Scripting your emails: how does it work?

If your job in membership requires you to recruit new members or help with membership retention, it is important to communicate with your contacts in the correct manner. For both recruitment and retention, scripting your emails can be a real time saver in the medium and long term. But do you know how to go about it?

Our previously published white paper will give you all the information that you need regards emailing best practices as well as how to segment your member base , understand the fundamentals of GDPR, and know how to handle the marketing pressure , now is the time to put it all into practise.

What is an emailing scenario?

As the name suggests, the email scenario is a story you make up in where the recipient of your email is the hero. As an author, you have a plan and purpose for them.
The “difficulty” of this exercise lies in the fact that the hero of your story will make decisions beyond your control which will influence the narrative world around them. It is therefore essential to imagine the different behaviours and possible reactions of your recipient in order to direct the correct mailings to them.

What are the advantages of the emailing scenario?

A concept unique to marketing automation, creating these different scenarios can seem like a tedious task. But only at first glance, since it allows you to gain efficiency in the long run. You stay one step ahead of your contact and stay in control of the relationship you have with them.
Like the film industry, the chances of bringing the viewer back to the cinema to see a sequel are greater if the original film was popular. Each email scenario can be seen as a strategy specific to each reaction of your recipients. Well developed, email campaigns will allow you to limit the lapsing of your members. You therefore increase the chances of loyalty and, above all, reduce re-acquisition costs.
From your email editor, you need to be able to program different scenarios so that marketing automation takes on its full meaning by automatically sending emails.
We would like to draw your attention to the need to have your database up to date or there is the risk of sending emails in the scenario that are not suited to the correct contacts.

How to develop an emailing scenario?

Like “Bandersnatch” of the Black Mirror series, each decision will take the central character to a different road, cross another one, then another, in a labyrinth creating a multitude of realities. The image is exaggerated, but the idea of the script work is there. You have to imagine a story where everything is possible, simultaneously.
In order to familiarise yourself with the technique, start with simple templates for each type of email communication with your members. Proceed by answering “yes” and “no” which will give you a good base. You can become more complex once you are comfortable with the technique.
Reminder: your goal is to take the member / contact where you want them to be. It is therefore essential to think of all the situations to create all the possible scenarios. If it deviates from the ideal route, your scenarios should be able to bring them back to the right path. Unfortunately, this not always be the case.
In developing your more in-depth scenarios, consider creating differentiated cycles according to behaviour. This will allow you to create more personalised messages that will be sent at the right time.