Just as important as what you say is who you say it to. Do you know how long subscribers have been on your list? Do you know if they’ve ever been a patient? What about their interests? When are their birthdays? Do you even know their names??
This data is critical to success in email marketing. Open rates can be up to 50% higher by using names, [firstname,fallback=]. Engagement and click throughs can go through the roof (up 11% from an average of 5%) just by correctly addressing a subscriber. Your messages will also be more effective if you know enough about their interests to specifically tailor emails to them. According to DMA, segmented and targeted emails generate 58% of all revenue brought in by ecampaigns.
You have to ask for this information going forward, but you’ve also got to create campaigns that draw out this information from current subscribers.
When is your Birthday? I want to send you a present.
It can be as simple as that. Data collection doesn’t have to be some huge endeavor, just a simple series of emails that entice people to respond and share their information with you. One of the easiest ways to collect information is to offer a carrot: “tell us your birthday, we’d like to send you a present.”
Most email campaign software allows you to send your subscribers to a preferences page. Advantage Mail allows you to customize the preference page so you can collect the data you want. In Advantage Mail, the data will be collected into “custom fields” that you can use to segment your list, or create personalization in your email.
Data you should collect:
- Name
- Birthday
- Procedure Interests
To get started, make sure you have a preference page, or subscriber information page that your subscribers can access and update. If you can’t find the page, talk to your email campaign provider. Next, craft a simple email to your list. Offer a special birthday gift, and provide a link to the preference page. When the subscriber goes to the page, they’ll enter their birth date, and hopefully any other data you ask for. You can repeat this email a couple times of year. With Advantage Mail, you can segment your list and identify those who don’t have birthday data in their record. If you don’t get a good response, try offering a more immediate gift: tell us your birthday and you’ll receive $25 off your next purchase.
Then, you can set up an automated campaign to mail subscribers a special gift on their birthday. Be sure to use the personalization features to add their name in the subject line and in body of the email to give the subscriber a more personal experience.
