How To Use Psychology Alongside Data To Maximize Your Email Marketing

by John McIntyre

Psychological Email Marketing Can you name the one specific ‘turning point’…

That marks your shift from marketing novice…

To marketing maven?

Or at the very least… to the point where you became confident in your abilities.

I’d argue that one of the most common turning points…

For most marketers is data.

Data-driven marketing: Learning how to use scientific advertising — you know, split-testing and all that fun stuff – to boost profits and increase response.

This is a huge realization for new marketers…

Because it makes something that previously seemed vague and unpredictable…

Into a scalable, repeatable process… guaranteed to succeed given enough time.

But!

It also teaches marketers one very bad trait:

The tendency to treat customers, subscribers, and people as statistics…

Nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet.

The result?

Marketers hit “the wall.”

The wall that stops businesses from growing at an EXPLOSIVE rate.

And the only way to break through this wall is to experience the next turning point:

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Most email marketing advice is based around data.

And as we just learned, data can be beneficial….

But it can also be detrimental.

Let me explain: Increasing short-term profit can sometimes lead to a much larger long-term decrease in profit.

One example of this is the pushy salesman. If your business is based around relationships – aka being the trusted advisor to your clients – then you probably aren’t using a pushy, hard-selling approach to close new deals.

Why?

Because you don’t have to.

You have already established a deep relationship with your clients, so there’s no reason to add in extra hype…

It just muddies the waters and might even damage your relationship.

And in YOUR business… damaging the relationship is equal to damaging your most profitable asset.

Do you see how this ties back into marketing?

The approach you use to market, sell, and build relationships with your subscribers matters nearly as much as your data-driven approach to optimization.

It is beneficial to use data to increase profit… but not at the cost of pushing potential subscribers away due to your marketing methods.

(This goes for everything from landing page copy, to delivering on promises, to providing value… and so forth.)

Enough theory…

Let’s get into the practical nature of this topic:

Turning People Into Numbers, And Back Again?

So how do you find that happy medium and maximize true customer lifetime value?

You convert those numbers back into the living breathing people that they represent.

As it pertains to email marketing…

You consider the relationship you have towards your subscribers.

Think about this: How do you want to be regarded by your “tribe?”

Similarly, what progression do you want a new subscriber to go through over the course of one week… one month… one year?

Here are a few examples to get you going:

  • The Trusted Advisor – I’ve talked about this one in the past. This is typically for high-dollar client relationships. You have a very personal connection with subscribers, and provide them serious upfront value. No BS – this relationship is based around credibility and authority.
  • The Non-Stop Salesman – You focus on selling products, with little to no relationship building. A lot of ecommerce stores fall into this category (whether right or wrong)… and only send straight promotional emails.
  • The Authority Marketer – You have a strong relationship with subscribers, but also know how to persuade and drive them towards conversions. Ideally, everyone wins… you maximize profit AND customer happiness.

Remember, the idea here is to align your short-term actions with your long-term vision.

(If you “burn” the relationship with subscribers on day 1 by pushing – the wrong way – for a small sale… you might be losing out on a much more valuable sale in the future.)

This does not mean to hold off on selling in every email

Or to lower the frequency of sending.

It means you should consider the ideal relationship you want to create with subscribers… and make sure your marketing messages align with it. (Click To Tweet)

Putting This All Into Practice

Here’s how to do a mini audit of your email marketing funnel…

And see if all the pieces fit together in the right way.

Take a look at the content of your marketing messages:

  • Your landing pages
  • Your emails
  • Your sales pages

And also consider the various marketing approaches you utilize to boost your conversions.

Now while going through these marketing elements one by one…

Ask yourself: Does the content of this page align with the ideal relationship I’m trying to build with subscribers? 

Similarly, are you using any marketing methods that may be hurting this relationship.

For example:

  • Are you putting too much ‘hype’ into your copy?
  • Are you using credibility-killing tactics like unbelievable promises?
  • When a subscriber reads your email (including the sales pitch) how do they feel? Appreciative for the knowledge gained… or misled and less trusting of your products.

The key here is that you can massively grow your business…

Through powerful, cutting-edge marketing tactics…

Without damaging your long-term relationship with subscribers.

Some of the best marketers (and largest businesses) have perfected this mindset.

Crafting Win-Win Marketing

Think of companies that have a RAVING fan base.

Customers that would shell out the last $1,000 to their name…

And CAMP OUT, outside a closed store overnight…

Just to be first in line for the latest product.

One example: Apple.

While their marketing methods are not comparable — in many ways — to a small business… or most online marketers…

It’s all about the alignment.

The positioning.

The credibility and authority.

They market products hardcore…

And sell like crazy…

While maintaining a powerful, profitable, long-term relationship with customers.

They maximize short and long-term profit… by following these principles.

That’s the next turning point: Develop powerful marketing that drives profit AND creates a raving, passionate customer base at the same time. (Click To Tweet)

Find the perfect ‘yin and yang’ mix between data-driven optimization… and personal, relationship-based marketing strategy… and your result is explosive growth.

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