Summer is almost here so it is time to put strategies in place to keep your email list engaged while they plan their summer with the kids.
By engaging them wherever they are at, whether it is the beach or the cottage, your campaigns could be as entertaining as their summer holiday with a little planning.
Fact is, summer is a time they may not want to read your marketing emails so if you camouflage them in something fun you will have a much greater chance of getting your email opened and read or your video watched.
There are lots of summer themes you can plan for and create now to start tripping out to your list throughout the summer.
Think about all the exciting things you could write about that are related to summer like hiking, fishing, boating, the beach, water games and sports, BBQs, travel, picnics, eating out and a ton of other fun in the sun activities.
Then design a contest! Did you know that more than half of adults in America took part in some sort of contest last year? Imagine if you asked for video testimonials to be posted on your YouTube channel, where people are vacationing, showing the local scenery and telling the world why they love your product or service.
You could have a wonderful giveaway with a high perceived value but one that does not cost you a lot, like a free one-on-one coaching session or one of your one of your e-products.
If you use a different color scheme, contest theme and the resulting prizes for each segment of your business and each list, you will increase your response and sign-up rates.
You could develop travel games or BBQ recipes that they get for free for finding a special code on your website.
You could send summer safety and water safety tips with ads or links back to your blog or site.
The list of things you can do to keep contact all summer is endless but it takes planning now to have everything ready for that last day of school, when they let the kids loose.
Think of all the types of media you could use to keep your list engaged.
A good balance between entertainment and education is critical to getting your emails opened.
After all, if it does not get opened no one is going to see what is inside no matter how good it is.
That is why your headline is critical.
Before you even get to the content, the headlines has to make them hungry to see what is inside.
It your email is great from top to toe, it might just get sent to all their friends or business associates.
Talk about list building par excellence! When you are sending out your summer content, you are reminded of the following: Remind your list who you are with all of your contact information.
State very clearly what your contest is about, the terms and conditions in addition to the contest rules.
Offer your list an easy, obvious way to unsubscribe if they want to.
If you have done your job properly, chances are they will not.
Be very clear that people do not have to buy anything to participate in your summer activities.
They do not need to pay to play.
You will want to keep regular contact with your list throughout the summer but you do not need to bombard them with emails every day.
You will probably want to change up what you are sending out to include: Campfire stories Campfire songs BBQ recipes Requests for their best BBQ recipes.
You can compile them all into an eBook and give it away later Requests for their best summer cocktail or mocktail recipe that you can compile into an eBook and give away Most amazing beach or scenic view videos of where you are Requests for their funniest beach video Best backyard games Best games for long car rides Request for any best of use product videos Request for photos of their favorite summer activity The list is really endless and if you really want to up the prize ante, you could give away a dinner to a restaurant in their home town or vacation spot by emailing them a gift certificate if they win.
It's all about hype and maintaining their interest until the kids are all back in school and they remember the entertainment you provided them throughout the summer