Business owners and entrepreneurs alike are used to multi-tasking and wearing a variety of hats. Email marketing fits into this notion of trying to accomplish a variety of marketing and outreach needs with the least amount of physical effort.
A look at the newly launched Apple Music into the realm of music streaming is a great current example of how a company can take on many roles and aim to bring heightened awareness and popularity to its brand via strong principles in marketing techniques – recurring revenue.
In a recent Forbes article, Ewan Spence notes, ‘The key for any business is to have predictable and regular income. Music subscription services provide a regular income to the major labels. While Apple Music is not necessarily contingent on email marketing, Apple’s approach to personalization and segmentation and recurring revenue model undoubtedly lends itself to marketing business success.
Email marketing’s proven track record of being able to bridge the gap between target audiences in a more personalized way is suitable to the ultimate method for extending the reach of a brand. With recent developments in email technology, it is more efficient now than ever to send customized, relevant and appealing emails to your subscribers who are eager to receive great marketing content from you.
This added customization in email technology adapts itself to secure better open rates and improved overall engagement with your target audience- translation, more money in your pocket!
A closer look at Apple Music, the company’s approach to introducing this new streaming of music feature, as well as enticing factors for triggering user signups is worth dissecting, because while the technology or interface may not be pioneer in its form, the Apple company certainly knows how to brand its counterparts for victory.
Let’s evaluate how we can apply this ideology to your business to put a spotlight on email for marketing success.
Personalization | Touchpoints & Playlists
The notion of personalization is frequently pushed in articles examining email marketing success, for its unique method of connecting with users and generating more authentic content. Less and less, companies are using the one-size-fits-all approach, as subscribers seems to generally respond to more tailored content that speaks to them on a personal level.
The initial exposure to Apple Music affords users the full Apple Music experience on iPhones, iPads, iPod touch, MAC’s or PC’s. The Apple company understands the importance of bringing daily connections with users and providing them with broad access to music on a variety of touchpoints that are personally convenient to them in their routines.
Apple Music has even gone so far as to equip the Family Sharing plans to grant full access to features of use for everyone within the “family” and sets these up on all family member devices automatically- the ultimate personalization.
An added personalization feature is the ability to set limits on a Family Subscription plan, where you can request to be sent a notification to review a child’s purchase or download request. The Apple brand understands how easy access to information and quality of substantiation in order to access information across different modes of Apple devices is integral to business success and this is a very important lesson for entrepreneurs seeking email marketing success.
Another unique element is the fact that Apple Music’s monthly subscriptions are enabled with human curation of music lists and song recommendations that personalize playlists according to preferred interests.
A Bloomberg Business review notes, “After an introductory exercise in defining your preferences via bubbles (a design motif lifted directly from Beats Music), Apple Music’s “For You” and “New” tabs populate with playlists, album recommendations, and song ideas as they try to put the music you want to listen to as close to you as possible.” These expert recommendations are human generated and not contingent on an algorithm and make for an ultimate custom personalized experience that is intended to impress and entice users tirelessly.
Segmentation | Apple Music Membership Plans
The notion of marketing automation is key in allowing businesses to assess the individual needs and response levels of varying users in order to deliver better end-results. In email marketing, segmentation may involve opens, click-throughs and overall tracking of online activities. For Apple Music, segmentation is achieved by virtue of its membership plans.
After the initial three free months of Apple Music, the company offers two kinds of plan memberships for a recurring monthly fee, either an individual or a family plan. By virtue of creating recurring monthly memberships, the company is gearing to secure its ability to oust the likes of competitors in the streaming arena, such as Spotify.
The Apple franchise practices a smart notion of segmentation. In addition to subscription-based access, Apple provides target audiences with an opportunity to listen to Apple’s Beats 1 radio without a membership, to familiarize them with the brand in an overall marketing strategy that simply works.
Apple optimizes the likelihood that that very user may convert to a paid account out of familiarity with the system and sheer convenience. This is a great example on the notion of segmentation, as Apple is identifying factors leading to paid subscriptions and following which users will opt for the Beats 1 capabilities that may eventually convert to paid accounts.
Let us know what you think of Apple Music and how it may be helpful to anyone seeking to improve upon their email marketing strategy.