Gas Prices are High - Effective Relationship and Email Marketing Offer

10 Strategic Email Relationship Marketing Pointers from a Real-Life Email Offer

I am a subscriber to several email marketing campaigns -

1) For the continuing education

2) To be informed of incentives and great deals or discounts when they come

Recently, I received this great, humorous (or not so humorous -depending on your gas price response).

Gas prices are really reaching some all-time highs, but the local municipal golf course marketers are on top of it in this latest email.

See if you can find other credible email marketing strategies in this one:

1)  First of all, I am a subscriber, so these guys are not spamming me.  Good chance I would not open the email and mark it spam if I didn't recognize the sender. 2)  Second, the subject line reads, "Cheap Rates at Mentel Memorial G.C." - Instantly recognized and instantly relevant.  Who wouldn't like cheap golf rates? 3) Next- they not only add a touch of humor, but it is highly relevant.  Humor in marketing without relevance could be distracting and a waste of effort.  Not in this one. 4) They are instantly relating to us because they are in the same boat with us with these ridiculous gas prices. 5) They offer a limited time offer, but in my opinion, it would be more effective to have a publicized deadline as they tend to be more effective.  They can always come up with another clever offer around the rising costs of gas. 6)  The call to action is clear and they provide factual info about how to take action and how convenient it is to reach the course regardless of where you live around the city.

From this review, there are definitely several great "formula" copywriting / advertising elements in place that are fundamental.

Just a few pointers I would add to make sure this ad is "optimized".

Test Everything!

I would make sure to split test (or multi-variate test) this depending on the size of their subscriber list.

Since I do not know their campaign, they may very well be split testing with Google Website Optimizer and their email marketing software.

Testable improvement possibilities could be:

• testing different subject lines in the email for opens and conversions (sales)
• testing different offers on the golf 
• testing different CTA (calls to action) - could use different phone numbers or "coupon codes" to track and improve
• testing on a sample size before sending to the entire subscriber list
• testing a more specific deadline for the offer (sure it is good to have a "Limited Time Only", but the more specific, usually, the higher the response - but to be sure- test everything.
• they used humor here, and at times, this can be a deterrent, but in this case, it is so relatable and highly relevant that as a reader, I am instantly drawn into the promotion
• make some "bulk offers" on this page- instead of having a single offer, almost any email promotion with some creativity can create a few offers and project one as a "best value" - this could be done simply by having 3 offers in this email- 
   

1. a "riding cart 1 time offer"
2. a "walking golfer offer"
3. a "batch rate or group discount"
4. a "multiple pass offer" - making this offer good for a coupon book of 5 or 10 discount rounds at this price for the next 15 or 30 days (with a very specific deadline)

What are some other options to test for creativity, headlines, calls to actions, benefits, or offers (value propositions)?

email us or offer your ideas below. . .

By the way- if you are in the Columbus area and like to golf, I would highly recommend subscribing to the municipal golf course email subscription to get deals that you would not otherwise receive.  Who wouldn't want to save more money on golf?

Register free here ==> http://www.columbuscitygolfcourses.com/golf/runtime/specials_login.php

(If you are one of our readers from outside of Columbus and enjoy getting discount golf, be sure to register around your area and get special offers from your local courses - guaranteed to save money for you this summer for golf).

What can you do to discover more?

First, download "101 Powerful Profit Strategies, Tools and Tips for Making More Money Online" 
    our 35 page report when you subscribe to our newsletter below for free.

Anytime we make a new discovery or post a helpful article on:

• Increasing Sales Conversions
• Increasing Targeted Traffic
• Relationship Marketing Strategies and
• Getting your web Social 2.0 you will receive a notice

If you are already a subscriber and would like more information, contact us here or below,

or view our list of services to discover the best options for you.

Aaron Schulman for Aim Advantage