Advice that is aimed at those who have been in email marketing for some time can be less than useful for anyone just starting out. There is an assumption that companies will have data for their email marketing software to crunch away at but if your subscribers have only recently ticked the box some of the suggestions might not apply.
Lots of people will have told you to include just one offer. There is a certain logic in suggesting that if it is not as simple as possible, some of your customers will be confused. An offer where the price is obvious and the product is well defined normally gets a better completion rate. When you are starting out, however, you have other needs.
Information specific to individual subscribers can be as important as a sale in the early days. You need data to target otherwise you are just guessing. Your email marketing software requires information to base decisions on.
Perhaps you could consider breaking one of the accepted truths of email marketing and include a choice in the ones you send to those who have just joined your email marketing list. Before starting you need to work out what information you require.
If you are selling holidays you might want to know whether a subscriber prefers hot lazy days on a beach or adventures in the Hindu Kush. If you provide cruises in the Mediterranean, whether your customers would enjoy a small intimate yacht more than a massive liner is important in deciding which offers to proffer.
Don’t ignore the ‘keep it simple’ rule entirely. Do not go for more than just two or three choices if possible although the overriding necessity is getting specific information. It is a difficult judgement call.
One way of making an offer appear simple despite a number of choices is to unify them in some way. Offer a range of electrical testing devices. If they go for the cheapest one with few features they might be amateurs. Buying the one with bells and whistles indicates professionals. Classify them as such on your email marketing software and you will know what to offer them next time.
