Posts Tagged ‘email marketing’

Fearless Marketing in 2010

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Happy New Year!

Last year was horrible, but the great thing about making it through such a trying time is that we have nothing left to fear. So, in 2010, the fearless will lead the way. Here are 5 ways they’ll do it.

1. Social Media – Whether you’re currently using it or thinking about how to get started, the best way to leverage social media will depend on your business, who your customers are, and how you plan to communicate with them in this space. Just remember, content is king. No one will listen to you if you aren’t saying something of value to them, and that doesn’t mean talking about how great your business is.

2. The Intern Effect – The old rules don’t apply and old standards aren’t generating the results they used to. We have to come up with new, innovative ideas, and what better way to do that than to involve your intern or fresh-out-of-college employees in the conversation. Pick their young, nubile brains. You may be surprised at their insight, and their familiarity with the digital world will be an asset to your business or organization. And as the newest members of your team, they can provide an “unbiased” view of your product or services.  

3. Non-Traditional Marketing – Find new ways to share your message with your customers, aside from television, radio and print advertising. On Hold Marketing and LobbyVision are a couple of ways to do it. And even though it has a place in many marketing budgets, lots of businesses are still not using email to communicate with their customers. If you’re not using it yet, ask yourself why. Is it because the task of building a list seems too daunting? Rome wasn’t built in a day. Start by gathering email addresses at your point of sale and build your list slowly. It’s the best way to ensure you’re communicating with people who want to hear from you. Whatever you do, DON’T BUY A LIST. You’ll violate CAN-SPAM rules and business ethics which can get you and your domain in a heap of trouble.  

 4. CRM – This typically stands for Customer Relationship Management, but I like to think of it as Customer Romance Maintenance.  Effective CRM breeds brand evangelists. Exceed your customers’ expectations. When they’re over the moon about your business, they tell people about it. Good CRM = good WOM (word of mouth) = good business. Interact with your customers in social media. Implement a software program that allows you to track customer interactions and keep tabs on birthdays, email addresses, etc. Communicate with them more than once or twice a year, and not just when it’s time for them to make another purchase. I like the idea of sending a card, flowers, or gift of some sort on the anniversary of the day they began doing business with you. The gift should be commensurate with the length of time they’ve been a customer and the amount of money they spend with your company. Business is like dating. Enough said.

 5. Education – Be a sponge. Subscribe to blogs, follow experts on Twitter, join Facebook and LinkedIn groups, read books, attend online conferences and learn everything you can. See if your Chamber of Commerce offers business development courses in marketing, sales, management, etc. Encourage your employees to become voracious learners too. You’ll all be smarter and savvier, and your business will be better for it.

Do you have plans to be a fearless marketer this year? Share them with us!

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Take The Bus To Better Email Marketing

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

I love analogies, especially ones that draw on the visual senses to drive the point home. Here’s one of my new favorites, courtesy of Louis Chatoff in a recent MarketingProfs.Com article entitled, In Email, Emphasize Quality, Not Quantity.

Chatoff says you should think of an email marketing piece like an ad on a bus:

Design the content like it is going to be displayed on the side of a city bus and people are going to see it as it quickly passes by. Much like an ad on a passing bus, your message may have the recipient’s attention only for a second or two. Make sure the message is well-branded, and the offer and the call-to-action are easy to identify and act upon.

He has more good advice (that you’ve also heard here before) like keeping your email marketing list paired down to only those who truly appreciate your content, lest you incur the wrath of recipients who might decide to hit the “spam” button on your unwanted pitch.

Chatoff is among the huge chorus that preaches the “slow and steady” method of building your email marketing list, adding one name at a time with an opt-in subscription form. On the other hand:

Adding addresses by the bushel from some poorly managed or a purchased list will rarely lead to favorable results. ISPs now use sophisticated mail filters that can easily identify senders who are going for the quick buck and are not interested in building a long-term marketing relationship with a selective audience.

Bushels and buses. Two great visuals  that give you lots to think about before your next email marketing campaign.


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Email Newsletter FAQ’s Answered

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

An email newsletter is a great tool to add to your marketing arsenal. If you’re new to this, here are some answers to the most common questions about getting started.

Why send an email newsletter?

Easy answer here:  email is the most cost-effective marketing medium with the highest Return On Investment .  And if you’re trying to grow your customer share — and you should be — it’s a great way to market to your existing clientele.

What should I put in an email newsletter?

