Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to help build out an entirely new attrition program. An attrition program tries to get customers who have left your product or service to come back – and it goes by a different name in every organization I’ve ever worked with.
"In 2012, after 6 years in strategic planning at various digital agencies, I switched coasts (East to West) and became a client-side digital marketer. Lately, I have been reflecting on the transition - and what other consultants and strategists could take away from that perspective to make clients (like me) more successful."
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of joining many of my fellow Influencers in Miami at the Email Evolution Conference. Hosted annually by the Direct Marketing Association’s Email Experience Council (eec), the event kicks off the email conference year by bringing brands, advocates, vendors and thought leaders together under the south Florida sun to discuss, debate and share innovations and pressing issues central to email marketing.
Starting a new position is usually a challenge, and when that new position is in email marketing, it can be even tougher.
Have you taken on a new role? With the average tenure of email marketers at just under those of politicians and CMOs, new leaders and managers need to think about the first 90 days both tactically and strategically.
I remember when I learned I was going to be responsible for email marketing for a new employer. My first reaction was “ok, what did I get into?” After the first bit of panic wore off, I developed a plan to educate myself and get immersed in the channel. Hopefully the tips below, which are based on how I learned the business, will help those who are new to this wonderful industry.
Email marketing sounds old school; outdated and uncool. Digital marketing is supposed to be about creating cutting edge campaigns that everyone talks about. Email probably isn't what you had in mind as your first digital job, but if you’re lucky enough to have scored that gig, chances are you won't want to leave it now. Your first week will be a whirlwind of learning about clients' campaigns and your company's methodologies.
"Whenever possible, one should focus on removing fragilizing interdependencies** rather than imposing additional structure and activity that will only increase the fragility of the system as a whole."
If email isn’t your number one priority, it’s time to shift gears and focus solely on email.
"11 years ago, back in 2003, I founded a company called eDataSource, the world's first email intelligence company. As a result of the data eDS was collecting, I was able to clearly demonstrate, for the first time, the power of email to drive large spikes in traffic, across the board, and from an independent, 3rd party perspective. To say my jaw dropped open is an understatement."
"Email Marketing in South Africa is truly in it's infancy. There are few true ESP's in South Africa, and very few companies truly using Email Marketing to it's full potential."