Integrated Marketing

When it comes to high volume email marketing, we tend to focus more on the content than how we present it most often. What needs to be considered is the fact that your email marketing campaigns are just one of the many elements in your marketing & communications mix and needs to be treated with the same professionalism that every other medium is treated.

For instance, have you considered integrating all your key messages and visual elements into your email campaign? With all other mediums of communication, you have a core brand identity, tone of voice, visual calling cards etc., so why not do this with your high volume email marketing campaigns as well?

The concept of integration is a vital concept in marketing and essentially means that you need to have a cohesive message across all your mediums and channels of communication, be in mainstream media, outdoor advertising or digital communication platforms. If you are telling your consumer the same thing and in the same way every time they encounter you, then chances are they will start to take you seriously and also remember your message, because they are engaging with it across the board.

World renowned marketing guru and author of multiple books and publications on Phillip Kotler defines integrated marketing as “a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines-for example, general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations-and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact.”

This means you need to understand the role your high volume email marketing campaigns play in the bigger picture of your communications proposition. While you have one core message to give out, each specific medium needs to play separate roles in bringing the message to life. While a press ad will focus on saying very little, an email can be used to give all the finer details of the message and also help recipients visit your website and other pertinent messaging online. An email is also the easiest way to get a consumer to respond to a call to action since all they need to do is click on something you’ve added to your message.

Look at your marketing communications plan with bigger eyes and don’t ignore the power of email, and how it can contribute value to a cohesive, integrated marketing message. Ensure that the visual calling cards of your brand such as logos, mnemonics, colour palettes are maintained across the board – a solution like Maxmail for instance gives you simple drag and drop features that will bring your content to life and make it truly yours.

How to create a Winning Text Message

While there is no doubt that SMS marketing is one of the simplest, fastest and easiest tools to get messages across to various target audiences, it is also essential to know how to write one that will definitely get read. While the SMS marketing apps ensure that your message gets delivered, it is your skill that ensures the message is read.

Keep it Short

To begin, it’s essential to remember the core of what an SMS is all about – it’s a SHORT message, a concise & quick read unlike an email that has more comprehensive information. This means with an SMS, there is no room for unnecessary fluff. You have time and room to get ONE message across. Be simple, short & precise – you only have 160 characters. 

Make it Personal

The next thing to take note of – the words you use. If you want your text to be read, you need to ensure that you don’t sound like a marketing text. Avoid the obvious words like AMAZING or FREE that automatically tell the reader you are trying to sell them something. Don’t sound promotional, instead sound personal.

Avoid Texting Language

To ensure that your message is professional while being personal it’s essential to never use texting abbreviations such as CLD, WLD, U etc., unless you are specifically addressing an early or pre-teen audience. If you don’t adhere to this rule, chances are your audience will be irritated and confused, losing the entire purpose of the text message in the first place.

Add Some Value

If your text is not coming in from a friend, loved one or business associate and you still want your text message to be read, you need to ensure that each text has some level of value addition.  The best option is to ask for an immediate call to action –let them know what you want them to do and what they will ultimately get out of it.

Do It Now

Text message marketing works best if you are letting your readers know about something happening immediately – whether it is a sale in your store near them or a call back to win an instant prize. Keeping this real-time-reaction element to your texts will ensure action instead of being read and deleted.

Texting is personal, immediate and on-the-go, so try and fit all these basic principles into your next text marketing campaign and for very different results in no time.