Think about what you would want to read in a trade magazine about your business. Is it article after article that tries to sell you something?  Probably not. Instead, give your readers how-to information, tips, advice and success stories without the sales pitch. Build a relationship as a helpful expert and they’ll become interested in doing more business with you.

How often should I send an email newsletter?

Strike the right balance and deliver your newsletter often enough so you’re not forgotten by your subscribers, but not so often that you wear out your welcome in their in-box.  A monthly newsletter is typical, but every other month — or every other week — is also fine. Whatever you choose, be consistent in your delivery.

When should I send an email  newsletter?

Consider how most of us handle our email. Monday brings a flood of waiting messages. Friday is a getaway day for many people — the day we like to get away from email that can sit unread until Monday. That leaves Tuesday through Thursday, and late morning on any of these days is the best time to avoid the email rush hours.

Where do I get email addresses from?

It’s NOT a good idea to buy a list, for two reasons: first, it’s expensive, and second, you can run afoul of laws that require you to have a business relationship with recipients or get their prior permission to send emails. Better to build your list from existing clients and anyone who you contact. Create a sign-up page on your web site (here’s where you can find the code you need to create a web sign-up form) and link to it from every other page. You can also add a link to this page in your email signature, so every email you send includes a sign-up offer.  Be proactive and make calls to your clients or customers and ask permission to sign them up.

If you have more questions or want some expert assistance, there are plenty of companies that offer email newsletter design, content creation and delivery services. Whether you do it yourself  or get some help, consider using an email newsletter to market your expertise and grow your business.

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Read This BEFORE You Write Your Next Marketing Email

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

So, I got your attention with a compelling subject line, eh?

That’s what some people are getting right, as documented by email marketing specialist Josh Nason in Man Bites Giraffe: Some Awesome (and Awful) Email Subject Lines on MarketingProfs.Com. Nason offers some examples of great emails, and some that are truly cringe-worthy. Among his Do’s and Dont’s:

Don’t discount the importance of the From name. Keep it your company name and not an individual’s name or drawn-out term. In addition, keep your company name out of the subject line: It’s redundant-a waste of valuable real estate.

And this nugget of wisdom on subject lines:

Write a compelling subject line that won’t deceive people. If people aren’t opening it, that’s OK, as you’ll have many more campaigns to intrigue them. If you break the receiver’s trust early, you’ll have to work twice as hard to get it back. Never forget the Golden Rule.

You laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll learn from this two-part examination of what works — and what doesn’t — when you have just a few seconds to catch someone’s attention with your email marketing campaign.

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Email Marketing Yields Highest ROI

Thursday, January 29th, 2009
Email marketing is an effective tool for reaching a very focused audience, it’s relatively inexpensive and, according to recent research, it delivers a great return on investment.

A study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association showed that, in 2008, email marketing returned $45.06 for every dollar spent on it.

And a February 2008 survey of retailers by shop.org found that email marketing has the second-lowest cost per order ($6.85) of any online marketing method. The CPO of paid Web search was $19.33. These stats appeared in a January 13th article on MarketingProfs.com.

Author Neil Anuskiewicz points out that ”those already doing email marketing for a relatively low cost could increase the amount of time and energy they put into their email marketing to increase ROI” by improving content and offers.

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The Three Objectives Of Your Email’s Subject Line

Thursday, December 11th, 2008

You may not be giving enough thought to your email subject lines if you think their sole purpose is to get your email opened. In this short piece from Email Marketing Reports, Mark Brownlow explains the three jobs subject lines perform.

Subject Line Objectives

You can’t set about writing a subject line until you know what that subject line should achieve. You would probably say something like, “The subject line should get people to open the email.”

Yes. And no.

Recognition. Interest. Action.

If that’s all there is to it, you’d see more subject lines like these:

Your last purchase has a dangerous defect
We overbilled you, $100 gift voucher enclosed
We sold your credit card data by accident

Clearly, just getting people to “open the email” isn’t your real purpose. Instead, your subject line is looking to generate RIA: Recognition, Interest, Action.

That’s NOT the same as getting people to open up an email.

Recognition

People need to recognize that the email comes from you and is something they’re comfortable receiving.

Why? First, because any email they don’t recognize is likely to get ignored, deleted or (worst of all) reported as spam.

Second, if they recognize the email, then all the positive expectations and experiences you built up through your brand, website, welcome emails or past email campaigns now come into play and encourage the reader to explore further.

