Email marketing campaigns are very beneficial to any internet business. Through email you reach people from all over the world that fit the demographics of the information or product you are offering. There are many benefits to campaigns involving email. Here are 5 important facts that you want to pay close attention to and consider as part of your marketing strategy for your internet business.
Fact #1- Email marketing has grown in such an unprecedented rate based on the fact that people in the virtual community are always hungry for information. They subscribe to information that they are interested in and find relevant to what they are looking for during their search on the internet.
Fact #2- This type of marketing campaign can be very inexpensive. Receiving information via their email box is an easy way to get information from various sources.This may be the most cost effective marketing campaign you implement in your new internet business.
Fact #3- An effective campaign can provide a list or leads of prospective customers for your internet business. This list based on a world wide reach could be very large depending on the popularity of the product or service you are offering. This means you are not limited to a particular zip-code, state, or even country. You can reach the masses with this marketing campaign.
Fact #4- There is no spamming involved. A successful campaign uses opt-in list to send information to internet visitors who opt-in to a businesses mailing list. This gives the internet business permission to send the internet visitors information on an infrequent basis. This eliminates the much hated SPAM emails. In this way, you can freely send emails that entail promotions, brochures, new product announcements, and every aspect of your marketing campaign.
Fact #5- If you were to ask the owners of some online business about their most valuable asset, they will tell you that it is their email marketing campaign. This is because opt in lists are customers' lists that can provide higher probability sales in a more consistent and stable condition. Because with opt in lists, all you have to do is to follow up orders or sales through promotions and ad campaigns.
If you are serious about your internet business you will start marketing your internet business through emails. If you already are doing this then you know the importance of this marketing tactic and the profitability of marketing in this fashion. If you would like additional information on marketing then check out the eBook Niche Business Secrets Revealed, "Learn How to Start an Internet Niche Business for Under $100". The information in this 47 page eBook is invaluable to the new internet business owner.
An affective email marketing campaign will be the "boost" you need for your new internet business. If it is done right you will see your business grow beyond your imagination
By : Pat Turman
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Turman
Friday, November 7, 2008
Creating Wealth Through Internet Marketing Emails
Did you know you could create wealth beyond your wildest dreams through Internet Marketing e-mailing? You can, and it is simple. Everyday you write emails for various reasons. Why not use them to make you wealthy?
Internet marketing through email can become a very powerful tool for your business.
A few pointers to get you in the right direction in creating wealth through email marketing are:
• Personalize: Make the recipient feel special. Not as if they are just another person from which you are trying to make a sell. Use their name if possible.
• Steer clear from looking like or coming across as spam. Avoid using money as a motivator. Educate, do not sell. Soft sells come across more effective then aggressive sell pitches.
• Know your targeted audience and make the subject matter relevant to what they are seeking. Once again, this is where using an educational base sales approach over a strict sales pitch is more effective.
• Keep the message short. Long advertisement style emails end up in the trash. Get your message across in short pertinent sentences that are easy to read and are catchy to the eye and mind.
• Go bold: When you are trying to relay an important message go ahead and use bold text but make sure when you reread through bold text on its own it still makes sense. Practice writing up samples emails then bold text pertinent words or phrases through out that can read together on there own.
• Give options: Make email readable through either text based or HTML based.
• Steer clear from wide emails: Wide emails cause a person to lose interest reading when they have to keep scrolling the email from side to side in order to capture all of the text. Format emails to be no more then 650 pixels wide.
• Include Links: Links to base website or an online version of the email is good business practice in creating wealth Through Internet Marketing. Maybe your email is just enough to tickle the palate but the potential client wants to read more. Give them the option to find out more about your company and what you have to offer by including links.
By : Steve Nguoghia
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Nguoghia
Internet marketing through email can become a very powerful tool for your business.
A few pointers to get you in the right direction in creating wealth through email marketing are:
• Personalize: Make the recipient feel special. Not as if they are just another person from which you are trying to make a sell. Use their name if possible.
• Steer clear from looking like or coming across as spam. Avoid using money as a motivator. Educate, do not sell. Soft sells come across more effective then aggressive sell pitches.
• Know your targeted audience and make the subject matter relevant to what they are seeking. Once again, this is where using an educational base sales approach over a strict sales pitch is more effective.
• Keep the message short. Long advertisement style emails end up in the trash. Get your message across in short pertinent sentences that are easy to read and are catchy to the eye and mind.
• Go bold: When you are trying to relay an important message go ahead and use bold text but make sure when you reread through bold text on its own it still makes sense. Practice writing up samples emails then bold text pertinent words or phrases through out that can read together on there own.
• Give options: Make email readable through either text based or HTML based.
• Steer clear from wide emails: Wide emails cause a person to lose interest reading when they have to keep scrolling the email from side to side in order to capture all of the text. Format emails to be no more then 650 pixels wide.
• Include Links: Links to base website or an online version of the email is good business practice in creating wealth Through Internet Marketing. Maybe your email is just enough to tickle the palate but the potential client wants to read more. Give them the option to find out more about your company and what you have to offer by including links.
By : Steve Nguoghia
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Nguoghia
4 Rules to Rock Your Email Marketing
There are a lot of ingredients that go into the perfect recipe for great email marketing. Some of them, like in all great recipes, can be adjusted by a good cook. A discerning chef can adjust their dish to their own tastes or preferences. But remember that there are some items that are simply too basic to be left out or used in wrong proportions. After all, the one thing a great chocolate cake has to have is... okay, you get my point. And remember the foundation of email marketing, just do it. All the rules to do it right are important, but even if you get it wrong, email marketing is inexpensive, easy, and often creates great results-oriented campaigns.
Rule #1. The Package. The most important rule is actually the last thing you should do: proofread. The impact of a poorly copy edited email is huge, especially if it's a marketing campaign. Your words can be brilliant and your message spot on, and you will still lose your audience if you trap them in typo terror and semi-colon hell.
