Blogs

Over the last few months there has been no shortage of articles discussing the death of client alerts. Now the resurgence of email marketing is the hot topic.

A number of legal marketers in particular have referenced the demise of email and client alerts. Just last week however, I was having dinner with a friend who happens to be in-house council for a large financial services firm. My friend told me how much he loves and values the client alerts he receives. He then made a very obvious statement that I think many have overlooked: he only receives alerts that he subscribes to from firms he trusts.

Social Media has been receiving a lot of attention lately. According to Nancy Myrland http://www.myrlandmarketing.com/ in a recent LMA Conference Group discussion on LinkedIn “Social Media are not tools to be used in isolation, but deserve our time and commitment to discover how they fit into existing plans, often right alongside other forms of media.”

Nancy is spot on and Social Media can be used in a variety of ways, two of those ways being to broadcast content and build relationships. Email marketing has also been described this way, long before Social Media was such a big part of our lives.

I’ve noticed that some law and accounting firms’ use of email seems to fall solely into the broadcasting category of late. When used properly however, email provides relationship building opportunities.

In his latest post “Why email deserves a second chance” Simms Jenkins references email usability research carried out by Nielsen Norman Group.   According to their findings recipients have emotional reactions to emails they receive, this is in stark contrast to website usability where users lean toward functionality.

Like Jenkins I agree that this sounds a lot like how social media works (relying on emotion to generate engagement). Below are a few lessons email can learn from social media, which I’ve adapted to professional services marketers.

Brief and teasing Content
At Concep, we understand that successful emails create engagement through call-to-actions. By tracking recipients who click through, marketers can nurture and present new business opportunities to Partners. Your emails should include brief, short actionable items that appeal to multiple segments of your audience and encourage them to take action.

Variety of Articles 
Firms shouldn’t rely on just a single topic; one-size-fits-all email doesn’t work according to Jenkins. I believe that in the interest of segmentation and client preferences it’s not always best to deliver anything that could be deemed as irrelevant content. Include a variety of articles related to the overall topic of the email. A variety of articles will provide valuable insight into what your clients find appealing. Too many firms deliver client alerts or newsletters with just one long article.

In our twitter feeds we have a huge variety of topics and authors to choose from. If every post discussed tax law and my focus was on a property law issue at the time I wouldn’t click through.  Email, like social media, is based on an emotional reaction.

Socialize your Email Marketing
Content is often the enemy of email marketing and from my experience with US accounting / CPA firms, many wrongfully outsource their content creation and development to 3rd parties. But content is social media’s best friend and therefore email newsletters should include relevant, persuasive content and thought leadership with social sharing in mind.

Make it unique – stand out from the crowd
One criticism many law firms hear regarding email and client alerts in particular is that in-house council receive too many emails from multiple firms on the same subject. I’d simply suggest opting out if you receive too many.

This provides an opportunity for some firms as many of your competitors’ emails are boring and don’t have a unique brand or personality. Yours should be distinct from your competitors but also from your other communications. Make sure email provides value that cannot be found elsewhere, otherwise what is the point?
 
Don’t underestimate the emotional connection
Simm Jenkins and myself both receive Dunder Mifflin’s email newsletter. I thought his inclusion of an example in his blog was genius and I couldn’t resist it myself. (see below) This happens to be an email best practice nightmare, being text heavy with very few links and its design is old and dated.

Anthony Green (President, Concep) and I will testify that despite the appearance we read it every time it arrives  in our Inbox. This is not because of the bells and whistles (or lack of) but the emotional connection we have to ‘The Office’. (Being English I have a greater connection to the original English version though).