The Venus Report - SIX WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR E-COMMUNICATION.

Friday, November 02, 2007

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SIX WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR E-COMMUNICATION.

Talking to your online database can be tricky marketing business.
You need to make sure they’re listening to you with their eyes and fingers.

Your email has to grab them from the inbox, and proceed to the motion of clicking open the email and sticking with you through the communication.

Outlined below are some questions you need to ask yourself when you are evaluating your online communication.

1.Hook em with a headline.
Grab their attention. We all know how we scan a busy inbox for the most important emails to read first.

Make yours one of them, with a compelling call to action, interesting offer, or some wit and humour. Nothing is more compelling that the promise of a reward or smile for opening some mail.

If your consumer is spending time with your brand via a one on one letter, it is your chance to be more conversational, casual and friendly.

Even an announcement of 25% off can be treated with sass and an upbeat tone.

2.Is it e-relevant?
Have you got new news? Don’t send them old, irrelevant, or already seen news.

With any luck, the reason they joined your database to begin with, was to get the latest scoop, and be rewarded with early information for being loyal to your brand.

Otherwise, what’s in it for them?

So play to your brand strengths.

Make sure every email has a reward for reading, or that "unsubscribe" option at the base of your email might just get a look in.

Once you have them, keep them.

3.Is it a byte size?
If the less-is-more law was ever relevant, it is here. No one wants to read a long and boring letter from their Aunt Bessie about her dietary habits, cat antics and neighbours gout problem.

Get straight to the point, cut to the chase and keep them communicated with in an efficient manner.

It’s probably why they signed up to begin with. They don’t have time for catalogue browsing, watching telly, or looking out for your ads.

They are busy people who know how to control their flow of communication.

They are in charge of the relationship so respect their time.

4.Does it look visual-e stimulating?
Start with an image or visual.

Do you have the thousand words in that picture?

Does it inspire you to continue reading? Does it telegraph the content?

Break up the deluge of business and personal emails in their Inbox with a powerful pic.

Remember how lovely it was to get a letter in the mail with a photo? The same rule applies.

5.Does the click thru click?

So you got them to open the email with a great headline, you impressed them with the content.

Now to get them to your site…

Have you got a reason? It may be a competition, a print out voucher, a "see the full range", a "read the whole story" that incites the recipient to keep on clicking.

Ask yourself why they would want to hop on your website.

Will they click thru and be impressed?

6.Do I like the habit they've got me in?

If you are engaging in a strong email campaign, then your loyal audience will love you.

Your communication will be a light point in their day, a minute with your brand may be "me time" and an escapism from a day of dross emails.

Many fashion brands, such as Topshop, get it right. They are relevant and rewarding. They are visually communicating, they are enticing. They are touching a side of their consumer that is hard to get in touch with.

Your database is a valuable property.

Treat them well and they'll continue to swell.

Handy hint: If you're planning to go down this path it pays to become an active online customer yourself. So sign up to as many varied online databases as you can handle. Especially your competitors! You'll soon find out which ones do it well – you’ll be glad to see them. Likewise, list the reasons you end up deleting and unsubscribing others.

Thursday, November 01, 2007 11:09:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)