And even if you send your work to your dear Aunt Sally who used to work in the typing pool way back when, do it. Don't let anything leave your desk without a clean eye to look it over. Remember, spell check can't find a word that is ridiculous and misused, only one that is mis-spelled. Use a person for this task, but proofread, proofread, proofread!
Rule #2. Pump up the volume! Spend the extra time to be entertaining and interesting. Nobody wants to read an email that puts them to sleep halfway between "Dear Sir" and that line about the Ginsu Steak Knives. Put a little kick in your commentary. Be compelling, and be smart! This is definitely the time to use great language. Use all the tricks you learned in high school English! Pull out the old onomatopoeia and grab some creative alliteration. WOW your audience from the first word to the "yours truly."
Rule #3. Let's get to the point, Jack, I don't have all day!Third rule? Speed it up. In today's world of "click-on-peas-to-get-to-carrots," remember that nobody has time to read five pages of appetizers before they order their lunch. You have to share the meat of your message the minute someone opens your email. This breaks all the rules we have ever been taught about introductory paragraphs and building to a climax, etc., etc. It's a different world. What that means in email marketing is no ramp up. There just isn't time. Say it first, say it fast, and then you can get creative and shoot the breeze for a while. Remember to always circle back to your topic though to reinforce it. So, if it's the most important thing, say it first - AND say it last. The goal is always results-oriented campaigns, so reinforce the result you want as often as possible.
Rule #4. Just a link in your chain. Yes, your message is literally a link in your marketing chain. You want to be sure that it can send your reader from inbox to website in a nano-second. Link the heck out of your email every way you can. If there's a picture of your product, link it. Your signature? Link it to your bio page. Every time you mention anything that can send them to your website, go for it. Remember, websites do NOT self-generate traffic, but great emails and live links can drive, drive, drive! Just like Mario Andretti at the Indy 500.
The bottom line with email marketing is simply to get your message out there in a clear, interesting and concise manner - but use every trick in the book to make it work for you. Always keep your goal in the forefront of your mind. If your goal is to sell more T-Shirts, then be sure to have a "click to buy" button that goes directly to a shopping cart. If your goal is to engage your audience, utilize questions, as if it were a normal conversation. Hey, why not, right? And always have the added intention to create a buzz - ASK your audience to share your note with three friends. Remember, we generally all want to see one another be successful. If you ask your audience to "forward to a friend" (or two), they just may surprise you.
That's it from us for now! We hope that these four rules will help you create compelling, results-oriented campaigns! By the way, I'd really appreciate it if you'd do me a favor and "send to a friend" (or two). (Hey, why not, right?)
By : Laurie Cantus
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_B._Cantus
Rule #1. The Package. The most important rule is actually the last thing you should do: proofread. The impact of a poorly copy edited email is huge, especially if it's a marketing campaign. Your words can be brilliant and your message spot on, and you will still lose your audience if you trap them in typo terror and semi-colon hell.
And even if you send your work to your dear Aunt Sally who used to work in the typing pool way back when, do it. Don't let anything leave your desk without a clean eye to look it over. Remember, spell check can't find a word that is ridiculous and misused, only one that is mis-spelled. Use a person for this task, but proofread, proofread, proofread!
Rule #2. Pump up the volume! Spend the extra time to be entertaining and interesting. Nobody wants to read an email that puts them to sleep halfway between "Dear Sir" and that line about the Ginsu Steak Knives. Put a little kick in your commentary. Be compelling, and be smart! This is definitely the time to use great language. Use all the tricks you learned in high school English! Pull out the old onomatopoeia and grab some creative alliteration. WOW your audience from the first word to the "yours truly."
Rule #3. Let's get to the point, Jack, I don't have all day!Third rule? Speed it up. In today's world of "click-on-peas-to-get-to-carrots," remember that nobody has time to read five pages of appetizers before they order their lunch. You have to share the meat of your message the minute someone opens your email. This breaks all the rules we have ever been taught about introductory paragraphs and building to a climax, etc., etc. It's a different world. What that means in email marketing is no ramp up. There just isn't time. Say it first, say it fast, and then you can get creative and shoot the breeze for a while. Remember to always circle back to your topic though to reinforce it. So, if it's the most important thing, say it first - AND say it last. The goal is always results-oriented campaigns, so reinforce the result you want as often as possible.
Rule #4. Just a link in your chain. Yes, your message is literally a link in your marketing chain. You want to be sure that it can send your reader from inbox to website in a nano-second. Link the heck out of your email every way you can. If there's a picture of your product, link it. Your signature? Link it to your bio page. Every time you mention anything that can send them to your website, go for it. Remember, websites do NOT self-generate traffic, but great emails and live links can drive, drive, drive! Just like Mario Andretti at the Indy 500.
The bottom line with email marketing is simply to get your message out there in a clear, interesting and concise manner - but use every trick in the book to make it work for you. Always keep your goal in the forefront of your mind. If your goal is to sell more T-Shirts, then be sure to have a "click to buy" button that goes directly to a shopping cart. If your goal is to engage your audience, utilize questions, as if it were a normal conversation. Hey, why not, right? And always have the added intention to create a buzz - ASK your audience to share your note with three friends. Remember, we generally all want to see one another be successful. If you ask your audience to "forward to a friend" (or two), they just may surprise you.
That's it from us for now! We hope that these four rules will help you create compelling, results-oriented campaigns! By the way, I'd really appreciate it if you'd do me a favor and "send to a friend" (or two). (Hey, why not, right?)
By : Laurie Cantus
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_B._Cantus
Thursday, November 6, 2008
How to Get the Best Results From Your Email Marketing Campaigns
Starting an email marketing campaign is one of the best decisions that a CEO, retailer, wholesaler, and owner of a business can make. Email marketing is a very fast, cheap and easy way to get your product and services to your clients, customers and potential customers.
