How to Engage Better in a Multi-Touch Point World

The influx of smart phones and tablets means more and more consumers are accessing the Internet through these devices. Many marketers adapt to these situations by launching device specific apps that optimize the experience for the consumer. Side by side with these efforts, marketers also need to change their content delivery and engagement strategy to accommodate the new multiple touch point world.

With tablets and smart phones, the prospect or customer becomes accessible anytime, anywhere. This is a double-edged sword. These devices improve accessibility and better response time, but marketers have the extra work of finding the appropriate time to initiate a conversation. The marketer’s message either becomes a welcome diversion or an intruding annoyance, depending on when the message lands.

In the past, prospects accessed email at the time of their own convenience. Now, the onus is on the marketer to deliver the message at a convenient time or else face the risk of being ignored… permanently.

How to engage better

One way to ensure subscribers receive messages when it’s most convenient to them is to allow them to specify preferred times or days of the week for contact. But more than that, this chore is on the marketer to ensure messages are more focused and relevant more than ever before. Vague or misleading subject lines get the axe, while a message that clearly specifies intent will be read regardless of the circumstances. Make sure to phrase the message and the subject after considering the customers behavioral and buying data.

In short, a service-first, sales-later mentality would do wonders in today’s changed circumstances. How has your email marketing content changed with the increased use of mobile devices to access email? Do you have any tips to share?