The Offensive Tactic
Heard about Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds feud? Who hasn't right? Unless you have been living under a rock. While this fake feud has kept us all entertained and wanting for more, ever wonder what they are really up to? Advertising, undoubtedly. This is a form of Aggressive Marketing where they have been parodying each other's brand and creating enough buzz to keep the world talking about Laughing Man Coffee and Aviation American Gin (and now you know it too).
Simply put, Aggressive marketing is nothing but an offensive strategy that uses provocation as a tactic to create a buzz and garner reaction from the audience. Because using other brand's/competitor's name is a legitimate practice, aggressive marketing tactics often involve one brand mentioning the other, parodying each other, etc. to draw attention to itself.
Aggressive marketing includes direct communication with potential customers and actively tracking and increasing their engagement using your business.
While the feud between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds is just a marketing stunt, brands like McDonald and Burger King have never shied away from taking a jab at each other.
The Process Explained
While the whole idea of aggressive marketing may sound like the role of Loosehead and Tighthead Prop in Rugby, but it doesn't exactly work that way. Aggressive marketing is about proactive communication and as long as you do not use deception to promote the product or service, it is a good way to stay in the minds of the customer.
Before explaining how to create aggressive email campaigns, it is important to know how email campaigns work in general. The steps to create a good email campaign are as follows.
know what you aim to achieve from the campaign.
A good campaign depends on how well you put yourself in the buyer's shoes to understand their requirements well.
It's email marketing and having a list is a must. It is good to have a targeted list created using the right criteria to get the best results.
An Email campaign usually runs for a fixed time frame. It is important to decide this from the start and chart out the various campaign activities accordingly.
The messaging plays an important role in the success of an email campaign. Spend enough time to create a copy that matches the campaign theme and subject lines that grab attention.
The email for campaigns needs a call to action that either triggers purchase or enrolments whichever the end goal is.
An email campaign is often a give and take process, so create assets like eBooks, infographics or giveaways, etc. to increase the brand value.
While this may be something that decreases the leads, it is still necessary to give subscribers or customers the option to opt-out if needed.
The most important aspect of email marketing is tracking. It is import to analyze what works and what does not and keep making changes and improvements.
While the abovementioned steps remain the same even for Aggressive Email Campaigns. The aspects that must be particularly taken care of are:
The difference between normal email campaigns and an aggressive email marketing campaign lies in the messaging. Here are a few ways to do so.
While it is not possible to predict every situation, your business will be in, it is good to be prepared to take action at all times. Try to create emails as a quick reaction to any major changes. Let the audience know that you are well updated about the trends. And by using the right questions or pitching the right solution, the conversions can be increased too.
As a continuation of the point above, Content plays an important role. No matter how quick on the feet you are, the email content needs to be crisp and concise and hit the mark.
Aggressive marketing needs a lot of confidence, not just in the copy but on the actual product or service too. Ensure that the key benefits, the out-of-the-box features, or the uniqueness are all pitched well in order to create an organic interest in what you are selling or offering.
Aggressive email marketing campaigns have to be qualitative. So, rather than telling the same generic things that others say, try to add more information about the product or service, show how you are different from the competitors. Try to highlight the value additions offered.
An aggressive Email Marketing campaign is not about playing safe. Try to do something different from what others do. It may be a risk, but you will never know unless you try. Explore new possibilities to reach out to mixed demographics and stand out in the industry.
Aggressive email marketing doesn't mean slandering other businesses or brands. While there may be only a thin line between poking fun and being rude, try not to cross the line in order to stand tall in the market. After all, there is decorum in aggressive email marketing too.
Chad S. White, the Head of Research at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting, author of "Email Marketing Rules" and more than 3,000 articles and posts about email marketing, shared some interesting email marketing tips in his book. Here are a few:
"The on-brand execution of best practices tailored to your unique audience is what leads to the best execution."