1. Keep it short and snappy

A lot of questions are answered by outliers who’ve had a very specific experience they want to comment on. This works well for companies to handle service complaints or prevent future problems, but it doesn’t do much to aggregate the information of the average customer. If you want to get information about your target audience, make it easy for them.

One way to do that is to respect your customers’ time. Don’t ask for responses with a high word count requirement, or ask people to rank a long list. By asking fewer questions, you give recipients the chance to be thoughtful in their responses.

Short and snappy example:

As this image from Engadget shows, Uber’s quick survey makes it simple to provide feedback in the form of stars. And, if there’s a problem, the survey taker can provide more details about their trip. The survey taker feels in control of their level of involvement.

2. Engage through questions

Make your questions interesting and easy to read; a poor design reflects poorly on your brand. The average email survey response rate is around 30 percent, so to get a large amount of recipients and make your data statistically relevant, you need to draw people in with eye-catching words and images.

Engaging example:

This example works because it connects with the audience in a positive way. It also lets recipients of this email know exactly how long the survey will take and how many questions it has. It also uses a tip we’ll cover below: offering incentives.

3. Ask questions in person

Take advantage of event booths and trade shows by using them as opportunities to interact with your customers. Not only can you speak to them or help them fill out a survey (try an iPad survey or a printed survey you hand out at your table), but you can pick up clues from their body language. To thank them, be ready to hand out gift cards or let people add their name to a raffle.

4. Offer an incentive

Incentives are an inexpensive way to boost your response rates. We’ve listed it last because your focus shouldn’t just be on paying to get responses, but on your customer experience itself. Use the above tips to position the survey in a way that makes people want to answer your questions. If people only take your survey for the chance of a reward, they may hurry through or fill it in without looking too closely.

Incentive example:

Not only does this ThredUP email come at the right time — right after a purchase — but it’s clear how much time and money is in it for the recipient. This forward approach lets you decide beforehand if you’re willing to spend the time required to get the reward.

5. Recognize opportunities for your business type

Survey design tips for different types of businesses are generally the same, but here are a few business-specific tips:

Restaurants

Try giving a paper survey at the end of the meal with the check or including a URL on the receipt where patrons can go to fill out the survey. Ask questions like: Was your meal satisfying? How was the overall service? Are you likely to dine with us again?

Retailers and service businesses

After a consultation or shopping trip, include a survey in customers’ information kit or shopping bag. With it, offer a discount or promotion for the next time they use your service or shop with you. Ask them how they’d rate their appointment, and how you could improve their experience in the future.

Nonprofits

To get recipients to engage with your nonprofit survey, let them know how completing the survey will contribute to improving the nonprofit’s work toward the cause.

Create the survey

You know how you want to format and ask your questions, but how do you make and distribute the survey? VerticalResponse’s Survey tool gives you the flexibility and ease you need to make and deploy an effective survey. Surveys are mobile-friendly to allow customers to respond when it’s convenient for them, and you don’t need to know how to code to create one. With unlimited surveys and real-time results, long-term success isn’t far away. Get the customer insights your company needs.

Take what you learn from the surveys to make improvements on what’s not working or to keep going with what’s working

Regardless of the tip (or tips!) you decide to implement, remember to reach out through email, physical mail, social media and your website to make sure people know about your survey.

The post Improve your survey response rate with these 5 tips appeared first on VerticalResponse.

What is email nurturing?

Email nurturing engages potential customers with the hope of turning them into loyal customers. When a visitor performs a specific behavior on your website, it triggers an email with targeted information to nurture that relationship with your brand. Data, personas and demographics come together to segment email lists; these allow you to send relevant content that helps customers on their journeys — whether they want to learn, research or purchase — while leaving an impression.

You can send a series of these targeted emails in a nurture stream to guide the potential customer through the buying process. Rather than just generating leads, the focus is on the follow-up with those leads.

Like anything worthwhile, it takes time to see results with email nurturing. Show customers you’re not wasting their time by offering useful information or extras like an eBook or case study. Based on their behavior with your content, you can interact with your audience in a natural way that leads them to take further action with your business.

