Tag Archive for: McConnell Marketing

The Marketing Shift Away from Social Media: Why Brands Are Focusing on Owned Channels

Arial view of a heavy traffic area coming to a 4 way intersection at night.


Arial view of heavy traffic coming to a 4 way intersection at night.

 

The marketing shift away from social media is no longer a trend—it’s a strategic move. As brands struggle with declining reach, rising ad costs, and unreliable algorithms, more businesses are turning to owned marketing channels like email newsletters, websites, and loyalty programs. These platforms offer greater control, stronger customer relationships, and better long-term ROI. Here’s why the industry is rethinking its dependence on social and investing in marketing strategies they actually own.

 

The Welcome Email

Social media platforms have been incredibly effective in helping brands grow. But cracks in the foundation are showing, and marketers are paying attention.

  • Algo Dependency – The dreaded algorithm. The bane of social media, and also the reason we have 19-year-old content creators making more than surgeons and lawyers. Organic reach has declined across platforms, and a post might only reach a fraction of your followers unless you pay to promote it. Brands are tired of being at the mercy of ever-changing algorithms.
  • Platform Volatility – From sudden outages to complete shutdowns (RIP Vine), putting all your content eggs in one basket is risky. Plus, policy changes can impact what you say and how you say it.
  • Rising Costs & Declining Returns – Advertising on social media is getting more expensive, all while the results are becoming harder to track and count on. For small businesses, especially, this makes it hard to justify the spend.
  • Data Ownership Concerns – You don’t truly own your audience on social media. If a platform decides to ban your account, shadow ban your content, or change its rules, your entire customer base could vanish overnight.

 

 

The Rise of Owned Marketing Channels

The shift away from social platforms and toward owned channels gives brands access to their audience, more control, and better long-term value. Here’s why marketers are reinvesting in them.

  • You Own the Data – With email lists and loyalty programs, you collect first-party data that’s more reliable and actionable than the insights social platforms provide. This becomes critical as cookies are phased out and privacy regulations tighten.
  • Higher Engagement Rates – Email newsletters outperform social media in both open and click-through rates. Subscribers have opted in–they want to hear you.
  • Better Personalization – Owned channels allow for hyper-personalized messaging based on user behavior, purchase history, preferences, and location–something social media can’t do as effectively.
  • Long-Term Relationship Building – Loyalty programs and email nurture sequences help brands stay top-of-mind and reward repeat engagement. That kind of ongoing value is harder to achieve through fleeting social interactions.
  • Content Longevity – Content on websites and in newsletters lives longer than a 240-hour Instagram Story. It can be repurposed, re-indexed by search engines, and discovered by new customers over time.

 

Where to Invest Instead of Social

If you’re looking to shift away from social media, here are the best channels to build out:

  • Email Marketing – Still one of the highest ROI channels, especially when segmented and automated.
  • Newsletters – Great for consistent engagement and value-driven content.
  • Branded Website or Blog – Your central hub for SEO-rich content, lead generation, and e-commerce.
  • Loyalty Programs – Rewarding repeat customers fosters deeper brand affinity and increases lifetime value.
  • SMS Marketing – Permission-based and highly direct, SMS is gaining traction in retail, hospitality, and service industries.

 

Fostering the client relationship with a guided journey and these email automation examples is a great place to start or refresh your email efforts! Need some further assistance? We help brands turn their email lists into real revenue–without sounding robotic or salesy (or annoying). So whether you’re just starting or need help optimizing, we can build email automations that convert.

Let’s chat! Call us at 330-286-0487 or email us at info@mcconnellmarketing.com to get in touch!

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5 Email Automation Examples Every Business Can Steal (And Actually Benefit From)


 

If you’ve ever signed up for a promo, booked a service, or abandoned a cart online, chances are you’ve experienced email automation in action. The goal is to get you to come back and keep that brand at the forefront of your mind. And while it may seem advanced or time-consuming or even expensive, the good news is, it’s none of those things. Email automations are a game-changer for businesses of all sizes and help drive more direct sales, build stronger relationships, and stay on top of mind without lifting a finger.

Here are 5 email automation examples that you can steal, tweak, and start using today.

 

The Welcome Email

The Goal: Make a good first impression.

