelves, make sure your customers know it’s there.

Everyone knows that J.Crew sells polo shirts, suits and khaki pants. What probably doesn’t spring to mind when you hear the name J. Crew is accessories for high-tech gadgets.

However this email promoting their exclusive line of the ultra-trendy DODO brand cases will certainly catch the eye of their iPad-toting customers.

The Deep Cuts

What products or services do you offer that many of your customers might not be aware of?

In the case of Bed, Bath & Beyond, the “Beyond” apparently includes bed and bath accessories for pets. Who knew?

Showcasing your lesser-known but highly desirable lines is a great way to get your customers to look at your brand again with fresh eyes.

The Ultra-Utilitarian

Even in today’s age of information overload, a really good tip or a truly valuable piece of wisdom is still a rarity that won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Make over your bathroom for under $100? What budget-conscious homeowner wouldn’t find those suggestion ultra-useful?

Think about the ideas and insights that you – as an expert in your field – have that your customers would value. Choose one and shape it into a concise, powerful email. Hit send.

The Attainable Fantasy

Emails like these look like a page torn from a magazine. Rather than just offering a laundry list of new products, they present an enticing example of how all of those products can be used together in the real world, whether it’s to create a fresh new outfit to wear to the office or a perfectly coordinated summer party worthy of Martha Stewart herself.

The Heartstring-Tugger

Another email about clothes? Ho hum.

An email about adopting homeless animals? Now that’s how you get attention.

Find a cause that’s near and dear to the hearts of those that belong to your tribe. Form a partnership and create events together that drive customers into your store, whether you collect used books for a literacy program, let customers donate their used jeans in exchange for a discount or give a percentage of your sales for the day to a local food bank.

The Exclusive Invitation

No one wants to feel like they’re missing out on something special. Offer a one-time discount, a special boutique or a private event exclusive to your email list, and they won’t be able to resist at least taking a peek to see what it’s all about.

The Personal Touch

Marketing emails tend to be inherently impersonal by nature. No one’s kidding themselves that your message isn’t being broadcast to hundreds or thousands of other addresses.

But if you can find the opportunity to develop a more personalized email – whether in the form of tailored product recommendations, a customer service outreach or even a birthday greeting – by all means, do it. It may require a bit more engineering to execute, but the impact is well worth the investment.

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Management 2.0: How to Use Social Media to Boost Productivity

Social media: it’s not just for marketing anymore

Usually, when companies talk social media, the discussion revolves around how these networks can be used to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between their brand and their customers. However, what most companies almost never consider is how social media platforms can also be used internally to strengthen connections and facilitate communication between management and employees. In fact, more often than not, the use of social media in the workplace is a hot-button topic for managers who fear the specter of distraction and idleness. So is it really possible that social media – with its reputation as the ultimate time-waster – can actually promote productivity? Let’s take a look:

Facebook

As a manager, when you think of employees using Facebook at work, you probably imagine cubicles filled with people frittering away valuable company time posting status updates, commenting on friends’ photos and playing games like Farmville. But have you considered how you could use your employees’ affinity for Facebook to your advantage to foster better internal communication? By using the “Secret Group” setting, you can create a group that is visible only to its members. This option – along with the new Group Chat feature that allows multiple people to participate in a topic thread – make Facebook a great tool for far-flung teams to use for collaboration and brainstorming.

Twitter

In the world of social media, Twitter has perhaps the worst reputation as a forum for the inane. However, it’s also an invaluable weapon in the competitive arena. Never before has it been easier to keep tabs on your competitors, your customers and the trends that are shaping your industry and business today. Following the right companies, people and media outlets creates an infinite stream of information to cull for ideas and inspiration. Encourage your employees to keep their radar up and to share interesting finds with one another, and you may just find that the seeds of your Next Big Thing spring from Twitter. In addition, consider setting up a private Twitter account for your company, selecting the “protect my tweets” option to limit the visibility of your tweets only to those you allow to follow the account (i.e., your employees). Suddenly Twitter becomes a very useful tool for broadcasting company-wide updates and announcements – particularly if you’re managing a virtual workforce whose members are scattered across a number of different physical locations.

Google+

While brand pages for Google+ have yet to be unleashed, the ability to use the platform as an internal communication tool is already here. Specifically, the Hangout feature offers a free and easy-to-use group video chat platform. From remote presentations to meetings between colleagues who are traveling to impromptu discussions – there are a myriad of potential uses for Hangouts. And since Google+ is built into the Google suite of products, it won’t be a hard sell to your employees, since chances are good that they’re already using a number of other tools like Gmail, Docs and Reader.

New tools for a new workforce

As clichéd as the saying may be, when it comes to social media and productivity, it’s time to start thinking outside the box. These are tools to be embraced, not feared. Social media networks are where people live online today. Your employees use social media; they like and are familiar with its platforms and their conventions. So if you’re looking for new tools to promote productivity, improve communication and foster innovation among the members of your team, why not start with the ones that are already an integral part of their lives? Still not sold? Just remember this: at one point email was considered a waste of company time and money…and we all know how that turned out.

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