The difference between email nurture and drip campaigns

Confusion is common around email nurturing and drip campaigns. To clear this up, here are some quick facts about drip campaigns:

• A drip campaign is a series of emails sent to a general audience at a set schedule
• Drip campaigns risk coming off as salesy or annoying if the frequency is too high
• Emails in a drip campaign are often sent to consistently put your business name in readers’ inboxes

Email nurturing campaigns aren’t based on a set schedule.

• Nurture campaigns are based on behavior (i.e. downloading an eBook, visiting a specific page multiple times or attending a webinar)
• A nurture campaign provides educational content while encouraging engagement
• A nurture campaign triggers successive emails based on past actions

The importance of email nurturing

According to Erica Adams, Integrated Marketing Principal at VerticalResponse’s partner company Deluxe, lead nurturing is important because “it meets a prospect where they’re at in their journey and offers relevant, timely resources to help them make thoughtful decisions.” Adams goes on to say, “Today’s buyers are independent in their research and decision-making, and lead nurturing gives you the opportunity to help them and position yourself as an expert.”

How to run effective email nurture campaigns

Creating your first, or fiftieth, email nurture campaign can feel overwhelming. We’ll break it down in six steps:

1. Identify how you help customers or what solutions you have to offer. Divide them into different categories. For example, a salon may separate hair color kits from products for different hair types. If a lead completes a quiz about their hair type, the salon would place them in a category that makes sense for them. The salon could empathize with its customers’ problems by sending out an email asking what they’re looking for, such as products for frizzy hair, tips to increase volume or ways to grow out hair.
2. Dig into your customer’s journey. Think about their behaviors, thoughts and feelings at every interaction with your company. Understanding potential pain points and roadblocks will help you nurture leads at each stage. Better yet, if you’ve got a team in sales or research, have them survey users or dig through customer reviews to see where problems arise.
3. Gather information about your leads to help you tailor your communications. Items like forms on your website, email interactions and customer research can help. Here are some ways to divide your focus:
   • Demographics such as job title, experience or location
   • Level of authority a lead has
   • Needs or wants
   • Engagement on social and with emails as a gauge of interest (clickthroughs, comments, shares and downloads are good ways to measure email and social engagement)
   • How likely they are to buy, based off of their behaviors, so you can get them what they need when they need it
4. Work on the emails. Users coming to you for the first time will likely enjoy videos or blog posts. Sharing helpful information and being a resource at this stage builds a trusting relationship between you and your potential customer. As they interact with your company more, use follow-up emails with products or services that can help with whatever they’ve been looking at on your site or things you think could help them. Case studies and webinars are great for this. As they move closer to a purchase decision, try product demos, free consultations or customer testimonials. Since they’ve trusted you this far, take it home by including a strong call to action (CTA) so readers know what to do next.
5. Consider how Email Automation can help. Knowing your audience is hugely important, but you don’t have to personally write to each and every lead individually. VerticalResponse’s Email Automation helps send the right campaigns to your defined leads once they complete a certain action. You can also see who opened and clicked through your emails.
6. Measure and adjust as needed. A strong nurture campaign requires reflection and evolution as time goes on and customer needs change.

Email nurture best practices

Adams provides additional advice for your nurture streams:

• Personalize: Make the experience unique just for them. The idea is to send the right content to the right people at the right time to build trust and provide value. Ideally, they’ll see you as a resource and continue opening your emails once you’ve proved yourself. Personalizing to their interests helps reach this objective.
• Value customers’ time: Don’t make the mistake of emailing leads every day. They won’t have time to digest your information. They may even feel annoyed and unsubscribe.
• Engage leads: Ask for their feedback or offer something you think they’d find value in. Try a bonus eBook for someone who has downloaded multiple eBooks or a sneak peek into a product they’ve preordered.

Examples

See nurturing emails in action. Use these examples as inspiration you can transfer to your business.

