While subscribers appreciate a good deal, that doesn’t mean every email you send must include a special offer or discount. Today’s consumers are savvy and discriminating; you can (and should) engage them with compelling content as well.

Insider information

No, I’m not talking about illegal insider trading. I’m talking about making your subscribers feel special by giving them the inside scoop. Give them access to content not available to the general public. Let them download white papers, case studies, solutions briefs, recipes… view how-to-videos, webinars… listen to podcasts, mp3s and more.

Create a subscribers-only area on your site, and restrict access to email subscribers. You can archive content there, so that new subscribers can access past content.

First dibs

If your company doesn’t have the staff to support a separate stream of content designed specifically for subscribers, then at least give your subscribers early access to content before making it available to the rest of the world.

Compelling content

Advances in technology have made it possible to produce professional-quality content such as videos and make it accessible to the masses without exhausting your budget. So there’s no excuse for not expanding your email marketing horizons.

That said, your emails don’t need all the bells and whistles in order to present compelling content to your subscribers. Create an email calendar that addresses your subscribers’ needs/wants/concerns. Do so, and your emails will resonate with them… and your open and click rates will increase.

Customer service

You can have the best creative and the best offers in your emails, but if your customer service is lacking then it’s all for naught. Keep your customer service staff in the loop about upcoming email campaigns, and vice versa. Find out what the recurring customer service issues are, then address them in your email marketing. Your customers (and customer service reps) will thank you for it.

Social engagement

Unless your subscribers are living under a rock, they probably are members of various social media sites. And you should be too. That means you need to incorporate your social media presence into your email campaigns. Go beyond simply having little icons and links to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram. Why not create a contest that ties in one or more of these sites? Make sure your social media sites have content that’s unique to each – then promote it in your emails.

Interactive options

Email marketing, like any form of digital communication, should be a two-way dialogue. Make your emails interactive: seek feedback on products/services, conduct an opinion poll, ask subscribers to send in photos using your products, link to a download of a free mobile app, etc. (By the way, mobile is IT. You may not be able to afford developing an app, but you can’t afford to ignore mobile altogether.) Whatever you do, keep the lines of communication open.

Community

Create a sense of community among your subscribers. You could link to a (moderated) forum area where subscribers can post questions and offer answers. This is especially beneficial for high-tech companies. Apple Support Communities is a great example of user-generated content. Simply including customer reviews can instill a sense of community among your subscribers. Feature a subscriber – with photo – in an email every month. Think of ways you can connect with your subscribers… and let them connect with each other.

If your email campaigns only offer discounts but no other content, they may suffer from “the boy who cried wolf” syndrome. Your subscribers may skip over your emails or cease to respond to them simply because they’re the same old-same old. Keep it fresh, keep it interesting, and your subscribers will keep coming back for more.