Thursday, February 3, 2011

E-mail Marketing and Snowmageddon 2011

Much of the country is recovering from some wicked weather.

It got me thinking about segmentation.

When was the last time someone reminded you to cross-reference your e-mail marketing and customer outreach schedule against weather patterns?

If you know your customers (or, for the agencies and consultants, your clients' customers) will be stuck at home or an airport with nothing to do what are you waiting for?

Gently remind them to upgrade that weather-related insurance policy, buy that space heater they have been wanting or subscribe to your very entertaining content. Better yet - offer the affected region a special discount, trial or piece of content for the day to stimulate interest and sales while demonstrating how in-tune you are with their situation. Acknowledge those stuck in transit by ensuring your efforts are smartphone-friendly.

Help your customers solve their immediate needs when you know you'll have their attention. Digital communications tools backed by a disciplined process make it cost-effective and easy to turn on and off. So, much like the weather, you can keep stakeholders on their toes.

E-mail marketing is the tip of the iceberg. If you want to learn more about how digital communications tools can help you or your clients accomplish business goals you can always contact me or follow me on Twitter.