When to Send: Automatically sent when a person signs up for something, books a service, or downloads a freebie.

Why It Works: It sets expectations, introduces your brand voice, and gives new contacts a reason to stick around.

Try This:

  • Share your origin story or mission in a way that builds trust and humanizes your brand
  • Offer a first-time discount
  • Link to a helpful blog or FAQ

Example: Hey! We’re [BRAND] and we’re so happy to have you here! Whether you’re looking for new email marketing, social media support, or a whole rebrand, we’re here to help. Want to schedule a free consultation call?

 


The Abandoned Booking or Inquiry Follow-Up

The Goal: Don’t let almost-clients/customers slip away.

When to Send: When you have an initial inquiry or interest, but they don’t actually complete the full customer journey.

Why It Works: Acts as a nudge when someone may be feeling hesitant to complete a booking or purchase a good.

Try This:

  • Keep it friendly and low-pressure
  • Include a link to complete the process or re-engage
  • Add social proof like a customer testimonial

Example: Still thinking it over? We’d love to help you choose the right package. Spots fill fast, so now’s a great time to lock yours in!

 


The Post-Service Thank You & Review Request

The Goal: Turn happy customers into marketing.

When to Send: After a customer has completed their journey with you.

Why It Works: It shows appreciation for their input and gives them the perfect timing for a positive review.

Try This:

  • Include a personal thank you
  • Link directly to a place to review
  • Offer a referral bonus or discount for sharing/reviewing

Example: Thanks for choosing us, [NAME]! Your feedback helps us improve our services. Leave a quick review and get X% off your next purchase.

 


The Seasonal or Loyalty Promo

The Goal: Send timely offers without blasting your entire list.

When to Send: On certain dates such as birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays, or based on customer activity.

Why It Works: It feels more personal and relevant.

Try This:

  • Reward repeat clients with a special offer
  • Send seasonal packages that match your service (spring cleaning, holiday deals, birthday gifts, etc.)
  • Automated birthday greetings with a special code

Example: Happy Birthday, [NAME]! Here’s 20% off any service this month. You deserve it!

 


The Re-Engagement Campaign

The Goal: Wake up the cold side of your list.

When to Send: When/if some of your list hasn’t opened or clicked in a while.

Why It Works: It filters out cold contacts (which boosts your open rate and decreases your bounce rate) but not before giving you a second chance to win them over.

Try This:

  • Acknowledge the silence with a playful tone
  • Highlight what’s new or what they missed
  • Offer an incentive to come back

Example: It’s been a while, huh? We’ve missed you, so here’s 15% off if you’re ready to give us another chance!

 

Fostering the client relationship with a guided journey and these email automation examples is a great place to start or refresh your email efforts! Need some further assistance? We help brands turn their email lists into real revenue–without sounding robotic or salesy (or annoying). So whether you’re just starting or need help optimizing, we can build email automations that convert.

Let’s chat! Call us at 330-286-0487 or email us at info@mcconnellmarketing.com to get in touch!

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The Psychology of the Email Subject Line: Why We Click (or Don’t)

Rows of Steel apartment mailboxes, The Psychology of the Email Subject Line: Why We Click (or Don’t)

 

Rows of Steel apartment mailboxes, The Psychology of the Email Subject Line: Why We Click (or Don’t)

 

 

In the overcrowded space of your subscribers’ inboxes, strong email subject lines are key to standing out. It’s the first impression, the hook, and the main reason your email gets opened or ignored.

What makes an email subject line stand out? The answer lies in psychology. Understanding how people think and make decisions is the way you can start writing email subject lines that really stand out.

 

Curiously Clicking

People are naturally drawn to the unknown. Subject lines that pose a question but don’t provide the answer make recipients want to learn more!

  • “This is what most companies get wrong with social media.”
  • “Are you making these common 3 mistakes?”

The psychological pull is called the curiosity gap and it’s a pretty powerful tool. Just make sure your content actually delivers on the intrigue to avoid disappointing your audience.

 

FOMO and Urgency

Creating a fear of missing out (FOMO) or a sense of urgency pushes people to act fast. This works best when it’s actually true.

  • “48 hours left to get your free gift.”
  • “Last chance to buy until next Spring!”

