It’s so easy to take for granted those who are closest to us: our spouses, our kids…our subscribers. Yep! Even our subscribers whom we worked so hard to get are the ones we tend to neglect as we go in search ever more subscribers.
And since all good relationships sometimes need a little spark to heat things up again, we offer a few ways you can easily show some summer lovin’ to your email subscribers and customers, to let them know they are cherished, not ignored. Because that’s how you increase engagement and long-term loyalty.
Remind them they matter
First off, simply remind them that you care. If you don’t routinely do an occasional “just because” type of email, maybe this summer is the time. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could be simply a “just because you’re you” kind of email with a discount or other special offer. This is not an email you’re sending to sell. This is an email you’re sending to reach out and show some appreciation to those who should matter the most to you: the ones on your list because they’ve already said “yes.”
Give them content they want
Next, if you’re not already targeting your messages, start now. Targeted content is much meaningful to your subscribers and customers, and it tells them they matter enough to only get the content they want. If you are targeting already, is there another layer of segmentation you could add?
Make your emails user friendly
Also consider the visual and usability aspects of your emails. Do they tell subscribers they matter? If you’re not using a mobile-friendly design, then probably the answer is “no.” Instead what you’re saying is, you want to send them emails but you don’t care enough to send them emails that render well and are easily clickable. The message here? Not a very nice one…
Keep reminding them they matter
As you’re spreading some summer lovin’ among your subscribers and customers, reminding them they matter with words and showing them they matter with actions (like targeted and mobile-friendly emails), keep giving them reasons to stay engaged. See if you can up the quality of your content to make it more engaging. Add in a few extra incentives or exclusive offers this summer. Really make it worth their while to be your subscriber.
Give them some control
This next one takes some effort, but that effort just shows the degree to which you care, right? I’m talking about preference centers. When you let your customers update their information to determine what kinds of content they get and how often, you are most definitely letting them know they matter! Sure, you’re giving up some control on your end, but you’re getting some serious loyalty in return. Isn’t that a fair trade?
Be willing to let them go
Finally, when the relationship really has fizzled out (because a lot of summer loves do!), be willing to let them go. Make your unsubscribe link easy to find (no tiny or light-colored font allowed!) and the process easy to do (do you really have to make them re-enter their email address to unsubscribe?). You’re losing the subscriber but they wanted to go anyway, and this way, it’s on good terms. Plus you can score a lot of points and possibly stop an unsubscribe if you’re willing to be lighthearted about it.
Yes, like in any relationship, sometimes you have to let go of subscribers and customers. But following all the other advice above means they’ll be less likely to say goodbye because they’ll feel like they matter. And we all need to feel like we matter, during the sizzle of summer and all the year through.
About the Author: Sharon
