I barely watch movies, but a few weeks ago we watched Slumdog Millionaire – well before the pre/ post-Oscar hype. It was very late, we were all tired but for two hours we were all glued to the screen waiting for the movie to play out.
The movie is not about poverty but about hope and taking chances, it’s the story of a young man who earns a spot on the Indian version of Who wants to be a Millionaire? All but one question posed to him elicits a correct answer – he knows the answers not because he is a genius but because every question sparks a memory that impacted his life. The story is engaging, even when you figure out where they’re going with it – you want to see how the man answers the next question.
Likewise, a good email program keeps recipients engaged, we recommend using a carefully scripted plan that way even if they figure out your formula and know what to expect, they’ll still have something to look forward to. A few weeks back we blogged about Use Cases, this approach help guides you in planning your offers and move toward a scripted path with your recipients. Such a plan will help you anticipate needs, determine recipient’s favorites and their best-fit offers.
The movie followed a path – simple questions leading to more complicated ones; even when you knew what to expect, you waited to watch because there was enough of a teaser. Use the same approach with your campaigns, lay them all out and see if they flow. Offer a theme to keep people engaged across campaigns, make reference to current events and keep sharing feedback from the users and incorporating feedback from your team. Your goal is not just to get a click-through to landing page, but to get people to keep coming back for your campaigns.
PS – Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the movie, I haven’t spilled any beans. Like I said, the young man gets all but one question right, he wins a prize… but it is not what you think it is.