I doesn't matter what business you are into. There is always an audience that needs your products and services; and the easiest way to get to them is via the email. You can reach an astonishing number of individuals in a very short period.
Because of its popularity, email marketing strategies and methods have been divided into the following categories. While this is by no means conclusive, it will at least give you an idea of the various methods available on the internet.
There are three of them namely: Marketing to an Opt-in list, Newsletter Marketing, and Bulk email marketing. Of all these three, marketing to an opt-in list produces the highest results followed by the Newsletter or ezine marketing. Forget about bulk email marketing campaigns. They are not worth all the stress. More than 55% of them are deleted on reception without even being read.
Have you ever visited websites that have the information you desire only to be asked to leave your email address so you can have access to the information? I am sure you would have encountered this several times on the internet. If the sites are reputable, they often send you a confirmation link that you have to click in your box before you can get to the download page or the download link.
Whenever you do that, you get on the information or service provider's opt-in list. These particular clients are the best you can send your offer to. Why? Because they have already showed an interest in what services and products you have to offer and as a result, are willing and more open towards hearing from you and ultimately buying from you. The opt-in list is a collection of email addresses collected by an individual or company as a result of the signified interest of such individuals.
The major mistake many new marketers make is to solicit to their lists immediately after signing them up. Unfortunately, even mature "old hands" who have the played the game for long still do this. While it may work for a few people, the majority just get a few orders. The quickest way to getting your clients to pick up your product is by helping them create an intense need within themselves. Make them feel like they can't live without you. Ok maybe that's going too far, but you get the point. Court your customers like you would a very beautiful woman. Make them dependent on you. Create in them, the thirst for more information from you. When you get to this level, they look out for your email and it becomes easy to sell to them.
I am subscriber to quite a few opt-in lists, ezines and newsletters. More often than not, I tend to ignore emails that do only one thing: Obvious selling. Recent estimates have shown that people would easily buy from service providers who offer nuggets of valuable information than from those who just sell. Over time, the emails who just sell are unsubscribed from while those that offer information get more subscribers. So, when you decide to set up your own email marketing campaign, have this at the back of your mind: Customers buy only from people they think are providing valuable information.
By: Aurelius Tjin
I doesn't matter what business you are into. There is always an audience that needs your products and services; and the easiest way to get to them is via the email. You can reach an astonishing number of individuals in a very short period.
Because of its popularity, email marketing strategies and methods have been divided into the following categories. While this is by no means conclusive, it will at least give you an idea of the various methods available on the internet.
There are three of them namely: Marketing to an Opt-in list, Newsletter Marketing, and Bulk email marketing. Of all these three, marketing to an opt-in list produces the highest results followed by the Newsletter or ezine marketing. Forget about bulk email marketing campaigns. They are not worth all the stress. More than 55% of them are deleted on reception without even being read.
Have you ever visited websites that have the information you desire only to be asked to leave your email address so you can have access to the information? I am sure you would have encountered this several times on the internet. If the sites are reputable, they often send you a confirmation link that you have to click in your box before you can get to the download page or the download link.
Whenever you do that, you get on the information or service provider's opt-in list. These particular clients are the best you can send your offer to. Why? Because they have already showed an interest in what services and products you have to offer and as a result, are willing and more open towards hearing from you and ultimately buying from you. The opt-in list is a collection of email addresses collected by an individual or company as a result of the signified interest of such individuals.
The major mistake many new marketers make is to solicit to their lists immediately after signing them up. Unfortunately, even mature "old hands" who have the played the game for long still do this. While it may work for a few people, the majority just get a few orders. The quickest way to getting your clients to pick up your product is by helping them create an intense need within themselves. Make them feel like they can't live without you. Ok maybe that's going too far, but you get the point. Court your customers like you would a very beautiful woman. Make them dependent on you. Create in them, the thirst for more information from you. When you get to this level, they look out for your email and it becomes easy to sell to them.
I am subscriber to quite a few opt-in lists, ezines and newsletters. More often than not, I tend to ignore emails that do only one thing: Obvious selling. Recent estimates have shown that people would easily buy from service providers who offer nuggets of valuable information than from those who just sell. Over time, the emails who just sell are unsubscribed from while those that offer information get more subscribers. So, when you decide to set up your own email marketing campaign, have this at the back of your mind: Customers buy only from people they think are providing valuable information.
By: Aurelius Tjin
Creating A Great Autoresponder Letter Series
Your autoresponder letter series, if written correctly can make you serious money on the Internet.
Studies have proven that most consumers buy only after repeated exposure to a product. This repeated exposure helps you to gain their trust enough to buy from you.
Having an autoresponder system is the hassle-free, automated way to put your product in front of interested buyers enough times to move them from consideration to purchase.
Have information on every page of your site of how a visitor can optin for futher information, join your ezine or newsletter or any incentive you can think of to get them to sign up to your autoresponder series.
Following are some informative tips on creating autoresponder messages that sell your product for you. You'll learn what to say, how to say it, how to format it, and how to avoid having your messages sent straight to the SPAM folder unread.
Heres a breakdown of what your messages should contain.
1. Subject line. The subject line is the first thing people will see when they receive your message. It must be compelling enough to keep them from deleting the message unread. Do your research good on this. Learn everything you can on how to write good headlines. But also don't use hype. Since the person receiving this message has requested it, then it is logical to keep the subject on topic to what they requested to receive in the first place. i.e. Here is the information you requested on _____...
2. The opening sentence. Keep this true to your subject. Expand on it without hype or pressure. Don't mention the sale price, or tell them they must buy your product. Keep it promise based. i.e. tell them what they will learn or gain via the information or service you are going to provide.
For example say your subject was: Thank you ~Name~, here is the information your requested on earning a living at home.
