With the rise of consumption-based models following the release of Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud on Core, these tools aim to maximise business impact and encourage targeted approaches in Marketing. Marketers will need to move beyond the ‘spray and pray’ technique when sending emails and into a habit where every interaction, every touch point and every email needs to be data-driven and intentional. Whilst the consumption-based model isn’t applicable for Account Engagement customers, users should still adopt and shift their mindset to act as if it were the same for them.
This means that marketers should stop blasting emails to their entire database or even specific segments they are targeting, as every email has a tangible cost. You are still paying for how many prospects you have in your database. Have you ever wondered why industry benchmarks for clicks are so low, but are considered good when they are only 2-3%?
There’s a lot of noise in email marketing, but this isn’t a limitation, but rather an opportunity for a smarter approach.
What does this mean for you and how can you be an intentional marketer?
- Persona development & segmentation: Generic messaging should no longer be an option. Do a deep dive into your data to create granular segments, add another layer to your existing segmentation lists. Do you know who you are emailing and if they are decision-makers or influencers? What are their pain points? What content will align with them?
- Quality over quantity: Focus on sending fewer but more highly relevant emails. Each email send should have a clear purpose. It could be the start of a journey for a net new customer, or it’s nurturing an existing customer who has had your product/service for a while, and it’s time to upgrade. Can you give them better information than your competitors?
- Value: Is this email genuinely providing value to the recipient? If the answer is not a yes, should you be sending that email? The value can be educational information, an exclusive offer or a solution to a genuine problem. Think of the financial, emotional and structural bonds for a customer wanting to purchase from you and how it can impact value & loyalty.
- Reporting: Are you reviewing your previous campaigns and seeing what worked, or not so much? Little time is spent on reporting to understand the performance of campaigns before jumping to the next campaign to run. Take some time, review where you were seeing success and build on these. But remember, something that did not work one year ago might be more successful the next year. Little adjustments should always be made where digital technology changes and perceptions of people change.
These are not strategies specific to Account Engagement, but for all email marketing tools. If you adopt this shift towards intentionally emailing your prospects, you will improve your campaign successes.
