Who are we kidding -- email is the first thing you think of when it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Unless you've been living inside a shell, you've noticed that the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie has taken the U.S. by storm. I don't care who you are, we all have a favorite Turtle, and that got me thinking: What if the whole ninja thing didn't work out and they became email marketers instead? (I think my email obsession has hit a new high -- or maybe a new low).
Leaving aside the fact that the cartoon would be riveting, each Turtle can teach us a few valuable lessons about email marketing.
Leonardo: Leading With Data
You're the tactical leader, always learning from what's been done before leaping into what's next. Even though you carry two long katanas everywhere you go, your real weapon is information.
When you don the blue mask to conquer email marketing, pour over open and click rates, look for patterns in your most successful subject lines, and lead your marketing campaign with confidence -- because knowledge is Turtle Power.
From your early days training with Splinter, you learned that you can use the data from email campaigns to identify what's resonating with your audience and use that to inform future email strategies and content marketing. It's like a focus group without the group-think mentality, because after all, actions do speak louder than words. Getting big insights out of your smaller audience, on a budget, is easy as (pizza) pie.
Michelangelo: Breaking All The Rules
You're the free-spirited one, quick to make jokes that can sometimes make your teammates roll their eyes. Or maybe that's the incessant nunchaku-spinning (might want to tone it down, dude).
When you tie on that orange mask, you're willing to buck the status quo and try something new with your email marketing, even if it sounds crazy -- like ditching your email newsletter and sending an email focused on just one topic or idea. Or, connect your email and social media marketing strategy to amplify your message. The results might even make Raphael yell, "Cowabunga!"
Raphael: Creating Customer Loyalty
You're known for being aggressive at times -- which can be a bit dangerous when you're wielding a pair of sai -- but you're also fiercely loyal to the people, er, turtles you care about. And maybe also some wise sewer rats.
If you're drawn to the red mask, combine your go-getter 'tude with your love for your customers. Boost sales (and brand love) by offering targeted discount codes tailored to your customers' preferences. Use your customer data to segment your list by gender, last purchase date, or frequent purchases. Then watch the results of your campaign (I'm pretty sure Splinter once said, "Relevant emails drive 18x more revenue than broadcast emails"). Track purchases resulting from your email, so you can report on the ROI of your email marketing. Your boy Leo would be so proud.
Donatello: Innovating Through Automation
You're an innovator, always tinkering with whatever's in front of you to make it better. Maybe it's your innate technological genius, or maybe it's because you got stuck with a stick for a weapon.
The purple mask helps you see endless possibilities through smart technology. Start by automating key messages that hit inboxes at just the right time, like with a welcome series that makes long-term fans out of new subscribers. You can also automate emails based on clicked links and dates you store in your contact records, if you're feeling extra tinker-y.
So put these valuable lessons to work, and you'll be shell-shocked by the totally tubular results.