Mark Brownlow wrote a nice piece about the differences between email newsletters and promotions. We are beginning to see more conversations taking place in the marketplace, especially with the increase in Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Not too many years ago, we would sit back in an almost powerless fashion and watch the persuasive promotions crafted to get us to buy something – a certain product or service. Consumers are demanding a more direct and transparent relationship with vendors today. Heck, even CEOs of major companies are communicating directly with their customers today on blogs, Facebook, Twitter and in email.
Consumers today are savvy creatures who often take glossy ads for what they are worth. Product and service promotions certainly still influence behavior and cause action. But, as consumers, we have become much more desensitized to advertising over the years. Especially in our inbox, which fills with promotion after promotion from product and service providers each day.
Today, many consumers are seeking timely and relevant responses to their needs from authentic and engaged providers/partners who are actually listening to them rather than persuasive pitches glorifying products that may or may not respond to their needs. Consumer behavior is changing. The game is shifting.
What conversations are you taking part in? What relationships are you building? Are your emails purely promotional messages or do they respond to topical conversations in your industry? Do your emails bridge recipients to timely and relevant conversations that are taking place about something they are interested in? Hopefully, your email campaigns are doing both.
