{"id":225199,"date":"2020-05-13T09:23:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T03:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/?p=225199"},"modified":"2020-05-13T09:23:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T03:53:06","slug":"8-email-marketing-improvements-to-make-during-slow-periods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/8-email-marketing-improvements-to-make-during-slow-periods\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Email Marketing Improvements to Make During Slow Periods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When your business\u2019s promotional email frequency is high during its peak season, chances are that your email program is almost exclusively focused on getting that next email out the door. However, you generally have more time to think about your strategy and invest in lasting improvements during your off-season\u2014as well as during slow periods like the one that some businesses are experiencing now because of the coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cView slow periods as opportunities to reinvent your business,\u201d says Kyle Sjoberg, Senior Strategic Consultant for Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cFocus on projects that are typically pushed aside in the day-to-day hustle and bustle.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Not sure which improvements your organization should focus on? To help you out, we surveyed Oracle CX Marketing Consulting\u2019s more than 500 digital marketing experts, asking them which of 16 email marketing improvements they\u2019d recommend most right now.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a countdown of the top eight email marketing improvements recommended by our consultants to make during slow periods:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8. Improve Data Governance & Hygiene<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Data is the fuel that powers<\/span> <\/span><\/span>digital marketing<\/span><\/span><\/a>. If you have poor control over your data and poor data hygiene, then it undermines all of your data-driven capabilities, including segmentation, personalization, inactivity management, and others that are<\/span> <\/span><\/span>Proven Essentials<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to succeeding today.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great time for better data hygiene,\u201d says Aaron Campbell, Account Manager at Oracle CX Marketing. \u201cSince this is often put on the back burner, why not bring it to the front and start cooking with some real heat?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Businesses have extra motivation to improve their data governance and hygiene as many are still not in compliance with the<\/span> <\/span><\/span>California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, which will start being enforced on July 1, despite calls for a delay due to coronavirus.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7. Improve Email Production Workflow<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Email development and production typically takes weeks to complete, but better controls and better tools can shorten that timeline so you\u2019re spending less time on each email build.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great time for brands to increase efficiencies throughout the email development process and create a better experience for their customers,\u201d says Allie Pietro, Designer with Creative Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cBrands should use this time to develop templates, update existing designs, and create more targeted and personalized content.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For example, we migrated an online travel agency to a modular build architecture and it saw a 25% reduction in their email build-times. It also made it easier for it to run tests, allowing it to increase the number of tests that it does by 10%.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But better email production workflow isn\u2019t just better design systems. You can also shorten production by establishing clearer rules for everyone involved in production, setting tighter deadlines for review feedback, limiting the number of people who are involved in email reviews, and making other changes to the people side of the production process.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. Improve Email Design<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re sending fewer emails, you can invest more time in each one, adding interactivity, animation, or <\/span><\/span><\/span>Email Annotations for Gmail<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. You can also invest your time in making longer-term optimizations, such as <\/span><\/span><\/span>optimizing for dark mode for email<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, making your emails more accessible, or embracing inclusive design.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith people stuck at home during the COVID-19 crisis,\u201d says Cathie Richter, Design with Creative Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting, \u201cnow is the time to ramp up email design because so many people are looking to their digital devices as their window to the outside world.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But be careful. While most slow periods might seem like a good time to test out new designs and see how your subscribers respond, now is not the best time for testing, says Jen Healey, Director of Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not an ideal time to test as consumer behavior is certainly not indicative of \u2018normal\u2019 times,\u201d she says. \u201cBut we can implement learning from earlier in the year and instead focus on projects that can\u2019t be tackled during peak.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. Improve Signup Process<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue with my clients\u2014who are mostly in retail\u2014is that they\u2019ve lost a primary channel for email capture with the closure of their stores,\u201d says Brian S. Sullivan, Senior Account Director at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many<\/span> <\/span><\/span>B2B<\/span><\/span><\/a> brands are in a similar position now that they can\u2019t hold in-person events. That means that businesses need to be careful not to drive up list churn, while also looking for ways to increase signups. Thankfully,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>our data shows that unsubscribes are down dramatically<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, so businesses can focus their attention on improving the signup process to boost list growth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOpt-in experiences can be more complex to update due to the UI and data flows required,\u201d says Sara Lapworth, Senior Strategic Consultant for Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cHowever, if marketing has slowed, this is a good time for updates because of the lower risk of missed opportunities.