Your opening sentence might be something like this: You are about to learn the very same strategies I use to make a full time living from my home.
3. Introductory paragraph. Explain in a concise paragraph exactly what your product will do for the buyer. Tell them how your product or service will help them to also make a full time living from their home. Avoid using ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation!!! This looks amateurish and, in the majority of cases, get your message deleted.
4. Subheadings and further information. Write bullet point type headlines with either bold letters or one step better put lines above and below them to set them apart. Then expand on these headings in a paragraph or two underneath them.
==============================
THIS WILL BE YOUR SUB HEADLINE
==============================
With more information below it...
5. A call to action. After you have finished your sub headlines and the corresponding information. Use a pre- closing paragraph to tell the reader exactly what you want them to do. "Click Here" to download this information instantly! or Click the link below, fill out the form to have this ~~Product~~ delivered to you immediately. Where possible point out the uniqueness of your product. Is it priced lower then competitors? Is it the only one of its kind? Or also if it is a limited time offer. Anything that will give the buyer more incentive to take the above action. Keeping it honest of course. Don't make something up just to get better results.
6. Closing Paragraph. Thank them again and also sum up what will be in the next message. "Watch your email the next few days for a great thank you gift I have set a side for you for taking the time to look at my product.", "I will have a free chapter, from my "make a living at home" ebook, for you in a few days.", etc.
7. DISCLAIMER. This is a short paragraph to remind people they are receiving your message because they asked to be on your list. It will keep them from clicking the SPAM button if they decide they aren't interested in your product, and keep your autoresponder and web site off Internet blacklists.
8. Unsubscribe link. This is critical to a successful autoresponder campaign. You must give subscribers the option to discontinue receiving messages from you, or you will be labeled as SPAM. Most autoresponder services will provide you with an automatic unsubscribe list for all your autoresponder series. All you have to do is make sure to include the link in your message.
One of the most powerful ways to get more traffic to your site can be your autoresponder series. Your well-crafted messages will send people in droves to your site to check out what you have to say. Just make sure you give them a good reason to go there, and great reasons to keep coming back, and you will build a rock-solid autoresponder campaign that keeps your profits rolling in.
A quick tip on how to format the messages... with today's advances in email, HTML is a good option if your autoresponder system allows it. One step better is to use one that has both plain text and HTML options so that when a person has HTML turned off for their email software, they will receive the text version only. For the letters to look uniform and to avoid the auto wrapping many autoresponder systems will use when adding your letters, I highly recommend not making the lines of your letters longer than 50 characters in length.
Kick start your campaign by offering a free report or e-book via a lead capture page with your autoresponder sign up form attached to the autoresponder letters you create. It will keep a non-stop flow of people receiving your letters and coming to your site to buy your products.
By : Debbie Ducker
Studies have proven that most consumers buy only after repeated exposure to a product. This repeated exposure helps you to gain their trust enough to buy from you.
Having an autoresponder system is the hassle-free, automated way to put your product in front of interested buyers enough times to move them from consideration to purchase.
Have information on every page of your site of how a visitor can optin for futher information, join your ezine or newsletter or any incentive you can think of to get them to sign up to your autoresponder series.
Following are some informative tips on creating autoresponder messages that sell your product for you. You'll learn what to say, how to say it, how to format it, and how to avoid having your messages sent straight to the SPAM folder unread.
Heres a breakdown of what your messages should contain.
1. Subject line. The subject line is the first thing people will see when they receive your message. It must be compelling enough to keep them from deleting the message unread. Do your research good on this. Learn everything you can on how to write good headlines. But also don't use hype. Since the person receiving this message has requested it, then it is logical to keep the subject on topic to what they requested to receive in the first place. i.e. Here is the information you requested on _____...
2. The opening sentence. Keep this true to your subject. Expand on it without hype or pressure. Don't mention the sale price, or tell them they must buy your product. Keep it promise based. i.e. tell them what they will learn or gain via the information or service you are going to provide.
For example say your subject was: Thank you ~Name~, here is the information your requested on earning a living at home.
Your opening sentence might be something like this: You are about to learn the very same strategies I use to make a full time living from my home.
3. Introductory paragraph. Explain in a concise paragraph exactly what your product will do for the buyer. Tell them how your product or service will help them to also make a full time living from their home. Avoid using ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation!!! This looks amateurish and, in the majority of cases, get your message deleted.
4. Subheadings and further information. Write bullet point type headlines with either bold letters or one step better put lines above and below them to set them apart. Then expand on these headings in a paragraph or two underneath them.
==============================
THIS WILL BE YOUR SUB HEADLINE
==============================
With more information below it...
5. A call to action. After you have finished your sub headlines and the corresponding information. Use a pre- closing paragraph to tell the reader exactly what you want them to do. "Click Here" to download this information instantly! or Click the link below, fill out the form to have this ~~Product~~ delivered to you immediately. Where possible point out the uniqueness of your product. Is it priced lower then competitors? Is it the only one of its kind? Or also if it is a limited time offer. Anything that will give the buyer more incentive to take the above action. Keeping it honest of course. Don't make something up just to get better results.
6. Closing Paragraph. Thank them again and also sum up what will be in the next message. "Watch your email the next few days for a great thank you gift I have set a side for you for taking the time to look at my product.", "I will have a free chapter, from my "make a living at home" ebook, for you in a few days.", etc.
7. DISCLAIMER. This is a short paragraph to remind people they are receiving your message because they asked to be on your list. It will keep them from clicking the SPAM button if they decide they aren't interested in your product, and keep your autoresponder and web site off Internet blacklists.
8. Unsubscribe link. This is critical to a successful autoresponder campaign. You must give subscribers the option to discontinue receiving messages from you, or you will be labeled as SPAM. Most autoresponder services will provide you with an automatic unsubscribe list for all your autoresponder series. All you have to do is make sure to include the link in your message.