Various bits of an email campaign contribute to recognition, but the top three are sender name, subject line and what you put at the top of the content (the part that likely appears in preview panes).

So the subject line must contribute to recognition.

Interest

This is your “getting people to open” part. Most recipients are scanning down the subject lines in their inbox and subconsciously asking the same question as they pass each one:

Is it worth looking at what’s in this email now?

Your subject line needs to give them a reason to answer that question with a yes.

But there’s a second point. The interest you generate must be rewarded by the actual content of the email. You want to raise expectations that you can meet (or exceed). You don’t want to raise expectations and then disappoint.

Which is why deceptive subject lines are out (and usually illegal anyway) and why vague or teasing subjects need careful handling, as we’ll see later in the series.

Action

The ultimate goal of your emails is not to get people to look at them, but to get them to take some kind of action: a click, a purchase, a reply, a download, whatever.

The primary aims of the subject line are to create recognition and interest. But it can also pave the way for the action you’re looking for.

The right subject line can, for example, help create a sense of urgency, desire, curiosity etc., all of which are the first spark in the thought process that ends with a click on the right button or link.

You have to be careful here, though. You don’t want to weaken the subject line’s capacity to reach the other objectives by going for a hard sell right away. As a recent MarketingExperiments report on compelling headlines concluded:

The objective of your headline is not to sell, but to connect with your reader…when we’re focused on the end result, we tend to ask headlines to do too much – and run the risk of overshooting the mark.

Recognition. Interest. Action.

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As The Marketplace Turns

Friday, June 20th, 2008

In times of economic struggle, business slows down. For some companies, hard times lead to budget cuts, lay-offs, even closure. When the economy rebounds, the companies left standing are stronger for the struggle.

In times like these, it’s important to position your business to be on the top of the heap when the economy turns.

But how?

Shift your strategy.
Instead of growing your customer base, which is tough to do in a slow economy, concentrate on customer service and penetrating your existing customers. New customers are expensive to court, and the ROI isn’t apparent until they become regulars. Your current customers will generally spend more with you, and they’ll appreciate the attention.

Shore up your marketing.
Prepare your company for the eventual turn-around. Spruce up your website and prepare it for new visitors. Develop an innovative product or service. Create an email campaign to re-introduce your business to your customers. Companies who prepare won’t get caught with their pants down when business picks up.

Hone your processes.
Can you think of 1 process you have in place that’s a complete waste of everyone’s time? Evaluate your internal systems and trim the fat. Get rid of antiquated processes and implement more effective tools. You’ll find yourself more productive in no time.

Focus on your team.
It may smack of cheesy corporate retreats, but you don’t have to do the “trust” exercise to achieve team unity. Promote open communication on all levels. Encourage your staff to job-shadow each other to foster understanding and cooperation. Organize a company outing. (Business is slow, so you’re not losing much by closing the doors for a day and heading to the beach or to your neighborhood bar for a little co-worker camaraderie.)

Whatever you do, don’t put your head in the sand and wait for things to get better. With ingenuity and passion, all things are possible.

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Avoid Spam Killers With Smart Email Subject Lines

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

If you do any email marketing and want to avoid being blocked, be sure to check out Jordan Ayan’s list of words and phrases you should never use in an email subject line on MarketingProfs.Com (free registration required).

Besides the obvious references to sex, home financing and pharmaceuticals — separately or together — she says there are a number of normal words that can set off the spam filters. Here are a few examples:

  • only
  • get
  • opportunity
  • avoid
  • compare
  • offer
  • lose

This looks like a great list to print and post next to the computer. Just be sure to check it every time you’re creating a subject line in an email marketing piece.

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Making The Most Of Marketing With The Least Money

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

So maybe you don’t have a six-figure budget for marketing (OK, maybe not even a five-figure budget!) but that doesn’t mean you can’t be effective. Author Jodi Bash has some great suggestions for direct marketing on a shoestring budget using e-mails:

Offer information you know that your audience wants and needs. One example is a monthly e-newsletter containing information pulled from Web sites that is informative or interesting to the audience. I’ve used material such as key industry metrics and articles of interest, links to recently published reports, and the like. Only one “company offer” was part of the newsletter, and our logo at the end and was the only link to us.

Make sure the newsletter is offered by subscription only to avoid running afoul of anti-spam laws. Like to see examples of what kind of articles you’ll find in an e-mail newsletter? Check out the BusinessVoice Marketer at BusinessVoice.Com.

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