To capture attention, mattress company Casper uses witty wording and a customer testimonial to draw shoppers who’ve abandoned their carts back to the Casper website:

Below is an example of celebrating your customer. Airbnb’s email puts itself in customers’ minds without asking readers to buy anything:

As a bonus, here are firsthand recounts of the benefits of email nurtures:

“It’s helped us to grow our business over the last year. I have been able to add my new customers easily, and it’s simple to create email campaigns. This is great for me because I don’t enjoy computer work. But I have my emails out to customers in no time. We have a great turn around in customers responding to what we are offering through our emails.” — Elaine Meade, Cheerful Dreams

“The simplicity and speed of being able to create a professional looking email was much appreciated. The feedback results such as opens, clickthroughs etc. is very helpful to improve content and segmentation opportunities.” — Geoff Walker, Wycliffe

“The big advantage to me is the ability to have sub-lists that group my members in geographic and other ways. I can easily create lead pages, email campaigns and Facebook posts. VerticalResponse has made it easy for me, a small business entrepreneur, to create professional programs, sign-up pages and email follow-ups!” — Meghan Nunes, Total Body & Lifestyle Coaching

Nurturing your customers doesn’t have to feel salesy, and following leads doesn’t mean you have to just “market” at customers. Find ways to connect with your customers when they need you, and you’ll be rewarded with loyal, long-term fans.

The post The complete guide to running effective email nurture campaigns appeared first on VerticalResponse.

The hunt for the perfect email is over

Though all businesses can benefit from Easter email campaigns — and should capitalize on the opportunity — this article will focus on retail, restaurants and nonprofits.

Retail

Spring is officially in swing. For your customers, this likely means a change in wardrobe. Be the first that comes to mind for spring shopping by creating sales and promotions to match the upbeat feeling of the incoming warmer months. The below email from Lily Lulu does a great job of getting in on the Easter action by using seasonal colors, coupled with one of their products and a clear call to action:

Also consider an email that improves relationships instead of sales. Just be part of the celebration with customers by letting them know you are thinking of them during the long weekend. The below email from JOANN gives you an update and well wishes, but doesn’t push toward a purchase:

By the time Easter rolls around, we’re nearing the season of barbecues, pool parties and family reunions. Consider capitalizing on that with promotions using the terms “family” and “party.” Help people shop for loved ones; it’s the perfect time to surprise a spouse or create a gift basket for children.

For example, retailers could bundle together a basket of products at a premium price, then promote it through an email campaign. With 48 percent of shoppers planning to purchase clothing at Easter — and about 25 percent planning to shop at a small business — it’s sure worth a try.

Restaurants

As 60 percent of people plan to visit friends and family on Easter Sunday, encourage a special dinner out by offering a discount, a free dessert and the like. In 2018, there was an estimated 5.7 billion dollars spent on Easter-related food purchases. Your goal is to get a piece of that pie (or chocolate bunny).

The key to promoting your restaurant will be making it stand out from your usual emails. For example, send customers a fancy email invitation to Easter brunch or grab their attention with Easter-themed copy and visuals.

Speaking of special, Easter is the perfect time to put together a special menu or food item. Promote the new menu by including photos in the email. People love to see and post pictures of their meals, so entice them to eat at your restaurant with visuals they’ll drool over.

Also ask: What makes your food different from the restaurant down the block? Could you craft a special chocolate cake shaped like a bunny or serve multi-colored pancakes?

Before you send your email, make sure that it’s clear that you’re open for business during the holiday. And be sure to have plenty of staff on hand to handle the crowd.

In the example below, Le Cirque does a good job of promoting an Easter special that’s perfect for groups of friends:

Nonprofits

Nonprofits will get the best results by hosting or promoting Easter egg hunts, picnics or other events that involve the community. If you decide to put on such an event, make sure invitees know that donations and volunteers are accepted, but not required.

Depending on your company and brand, religious themes could give your promotions a boost too. Consider sharing a church event or creating a community activity with other religious organizations. Remind people of the important Easter dates and what they mean to you.

Connect with people by providing ways to celebrate, and consider sharing the benefits of your organization in the email. What do you pride yourself on? How would an Easter donation boost your current efforts? With rising temperatures and spirits, it may be easier to garner support. And remember to include images that evoke emotion and action:

In the above example from Charity: Water, the human element of a father and son connects with us emotionally. And the message of donating money to buy others more time with their families is a story people can get behind and feel passionate about. No matter what your nonprofit is, you’ll want to craft an attention-grabbing headline that keeps readers engaged and moves them to action.

