Inbound Marketing Agency Blog

5 Insight Email Content Sources To Inspire

Written by Mark Parent | December 9, 2014 2:54:00 PM Z

Creativity is great when it comes to you, but when it doesn’t – and it’s time to send out a new batch of marketing emails – keep this list of timeless insight email concepts to save you from hours of needless head-scratching. Just be sure not to lean on it so hard that you don’t allow these concepts to become stale too – in fact, best if you allow these formats to become a wellspring from which to scoop up your new content sourcing concepts! 

Content Source #1: Customer/User Success Stories

Don't just feature your customers/users/clients on your website or through case studies -- think about how their work or stories can be featured on an email as well. That doesn't mean your email should be paragraphs and paragraphs long, but you could try sharing a quick existing user’s tip and linking to their full case study instead.

Content Source #2: Frequently Asked Questions

Whether it’s questions that are constantly fielded by your sales/outreach team, on your social media portals and websites or via email subscribers directly, sending an insight email that speaks directly to these always-pressing issues shows that you pay attention to what your subscribers and users care about. 

Content Source #3: Upcoming Events 

In addition to promoting any events your company is hosting in the future, you can send out a list of industry events that you know your audience may be interested in. The majority of events are held between the months of March and October (few want to travel over the holidays, after all). So, at the beginning of this season, compile a list of relevant events to send out to your email subscribers – events you’ll be attending should be called out specifically so they can seek you out if they intend to attend as well. 

Content Source #4: Customer Calls 

How often do you actually get a chance to have a phone call with a customer, client or even a prospect? If the answer is often – fantastic! If not, why not try to set up calls via insight email – this can be a great opportunity to find out what they are the happiest with about your services, what might be holding them back from engaging your services, what they would like to see in the future, and what questions they have about your product or services. And, don’t forget to use this priceless information to enhance future email marketing efforts.  

Content Source #5: Quick Contests 

People love to compete and they love free stuff, so a friendly contest might be just the thing to get your emails opened. Insight email marketing is a fantastic way to spread awareness – just be sure the rules, contest entry period, entry requirements and participation requirements are abundantly clear. 

Now, before you start to put these great concepts into practice – remember one thing: your email marketing goals always must be top of mind. It’s not just about the content or concept of an email – it needs to be about the end-game. If you’re trying to generate new leads with an email, make sure the content is gated by a form. If you’re trying to turn leads into customers, then consider using reviews and testimonials or other product-centric content. Don’t be so blinded by the shininess of something new – in this case, a new insight email marketing approach – that you lose sight of what you’re setting out to do – achieve your larger goals.