One of the most powerful ways to get more traffic to your site can be your autoresponder series. Your well-crafted messages will send people in droves to your site to check out what you have to say. Just make sure you give them a good reason to go there, and great reasons to keep coming back, and you will build a rock-solid autoresponder campaign that keeps your profits rolling in.
A quick tip on how to format the messages... with today's advances in email, HTML is a good option if your autoresponder system allows it. One step better is to use one that has both plain text and HTML options so that when a person has HTML turned off for their email software, they will receive the text version only. For the letters to look uniform and to avoid the auto wrapping many autoresponder systems will use when adding your letters, I highly recommend not making the lines of your letters longer than 50 characters in length.
Kick start your campaign by offering a free report or e-book via a lead capture page with your autoresponder sign up form attached to the autoresponder letters you create. It will keep a non-stop flow of people receiving your letters and coming to your site to buy your products.
By : Debbie Ducker
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Offline Connection to Online Marketing
Looking for a way to boost your online marketing results? Take a look at the offline experiences your customers talk about, the experiences that form the basis of what your potential customers consider when evaluating competing options. The experiences you create in the actual delivery of your product or service drive the online conversations that are increasingly a factor in purchase decisions.
Case in point: Last week we flew into Providence, RI, for our annual summer trip to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. We arrived in Providence and headed for the Hertz counter to rent a vehicle. We were promptly given the keys to our car and headed off to throw the bags in and travel to the beach house. Walking over to the car, I noticed a dent in the side. Hmmm. As an ex-insurance guy (I was a product manager at Progressive Insurance for a number of years), I always do the walk-around before putting our luggage in the car. The dent wasn't bad, but I don't drive a car with a dent in it at home, so why would I while on vacation? It wasn't like I'd chosen Rent-A-Wreck. I looked closer. When opening the car door, all I could smell was stale cigarette smoke. With an hour and a half drive coming up, I really didn't want to start the vacation this way. I'm a pretty easygoing consumer and, to be fair, understand that mistakes happen. No one expects -- though we all strive to deliver -- perfection at every turn. At the same time, we clearly had a situation here.
I took the keys back to the counter. The gentleman at the counter apologized, gave me an alternate car, and asked me to check it out. The substitute was a clean car but was about the size of a golf cart. This was an airport, we are a family, and families have luggage. Luggage calls for real trunk space. This car didn't have a trunk. Not wanting to choose between taking my family or our luggage to the beach house, I went back to the counter. No cars in the class we'd rented would be ready anytime soon.
At this point, the amazing experience happened. The Hertz agent, empowered by an effective corporate policy and culture of ensuring satisfaction, handed me a new set of keys, and said, "Go look at the car in number 37." I walked over to a bright red VW Jetta, spotless inside and out, with plenty of trunk space. I walked back to the counter, smiled, and said, "37 rocks." The agent smiled back and said, "That's a free upgrade. Enjoy your vacation. Again, we apologize." We had a great drive up to the house, are enjoying our vacation, and have retold the story more than once.
Ten years ago, that's about as far as this would have gone. The people we come into contact with and who ask about our vacation might get the story. We'd maybe tell one or two people. Now there's a much wider audience and a set of tools that makes it easy for a large number of potential customers to find these conversations. Searching Technorati or, even better, using BlogPulse as a consumer, you can quickly find the conversations that matter to you.
On BlogPulse, search for "hertz rental." You'll find posts like one from last week that recounts a similar experience to mine. This other case involves a customer who actually switched on the spot from Dollar to Hertz because of the difference in customer service. That post, like this column, is now part of the online conversation the next round of customers will use when choosing a rental car company.
As a marketer, how do you systematically ensure the retelling of favorable experiences? More to the point, how do you prioritize your efforts and focus of the things more likely to generate a beneficial online conversations that favorably influence purchase decisions? Touch-point analysis, a technique that you may have used long ago, is perfect for online marketers seeking to get the most out of the offline experiences that involve their brands, products, and services.
Touch-point analysis involves identifying all the experiences that connect your customers with your product or service, online or off-.
Each touch point is then evaluated in terms of its performance. Does it generate a negative experience, such as a dent and the smell of stale cigarettes? Or does it generate a positive one, like being offered a sincere apology and the keys to a snappy, clean rental simply because both were the absolute right things to do at that moment? Contemporized touch-point analysis goes a further step: each touch point is also ranked according to its likelihood of generating a conversation.
Now you've really got something: your performance score on the specific points where your customers have actual experiences, ranked by how likely each is to generate a conversation. Prioritizing your next steps -- fixing the negatives and accentuating the positives that are generating online talk -- is straightforward. Best of all, by using platforms like BlogPulse and Cymfony or basic tools like Technorati, Google Alerts, and Blog Search, you can track and monitor your performance on these touch points quantitatively over time. This gives you the data you need to engage customer service, human resources, operations, and the rest of your internal constituents who are essential in bringing about changes that drive beneficial word-of-mouth online.
Add touch-point analysis to your marketing toolbox. Combine it with conversational analysis and focus your efforts on the touch points that matter. In a marketing world increasingly driven by social media, what goes around comes around. With planning and effort, it can come around in a good way. Put that cycle to work building your business.
By : Dave Evans, The ClickZ Network
Case in point: Last week we flew into Providence, RI, for our annual summer trip to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. We arrived in Providence and headed for the Hertz counter to rent a vehicle. We were promptly given the keys to our car and headed off to throw the bags in and travel to the beach house. Walking over to the car, I noticed a dent in the side. Hmmm. As an ex-insurance guy (I was a product manager at Progressive Insurance for a number of years), I always do the walk-around before putting our luggage in the car. The dent wasn't bad, but I don't drive a car with a dent in it at home, so why would I while on vacation? It wasn't like I'd chosen Rent-A-Wreck. I looked closer. When opening the car door, all I could smell was stale cigarette smoke. With an hour and a half drive coming up, I really didn't want to start the vacation this way. I'm a pretty easygoing consumer and, to be fair, understand that mistakes happen. No one expects -- though we all strive to deliver -- perfection at every turn. At the same time, we clearly had a situation here.
