Internet Marketing Discounts: Email Advice…From Lady Gaga?

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. On my way to work today, Lada Gaga radio on Pandora was straight killing it. As I seat-danced my way into the office, I started thinking about what an awesome businesswoman Gaga is.

In the interesting way that my brain sometimes works early in the morning, I exclaimed at a red light, "Lady Gaga is the perfect email marketing advisor!" to no one in particular.

I know what you're thinking. She's totally brilliant, but what could Lady Gaga possibly have to do with email marketing? Stick with me for a few, I promise the similarities are there.

Sure, she's a world famous pop star and all, but Lady Gaga's work ethic and business techniques apply to so many industries besides music. Quirky and one of a kind, the girl can do no wrong. Follow this advice and you can have a #1 hit too: your email campaign!

+ Take Risks: Don't be Afraid to Change

Early in her career, Gaga (known then as Stefani) was just your average brunette. There was nothing earth-shatteringly eccentric about the New York City native. She wore clothes from Abercrombie and generally fit in with the crowd until realizing that being average wasn't enough to get noticed.

Just because you've had the same web form on your sign up page for 2 years and your plain text email has a consistent open rate doesn't mean that you should always stick to what you know.

What if changing to HTML causes a significant boost in loyal readers? What if asking for less information on your web form causes more people to sign up to your newsletter? Give it a try - switch things up! Then split test and find out what truly works for you. Don't know what to test? Here are a few split test ideas to get you started.

+ Set Yourself Apart From the Crowd

In a musical sense, Lady Gaga set herself apart from the crowd from the get-go. Amidst a sea of cookie cutter pop princesses, Gaga made a name for herself by being daring, unique and multi-talented. Did you know that she writes all of her own music and is a classically trained pianist?

In order to make an impact with email marketing, you have to be different. If you set out to be like everyone else in your industry that sends email, you won't have the greatest results.

What are your talents? What is it that your business is especially good at that other companies cannot come close to? Focus on your strengths - they are the core of a successful campaign, and they're different for everyone.

+ Embrace Your Fans

Lady Gaga is quite humble when it comes to the influence her fans have on her success. She credits them, her self-dubbed "little monsters," with much of her mainstream popularity. She even went so far as to tattoo "Little Monsters" on her arm!

While you don't have to be as zealous as Gaga (explaining a tattoo of your list name to your grandkids could prove to be a tad difficult), remember that your list would be nowhere if it weren't for your subscribers.

If you've been sending email for a while, or even if you're just starting out, you have a group of people rooting for you - your very own "little email monsters!" Show them your appreciation for your by offering a giveaway or hosting a contest only open to people on your email list.

+ Learn From Other Stars

Like many creative performers, Lady Gaga turns to the bands she has always loved when she's looking for inspiration. (Powerhouse artists like David Bowie, Queen, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Elton John are her biggest influences.) Looking to the past and observing what other heavy-hitters are up to is a good idea no matter what industry you're in.

In order to easily monitor what other email marketers are sending and how often they're sending it, create a free email account with a service like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. Sign up for newsletters from similar companies and brands that you admire, then make note of the things that you're particularly impressed with. Next time you're sending an email, you can include them too!