“Behavioral Based Email Marketing” – it’s the way email marketing is moving and it goes way beyond the Batch and Blast methods so commonly used. What is it and should you consider using this enhanced strategy?

The Load and Blast strategy refers to sending the same campaign to your subscribers on a scheduled basis (monthly is most common). The advantage is that it is easy to deploy, taking a relatively small amount of time. The disadvantage is that you treat all subscribers the same and the reality is they are different. What motivates them to stay connected to you is different. You risk alienating some of your subscribers with each campaign you deploy.

Behavioral Based Email Marketing is about sending a campaign to a segment of your subscribers (sometimes just one subscriber) based on something they have done or NOT done. The advantage is increased relevance for your campaigns which leads to higher ROI. The disadvantage is the additional planning and complexity this type of campaign requires.

Consider these examples of Behavioral Based Email Marketing:

• Cart abandonment: Relevant for ecommerce enabled sites, this strategy detects when a shopper begins the shopping process, but doesn’t complete the transaction. Based on this behavior, you can: Send a quick survey to ask why they abandoned, send a coupon code to attract them back; or perhaps offer free shipping for the next 2 days. The result is that you either gain insight as to why shoppers leave or have incremental sales.

• Missing in action: This is a “lack of a behavior” strategy and detects the absence of a return visit. With ecommerce, it can also be used to bring back shoppers that haven’t bought lately. Based on their online absence to your site, you can: Survey to gain insight on inactive visitor's, or entice them to come back with a special announcement (new site features) or special offer.

• Give me more of what I want: This strategy creates micro-targeted campaigns around your active visitors/buyers and their specific favorites. It works particularly well for ecommerce sites when we integrate their web data to their order fulfillment system.

• Using an online pet store as an example, one of your frequent shoppers recently purchased toys for his new puppy. Your “new puppy” campaign moves into action with tips on handling those challenging early months, along with suggested chew toys and perhaps a special offer.

• Using an online gift store as an example, you can send reminders to last year's customers of what they purchased and for whom. Providing this reminder email along with suggested gift items for this year makes it easy for past customers to order this year’s gifts and gives your business an incremental bump in sales.

• Welcome aboard: This approach allows your business to communicate differently to your newest customers, whether they purchased online or off. Welcome campaigns result in a closer connection and provide a great vehicle to encourage add-on sales.

• A software company sends a series of welcome emails to new customers that explain how to use the features of the software they just purchased.
  
  
• A physical retail store that sells high value items sends reminders to register new purchases for warranty coverage thus capturing that information for them as well as the manufacturer.
  
  
• An online merchant sends a 10% off welcome certificate to new customers good toward their next purchase. Pass-along coupons for friends are also included.

• An Email Marketing Solution that can handle automatic event triggered campaigns;
  
  
• An automated connection between your Email Marketing system and your CRM or order fulfillment system;
  
  
• A digital marketing partner that understands Integrated Email Marketing strategy and implementation.

Is this a good strategy for your business? Discuss it with your BĒM Interactive Account Manager. Not a current BĒM Client? We’d like to fix that. Give us a call or contact us today.

Malinda Pengelly
President, BĒM Interactive