Time-sensitive language kicks in our need to avoid loss and not miss out on what our peers have.

 

Personalized and Tailored

Email subject lines that include your recipient’s name or address them directly are a great way to get them to open. Most email marketing platforms offer a feature to pull names from their contact form, so it’s very simple to do!

  • “[NAME], we missed you at our event last week!”
  • “5 buys with [NAME] written all over them”

These personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those with generic greetings.

 

When in Doubt, Test it Out

There are a few ways you can test out email subject lines for the same campaign so that you can see what is really working for you.

  • Split your email list in half and send each a different subject line; note which performs better and stick with a similar one for your next email.
  • Resend the same email to people who haven’t opened it yet, but with a different subject line the second time around. (Again, most email marketing platforms have features that allow you to segment your list by opens.)

 

As with everything, finding the perfect subject line can be trial and error, so it doesn’t hurt to combine both of these practices for a single campaign.

 

Don’t forget, the perfect subject line blends creativity with a good dose of psychology. It’s all about the balance! If you’re still looking for tips, here are some great tools for testing and improving your email subject lines: SubjectLine.com Testing Tool and CoSchedule’s Email Subject Line Tester are both free to try and offer great insight.

 

Need help improving your email campaigns? We’re here to help! Call us at 330-286-0487 or email us at info@mcconnellmarketing.com to get in touch!

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Take a Look at Our Awesome Boss

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There’s a bit of an internet celebrity in our office. As some of you may know, our very own Mark McConnell is also an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Mount Union. Check out this nice profile of Mark featured on their website!

Four Trends That Can Benefit You, Our Client

McConnell Marketing’s Megan Sovik blogs about the hospitality trends she and Katie picked up from the IHMRS/BDNY Tradeshow in New York City.

Katie Williams and I recently attended to the IHMRS/BDNY Tradeshow at Javits Center in New York City. The goal was to see what’s trending in hospitality design and to also make sure that we, at McConnell Marketing, are marketing our clients in the best possible way. The show was broken up into two sides: one that was interiors (i.e. furniture, décor—basically, all the pretty stuff). The other side was more operational (i.e. soaps, room amenities, etc.). They also had many informational sessions and speakers.

To be honest, the show was very overwhelming, and we walked the floor multiple times to make sure we didn’t miss anything. We wanted to get everything out of it that we could. After taking a lot of time to process and go through every piece from every vendor we talked to, there are four trends we came away with that we think could benefit our clients:

Square
Square collateral pieces are in—they actually have been for quite a while (and we’ve done quite a few pieces for our clients). What I didn’t expect to see was that so many pieces were small. It used to be that larger 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pieces were the norm. Now we’re seeing printed pieces that are 4 x 4 or so, with tons of photos and little text. Nowadays, everyone’s trying to be environmentally friendly—and using less paper is a way to reduce your carbon footprint. At McConnell Marketing, we work with waterless printers and know quite a bit about recycled papers to take that idea even further.

Printing on Aluminum
One thing I didn’t expect to see is printing on aluminum. It may sound odd, but it’s a great for display materials. When I saw this, the first thing I thought of was posters and displays throughout a hotel. Rather than printing on a regular poster and coating it with a UV-resistant varnish or protectant, printing on aluminum is a great way to make these materials last longer. Images and sizes can be customized to whatever is needed. We’ve found a lot of vendors who do this. Let us know if you’re interested in seeing pricing!

Colors
Gone are the days of neutrals! Accent colors are everywhere! If this wasn’t evident by the choice of the last two Pantone colors of the year (tangerine and emerald green), it was very evident at the show. Katie and I saw lots of purples, royal blues, yellows and greens. Obviously you don’t want to go too far with too many colors, but McConnell Marketing will be happy to assist with picking out a color palette that works for you.

Technology
One of the coolest technologies I saw was for the bathroom (odd—I know). We first saw it working with The St. Regis Washington, D.C. years ago when they added TV’s to their mirrors. Well now it’s being taken a step further. Mirrors are now able to hook up to smart phones through blue tooth. They can play music, check your e-mail and play movies. We at McConnell Marketing are happy to provide you with ideas and collateral to instruct guests on how to use the technology.