Here are a 17 resolutions for every digital marketer. Try to include these as part of your strategy and keep integrating email, mobile, and social as your digital interactive channels.
1 - I will redo my Welcome messaging - by creating a compelling must have message that engages the consumer from day one. I will make sure that this message is updated regularly and will include real consumer input as part of this message.
2 - I will create transactional triggers - think about specific messages for specific transactions. Create these messages and automate the sending process. Review your results weekly.
3 - I will work hard on growing my digital list - you need to set realistic goals and involve your team in growing your email, mobile, & social media lists across all channels. Remember the transactional triggers - enable them for your non-web channels as well.
4 - I will create a preference center - a real cross channel preference center that will solicit recipient preferences, update preferences based on user interaction, & keep the preference tables updated through surveys.
5 - I will watch the frequency of my campaigns - so as not to startle, or numb the recipient from the excessive barrage (or the out of the blue email) of messaging. You can make this effective by tracking your open rates per consumer across multiple campaigns and not just one.
6 - I will keep surveying the consumer - include a survey link in every email to solicit recipient opinion. Leverage other channels into collecting user preferences. Think hard about the questions too - don't use the survey to score how well you are doing. Use the survey to connect with the recipient.
7 - I will survey the non-buyer - reach out to people that don't buy from you and try to get their opinion. Make them a priority - you will learn something good about your program, get an opportunity to try new things on people that don't seem to respond, & perhaps convert someone.
8 - I will work with the call center, brick & mortar channels - yes, we all resolve to do it each year. But here is what you should do - first engage them by pushing offers their way, & two show them all the different ways you can track people. The more involved they are in your campaigns the more they will support you.
9 - I will test before I launch - test each campaign before you put it out. Have three types of tests - first - a sanity test on what the campaign should do, second involve your team to see what they think will work (and let them find errors), third - test it out on a sub-section of your recipients before you send it out to your entire list.
10 - I will work on subject lines - these drive open rates and engagement. A good subject line can also be leveraged into Facebook or Twitter. Take some time to come up with them rather than just slapping them on last minute. In fact, set a goal to solicit subject lines from your peers and narrow them down with testing.
11 - I will monitor my deliverability - watch your delivered and blocks on every campaign. Don't mess this up - keep your IP's clean by keeping your customers and prospects on different IP's.
12 - I will monitor my metrics - for all my campaigns. You need to look at all your numbers across channels. Innovative marketers this year will actually start measuring success across channels - start campaigns on one channel and transfer people to another. Also, share your reports with other people in your organization.
13 - I will integrate social media into my email. Social media is an effective way to engage the consumer. Integrating social into your email will help you build relationships, increase engagement, & drive some very powerful results.
14 - I will play the role of a customer. (Take a look at your campaigns as a consumer). Make a checklist of things that you like about your campaigns. See if the path makes sense, and if the marketing is up to par. Track your subscribe & unsubscribe process.
15 - I will respond to queries and comments - good or bad, and will do this quickly across channels. If I can, I will create a digital help desk to create a more engaging experience for my consumer.
16 - I will solicit input from my peers to establish success metrics and will share these metrics with everyone on a regular basis. This will keep others involved and drive useful input into my own program.
17 - I will create an inner circle! Try your best to engage your best consumers into an inner circle. An interactive dialogue with them will provide effective guidance for your marketing program.
Good luck with your campaigns in 2011. You should strive to converse with your consumers, engaging them in a timely profitable dialogue. After all, marketing is all about creating interactive conversations.