We speak to email marketing consultant Natalie Rockall to find out her thoughts on the challenges facing marketing and her tips for marketers in 2020. Natalie has worked for some awesome brands including The Body Shop, Eurostar and MORE TH>N Insurance. She shares with us why innovation in the way the customer experiences your product can lead to increased sales and how her prioritisation workshops can be the key to marketing team success.
Please introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Natalie Rockall and I’m a freelance email marketing consultant and founder of Eleven11 Digital Ltd. I’ve worked in email for over 16 years now, first working client side in campaign deployment, then moving into senior roles with responsibility for strategic planning, training and development, deliverability and technology. I’ve worked across brands such as MORE TH>N Insurance, The Body Shop, EDF Energy, Hayes and Jarvis, Eurostar and Drinkaware to name a few.
Please tell us about your business
Eleven11 Digital provides independent email marketing consultancy to organisations of all sizes, helping them boost their email marketing results through training and coaching, email audits, strategy development, implementation support and more.
What have been the main challenges facing marketers in 2019?
I see a lot of businesses with a big list of the areas they think they should work on or they’d like to focus on, but they struggle to prioritise, plan and implement successfully. Something typically urgent, but not necessarily important gets in the way of plans, takes priority and steals resources, or the promised ‘it’s easy to set up’ doesn’t turn out to be true. It can leave teams feeling frustrated. One of the most satisfying workshops I run helps teams work through what is really important in their workload and the detailed steps to guide them to a successful delivery.
What in marketing or business inspired you this year?
It’s a couple of months into COVID-19 and I’m inspired by the way that many organisations are pivoting into new industries and transforming themselves into online businesses in order to survive. I’ve seen businesses who would have spent months preparing for a change or a move from physical to online in the past, complete it in under a week. It just shows the power of everyone in an organisation being aligned and aiming for the same goal.
What should marketers be focused on in 2020?
I think email list growth should be a key area of focus going forward due to the popularity of online services and products right now. Don’t be afraid to test email address collection pop ups on your website and why not ask your social media followers if they want emails from you as well? Don’t forget to give people a reason to sign up, maybe an introductory discount or free shipping etc. Make sure you’re creating a value exchange – their data in return for something they need or want.
Who are your marketing heroes?
Jo Malone has been a long-time marketing hero of mine as she puts herself right at the heart of her businesses. She literally is the brand and that’s quite a lot to have on your shoulders. I love the fact that she creates new ways to enjoy scents and perfumes and proves that product diversification is a viable business approach. For example in the Jo Loves London store you can enjoy a fragrance tapas session where Bath Cologne is warmed within a tagine and released via a cloud of scented steam, Cleanser is shaken over ice and strained into a glass and Lotion is whipped and foamed before being swept gently onto your skin with a paintbrush. It’s a truly innovative approach to the customer experience and also a great example of how to cross sell and upsell products.
If you could give a tip to marketers at this time during COVID-19 what would that be?
Think carefully about your communications. Are they timely, appropriate and ultimately needed by your prospects and customers? Don’t get caught up in sending emails out just because others are. If you are preparing communications focus on what the reader needs to know rather than pushing your own PR story.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring marketers?
I’d suggest applying for a role which gives you experience in lots of different areas of marketing. After one or two years you’re likely to have a pretty good idea of what areas of marketing interest you the most and which you enjoy the most. Then you can work on developing those skills and interests to carve out your future career.
You are sent to a desert island for 12 months – You can take 3 business books, 3 records and 1 luxury item – what would you take?
Books:
- Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
- Mind Map Mastery by Tony Buzan
- Be A Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell
Records:
(Warning – I’ve got quite an eclectic taste in music!)
- Let’s Go – Calvin Harris
- Purple Rain – Prince
- That’s The Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson
I’m definitely in the shade bathing group when the sun comes out, so my luxury item has to be factor 50 sun cream.
If you would like to connect with Natalie you can do so here:-