Bonus: Eggscellent subject lines for all industries

Easter email marketing doesn’t have to be extravagant, come from a certain industry or use puns to have an impact. If you’re a family-run business, include some photos and share a story about past family holidays. If you sell makeup to a Facebook community, share festive eye shadow looks.

Subject lines for inspiration:

• This won’t last long… deals worth hopping to
• Everybunny is going to love this… 50% off!
• The one thing your kids REALLY want in their basket this year
• Trends that’ll carry you from Easter to summer
• Stop the hunt, we’ve got you covered with 20% off all candy
• The sweetest deals on our spring pastel collection
• Easter basket? How about Easter cart? 30% off everything in yours
• Easter brunch? We’ve got a hunch you’ll like this…
• EASTER ONLY: Free dessert with purchase of entree
• It’s not just about the Easter Bunny; 15% off treats for your pet

Whether you’re promoting eggs-treme savings, bunny-shaped pancakes or an egg hunt charity event, fun and festive Easter emails are the way to grab your customers’ attention. You’ve got the knowledge to make your campaigns work, so hop to it!

The post Easter email marketing that’ll make customers hoppy appeared first on VerticalResponse.

April emails bring May sales

Too many drafts cooling down your inbox? Don’t let things pile up. Instead, liven up your emails with these tactics:

Renew: The holiday rush is long gone, but the beginning of spring brings all new ways to celebrate and engage with customers. So, as nature comes alive, consider bringing a fresh offering to your emails. For instance, if you’re a shoe company, send an email to help customers “step into spring” with the latest fashion colors.

Refresh: As discussed in this article, spring is a great time to make sure you’re reaching the right people with the right content. Try asking subscribers if they still want to get emails from you, and clean your list of those who aren’t engaging with your brand. Now is also a good time to ensure that you’re sending fresh, exciting content to meet your current subscribers’ needs. Look at your metrics, like open and conversion rates, to see if your emails are having the effect you hoped for.

Reform: What’s working and what’s not? Take a look at one of your old emails; could your future emails be spruced up? During springtime, it may be more acceptable to add playfulness and bright colors to your email. Consider fun, spring-filled subject lines. If you’re a cleaning company, for example, you might try a subject line like this: What the Easter Bunny never told you about your vacuum cleaner. Or, you can simply add a splash of yellow to your emails to liven things up.

Go outside (of your comfort zone)

Spring it on them: Dropping “spring” into your subject line is a good way to grab attention and let customers know you’re celebrating the season. Also be sure to highlight what’s changing in your store, such as new designs, an addition to your team or refreshed products.

Short and sweet: Give readers the information they need and get out of their way, so they can go back to playing outside.

Egg-cellent email examples

Spring advertising isn’t just for clothing companies. Take a look at these emails to get your creatives juices flowing.

The above campaigns are are effective because they:

• Maintain a good balance of text and images
• Project a simple but attention-grabbing message and layout
• Use appropriate color choice, but not so many colors that it’s jarring
• Link to their website or offer with clickable images
• Communicate with a short, clear message directing people to their spring sales

Occasions worth mentioning

Take advantage of spring events to generate more email campaigns and relate to your audience. Here’s what’s happening in spring 2019:

• Mardi Gras (March 5)
• March Madness (starts March 19)
• International Women’s Day (March 8)
• St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)
• The official first day of spring (March 20)
• April Fool’s Day (April 1)
• Earth Day (April 22)
• International Workers’ Day (May 1)
• Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
• Mother’s Day (May 12)
• Graduation (starts in May)
• Tax Refund Season (starts in March)

‘Tis the season for blooming flowers and fresh email campaigns. Set aside your past campaigns to let new ideas shine through. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the pot of gold.

The post Finding the pot of gold: How spring emails can boost your business appeared first on VerticalResponse.

