3 Ways to Score an A+ With Back-to-School Email Campaigns
Many top retailers start planning their back-to-school campaigns the moment the last bell rings in June. However, email continues to be an underutilized tool among many marketers and shouldn't be left to the last minute before a sale. The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects back-to-school spending to reach $74.9 billion this year, certainly not revenue any retail brands want to miss out on. Consider these three ways to start prepping your email campaigns now so you can make the grade this back-to-school season:
1. Start sending emails now. Many retail marketers are fearful of sending too many emails too often, and as a result end up missing out on significant revenue because they're afraid of being labeled as spammers. It's important to remember consumers have opted in to your emails at some point and as long as the communication provides genuine value, they'll be receptive — particularly during heavy spending times like back to school when they're itching for a good deal.
To justify this increase in mailing frequency, retailers should develop a framework for messages and build campaigns around relevant themes. Whether it's a countdown to the first day of school, daily school supply deals or suggestions for teachers getting ready to set up their classrooms for the year, anything that builds a sense of anticipation is likely to be accepted by your subscribers.
Increase frequency responsibly and start figuring out how you can deliver the right balance between value and volume before sending anything out to your subscribers. As with any other time of the year, use data to drive the decision-making process and react and adjust as needed throughout the lifecycle campaign.
2. Find the right subject line. Subject lines are just one element of a perfect email campaign, but one that shouldn't be overlooked. Since they're the first thing a consumer sees in their inbox, their power to inspire action both online and offline is a very valuable asset for retailers.
Recent Alchemy Worx research with our new Touchstone tool showed that some of the best retail-related words for subject lines are ones that made consumers feel special and continued to build that positive sense of anticipation for the upcoming school year. Terms like "platinum" and "VIP" were among the top performers. Seemingly small differentiations can also have a significant impact, with words like "promotional" and "congratulations" faring much better in the subject line than words like "discount" or "discounts."
While the right subject line can drive actions online, retail marketers would also be wise to figure out how to measure offline responses as well. In reality, not everyone will click on your emails and make a purchase, but there's strong evidence that some might see the subject line mentioning your platinum sale, make a mental note of it and purchase via another channel a few days later. Being able to measure those responses is one of the best ways to demonstrate the additional value of email marketing campaigns.
3. Manage your resources. Once retailers have a strategy down, it's important to make sure all the other factors are in check. This means updating email templates, refining subscriber lists and making sure you're aware of any limits set by your email service provider. If retailers do find they're in need of additional resources, an external agency can offer extended capabilities, especially during such a busy time of the year.
Having all your basic resources in check is especially imperative for retail marketers that have their sights set on real-time marketing efforts in the coming months. You can only anticipate so many events happening. By making sure all the little things are in order, you'll ensure you're prepared should a relevant and timely situation occur. Having fresh and ready-to-use templates and properly segmented subscriber lists before the event hits will save you time and stress later on.
Dela Quist is the CEO of Alchemy Worx, an email marketing agency. Dela can be reached at dquist@alchemyworx.com.