• by Amanda Hinkle , August 28, 2014

Labor Day is right around the corner -- a holiday whose origins hark back to the Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s. This was a time when labor unions grew in popularity and leveraged their power to protest the unsafe working conditions and low wages forced upon many workers. At the time, President Grover Cleveland had a big challenge to address these issues. After failing to break up a railroad strike in 1894, he created Labor Day as a national holiday to officially celebrate the contributions and achievements of American workers.

Thankfully, labor conditions have improved significantly since then. To embody the spirit of Labor Day, I encourage you to look back at what has changed in your email marketing and celebrate the accomplishments of your digital team and programs.

For many marketers, the timing couldn’t be better.  Annual budget and planning season is upon us, and going through this exercise can be essential for understanding and generating consensus on where your marketing budget should be spent.  Not to mention it can be a great morale booster for your team.

Step 1: Look back and assess the conditions of your “labor force.” Do you have the right people, technologies and processes in place to evolve the customer experience for the digital era? How are they performing, and how is that reflected in the performance of your email marketing initiatives?

Step 2: Document team lessons. A simple method of documenting learnings is the start, stop and continue method. What should we start doing, what should we stop doing, and what do we need to continue or build on?  Document activities that fall within these three categories in a format that reads nicely for your executives and team members alike.  This is a simple and effective way of identifying the most meaningful email marketing opportunities to bring to life. 

Step 3: Communicate wisely. It’s one thing to document your email marketing learnings, and it’s another to communicate them effectively to the powers that be.  Don’t communicate in a silo.  Collaborate cross-functionally with relevant teams to create a story that aligns with your brand and executive vision.

Step 4: Celebrate your accomplishments. It’s party time! Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day that we fail to celebrate all the great work that’s coming out of our teams. In an ever-evolving industry that keeps us on our toes, take a moment to celebrate your teams’ accomplishments and get everyone excited for what lies ahead.

This exercise is just one slice of the email marketing pie, and the next step would be to use the fruits of your reflections to inform near- and long-term planning efforts. But for now, mirror the sentiment of Labor Day and take time to assess and celebrate your digital marketing accomplishments, generating enthusiasm to push forward new ideas and innovation. You and your team deserve it!
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