1. Mobile-responsiveness

Because over 50% of emails are opened on mobile globally, it’s vital to get it right. Make sure your messages are mobile-friendly by checking that your text and call to action buttons are visible, readable and clickable. Think about how the different aspects of an email will layer on a small screen, and how long it will take users to scroll through the message for information. And always remember to test before you send.

2. More text, fewer images

The new year could usher in an image change: Image-heavy emails aren’t being opened at the rates they once used to be. Instead, lots of imagery can make your message look like spam. What that means for your business is that there should be an emphasis on the actual message. However, that does not mean you should create dry, long letters to customers. Keep your voice consistent, conversational and to the point.

Check out three types of emails below to see the difference between image-heavy messages and their cleaner, clearer cousins.

Image-heavy:

Better:

Best:

3. Targeting methods

With an average ROI of 3,800 percent, email marketing is always a smart investment. The only thing smarter? Stronger targeting. With the large amounts of data available, we expect even better strategies for maximizing email’s reach. And with email automation, revenue will continue to grow while time investment shrinks. Your marketing automation solution should allow you to segment contacts based on factors like location or age, so you can send only to relevant recipients.

4. Personalization

To connect with customers, companies are going to have to go the extra mile to stand out and communicate effectively. Personas and customer journeys will likely have extra importance this year, as will having the resources to create smart emails and filter contacts based on behavior. Not only does personalization make email beneficial to customers by giving them the information they want, but it also benefits the sending company’s finances. Ever-better artificial intelligence technology will help make this possible by analyzing what works and continually tailoring emails to fit each consumer individually.

5. Privacy

With laws like the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and the General Data Protection Regulation implemented in 2018, it is clear that privacy and security are at the forefront of people’s minds. So, when creating emails, it’s important to comply with regulations while ensuring that what you send out is respectful of your customers’ time and privacy. Data should be used to personalize a reader’s experience, not to exploit trust.

Transparency is especially important when it comes to privacy. Make sure you communicate regularly about any changes to security, as Visa did in this email:

With all the potential 2019 holds, it’s going to be a big year for email marketing. Are you taking advantage of all it has to offer?

The post Top 5 email trends for 2019 appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Next to your 2019 goals, jot down ideas from these subject lines we love.

20 New Year’s Eve subject lines

1. Party on: dresses + jumpsuits — Nordstrom Rack
2. Don’t wear last year’s styles — Guess
3. New Year’s Eve: Your First Look for [2019] — Rent the Runway
4. New Year’s Resolutions — Fancy
5. Celebrate New Year’s in Neon — Amols’
6. Celebrate the Season – Holiday & New Year’s Eve Looks Are Here! — Glamour In Rose
7. It’s The Deal Of The Year… 22% Off ALL Orders Sitewide — FlashingBlinkyLights
8. Prepare for the End Times — SewVacDirect
9. Time to Celebrate with Champagne (Pop) — becca
10. New Year + New Magazines = An Inspired You — Stampington & Company
11. The end is here! $299 Limited-Run suits are gone when the ball drops — Indochino
12. Only a Few Hours Left Until [2019]! Celebrate with 20% Off — Showtime
13. Just for you: A New Year’s Eve treat (code inside) — Pottery Barn
14. Get your Last Minute New Year’s Eve Party Supplies — Party City
15. On The Eve Of A New Year — White + Warren
16. Glow up in these New Year’s Eve looks — Akira
17. New Year’s Eve Sale! Save 15% The Rest Of The Year — Dunkin’ Donuts Shop
18. 5 cocktails from around the world for New Year’s Eve — G Adventures EU
19. Snacks & gifts delivered by New Year’s Eve—order today! — Hickory Farms
20. The Best Stuff We Read, Did and Ate This Year — The Man Repeller

