More and more companies are utilizing e-mail as their primary channel to communicate and drive revenue.  So, realistically, that means more and more e-mails are making it into your customers' e-mail inbox.

    

 

With that said, in order to fight inactivity and drive engagement the messages you are sending need to be relevant.  Of course you can drive relevance based on key data points and engagement metrics, BUT we should also be asking customers directly about their behavior, shopping preferences, e-mail preferences, social/mobile usage, and brand experience.  

  

 

This can take the form of a simple poll with a breadcrumb approach in an existing e-mail or it could be a more robust survey that is sent quarterly or bi-annually.

  

 

Here is an example from JoAnn Fabrics. They include a survey in the footer that asks how useful the e-mail was to the recipient.

  

  

I would even move this up higher in the e-mail, maybe above the coupons, or call it out in some way, as it's easy to overlook in the footer.

  

  

Here’s another interesting variation from Newport News. They ask e-mail recipients to choose which outfit best represents what they think will be a trend for the upcoming season. This increases the interactivity factor of the e-mail while also giving the retailer a peek at what trends their customers like and possibly what types of clothing they should be promoting in upcoming e-mails.

  

 

 

 

  

 

And it’s not just retailers who can get a lot out of surveying customers. Here is an example from Driscoll’s Berries, a producer of strawberries, blackberries and more. 

   

This e-mail thanked me for signing up and gave me an incentive to take their survey. The survey was four questions, and asked things like if I ate berries only at certain times of the year, or all year long, and if I used berries in recipes or ate them alone.  The data gleaned from a survey like this can help Driscoll’s plan their marketing if more people say they only eat strawberries in season, or include more recipes in their communications, if that’s what subscribers say they want.

 

Asking may sound scary, but if you are not actively trying to gauge your customers’ desires you may be missing some easy wins and even more importantly, the bigger opportunity of overall customer engagement/satisfaction.

 

Mara Crisafulli, account director, e-Dialog