Email marketing is going through a period of change. Gmail’s redesign is only the latest and most notable of these changes, and they’re making email marketers work hard to maintain and improve on their current marketing practices. While some email services promise to do this hard work for you, the reality is that companies who win in uncertain times are those who have built trust with their users. How can you build trust in today’s environment?
Here are our top tips:
BUILD STRONGER LISTS
Even as late as last year, a lot of email marketers had a “bigger is better” mentality when it come to their recipient lists. The theory went something like this: building a bigger list and staying out of the spam filter meant that more bulk email would be read. If only a fixed percentage of people converted, emailing more people was a guaranteed way to get more conversions.
Why is this a problem? First, users have gotten tired of this strategy and are more likely than ever to mark your mass emails as spam. Tactics that worked on the past – building huge lists by requiring email addresses to use your website, getting email addresses through third-party vendors, etc. – are now seen as spam tactics and are likely to diminish your trust among users.
Second, Gmails redesign means that your emails aren’t going to inboxes anyway and are instead going to a separate “promotional” tab within the Gmail interface. This is great for users who don’t want to receive spam, but it means that your users now have to look specifically for your emails to read them. Building a strong list in which your users opt in at least once (and hopefully twice) will help you single out the recipients who want to read your mail and will seek it out.
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS
Users need to know what they’re signing up for. Telling them up front exactly what they’re be receiving or even letting them choose the types of emails they’d like to receive is great for this. If a user gives you his email address only to be bombarded with ads for women’s shoes, he is unlikely to trust your brand. If instead he signs up to receive weekly deals on golfing vacations, he’ll start seeking out your emails when they are sent to his address (provided you send him good deals on golfing vacations, of course).
TARGET BETTER
Consumers trust your emails when they feel as though your emails are tailored directly to their needs. In my earlier example, targeting a user who is interested in golf vacations means that he is far more likely to seek your emails directly and far less likely to unsubscribe or label you as spam. Taking more time up-front to segment your users into groups is an ideal way to send better-focused content to your already strong email list.