Customer Engagement – Are your emails being opened?
Our inboxes are full of emails trying to sell to us and if you’re like me, you either regularly delete a stack without reading them or straight up unsubscribe. Many of us have email fatigue and with the neverending goal of inbox-zero status, we’re all becoming pretty picky about what we bother opening and reading in full. The same applies to any other forms of contact where we get the feeling we’re being sold to.
Why don’t we read what we signed up for?
You no longer read those emails because they failed you at some point. They didn’t deliver what you wanted or needed and you gave up on them.
Initially, there was purpose and there was promise when you signed up. At some point there was a motivating force that made you want to join, be part of ‘the club’. Perhaps it was a special offer upon sign-up or access to special events or offers. There was a silent promise of more. More of the experience that had you sign up in the first place.
But it didn’t convey. Generating the same energy and experience through your communications can be hard to pass on without all the sensory elements that are present in-store. It can be done though.
It is possible to create read-worthy material yourself that doesn’t get deleted from the get-go. Here are my top three tips to keep customer relationship momentum in your communications.
3 Tips To Keep Your Customers ‘Into You’
- Create content that’s informative. Make it worth the time it takes to read it. Sounds straight-forward right? The biggest mistake most businesses make is that they’re too ‘selly’. Yes, the whole purpose is to sell but even more, you’re looking to build a connection between your customer and your business, one that lasts well beyond the first sale. In a world where we’re easily distracted and spoiled for choice, we need to cut through the noise and create content that is truly valuable for our customers. For a cafe, customers may see immense value in being given the recipe of a signature dish or even a kitchen tip they will find helpful or interesting (all made better with the help of images).
- Keep the ‘selly’ stuff to a minimum. A continuous barrage of promoting the same thing is tiresome and just plain pushy. Update customers with new offerings sure but mix it up a little. Introduce your staff with a short profile so they’ll recognise the new faces, share your community involvement news, information you know will connect you with your customers a little more.
- Include imagery that will evoke a positive response. An image of food on a white background has less impact than that same food in a warm table setting. You can take perfectly great photographs on your smart phone without needing a professional. Choosing the types of image you want to convey is vital. You would have seen men’s fashion stores catalogues with shots taken on a boat or at the beach. They know their target market appreciates a lifestyle by the water (or at least dreams of it). Think about where you are, what your best customers appreciate and incorporate it into your business in ways like this.
Don’t overdo it. Keep it short and to the point. A warm and friendly tone.The beauty is in the subtle sell. Ultimately you want people to read what you create and connect with your business in a way that will have you gliding past the competition in the eyes of the customer. Get to it.