19 New Year’s Day subject lines

1. Boots & Sneakers: Start the year with the best! — Zappos
2. NEW Catalog. Travel ideas to Kick-off the NEW Year. Shop now. — Magellan’s
3. New Year, New Mac – Up To 70% Off MacBook Pro — TigerDirect
4. A new year brings new reasons to enjoy gourmet goodies. — Harry & David
5. New Year, New Beer 101 — CraftBeer.com
6. Fancy something new? — Wilko
7. Happy new year, happy new you — Marks and Spencer
8. The Secret to a Lasting New Year Glow (for FREE) — L’Occitane
9. Up to 30% off everything — BEST year ever starts now. — Swanson Health Products
10. Your Powerful New Beginning + Are You a Hot Mess? — Yoga Download
11. Keep your pack healthy and happy in the New Year — Petplan Pet Insurance
12. Reset & Refresh With Something New — White House Black Market
13. It’s A New Year And Here’s A Reason To Cheer! — Norwegian Cruise Line
14. Lackluster Hair Is Sooo Last Year — Paul Mitchell
15. The Year Is New (But This Sale Is Ending!) — The Land of Nod
16. Happy New Year! Resolve to Save More — Cole Haan
17. Back to reality tmrw Buy 1, Get 2 Free while you still can! — Urban Planet
18. The Cure for a New Year’s Hangover — Chemical Guys
19. New Year, Same Great Sale — Original Penguin

It’s the final countdown

Keep the party going by putting these subject lines into action right now. No matter your industry, the following ideas can get you pointed in the right direction: to a fruitful new year.

1. Start the year right with the right bites
2. Count your blessings (and your savings) with these last-minute deals
3. Savor the final tastes of 2018
4. Get a head start on your budget resolution with 50% off!
5. Hurry in! These deals won’t be around next year.
6. Ring in 2019 with a hearty toast: 20% off all artisan breads!
7. Say Yes to The Year: Your Final Chance For These 2018 Best Sellers
8. 2018, thanks for the memories. Let’s go out with a bang (and 20% off EVERYTHING).
9. Time flies when you’re shopping these sales. Don’t forget to check out before midnight!
10. It’s the night before the New Year and all through the store… are these hot deals
11. What’s that Clinking? It’s the Extra Change In Your Pocket.
12. These sales won’t last: an ode to 2018
13. Happy New Gear! Shop the Collection.
14. Like 2018, these products are going fast!
15. Final sales worth celebrating
16. The sale to end all sales: $20.18 off your purchase. Today only!
17. Save 50% before the ball drops!
18. Seconds left to end your year right: 60% off everything
19. Happy New Year! See what’s new here.

Whatever subject lines you choose to use, resolve to connect with your customers. And, don’t forget to celebrate your personal and business accomplishments. Cheers to a new year of email marketing possibilities!

The post Start the countdown: 20 New Year’s Eve and 19 New Year’s Day subject lines appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Season your subject line for every event

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving weekend sales add spice to the holiday. Give thanks for your customers by giving them the deals they’re looking for. Some subject line ideas:

1. With a side of gratitude for our pets — PetSmart
2. Live the give — Toms
3. Wines That Go With Turkey (And All The Sides) — expressions of the vine
4. Happy Thanksgiving. Hot discount one week only. — Book keeping
5. Most Commonly Forgotten Thanksgiving Items — FreshDirect

Looking for even more Thanksgiving subject line ideas?

Black Friday

U.S. retailers earned a record $7.9 billion on Black Friday in 2017. To get in on the action, have a look at these Black Friday email subject lines:

1. Mystery Sale – How Much Will You Save — Forever 21
2. Don’t wait ’til tomorrow! Take up to 50% off our most popular inventions right now. — Quirky
3. FOMOBF: Fear of Missing Black Friday. The time is now. — Lucky Brand
4. Save 40% at our Black Friday Savings Event — Rockport
5. If You Open One Email This Black Friday… — Steve Madden

Cyber Monday

As the largest online sales day of the year, Cyber Monday is no time to power down. Instead, try these Cyber Monday email subject lines:

1. Buy One, Get One Free Continues with Cyber Monday — EyeBuyDirect
2. Take a break from Cyber Monday, have some Taco Bell — Taco Bell
3. Hurry, Only Hours Left for Cyber Monday Savings! — Sports Authority
4. Save big for Cyber Monday – give the gift of family — Ancestry.com
5. The $50 we owe you… — Urban Outfitters

Giving Tuesday

#GivingTuesday is an annual celebration focused on generosity and raising money for worthy causes. Get in on the good spirits with these subject lines:

