Five Ways to Build Reader Engagement
- By Christian @talkwareMEDIA
- Published 11/9/2008
Christian @talkwareMEDIA
Christian is a marketing manager and technical support technician with talkware MEDIA. talkwareMEDIA is a browser based email marketing and autoresponder software. talkwareMEDIA Studio is used every day to create, send and track profitable email marketing campaigns and autoresponders.
Recently, I've been noticing something unusual on my social networks, such as the Email Marketer’s Club and Facebook. Interactions between bloggers and these social clubs are also beginning to creep into the inbox, and that’s all for the better.
Most importantly, I see a humanizing effect in which a blog post or comment also includes links to profiles, pictures, contact information and comment forms. All are ways to launch discussions instead of just pushing content one way.
And, they're becoming a way to connect with your customers and readers via your email messages. One-way communication is out, replaced by the digital conversation.
What the Print Dinosaurs Can Teach You
Print might be fading away as a communications medium, but publishers know the most about putting a human face on an impersonal medium. Just open the nearest newspaper or magazine.
Regular columnists often have small "mugshots" accompanying their copy. The editorial page, with the letters to the editor, is one of the best-read sections. Many publications also post the reporter's email address or office number on the story or in the masthead, which appears in the same place every time. All of these help establish a connection between the paper and its readers.
Advertisers have had to rely on less direct methods. Consumers don't relate as well to a faceless brand, so companies have used personal endorsements or created mascots to inject a little life. Remember the Marlboro Man, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and Spuds McKenzie for Bud Light?
Email publishers are also expanding their engagement methods, by adding links to comment forms in their email content and tacking the form itself to the end of the Web version.
Now, it's time for email marketers to step up, because readers expect to be able to interact at every level of the online world.
If you publish a regular newsletter (one that provides content to your readers, not just your weekly sales flyer in disguise) and you want to increase engagement rates, then read on to see what social tactics make a perfect pairing when used in email.
1. Humanize with a Mascot or Actual Employee
If your company uses a mascot or spokesperson in print or broadcast media, you naturally want to feature it prominently in your email communications, and not just because you want to be consistent.
Think of "Jack" and you immediately recognize the Jack in the Box brand, have an opinion on the products they sell and the humor they normally do it with. If they have a newsletter, you can be sure pictures of Jack should be all over it.
Another example: Beleaguered communications company Sprint is trying to use their new CEO Dan to bring a face to the company in order to strengthen its bond with consumers. Its TV spots include an email address consumers can use to sound off to him, good or bad (dan@sprint.com).
2. Add a Picture; Build a Bond
Use a picture of your most identifiable mascot or spokesperson, or the author if the material carries a byline. This can build trust, help the reader identify with the writer and strengthen the desire to respond.
Try this simple test. How do you respond to each of the three scenarios below. (No, I won't give out grades but I'll know if you cheat). Which of these three gives you the strongest bond and reinforces your trust in the information the author provides?
Most importantly, I see a humanizing effect in which a blog post or comment also includes links to profiles, pictures, contact information and comment forms. All are ways to launch discussions instead of just pushing content one way.
And, they're becoming a way to connect with your customers and readers via your email messages. One-way communication is out, replaced by the digital conversation.
What the Print Dinosaurs Can Teach You
Print might be fading away as a communications medium, but publishers know the most about putting a human face on an impersonal medium. Just open the nearest newspaper or magazine.
Regular columnists often have small "mugshots" accompanying their copy. The editorial page, with the letters to the editor, is one of the best-read sections. Many publications also post the reporter's email address or office number on the story or in the masthead, which appears in the same place every time. All of these help establish a connection between the paper and its readers.
Advertisers have had to rely on less direct methods. Consumers don't relate as well to a faceless brand, so companies have used personal endorsements or created mascots to inject a little life. Remember the Marlboro Man, Speedy Alka-Seltzer, and Spuds McKenzie for Bud Light?
Email publishers are also expanding their engagement methods, by adding links to comment forms in their email content and tacking the form itself to the end of the Web version.
Now, it's time for email marketers to step up, because readers expect to be able to interact at every level of the online world.
If you publish a regular newsletter (one that provides content to your readers, not just your weekly sales flyer in disguise) and you want to increase engagement rates, then read on to see what social tactics make a perfect pairing when used in email.
1. Humanize with a Mascot or Actual Employee
If your company uses a mascot or spokesperson in print or broadcast media, you naturally want to feature it prominently in your email communications, and not just because you want to be consistent.
Think of "Jack" and you immediately recognize the Jack in the Box brand, have an opinion on the products they sell and the humor they normally do it with. If they have a newsletter, you can be sure pictures of Jack should be all over it.
Another example: Beleaguered communications company Sprint is trying to use their new CEO Dan to bring a face to the company in order to strengthen its bond with consumers. Its TV spots include an email address consumers can use to sound off to him, good or bad (dan@sprint.com).
2. Add a Picture; Build a Bond
Use a picture of your most identifiable mascot or spokesperson, or the author if the material carries a byline. This can build trust, help the reader identify with the writer and strengthen the desire to respond.
Try this simple test. How do you respond to each of the three scenarios below. (No, I won't give out grades but I'll know if you cheat). Which of these three gives you the strongest bond and reinforces your trust in the information the author provides?
