No, no, it's not a joke. I love the smell of fresh bread, the atmosphere of bakeries, the sound of bread being broken... But let's be honest, getting up in the middle of the night to go to the kneading trough isn't my cup of tea. There's a good chance I'll end up falling asleep between 2 bags of flour, and no, these days there's much more chance I'll end up working for Boulanger.fr than as an artisan baker. Nevertheless, in a world of relationship-based marketing, of which email is one of the main channels, we have a lot to learn from the baker, and from all small shopkeepers (insofar as they are real shopkeepers).I'll try, even if the story may be a little shaky, to draw a parallel between the traditional shopkeeper's approach (which is relationship-based by essence) and the implementation of an emailing program.

The acquisition

You move to a new town or village. You wake up after your first night in your new home... and like everyone else, you're hungry. So you get dressed and try to find a bakery. There are several ways to do this: the first is to leave your house, walk down a shopping street, and enter the first bakery that comes along. This is the search. Whoever is in the best position will win the most leads. It's a strategy that requires investment, but it's a winner when it's done right. In the second case, you go to the local bistro (let's just say you woke up at cocktail hour) and ask the regulars which is the best bakery in the area. This will lead to a more or less lengthy discussion of everyone's experiences, and you'll often be able to get a good idea of each other's quality. If you're lucky, you may even come face to face with an artisan baker who will tell you all about his passion for bread, his latest experiments and who will take you to taste a free sample of his best croissants. Welcome to the wonderful world of inbound marketing. On the other hand, if you leave your home and you're bombarded from all sides with proposals for competitions such as: "With no obligation, the Duchemin bakery offers you the chance to win a frying pan in exchange for your address". Not sure you'll be won over by the bakery qualities of the offer. Especially as your mailbox is likely to be filled pretty quickly with all kinds of flyers.

Welcome

When you walk through the door of your new bakery for the first time (let's say it's an optin), you're not told: "Confirmation: You have entered the Boulangerie du Paradis". No, no, no, you're welcomed, asked if you're new to the neighborhood, ... we start chatting.But again, beware, if the baker starts pulling out a form, asking you if you have children, what year you got married, what's your mother's name and where you usually go on vacation ... you'll run off and buy your croissants elsewhere.On the other hand, if you ask for a baguette and the baker offers you a bag of chouquettes on top. Bingo, he's so nice you'll come back. The first impression, the first buying experience, the first contact is PRIMORITY, so it's important to take care of your first relationship with your subscribers, so that they feel confident and want to come back (or open your emails).

Triggers and transactional

When you pass the bakery the next day, or a few days later, what do you expect? A big sign in the window announcing "5 croissants for the price of 4"? A good baker will try to establish a relationship with you. He'll ask you how your experiences have been, what services he doesn't offer but which might be of interest to you, etc. He's also used to introducing you to his new products/services and letting you try them out as quickly as possible.

Personalization and customer knowledge

Your baker has a memory like an elephant. You told him six months ago that your youngest daughter loved violets, and when it's time to order her birthday cake, he remembers. This elephantine memory enables him to remember all your tastes and suggest only the products you like. You walk into his store on a Sunday morning, and he's already preparing the 2 baguettes and 6 croissants you were going to ask for. On a Sunday two weeks ago, to thank you for your loyalty, he even went so far as to deliver your 2 baguettes and 6 croissants to your door, free of charge. Your baker is a golden man.

My baker can also be mobile

The mobile baker! Yes, your baker can also adapt to mobile situations. Not only can he come to your home, but he's also invested in a van so he can tour the small villages in the area, and get to the train station at 6pm when it's busy. It's an investment, of course, but you have to know how to adapt ... otherwise it's a recipe for disaster.

The inactive

No matter how hard he tries, your baker still loses customers from time to time. But that doesn't mean he'll give up. Without bothering them, if he comes across them on the street, he'll say "Hey, hello, it's been a while since we've seen you! The aim, of course, is to understand rather than to sell. No, no, no, the baker will be smarter than that, he'll point out one of his weaknesses and assure you that it's solved, while reminding you of the good times we've had together.

The numbers

Here are some figures that will help you understand the different points we have seen previously:

Acquisition

34% of all leads generated in 2013 came from inbound marketing techniques - HubSpot, State of Inbound Marketing Report, 2013

Welcome

In 2008, 40% of brands sent a welcome message to their subscribers. Today, 80% of brands send this type of message. - ReturnPath, The Email Subscriber Experience 2008-2013, 2013

Trigger and transactional

64% of Internet users find Trigger Marketing messages more interesting (Marketing Sherpa's Email Marketing Benchmark Survey, 2010)

Personalization and customer knowledge

Email marketers estimate that 30% of their revenue comes from targeting to specific segments. - DMA, National Client Email Report, 2013Personalized promotional emails in 2013 had a 26% higher open rate and a 41% higher click-through rate than non-personalized emails. - Experian, Email Market Study, 2014)

The mobile

51% of emails are opened on mobile - Litmus, Email Client Market Share: Where People Opened in 2013, 2014 72% of smartphone owners check their email every day - SNCD, Mobile Marketing Attitude 2013

The inactive

It's not a statistic, but working on your inactive subscribers is the best way to improve your deliverability.

Conclusions: The baker is your emailing program

There is no reason why you can't apply good old-fashioned marketing recipes in your email marketing program. Obviously, every business is different, but all of you offer products and services to customers. So you need to :
  • Put the user at the center of your thinking.
  • Build a relationship of trust.
  • Keep your promises (and post them clearly).
  • Do not look like a carpet salesman.

The presentation

This article is taken from a presentation we had the opportunity to give at the E-Commerce Day Metz 2014.[slideshare id=32727443&doc=emailing-ecommerce-metz-2014-140325150408-phpapp02]

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The author

Jonathan Loriaux Avatar

One response

  1. I will look at my baker differently now 🙂 bravo for this article

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