I took the keys back to the counter. The gentleman at the counter apologized, gave me an alternate car, and asked me to check it out. The substitute was a clean car but was about the size of a golf cart. This was an airport, we are a family, and families have luggage. Luggage calls for real trunk space. This car didn't have a trunk. Not wanting to choose between taking my family or our luggage to the beach house, I went back to the counter. No cars in the class we'd rented would be ready anytime soon.
At this point, the amazing experience happened. The Hertz agent, empowered by an effective corporate policy and culture of ensuring satisfaction, handed me a new set of keys, and said, "Go look at the car in number 37." I walked over to a bright red VW Jetta, spotless inside and out, with plenty of trunk space. I walked back to the counter, smiled, and said, "37 rocks." The agent smiled back and said, "That's a free upgrade. Enjoy your vacation. Again, we apologize." We had a great drive up to the house, are enjoying our vacation, and have retold the story more than once.
Ten years ago, that's about as far as this would have gone. The people we come into contact with and who ask about our vacation might get the story. We'd maybe tell one or two people. Now there's a much wider audience and a set of tools that makes it easy for a large number of potential customers to find these conversations. Searching Technorati or, even better, using BlogPulse as a consumer, you can quickly find the conversations that matter to you.
On BlogPulse, search for "hertz rental." You'll find posts like one from last week that recounts a similar experience to mine. This other case involves a customer who actually switched on the spot from Dollar to Hertz because of the difference in customer service. That post, like this column, is now part of the online conversation the next round of customers will use when choosing a rental car company.
As a marketer, how do you systematically ensure the retelling of favorable experiences? More to the point, how do you prioritize your efforts and focus of the things more likely to generate a beneficial online conversations that favorably influence purchase decisions? Touch-point analysis, a technique that you may have used long ago, is perfect for online marketers seeking to get the most out of the offline experiences that involve their brands, products, and services.
Touch-point analysis involves identifying all the experiences that connect your customers with your product or service, online or off-.
Each touch point is then evaluated in terms of its performance. Does it generate a negative experience, such as a dent and the smell of stale cigarettes? Or does it generate a positive one, like being offered a sincere apology and the keys to a snappy, clean rental simply because both were the absolute right things to do at that moment? Contemporized touch-point analysis goes a further step: each touch point is also ranked according to its likelihood of generating a conversation.
Now you've really got something: your performance score on the specific points where your customers have actual experiences, ranked by how likely each is to generate a conversation. Prioritizing your next steps -- fixing the negatives and accentuating the positives that are generating online talk -- is straightforward. Best of all, by using platforms like BlogPulse and Cymfony or basic tools like Technorati, Google Alerts, and Blog Search, you can track and monitor your performance on these touch points quantitatively over time. This gives you the data you need to engage customer service, human resources, operations, and the rest of your internal constituents who are essential in bringing about changes that drive beneficial word-of-mouth online.
Add touch-point analysis to your marketing toolbox. Combine it with conversational analysis and focus your efforts on the touch points that matter. In a marketing world increasingly driven by social media, what goes around comes around. With planning and effort, it can come around in a good way. Put that cycle to work building your business.
By : Dave Evans, The ClickZ Network
Do the Right Thing in an E-mail Marketing Campaign
From time to time we encounter a situation where we make a recommendation to a client. A short time later the client responds by saying that "legal" told them they don't need to do what we recommended or that it's OK to continue doing what they're doing.
What kind of recommendations get this response? Most recently, a recommendation to include an opt-out in an e-mail was denied because the message is technically transactional. And a recommendation to monitor the response address for a mailing was denied because "legal" says it isn't required. In one egregious case, a recommendation not to mail a list due to poor hygiene was met with insistence that they were legally allowed to do so.
This attitude is usually the result of one of two things: either a failure to consider there are multiple constituencies that should be taken into account when determining what marketing e-mail to send, or an attempt to hide behind the legal department when wanting to do something that isn't going to be popular with recipients.
Successful campaigns are built by balancing the requirements and restrictions of three key constituencies: legal, industry best practices, and business objectives.
Legal
Corporate Internet communications and companies' online activities are regulated by a plethora of state and federal anti-spam, privacy, and online protection laws. These include Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM), Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Therefore, it's prudent to have your legal department approve e-mail marketing plans.
However, it's also essential to understand what the legal department will and won't tell you. Lawyers review activities within the context of what the law says. Legally speaking, you only have to do what the law specifically requires and must not do only what is specifically prohibited. While this provides the outer boundaries, it doesn't and shouldn't guide what is optimal for your e-mail marketing campaigns.
All marketing, e-mail or otherwise, clearly must comply with the law. However, "Non omne quod licet honestum est" (not all that is permitted is honest). The law doesn't define effective, or even honest, e-mail marketing. Good marketers understand this and create their campaigns within the requirements of the law and this maxim.
Industry Best Practices
In the online world, the customer rules. Failure to meet recipient expectations and desires will have a negative impact.
ISP deliverability requirements are primarily an implementation of what the ISP believes are its customers' desires. E-mail marketing best practices are a codification of the ISP and recipient requirements. They aren't the be all and end all of customer expectations, but they provide an excellent touchstone of what should and shouldn't be done.
E-mail best practices are a moving target, evolving constantly. Industry bodies, such as the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) and the Email Experience Council (EEC), provide guidance on industry best practices. Publications such as ClickZ provide guidance on the current thinking in areas from deliverability to content creation.
