Email is the most-used channel by consumers to engage with brands and vendors, according to Marketo's The State of Engagement. Seventy-nine percent of consumers use email --more than websites, social media and mobile devices. Still, many experiential and event marketers struggle with this communication method before, during and after a live event. Emails with irrelevant content, non-personalized messages, and a high frequency -- all of these can turn customers off and hinder sales.
Here are some email best practices that ensure marketing messages don't end up in a customer's Trash folder.
Unlike other types of marketers, many experiential marketers focus their energies on the build-up to a live event. Whether it's a trade show, exhibition, in-store experience or activation, these marketers invest nearly of all their time and resources in event prep.
A typical event marketer spends 33.5 percent of their budget on areas like marketing support and sales; 29.2 percent on digital marketing; 20.5 percent on physical and live events; and 9.9 percent on traditional advertising. Only 6.9 percent of event marketing budgets -- that's less than a 14th -- are allocated to direct marketing and email.
The problem is that most experiential marketers don't know how to execute email marketing properly, and many of them churn out email content that doesn't resonate with prospects. According to The State of Engagement:
Too many emails can also annoy consumers. "Email fatigue" can result in a drop in engagement, open rates and clicks. Research shows that customers are most likely to unsubscribe from an email list because they receive too many emails from a company. Twenty-six percent of internet users say they get too many email messages in general.
Email marketing delivers real value in the experiential space. In fact, implementing a highly targeted email campaign after a live experience is just as important as the event itself. Experiential marketers can use email to follow-up on leads, move prospects through the sales cycle and up-sell products and services, for example.
Email spans generations, too. Nearly 68 percent of teens and 73 percent of millennials prefer to receive communication from businesses via email. More than half of young people rely on email to purchase products online.
"The reality is [email] is your most valuable piece of owned media," says the Forbes Agency Council. "These subscribers (some that are likely customers and some that are not) provided permission to be marketed to when they opted into your email program; it doesn't get much better than individuals inviting you to send them offers and information. Whether your list is 10,000 or 10 million, that inbox is incredibly valuable real estate."
There's a knack to crafting the perfect marketing message. People prefer when companies send accurate, targeted emails. In fact, 76 percent of consumers like how brands send relevant emails that reflect their shopping preferences, location or purchase history.
Customers like personalization, too. Sixty-two percent of recipients are more likely to open an email with a personalized subject line.
Many big businesses have mastered the art of creating highly personalized emails. Take Iberia Airlines, for example. During the 2016 holiday season, the company sent emails to customers asking them to name their dream destination and travel partner. Shortly after, the chosen travel companion -- a friend, family member, colleague, etc. -- received a greeting card featuring the named location.
Emails are the ultimate promotional tools for experiential marketers. They accumulate data, improve the consumer experience and advertise products and services. The latest tech, however, has streamlined many of the mundane tasks associated with manual email sending. Marketing automation software, in particular, tracks prospects after an event has ended and keeps consumers engaged at every point of the sales cycle.
"Marketing automation is becoming the system of record for modern marketers," says David Moth, writing for Econsultancy. "It's the place where they can manage all their data and create a rich profile of their target buyers. With this intelligence, they can send out the right information at the right time to move prospects along on their buying journey." Research shows that marketing automation drives a 14.5 percent sales productivity boost and a 12.2 percent marketing overhead reduction.
It's been around for years now, and despite more recent technologies -- social media, mobile apps, video sharing, etc. -- email remains the most-used marketing method. Some experiential and event marketers struggle with this channel, but there is a solution. Marketing automation software and other programs boost the effectiveness of experiential campaigns by delivering highly-targeted marketing messages to the right consumers at the right time. This software is the strongest weapon in any experiential marketer's arsenal.