1. $25 provides 100 meals — The St. Louis Area Foodbank
2. Plant 5,000 native trees to help wildlife — The National Wildlife Federation
3. There’s a sea lion pup who wants you to open this email — Oceana
4. Why the Cheerleaders Shaved Their Heads — LIVESTRONG Foundation
5. We cannot stop Alzheimer’s without you — UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

If you’re unsure where to start, focus on a realistic promotion for your business to run. Think about the value you provide and something that would make sense in your target customer’s wish list. For example, a sporting goods store might promote comfortable clothes to wear after the Thanksgiving meal, or perhaps Black Friday sales worth racing toward. Take a look at the below ideas, and consider how you could rework them to work for you. check out 35 great B2B subject lines

Inspiration is served

Thanksgiving

1. We’re thankful for you! And these hot sales…
2. Get stuffed from our newest offerings
3. 50% off? Talk about something to be grateful for
4. Serving up a dish of deals
5. A piece of the pie: Get a free bakery item on us

Black Friday

1. FriYay! See What We’re Eyeing This Year
2. Food coma? These sales will wake you up
3. Knock Knock! Open Up For Doorbusters
4. We waited all year to share these deals with you
5. We Can’t Keep Quiet Any Longer, Check Out Our Sale

Cyber Monday

1. Don’t break the bank, break the internet
2. Cyber Deals to Get You Psyched
3. All I want for Christmas is… 50% off the hottest toys
4. What a site! 40% off everything
5. Monday has never looked this good

Giving Tuesday

1. We’re almost there! Give now to help kids in need
2. It’s not too late to get involved in #GivingTuesday
3. Give the gift of impact
4. Your donation is matched to help more animals
5. Have TWICE the impact on Giving TWO-sday

Small Business Saturday

Not to be forgotten, this important day is dedicated to shopping small. Make the most of Small Business Saturday by running events or promotions. Then let people know about them through email. Some powerful subject lines:

1. Special savings coming this Saturday
2. Free cocoa when you Shop Small on Saturday
3. 30% off for supporting your local businesses
4. Celebrate this weekend at our Saturday event & giveaway
5. Save the Date: Small Business Saturday

This year, give thanks for the ability to communicate with customers. By creating subject lines that keep your customers content and clicking, you can create a season of giving, caring and sharing. So snuggle in with a cup of cider and plan your seasonal subject line menu.

The post 45 Thanksgiving weekend subject lines worth falling for appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Do consumers care about Small Business Saturday?

Research proves yes. According to Business Wire, 65 percent of people who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday this year say they will support local, independently owned businesses because of the contributions small businesses make to their community. Additionally, the 2017 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey by American Express found:

• As many as 80 percent of all consumers surveyed say they will do some of their holiday shopping at small, independently owned retailers or restaurants.
• Three-quarters of all consumers surveyed are planning to visit one or more small businesses to do their holiday shopping.
• 90 percent of all consumers surveyed agree it’s important for them to support small, independently owned restaurants and bars.
• Of consumers who are aware of Small Business Saturday, 89 percent agree that the day encourages them to shop small all year long, not just during the holiday season.

How can I make a great experience for my customers?

Now’s the time to prepare your promotion plan to get in on the action. The National Federation of Independent Business reports that the most popular types of businesses frequented on Small Business Saturday are:

• Restaurants, bars and pubs
• Clothing and accessories stores
• Food stores
• Coffee shops

But no matter your business, you can take advantage of Small Business Saturday. Use your social media platforms, email marketing and print marketing to communicate with customers about Small Business Saturday. Although many are already aware of Small Business Saturday, reaching out to customers will alert them to the fact that your business is taking part and will have special offers or events going on that day. Customers want to support you, and reaching out will encourage them to make your business one of the small businesses they frequent this year.

