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“Please Email Me”

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A few weeks ago, I went to see a band. I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t been to the venue, I had only heard the band once before, and it was a Wednesday night – not exactly prime time.

But the band was really, really good and the live performance was spectacular. When they had finished their set, the singer came off the stage with a clipboard and tried to get just about every single person to sign up for the band’s email list.

“Do you want to sign up for our email list?” she asked me.

“Yes, please email me,” I said.

When, I wondered, was the last time anyone ever said that?

The Email Excitement Gap

I wanted to hear from the band, because I wanted to know the next time they would be playing a show. Their show – the product – was so good that I wanted to buy tickets again and I wanted them to stay in touch to tell me when that would be possible.

From then on, I’ve been excited to get an email from that band. And that kind of excitement is a rare thing.

To most brands and customers alike, email has become a utility, something to be taken for granted. The inbox is a place where expectations are filled, not exceeded, and just about everyone has resigned themselves to that experience.

That’s not ideal. This year, research showed that email is still the highest channel for ROI. But brands take it for granted. With email campaigns running smoothly, things are business-as-usual.

On digital properties – from social media to websites – email sign-up boxes are usually thrown into the corner somewhere. Often, there’s no incentive to sign up at all, just a blank box awaiting a name.

When customers do sign up for an email newsletter, they’re not exactly looking for thrills. They’re looking for deals. When they get deals, they’re getting what they expect.

There’s an excitement gap between our reactions to email and what email can actually accomplish. With contextual marketing technology rapidly allowing for new kinds of innovation in the inbox, companies should refocus their energies (and budgets) to try and delight and surprise current customers while exciting new recipients about signing up for the list.

What’s in an Email?

We’ve discussed before about how emails need to go beyond traditional sales. But what about how you can create emails that are more relevant and interactive?

With API integrations in email, you can build campaigns that are customized for your business at the individual customer level. By drawing data from email, social, and internal data, businesses can finally start creating emails that get people excited again.

And, some day, maybe even get customers to say what I said at the show: “Please email me.”

Want to learn more about how brands are using API integrations? Download our eBook, “7 Ways to Use API Integrations in Your Email Campaigns.”

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