Episode Summary: Ep. 264 - Ask Us ANYTHING❓The Bachelor! + 3X Results: The Content Format No One’s Talking About💡
In Episode 264 of "Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson," host Jay Schwedelson delves into innovative marketing strategies and shares his candid thoughts on pop culture phenomena. The episode is structured around answering audience questions, blending professional marketing insights with relatable commentary on current TV events. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode.
1. Introduction to "Ask Us Anything" Segment
Timestamp: [00:00]
Jay Schwedelson kicks off the episode by introducing the "Ask Us Anything" segment, where he addresses both work-related and unconventional questions submitted by listeners. He encourages audience participation, emphasizing the value of diverse questions for enriching the podcast's content.
2. Enhancing Email Marketing with Milestone Personalization
Timestamp: [00:02] - [24:30]
Question from Denny, San Antonio, Texas: Denny inquires about advanced personalization strategies in email marketing beyond the standard practices, seeking effective yet unconventional approaches to enhance engagement.
Jay's Insight: Jay identifies "milestone email sends" as a highly effective yet underutilized personalization tactic. He distinguishes these from common milestones like birthdays or renewals, advocating for more creative and impactful milestones tailored to specific business or consumer behaviors.
Key Points:
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Definition of Milestone Emails: Milestone emails celebrate significant achievements or activities that users reach while engaging with a product or service, fostering a sense of accomplishment and encouraging further interaction.
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Effectiveness Backed by Statistics:
- Open Rates: According to Litmus, milestone emails achieve open rates 2.5 times higher than typical promotional emails.
- Click-Through Rates: Experian reports that in B2B contexts, milestone emails can increase click-through rates by over 25%.
- Conversion Rates: Milestone campaigns exhibit a 300% higher conversion rate compared to standard email campaigns.
(Jay Schwedelson, [05:45]) "Milestone emails can achieve open rates that are two and a half times higher than typical promotional emails.")
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Examples of Milestone Campaigns:
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Usage Milestones:
- Celebrating specific user achievements, such as reaching a certain number of API calls or completing multiple live coaching sessions.
- Example: "You've hit 1,000 API calls this month. Here's a guide to help you scale even further."
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Savings Milestones:
- Highlighting the financial or time savings customers have achieved through the product or service.
- Example: "In just one month, you've saved $22,000 for your business. Here's how you can save even more."
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Product Adoption Milestones:
- Acknowledging the full integration or adoption of a product within a customer's workflow.
- Example: "Your team has generated a thousand reports with our product. Ready to take the insights to the next level?"
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Benefits of Milestone Emails:
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Engagement and Motivation: Recognizing user achievements motivates continued engagement and investment in the product or service.
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Personal Connection: Tailored milestone messages create a personalized experience, making customers feel valued and understood.
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Encouraging Further Action: Providing actionable next steps within milestone emails encourages users to deepen their engagement and explore additional features or services.
Conclusion: Jay emphasizes that leveraging milestone emails can significantly enhance email marketing effectiveness by fostering a deeper connection with customers and driving higher engagement and conversion rates. He urges marketers to explore and implement a variety of milestone-based campaigns beyond the conventional approaches.
3. Candid Commentary on "The Bachelor" – The Ridiculous Question
Timestamp: [24:30] - [28:00]
Question from Cali, Seattle, Washington: Cali poses a seemingly trivial yet personal question regarding Jay's thoughts on the latest season of "The Bachelor," prompting a transition from professional advice to pop culture commentary.
Jay's Perspective: Jay shares his critical view of a specific incident in Season 29 of "The Bachelor," where a contestant named Parissa used a PowerPoint presentation with AI-generated images depicting a future life with the bachelor, Grant Ellis.
Key Points:
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Description of the Incident:
- Parissa's use of a slide projector and AI-generated images to visualize a potential future with Grant during their first meeting.
- The presentation included images of dates, pregnancy, and children, which Jay found unsettling and inappropriate for a nascent relationship.
(Jay Schwedelson, [25:15]) "Do not ever do that. Don't make an AI generated image of yourself being pregnant the day you meet the dude that you're interested in. That will freak them out massively.")
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Impact on Perception:
- The over-the-top approach was perceived as creepy and indicative of a possessive personality.
- Jay highlights the lack of appropriate context for such an aggressive demonstration early in the relationship-building process.
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Broader Commentary:
- Jay reflects on the quality of reality TV, admitting to watching "The Bachelor" despite labeling it as "very bad TV."
- He underscores the importance of appropriate first impressions and the pitfalls of overly aggressive personalization in both reality TV and marketing contexts.
Conclusion: Jay advises against overly aggressive or intrusive personalization tactics, drawing parallels between the contestant's approach on "The Bachelor" and potential pitfalls in marketing personalization strategies. The key takeaway is the importance of balancing personalization with respect for user boundaries to avoid negative perceptions.
4. Final Thoughts and Community Engagement
Timestamp: [28:00] - End
In the closing segment, Jay encourages listeners to subscribe for more actionable marketing tips and to engage with the podcast through reviews and participation in virtual marketing events. While this section includes promotional elements, it reinforces the podcast's commitment to providing valuable marketing insights and fostering a community of engaged marketers.
Key Takeaways:
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Innovative Personalization Matters:
- Moving beyond standard personalization tactics, such as birthday or renewal emails, to more meaningful milestone-based campaigns can significantly boost engagement and conversion rates.
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Milestone Emails are Versatile:
- They can be tailored to recognize various user achievements, from usage milestones to savings and product adoption, making them applicable across diverse industries and customer types.
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Balance Personalization with Respect:
- Whether in marketing or personal interactions, it's crucial to balance personalization efforts with respect for boundaries to foster positive relationships and avoid negative perceptions.
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Engage with the Community:
- Actively participating in community segments like "Ask Us Anything" enriches the podcast experience and provides tailored insights that address real-world marketing challenges.
Notable Quotes:
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(Jay Schwedelson, [05:45]) "Milestone emails can achieve open rates that are two and a half times higher than typical promotional emails."
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(Jay Schwedelson, [24:50]) "This is the episode where all the like 25 women introduce themselves to the Bachelor and he decides, okay, are any of these people my person?"
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(Jay Schwedelson, [25:15]) "Don't make an AI generated image of yourself being pregnant the day you meet the dude that you're interested in. That will freak them out massively."
This episode of "Do This, NOT That" seamlessly blends expert marketing advice with relatable pop culture commentary, offering listeners both practical strategies and engaging discussions. By emphasizing the importance of innovative personalization and thoughtful engagement, Jay Schwedelson equips marketers with the tools to enhance their campaigns and connect more deeply with their audiences.