Many of the more formal best practices (such as the MAAWG Sender Best Communications Practices are so important they should be given almost as much weight as legal requirements.
Business Objectives
Marketing e-mails must meet the organization's business goals. Whatever you do will be modulated by what you have the resources and capabilities to achieve. Not everyone is ready or able to produce highly dynamic, targeted, cadenced, and triggered customer communications.
Understand your organizational constraints and how they impact your campaign objectives. Technical, data, or personnel limitations can often place such restrictions on a campaign's final implementation that it compromises its entire purpose. Understanding these limitations frequently leads to identifying the highest priority areas for systems development, process, and personnel improvement.
The result is two key points:
By : Derek Harding , The ClickZ Network
- If meeting legal or other requirements undermines the basic value or purpose of a campaign, that campaign needs to be re-thought rather than fulfilled in an ineffective or inappropriate manner. Campaigns often continue to plow ahead even though their original premise and purpose has been completely compromised by other restrictions or requirements. The results aren't pretty: low or negative ROI (define) and often irritated or bemused recipients.
- When defining and designing e-mail campaigns, all three constituencies are important and should have veto power. If a campaign isn't legal, don't carry it out. Similarly, if it doesn't meet business objectives or industry best practices, it
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Strategies for Expanding Your Email Programs
In order to survive, any business needs to expand and diversify. In email marketing, increasing the frequency of your mailings can be a tricky proposition, especially if you start peppering your subscriber with more messages on different topics than they opted in for at the start.
By : Stefan Pollard
You're probably thinking, "What's the big deal here?" You already have permission to mail to your current subscribers. So what's the harm in increasing frequency by adding a newsletter, sales flyer or new-product info? After all, you need to expand your program if you want to build your business, and you know these people already want to hear from you.
It's not that simple, though.
Welcome to the place where the rock of your email program goals meets the hard place of subscriber expectations and preferences. The typical email marketing program has a built-in tension: You need to get as much use out of your subscriber database as possible in order to get the most return on member acquisition costs. But you risk irritating your current subscribers, who didn't necessarily sign up for your new information, and prompting a flood of unsubscribes or spam complaints or just indifference.
Your subscribers’ permission is the most valuable asset that you have – and the easiest to abuse. Remember these three principles when you think about increasing how frequently you email your list with new message categories:
1. "Interest" and "permission" are not interchangeable.
Sure, you have no better audience to market your new email messages than the database of people who gave you permission to email them. That doesn't automatically mean that they want to receive anything else from you for which they didn't specifically sign up. Never assume you have permission to email them anything they didn't request.
2. Each message must deliver high value.
If you merely want to increase frequency, rather than introduce a new product or email message, do you have enough content to make each message valuable to subscribers? Moving from a bi-weekly to a weekly message means you will need to have twice as much content so that subscribers don't assume they're receiving duplicate mailings several times a week.
3. Subscribers still retain the control.
Relevance is the holy grail of targeted marketing. If you can't send out highly targeted mailings because you don't have the database capability to segment your list, you can make up for it somewhat by adding more specialized email publications to your current offerings.
What you can't do is impose your will on subscribers. You can lead them to your new content by making it as enticing as possible, but you shouldn't send it to them without permission first.
The trick is to introduce your expanded marketing program to your current customers in such a way that you don't violate their expectations or your original permission grant and respect their interests.
The Right or Wrong Way?
Here are two real-life examples where online companies expanded their email product offerings. One is the wrong way; the other is the right way. Can you tell which is which?
Example A: Floral Retailer
An online floral retailer issues a weekly sales newsletter promoting special values on cut flowers and arrangements, as well as one-off sales flyers near seasonal events and special occasions. After the company acquires a mail-order gourmet food business, it begins sending out a separate weekly sales newsletter to its floral database but under the new business' brand name.
Example B: Cable-TV network
This entertainment company specializing in food and lifestyle shows publishes a weekly email newsletter promoting show content, hosts and special guests. When the Christmas/holiday baking season approaches, the newsletter includes a special promotion urging subscribers to sign up separately for a 12-day series sharing one cookie recipe each day. This secondary mailing ceases after the 12th recipe is sent out.
Why is B a great example of adding new content and increasing frequency the right way while A comes close to spamming its own subscribers?
1. It promoted the new offering in existing newsletter space, whereas the floral retailer simply began mailing the new newsletter to its existing database and assumed permission and interest.
2. It left the opt-in decision up to the individual subscriber. The floral retailer forced subscribers who didn't request the additional email and who didn't want it to unsubscribe. Although the floral retailer followed the letter of the CAN-SPAM law, it forced uninterested recipients to opt out. The cable-TV network example gave their readers the choice up-front, and delivered the new content only to those who requested it.
3. The cookie series was relevant to the original newsletter's content.
Flowers and gourmet food might occupy the same general niche in the consumable-product department, but they don't have that direct tie-in or association that you have between general food news and specific cookie recipes. Don’t assume that consumers will be interested in a related area – ask and give them the option to opt in.
Strategies for Increasing Subscriber Contacts
As these examples show, there are right and wrong ways to expand your email program. Consider these strategies when developing your game-plan:
1. Calculate the cost of increased frequency
Technically, we should file this discussion under "increasing frequency," because at the heart of it, that's what you'll be doing. You might think each kind of email message belongs in a different category but your subscribers might not distinguish between a regular weekly newsletter and an on-the-fly solo offer. To your subscribers, each email you send comes from you, regarding of the category. If you are simply sending them more email, it may be more than they wanted or requested at sign-up.
You can find more strategies and recommendations, as well as several formulas that can help you assess whether you would gain enough in sales, registrations or other relevant metrics to cover the costs of more frequent mailings, in Loren McDonald’s "Calculating the Cost of Increased E-Mail Frequency," parts one and two.