Here are six other ideas that will create a memorable experience for customers:

1. Make sure you’ve got the bandwidth to serve customers: Doing things like prepping your website for more traffic and making sure you have enough product in stock will help create a seamless experience for customers. Also, make sure you’ve got enough in-store help to serve an influx of customers.
2. Offer special discounts: Give customers an urgent incentive to stop in by offering special promotions or discounts.
3. Brand yourself: Use the Shop Small® logo on your marketing materials and website to generate awareness and interest early on.
4. Try a small event like offering free coffee or demonstrating a new product. Events engage customers and will likely keep them in store afterward.
5. Cater to holiday shoppers: Consider offering gift cards or certificates so people can purchase in advance for others. It takes the pressure off them finding a gift and ensures that someone else will be visiting your store later to use their gift card or certificate.
6. Ask for email addresses: Email marketing is one of the most powerful ways to connect with customers. Build your list of contacts by collecting sign-ups on Small Business Saturday. You can use a paper list or add a landing page with a sign-up form to your website.

How will I persuade customers to return after Small Business Saturday?

The boost from Small Business Saturday is great, but when it’s back to business as usual, try some of these ideas to show your customers you care:

1. Create coupons for those who recently shopped at your business. Try 20 percent off their next purchase, free content of some kind, or free shipping or delivery.
2. Send thank-you notes to those who visited to show appreciation.
3. Start an email campaign to connect with customers and stay on their mind with information and promotions.
4. Communicate with consumers on social media.

You’re in the business of people and, with the above tips and tricks, you’ll be well-positioned to understand what consumers want on Small Business Saturday. (To give your #ShopSmall and #DineSmall campaigns some extra oomph this year, check out these free downloadable graphics created by our teammates at Deluxe.)

The post 10 ways to prepare for Small Business Saturday appeared first on VerticalResponse.

Great question. Like a marketing funnel, an email funnel is a method of attracting potential customers and converting them to established customers through email. This method works well because you can control the messages your email recipients receive, unlike social media where content can get lost in the mix or get pushed aside with algorithm updates.

You want the email funnel to match up with the buyer’s journey below. This journey matters because potential customers go through different mindsets before purchasing. By understanding their journey, businesses can more aptly communicate with people where they’re at and give them the information they need to move on to the next stage.

(image courtesy of Mohit)

Why should I care about email marketing funnels?

Other than having control over who gets content, it’s a strong way to communicate with your customers. Even if you don’t convert recipients into customers at the rate you aim for, the information you can glean from analyzing your funnel is priceless. Likely, you won’t have to add anything new to your marketing strategy; it’s just about taking the emails you already send and making a greater impact through the use of funnels.

What are the parts of the funnel?

The email marketing funnel has three broad stages: Attraction, engagement and nurturing. The most important thing is to have strong content across all of these to lead customers through the buyer’s journey with email.

Attraction

This is the widest part of the email sales funnel. It aligns with the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey. It’s where you connect with the widest range of customers by using a certain page or post. On the page, you can include something like an opt-in form to collect their email address. To do this well, you’ll need to have enough traffic and interest to be able to understand which topics people want to learn more about. Then, you’ll be able to craft a compelling reason for readers to trust you with their emails: What can you offer your subscribers that’s valuable? Search engine optimization can help you gain traffic while analyzing that traffic will help you see which content is most popular.

Engagement

Once you’ve attracted people, you’ll want to engage them with compelling content — this aligns to the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey. Since you have their email, you can send them relevant content based on what they’ve expressed interest in. Some ideas are eBooks, blog posts, videos or other information about topics important to them. This is where you should focus on building authority and trust by providing helpful content. You can end your emails with specific calls to action (CTAs) that you want subscribers to take, such as exploring other content from you or engaging with your business in some way.

Nurturing

The final part is where it all comes home. You will persuade your subscribers to purchase, the decision phase of the buyer’s journey. The engagement emails from the previous part of the funnel have helped your business gain trust from the readers who are considering which business to buy from. To drive home that your business is the right choice, you need to continue to share relevant content and connect it with your services. Now’s the time to offer discounts, limited-time promotions, free trails or other incentives for the reader to decide to buy. By having specific CTAs, you can point potential customers in the right direction by getting them to buy something, to donate, or to do whatever the ultimate goal of your business is.

When your email marketing is aligned with the buyer’s journey, you are sure to see conversions that satisfy your business.

The post Email marketing funnel: Matching message to buyer journey appeared first on VerticalResponse.