• by Amanda Hinkle , September 25, 2014

This week marked the beginning of fall, signaling shorter days, cooler weather, heavier foods and yup… holidays that are right around the corner. As we move past the autumnal equinox, Forbes contributor Frances Booth encourages us to think about balance– and I agree.

Achieving balance does not necessarily mean that all elements are equal. It simply means that they are in the correct proportions. Building on this sentiment, let’s consider how we can strike the right balance in our email marketing programs to drive engagement.

Strategy. Take a look at how you’re communicating with your audience. Do you have an optimal contact strategy in place?  Your program strategy should be transitioning from batch and transactional messaging to a mix of batch, transactional and triggered lifecycle messages – with a heavier focus on the latter two.  Marketers are more successful today when they capitalize on customer engagements with your brand with messages triggered by customer actions – whether it be joining your email program, browsing your website, carting a product, calling customer service or leaving a review.   Look at these moments as opportunities for email to continue the conversation with customers, when your brand is top of mind.

Content. According to a report from Customer Helix, while only 40% of firms today are customer-focused, 70% of firms aspire to be so.  In other words, over half of companies devote little time to their customers beyond making a product for them to purchase, resulting in transaction-based and often disconnected relationships with customers.The key to long-term growth is in engaging your audience by incorporating varying types of content (informational, social, service and product) and creating more personalized messaging across the lifecycle. Don't just sell; create engagement throughout the entire lifecycle with value-add content that engenders a “stickier” relationship with customers.

Creative. Consumer behavior is constantly changing, and therefore so should your email creative. How long has it been since you took some chances here?  This time of year when email volume is rising, test alternate creative that will grab attention and garner engagement. Halloween is a great opportunity to “safely” get a bit riskier with your creative. A little dash of off-kilter creativity might just be the right ingredient you need to strike the perfect balance in your campaign.

Production. For many organizations, a common complaint is that they are spending a disproportionate amount of time producing emails vs. focusing on email strategy.  Sound familiar?  Investing in the right automation technology to meet your needs and developing a sound marketing strategy to guide your efforts is foundational.  You’ve also got to streamline your production efforts -- and if production inefficiency has been a complaint for more than a year, you should address it as soon as possible.  If you don’t, you are leaving dollars on the table and will be left behind as your competitors build new relationships with your customers.