It’s been said before. 

The right message... to the right person... at the right time. It’s the recipe for a successful conversion. 

Of course, it sounds simple. But how do you find the right audience? How do you deliver that resonant message? How do you ensure it gets to them at the right moment?  

Well... that’s where an email drip campaign can help.  

In the latest episode of J&See: Views on Marketing, J&C's Meg Goodman chats with Jason Baumann. He's a serial entrepreneur, non-profit alum and the president/founder of the digital marketing company Boxless Media. Together, they talk about retooling marketing plans amid the pandemic, leading with compassion, and how failure doesn't define you... it's the way you get back up again that does.

Click below to listen to the interview now. And of course, make sure to subscribe to J&See: Views on Marketing to hear a compelling interview like this once a month.

The elusive email subject line...

It's the first impression. The teaser. The little moment you get to plead your case in someone's inbox. It's the difference between getting a click... or getting sent to the trash. 

So, how do you do it? How do you create that perfect subject line that gets the reader to pause... click... and read the rest of your email? Well, there's not one formula. But there are a few tried-and-true techniques that WORK... and a couple that usually DO NOT.

Check out the do's and don'ts of email subject lines in the infographic below. 

Email marketing is essential... especially for the financial services industry. As banking and finance management becomes more digital by the day, it makes sense to utilize this all-important channel for marketing. Read on to learn how you can use email marketing to build trust with your customers.

Email marketing is both an art and a science. The art comes in with elegant designs, punchy subject lines and well-written copy. Then there’s the science. The data and statistics prove which parts of the art gets people to interact with your email… and which parts don’t work as well. That’s where A/B testing comes into play. Running head-to-head tests allows you to experiment with the creative and understand the effect. Read on to understand the rules of A/B testing, the parts of an email you can test and the metrics you should look at afterwards.

So, you’ve acquired a new customer... You probably spent a lot of money doing it. You crafted the perfect campaign to get your prospect to pull the trigger and choose YOUR brand over the competitors. Congrats... but don’t get too comfortable.  

You have a chance to create a long, fruitful relationship with this new customer. Or... they might be gone just as quickly as they came. It all depends on what you do next. And that’s where retention comes into play. 

Sure, customer acquisition is important. But what happens after you clinch that conversion? How do you ensure you don’t lose the new customers you worked so hard to get?  

Well, that’s where a well-thought-out retention strategy comes in. When you invest in customer retention, you can increase customer return rates, cut down on churn and drive purchase frequency to keep customers in the buying cycle. And it’s worth it: check out this infographic to see how a good retention strategy can boost your bottom line. 

Professional athletes are some of the highest paid brand influencers in the world.... whether it’s Lebron James unveiling his newest pair of shoes or Tom Brady drinking from a Gatorade bottle during a game. A lot of these brand partnerships are decided for them by the league. However, some of these partnerships are decided by the equipment managers, members of the team in charge of selecting the best equipment for each player to use.

Just in time for the NBA playoffs, this episode of J&See: Views on Marketing features a special guest: Steve Pankow, Assistant Equipment Manager for the Chicago Bulls. Steve and Meg break down how he chooses equipment for the players and what the Chicago Bulls look for in a brand partnership.  And of course, make sure to subscribe to J&See: Views on Marketing to hear a compelling interview like this once a month.

When it comes to building a successful brand, you need a loyal customer base. And as much as you work to attract new buyers or clients... it's even more important to keep your current customer base happy. That's where an effective retention strategy comes in. 

Customer retention is more cost-effective than acquisition... and it can have a ripple effect. When current customers are pleased with their experience of a brand, it's becomes even easier for you to convert prospects. So before you roll out your next acquisition campaign, consider what you're doing for your current customers. It pays off in the long run.

Check out the infographic below to see why customer retention is worth the investment. And keep scrolling to see a video of a successful retention program in action. 

Storytelling is a successful tool across all marketing channels. In fact, an emotional brand story is key to creating a message that resonates with consumers. And when it comes to email... storytelling can really set your campaign apart.

If you need a primer on how to craft an emotional brand story, check out this blog from last week. If you’re ready to see how to apply those tenets to email, read on.