permission + relevance = attention

Nearly all of us are guilty of sending out emails that we wouldn't want to read ourselves.  You know the kind -- routine marketing emails that come off the interactive assembly line weekly with same old subject line, look and content.  Don't believe me?  Check your own inbox and, in doing so, it's easy to confirm one simple truth -- emails lacking relevance are easily ignored, even if you've given permission to receive it.

So what can be done to get customers interested? Begin by applying a simple formula to every email broadcast.  That is, permission + relevance = attention.  Miss the relevance element and risk being ignored.

To make your emails truly relevant, examine what you know about each customer and then bring it up in the context of the marketing email.  You'll find that there are many things you're not saying that you could be.  Know your customer's member anniversary?  Recognize that fact in the subject line and email copy when the time comes.  Do the same with other significant customer events like initial purchases, proximity to program tiers, award accrual, profile expiration or declining purchase pace.  Also, make sure the subject line sets an expectation that more will be said within the actual email content.

To superheat your email response rates, mix these event-triggered messages with routine broadcasts so that customers immediately see the relevance and the relationship your cultivating with them. With the added relevance, customers are much more likely to open these routine emails and, as a result, will be more likely to see the revenue-generating stuff you actually want them to read.