Jordie van Rijn for advanced email marketers at the Copernica Summit

Email marketing expert Jordie van Rijn’s session at the Copernica Summit will be aimed at experienced marketers. Van Rijn is a well-known expert in the world of email marketing. He wrote the book Email marketing in 60 Minutes and is founder of Emailvendorselection.com. As an independent advisor, he helps brands like Unilever and Endemol improve their email strategy.

At the Copernica Summit Van Rijn will focus on lessons that email marketers can learn from international brands. ‘The most successful international senders have a long term email strategy,’ he explains. ‘You have to burn before you learn. To be able to achieve results, you’ll have to make some extra investments.’

Scalability

‘A lot of companies lack a clear strategy and are in need of a review from a fresh perspective. While in many cases there might have been some thought put into the strategy, it isn't always as effective and scalable as it should be. I always advise people to set their targets five times as high as it is now. How far will their current strategy get them then?’

And that’s not only part of the email strategy that needs improvement with a lot of brands, Van Rijn explains. ‘Take testing. A lot of email marketers set up split-run or other A/B testing scenarios. And while that in itself of course is a good thing, they then measure the results using the wrong criteria.’

Fixation

‘Companies shouldn’t fixate on opens, let alone open percentages, to optimise their email templates. Ask yourself this: is your emailing a success if it gets opened a lot? Or is the main objective to get customers to buy your products?’

‘Always think ahead,’ Van Rijn adds. ‘Which recipients are your target audience? What products do you want them to buy? Would you rather have one big customer, or three smaller ones? Do not underestimate the importance of these questions, or you’ll risk optimising your email template for popularity while missing your goal.’

Consistent message

During his session at the Copernica Summit, Van Rijn will also talk about email marketing in combination with other channels. ‘It’s a common misconception that as a brand you should bring across the same message on all channels like TV, social and email. Who came up with that idea? It’s nonsense!’

‘Of course there should be some consistency,’ Van Rijn clarifies, ‘but different media ask for a different approach. With email, as a marketer you know the person you’re communicating with. Use your database to send offers or content that fit the recipient’s needs. Email is an ideal medium to boost conversion. But you’ll have to communicate differently.’

Will to improve

Van Rijn often notices that email marketers get a bit uncomfortable when he confronts them with their own email strategy. ‘That’s the most interesting moment. Because at the same time, they get inspired to make improvements. That’s why I want give attendees of the Copernica Summit a framework, something they can use to move forward. But marketers also need to want to change. That part might be even more important than a good strategy.’