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Think your email signup and account creation processes are okay? Then prove it, says Wade Hobbs, Senior Strategic Consultant for Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow is a great time for everyone on your team who manages the customer experience to know firsthand what it is like to become a subscriber and make a purchase,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m always amazed by how many marketers have never been a customer of their own product. A good test for your signup, unsubscribe, and purchase process is: Would you take pride watching your mom, spouse, best friend, or child go through the experience? If not, now is your opportunity to improve it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Improve Data Centralization & Availability<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re<\/span> <\/span><\/span>exporting data and pooling it manually<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> or you\u2019ve <\/span><\/span>centralized your data across channels and departments through integrations and APIs<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, aggregating your data in one place allows you to see the big picture and take action based on those insights.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cData is the heart of every client\u2019s email program and is their most valuable asset,\u201d says John Briggs, Account Director at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cCentralizing your data and making it more available to your<\/span> <\/span><\/span>email marketing<\/span><\/span><\/a> and other systems will help ensure that no opportunities are missed, especially when your slow period ends.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Improve Analytics<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pretty much everyone has access to basic email marketing performance stats like open, click, conversion, and unsubscribe rates. But there\u2019s a whole world of deeper, more meaningful stats like subscriber lifetime value, the velocity of various metrics, and return on investment. We consider access to advanced performance analytics a<\/span> <\/span><\/span>Competitive Differentiator<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring slow periods, there is no better time to invest in the relationship with your subscribers,\u201d says JT Capps, Strategic Director of Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cThe extra time can provide opportunities to better understand subscriber preferences that can be inferred through improved analytics and reporting. This intelligence can pay huge dividends when the slow period ends, and it becomes time to execute on all cylinders.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Having better insights is closely tied to having more accurate data, more timely reporting, and insights that are presented in a more easily digestible form, so there are additional angles to improving your analytics that you can also devote time to.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>2. Improve Customer Modeling for Targeting<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Simple segmentation is great, but more detailed customer modeling allows for targeting that\u2019s extremely powerful, as well as versatile. For example, while most marketers think of customer modeling as a growth strategy, it can also be used defensively to protect your <\/span><\/span><\/span>deliverability<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSubscriber engagement is a major influencer of deliverability,\u201d says Daniel Deneweth, Head of Email Deliverability Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cSenders can manage their deliverability by driving engagement metrics through effective audience segmentation strategy.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of your goals, customer modeling takes considerable time, says Ian Rotondi Gray, Account Director for Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cSlow periods are the perfect time to leverage your increased bandwidth to tackle customer modeling, a high-ROI project.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1. Improve Automated Campaigns<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Of all the improvements that a business could make to their email program during a slow period, improving triggered email campaigns was our consultants\u2019 No. 1 recommendation. Again and again, our consultants pointed out an unfortunate pattern of<\/span> <\/span><\/span>businesses settling for good enough with their automated programs when they shouldn\u2019t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInvestment into automated emails provides probably the biggest ROI a marketer could ask for,\u201d says Reed Pankratz, Senior Strategic Consultant for Strategic & Analytic Services at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting. \u201cPartnered with a strong <\/span><\/span><\/span>A\/B testing<\/span><\/span><\/a> plan, this is without a doubt in my mind the best way to improve the channel\u2019s financial performance.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, as Adam Tosh, Senior Account Manager at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting, points out, \u201cCompanies often struggle to invest time in these campaigns since they\u2019re \u2018already running\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t treat these as static, point-in-time campaigns like a promotional email that\u2019s deployed all at one time. Treat them as the living, ongoing campaigns that they are, deployed again and again over years in some cases. That means that they not only need care and maintenance to continue working properly, but they need optimization through updates, redesigns, and regular<\/span> <\/span><\/span>A\/B testing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. Of course, in addition to managing existing automated campaigns, you can also launch new ones that address other points of friction or opportunity in your customer\u2019s lifecycle.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What you do during your off seasons has a huge impact on your performance during your peak seasons.<\/span><\/span><\/b> So, when your business slows down and you\u2019re sending fewer promotional emails, re-task your team to invest more of their time into strategic and structural email marketing improvements that will help your company outperform when business heats back up.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Want more advice on how to deal with crises?<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/b> Check out these related posts:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n