By the time you read this...

By the time you read this email it’s probably too late.

Are you wasting a bunch of money / time, writing emails that have a low open rate? Do you understand? Are you wasting time getting directions but still doesn’t work?

Did you know that 90% of all emails are read on your phone? (1) So as a business if you are more excited about big header bars and signature lines at the bottom of your email…you may need to rethink your strategy.

People simply don’t have time to waste on needlessly scrolling down their phone to read long and wordy emails. After about the first 1-2 minutes they are reading your message wondering why is this important for me?

Now before you tune me out and assume this message is solely about emails please don’t miss the point. It’s about understanding the WAY people expect to both receive and consume information.

When you think about consumer marketing it comes down to your ability as a business to effectively sell your product or services. This means that you must understand human behavior and plan your marketing strategies accordingly. So…whether that means keeping your emails to 140 characters or having attention grabbing titles, understanding consumer trends is vital for your business.

If your primary method of communicating with consumers is by sending emails, you are probably at a HUGE disadvantage. The reality is that consumers actually prefer texting over email for communicating with businesses. Zipwhip, a company that provides texting and SMS marketing services for companies, recently surveyed 1,000 consumers and 1000 businesses. They found some interesting and alarming information that could determine whether a business ultimately fails or succeeds.

Did you know that typically a consumer will send approximately 15 texts per day versus 12 emails? (1)

Of the surveyed consumers 74% report having zero unread texts compared with only 41% who report having zero unread emails. (1) Also, according to statistics there is approximately a 12% open rate for emails. And THAT is IF your email has the key ingredients that will both attract readers and keep them reading your email until the end. If your call-to-action is at the end but you either don’t grab a consumer with a catchy enough title or lose their interest ...that consumer will most likely miss your call-to-action.

So what does this mean for your business? The answer should really be quite obvious. It comes down to figuring out what the MAJORITY of your target consumers want and giving it to them. Sometimes, we complicate our approach to reaching consumers and miss great opportunities to authentically engage with and convert prospects.

Consumer Engagement

A BIGGER two-part question is… what does consumer engagement mean… and why is understanding it important for your business?

Consumer engagement is about connecting with your customer using various channels of communication. Ideally, it should not be a one-way conversation but rather an interactive experience. So why is this important for your business? Well, naturally if you are not driving massive attention to your product or service, then the probability of converting prospects to customers or motivating customers with a call-to-action is very small.

Beyond the goal of profitability, it is also about developing an emotional connection between your brand and your customer. With so many choices of products and services in every vertical market or market sector you MUST stand out in order to build a loyal customer base. According to a Gallup research poll fully-engaged consumers represent 23% more revenue than the average consumer who is not fully engaged. It takes ongoing interaction with consumers because just like your business will change and grow…so will the needs of your customer. (2)

As I prepare to wrap up…I want to highlight a few key takeaways that you can start to implement TODAY in your business.

Simply the process of connecting with your customers because for them time is a precious commodity…just like it is for you.
Don’t be afraid to change your approach if you discover that your message conversion rate is low. If your communication with consumers does not result in sales conversion and repeat buyers, then you need to rethink your strategy.
Less is better…you don’t need to overwhelm or overload consumers with information about your products or services, the sale is either won or lost based on each customer experience.
Finally, there is no cookie cutter approach to consumer engagement. This means you need to create opportunities for the consumer to provide feedback on their experience. When they tell you what they are looking for in a message or overall experience then figure out how to provide that for them.

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