• by Ryan Deutsch , July 8, 2010

As with many of you, I have been in the marketing technology space for a little while. During that time, I have heard (and certainly spoken) my share of buzzwords. In fact, I could probably throw together 500 words on email marketing buzzwords -- stay tuned for that blog post in the coming weeks! Anyway, two words I do not hear often enough in relation to email are "anticipated" and "appreciated." There are two interesting trends occurring in the email marketing space that make these particularly relevant: the flash sale and localized marketing.

The flash sale. Online shopping sites like Hautelook, Gilt Group, Rue La La, LivingSocial and others have created hugely loyal followings based on incredible offers that are exclusive to the members of their communities. Email is a critical component of their business, essentially allowing flash sale vendors to deliver large volumes of email simultaneously to an opt-in subscription list and have their customers race to the shopping cart and check out with their items before the "deal" disappears.

Why are these programs so successful? The complete transparency between the brand and the subscriber coupled with constancy in messaging results in a base of subscribers who anticipate the marketing offer. These opt-in programs are not interruption marketing tactics; rather, they represent the ability of an email marketer to create a program that is so valuable, consumers actually anticipate its arrival.

Unfortunately, email marketers have become complacent due to their own success. Email is a highly profitable channel, yet only a fraction of recipients actually engage with daily promotional messages from brands. Marketers must take a very close look at their programs and ask themselves, "Is my subscriber anticipating today's email communication -- or is he/she simply going to ignore the message, along with so many others?"

Here are some strategies to improve the anticipation factor of your email marketing communications:

1) Attach promotions to transactional email (purchase confirmations, shipping notices, password resets, etc.). All of these are anticipated messages that will be opened. Do not worry about inserting marketing here; as long as the message is relevant to the individual, you are good to go.

2) Create content or offers exclusively for the email channel. While it is unrealistic for every business to develop a "flash sale" approach, you can copy one critical strategy element from Hautelook and others: provide exclusive offers or content to subscribers. If consumers know that they are getting something "exclusive," they will be more likely to anticipate the content.

3) Schedule your communications at predetermined times. I am certain not everyone will agree with this strategy, but speaking as a consumer (and expert in email marketing), I love seeing my most-valued brand communications hitting my inbox at predetermined times. I anticipate the arrival of these messages and am in fact concerned if they do not arrive at the usual hour. Like waking up to a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal, there are a number of brand emails that help make my morning complete.

Localized marketing. I was reviewing my new Gmail messages yesterday (most of my personal mail is sent to this address) and almost fell off my chair when I saw an email from Kevin's Place, a local diner (and perhaps my favorite breakfast place in the world). The point is, Kevin's is not "somewhere in the world"; it is less than half a mile from my home. My initial thought was: "When did I give Kevin my email address?" I was sure I had not.

In fact, I had subscribed to WeDeal. WeDeal combines the time-sensitivity of a flash sale with the relevance of a localized marketing message.

This takes me to my second word: appreciated. I really appreciated an offer to save 40% at one of the local joints I frequent. Now, WeDeal had no idea that I had an affinity for Kevin's Place; however, its strategists did know enough to build a business model around email engagement with people from a specific locale receiving offers most-relevant to them. What tactics are your email communications leveraging to make content truly appreciated by your recipients?

Here are some thoughts on how business can make email communications more appreciated:

1. Don't just sell, add value. While email subscribers appreciate great deals and discounts, lasting connections between a brand and a consumer often need to be based on more than savings. Too many email marketers allow the channel to be a funnel for discounts and offers only. Try to wrap your campaigns in editorial content that adds value to the consumer experience with your brand. For example, if you are a travel and hospitality company, provide relevant travel tips or destination guides. This type of editorial wrapping makes emails more valuable and appreciated.

2. Provide insight. Most companies that communicate with an email subscriber base are experts in their own industry. Share that expertise with your subscriber base, and email programs become more appreciated. For example, if you are a sporting goods retailer, don't just sell baseball bats in your email communication. Instead, provide instructional content on how to select the right bat, videos on how to perfect a baseball swing, or tips on the most common errors made by young players and the ways to correct them.

3. Let the people speak. User-generated content is now a major part of almost every website I visit. However, I still see far too little of this content included in email communications. Likeminded people have a desire to engage and hear from others with similar tastes. Email marketers have the opportunity to share user-generated content with email subscribers in a very relevant way. Based on user-specific data attributes, email marketers can facilitate the relevant sharing of everything from ratings and reviews to community blog posts. Subscribers will appreciate your brand introducing content that was "penned" by other subscribers, resulting in increased trust and more appreciated communications.

As you plan your email marketing strategy for the coming quarters, ask yourself the simple question: "Are my subscribers anticipating my email communications -- and when they receive them. do they truly appreciate the content?" Answer honestly and you are on your way to increased opens, clicks, engagement and the overall profitability of your email programs.