A new role for content in retail email marketing?

Part 1 How content can help you succeed in the inbox

A lot of retailers are pretty good at "doing email marketing right".

A nice subject line, nice offer, nice call to action, nice numbers in your campaign reports.

The problem is that an awful lot of other people are competing for the reader's attention. And a lot of them are also "doing things right".

Some senders are lucky to have the right kind of brand, loyalty and pricing structure to glibly ignore such competitive worries.

Many do not.

And the problem with "functional optimization" is it can be replicated.

As competitive pressures rise, a common response is to discount more, shout louder and shout more often as we seek to grab as much attention as we can in the inbox gold rush.

It's tough going.

There are various alternative solutions to this problem, not least the switch to behavior-based, trigger emails, but one option is to look to quality content as an additional promotional email strategy.

Now why would you want to do that?

Consider the example of Wasp Barcode Technologies. They used a welcome email series to focus on topics relevant to new users of their software, "...such as training, online tutorials, warranties and software tips".

The series ended with offers on accessories and upgrades. According to Internet Retailer: "The messages designed to sell accessories or other products average a 25% higher CTR than previous email campaigns".

I think that content offers these four major benefits...

1. Exploit social sharing

A recent report suggests sharing now accounts for some 10% of all web traffic.

Facebook has over 500 million active users, Twitter has over 200 million registered users...and we have a lot of tools to help people share our emails with their network of choice (so-called SWYN - share with your network - functionality).

Annoyingly, people only share what they consider worth sharing.

So what is worth sharing?

ContactLab asked Europeans what got them to share email newsletters on social networks. The top answer was..."Interesting content".

Yes, people will share coupons and offers. But content lets you also tap into that segment of sharers that is disinclined to pass around commercial offers.

2. Distinguish yourself from the competition

If everyone's list offers roughly the same deals, what's keeping them on your list?

Quality content is one way to stand out from the pile of senders desperately seeking online attention.

3. Boost attention, engagement and loyalty

Emails looking for a sale work. But the very nature of that goal has clear limitations: or are you getting 100% CTR on your promotional messages?

However targeted you make those messages, they still rely on a big dose of serendipity. Am I, right now, in a frame of mind to want to buy? And am I, right now, in a position to do so?

Of course there's the nudge effect, awareness and mindshare bonus that comes with repeated exposure to your messages. But quality content adds another dimension to your mails.

It can deliver an alternative point of interaction when the main promotion is not interesting, and provide more value to subscribers. Value drives attention, engagement and loyalty.

4. Increase conversions

An ecommerce website typically has a lot of content that supports the decision-making process of a potential buyer: testimonials, user reviews, how-to articles, FAQs etc.

Now not all of that is suited to the email environment, but some of it could be. And what about linking to that supporting content?

And product suggestions woven into helpful content can also work. MarketingSherpa highlighted a pet supplies firm that tested greater emphasis on articles, rather than promotions, in their newsletter. The result? 15% more sales.

But what makes quality content for email marketing?

The term "quality content" tends to raise spectres of expensive video productions and 50-page ebooks. But anything that raises the value of the email to the recipient outside of the offer itself can be considered quality content.

Anything useful, entertaining or that simply evokes a positive emotional impact.

It might be text. It might be imagery. It might be the overall design that provides a better context for an offer: the same coffee tastes different depending if it's served in the cellars of the nearby lard factory or a rooftop bar on a luxury cruise ship.

Even with this wide remit of what might constitute quality content, many marketers struggle to get started with a content strategy. So next time around, I'll offer up a host of tips, ideas and suggestions for content and how you can produce it without breaking your budget.