Does Incentivized Email Marketing Work?

Incentivized advertising – offering freebies or discounts in exchange for checking out a company or product – has been shown to be a fairly successful tactic. A study late last year by KN Dimestore and SocialVibe indicated that incentivized ads increased brand perception and likelihood of subsequent purchase. As long as the consumer’s responsibility is minimal, the response is typically positive. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Incentivized email marketing, however, is a bit trickier. Our inboxes already seem like they’re too cluttered. Still, free stuff or great discounts translates across mediums. But not all incentives match consumer needs. For example, an email offering a free package of diapers in exchange for registering on a manufacturer’s site sounds like a great deal for the person with small children. But for the single, 21-year-old video game enthusiast with no kids, that’s a fast tap of the Delete key.

Incentivized email marketing can work, as long as the company sending out the messages considers the following:

1. The message must be targeted. The previous instance about free diapers is a great example. Organizations need to correctly identify the audience for their email marketing messages to ensure a decent level of return.
2. The message must be personal. Generic email that doesn’t connect to the end-user is a dead end. Email marketing messages must appeal on an emotional level to make an impact.
3. The message must be simple. An offer with too many strings attached is a direct line to user frustration. The message must be easy to process and effortless to implement. A couple of clicks and a direct interface – no elaborate information uploads – and you’re apt to get more conversion.
4. The message must be worth it. In the immortal words of Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes, “Give me something I can use!”

How do you feel about incentivized email marketing? Do you like getting deals in your inbox or do you find it all overwhelming? Are the deals worth the effort?