As the Super Bowl makes its way to Indy, it's hard to miss the preparations taking place around the city. Personally, I can't wait to see how well Indy hosts such an event. As an email marketer, are you trying to get in on the Super Bowl action too by sending out an email to your subscribers about the big game?
Papa John's is. As a sponsor of the NFL, it's' not a huge surprise they are, but I was interested in how they were incorporating the email aspect. (For full details about the giveaway, click here to read the full article from PizzaMarketplace.com.) In short, they are doing a Coin Toss Experience with fans where America guesses whether the coin toss will result in Heads or Tails. If they get it right, everyone enrolled in their Papa Rewards program will receive an email with instructions on how to claim their reward.
Planning on sending out a Super Bowl email? Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Make it fun. You are going to be in the inbox with a lot of competition. Not that this, in particular, is anything new, but you'll be competing with several other companies trying to get a piece of the Super Bowl pie.
2. Rewards. To keep people engaged with your email through the Super Bowl and beyond, include a reward. Papa John's is engaging their audience by incorporating a poll, a reward, and a follow-up email.
3. Buzz. Once you have established your contest, reward, or poll, etc, start creating some buzz around it. Share the news on social media, blog about it, add a CTA on your website, and send reminder emails. Talk it up!
4. Test, test, test. You'd hate for a big email campaign around the Super Bowl to flop, wouldn't you? Be sure to test first.
What examples have you seen of Super Bowl emails? I'm always interested, so send them my way!
I own two cars. A 2009 4-door sedan and a 2008 SUV.
The sedan is quiet on the road and handles like a sports car. The SUV, with its high profile and all wheel drive, is perfect for maneuvering after a snowfall. Plus it holds the big stuff that won't fit into the sedan.
I wouldn't want to choose between them. This got me thinking, can there be a parallel argument for email service providers (ESPs)?
If I send a simple bi-weekly templated newsletter to the same audience, a basic low-cost ESP may fit the bill just fine.
However, if I need a high-touch provider with strategy consulting, analytics integration, and transactional messaging capabilities, I will need a more robust solution. It will cost more, but if the ROI (return on investment) makes sense - I'm good with that.
So next time an ESP calls, don't say, "I already got one of those." Ask yourself if you need another one.
