I received an email the other day from a consulting company I have used in the past for Google Analytics. The email was for a seminar in Columbus, Ohio. It was a comprehensive one and two day seminar that, I’m sure, appealed to a wide range of people who use the service. The cost was low for most small businesses and was enticing. All the information given in the email made it the right seminar for me.
I had received a few of these emails for a few months previous for other seminars, which was good, helpful even. It gave me a basis that the company cared enough to want to offer me education on their systems.
TIP: When sending emails for seminars or conferences, getting the date out early is great, especially with some follow-up emails when the actual date is closer. Keep the seminar in the minds of the customers.
However, the date I received this particular seminar email blast was October 13th. The seminar was for October 14th. One day turn around.
I should say at this point, I do not live near Ohio, I am not even in the same time zone as Ohio. The only thing my state has in common with Ohio is the O. (Oregon, Go Ducks!) I am NOT the target for the “day before seminar” email blast. Who is? People in Ohio. People close to Ohio. Not people on the west coast.
Email marketing with a series targeted for a specific date can work, when done properly. Every piece of communication about this event was done perfectly, except one. They didn’t use segmentation in their email management tools to target their customers at each stage.
If you are sending out eblasts for a particular event, take the time to think about who should receive each email – It may not be the same set of people at each stage.
Nicole Poole
Online Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software
Where it all went wrong photo by gary_foulger via Flickr
