Want to Engage your Clients? Ask Them How!

Trying to engage your customers through email? Have you been "Revved!" lately? Harry Paul & Ross Reck, Ph.D create a new business model that incorporates a three-step process to maximizing performance in the workplace through what they like to call "the business of caring." This book follows a struggling manager who is at the risk of losing her job unless she can find a way to engage her staff... fast. By talking to a local psychologist radio host she acquires a three-step process to help rev up her life: Win them over, Blow them away, & Keep them revved. She uses these three principles to revitalize her career & her company. Whether you're in the planning stages of your next email campaign or reviewing the results -- take a moment and ask yourself -- Are your clients Revved?

WIN THEM OVER

Winning them over is about asking questions, listening to the responses and remembering them for later.

Email marketing is more than subject lines & RSS feeds; it is about people, your clients. Who better than them to answer those questions you've been asking in the boardroom. As Bill Bernback, 20th century advertiser extraordinaire, wrote, "Human nature hasn't changed for a billion years. It won't even vary in the next billion years. Only the superficial things have changed." So while we tend to focus on changing trends in email marketing, the Internet and the dreaded web 2.0 -- take the time to focus on the unchanging person on the other side of the inbox. Ask the right questions: What drives that person, what motivates them, what would make them smile?

There are a few ways you can make this happen:

1. Surveys: Ask them questions about their values, preferences, lifestyles. A survey is a great way to get to know your client on an individual basis.
2. Contests: Ask your customers why they love your product, and enter them to win something. I've never been able to say no to a free Ipod... and I already have two.
3. User testimonials: With social media at our fingertips, users have no difficulties telling the world about your services.
4. Feedback: Unlike testimonials, feedback goes directly to you through an email or comment box. Pay attention to what your user has taken the time to write you.

BLOW THEM AWAY

Now it's time to show your customer you're listening. Welcome them on board when they subscribe to a new section of your site. Target emails to your audience based on their values & motivations. Send an email post purchase thanking them for purchasing your product. If your customers have recently attended your conference or event, send them a post-event wrap up thanking them for their attendance and offer them presentations & audio from the event. Some of the best emails I've ever received are a company's aim to change to better suit MY needs. Show them you actually care. Even if you think you don't, you do (or will after this exercise).

KEEP THEM REVVED

Last month Marketing Sherpa showcased the teen eretailer Karmaloop whose email-generated revenue skyrocketed 318% from asking customers to fill out an extensive survey about what brands they like most. While the article will go in depth about the changes you can make to your automated email system or sign-up buttons to landing pages, there is an important element to remember: They asked the customer what THEY wanted first and foremost. While other companies would take that information and send their list alerts for all the brands they like, Karmaloop sent customers alerts with a small sample of their favorite brands. Beyond that, they sent alerts about brands they MIGHT like compared to their past purchases. Beyond that, each patron was limited to only two emails a week to avoid bombarding them. When customers didn't purchase anything within a four-month period, Karmaloop took another sample of their survey and began to send alerts for different brands that were on their list. Karmaloop is a perfect example of a company whose dedication to their customers’ wants led to great success.

Bernback said, "The creative man with an insight into human nature, with the artistry to touch and move people, will succeed." Taking the time to focus on number two (your client) instead of your company will give you a better understanding of who they are and how to create a sustainable relationship beyond your inbox.