2. Promote from within first.
You can safely upsell existing subscribers using three message channels already open to you. The fourth is a little trickier but can pay off if you do it right.
1. Regularly scheduled mailings
When you need to upsell your current subscribers, always start by promoting the message category in emails they already receive. In the cable-TV network example above, the limited-run newsletter was advertised within the existing newsletter, where subscribers were given a separate link to sign up.
2. Transactional messages
Many marketers fail to mine gold from transactional messages, which come as close to guaranteed opens as you'll get in email. If buyers fail to sign up for your email program during the buying process, take advantage of the transactional email you send out to confirm the purchase to promote your newsletter.
3. Welcome emails
Because new subscribers are usually the most enthusiastic, you should capitalize on eagerness to read your content by listing in your welcome letter other email offerings that may not have been chosen at sign-up. Keep it brief by focusing on the benefit, and link directly to the subscriber's preference page where they can edit their sign-up choices.
4. One-off sample issues
This is where upselling can get tricky. Any food marketer will tell you that sampling a new product in the supermarket is the best way to drive sales. Email is different, though. If you think sending a sample issue will get you the most attention, go for it. But, follow these guidelines to avoid even a whiff of in-house spamming:
- Test the sample first on a relevant segment of your list, such as recent buyers, new subscribers, or subscribers who have not responded to mailings in a certain time period.
- State clearly near the top that the mailing is a sample only and that subscribers will continue to receive it only if they sign up for it, and link to the preference page.
Final Thoughts
To grow your business or your email program – and to appeal to as many subscribers across the spectrum as possible – you'll need to branch out and diversify your email holdings. You'll find your greatest success when you let subscribers retain control over their inboxes and promote the mailings using the channel for which you already have permission.
By : Stefan Pollard
Mobile Email Marketing Tips
The future of email marketing is here, and it's in your customers' hands.
Email marketing on mobile phones has been hovering like either fate or opportunity, depending on how you view it. Maybe you've embraced it already, because your customers are a mobile bunch. Or, maybe you think it's something you'll think about tomorrow, like Scarlett O'Hara.
Just a few years ago, the mobile Web was something that only the folks out on the bleeding edge of technology had to deal with. The iPhone, introduced in 2007, and other breeds of smart phones, have now put the Web squarely in millions of people's hands.
According to the Pew Internet Project, "58% of adult Americans have used a cell phone or personal digital assistant to do at least one of ten mobile non-voice data activities, such as texting, emailing, taking a picture, looking for maps or directions, or recording video."
Mobile's biggest challenge will be in forcing you to cross the final frontier in your email-marketing program to make it completely customer-centric. We talk a lot about customer-centricity, of designing campaigns and messages to make them as close as possible to what the customers want to receive, when, in which format and on what platform. Maybe you read all that and thought, "Yeah, yeah, sounds good ... but I'm still going to send all my email in HTML because it lets me run a big pretty product picture."
It's time to face the music.
Are Your Customers Going Mobile?
First, find out, if you can, how many of your regular readers read your email on their cell phones or portable devices.
Create a text version of your HTML message and place it on a page at your Web site. Then, put a link to this version at the top of an email message, next to the link to your Web version. Count the number of clicks the link draws in the first three or four times you send it out. If fewer than 2% of your subscribers click on it, you don't need to drop everything just yet.
If it's more than 10%, however, it's time to roll up your sleeves.
What Makes Mobile Different?
1. The platform
Obviously, the platform is different. Instead of a screen that measures 13 to 21 inches on the diagonal, you have maybe 2 to 4 inches. And you thought the preview pane was restrictive?
2. Content rendering
Mobile devices vary wildly in how they render content. Even the recent news that BlackBerry software will be updated to show HTML content won't mean an immediate revolution. Text usually renders well on most devices, but you'll want to rethink even your text messages to optimize them for the smaller screen.
3. Uses
Your readers might not be living their lives through their mobiles just yet, but they most likely use their phones to triage their inboxes when they're away from their keyboards.
"Triage" here means they are reading their email on their cell phones while they're waiting for a flight, taking the commuter train to work or going home, sitting at a child's soccer game, or stuck in traffic. They scan through the inbox quickly, seeing which emails to open right away, which to ditch and which to save for later use at home or in the office.
Optimize Messages for Mobile Readers
The good news is that if you optimized your HTML messages to compensate for blocked images and the preview pane, both of which are default settings for most desktop and Web email clients, your messages will show up better on most mobile platforms.
However, you should take a couple of extra steps to make messages even more mobile-friendly:
1. Reformat text
You should always offer a text option as an alternative to HTML for all readers. You can send this version to your mobile readers, but you might also have to reformat it to make it show up better on the smaller screen.
Most text messages have 60 to 80 characters per line. Mobile platforms will show 20 to 40 characters in 12 to 15 lines per screen, depending on screen width and type style.
Desktop-friendly line lengths can create long paragraphs in the mobile reader. If you use typographic devices as copy separators that also run 60 characters, for example, you'll give up four to five lines on the screen for something that adds no value.
2. Rethink tracking URLs
Same goes for URLs. Tracking URLs can also consume four to five lines per screen. If you can, use a simpler URL even if it means sacrificing some tracking ability. These long URLs can result from automatically reformatting HTML copy into text, so your text version may need some hand-tweaking in order to render better on all platforms.
3. Be brief.
Message size must come down whether you send in text or HTML. Messages over a certain size -- even as small as 12KB -- risk being cut off halfway through. In many clients, your reader can opt to click a button that will call up the rest of the message, but do you want to throw up that obstacle?
Personally, I hate it when I open a message and find "message truncated" right at the top. I need more to make me want to click the button that will deliver the rest of the message.
Another message I get that frustrates me to no end is "This message contains a rich-text HTML portion. Consult your mail client's documentation for information on how to view it." Uh, I don't think so. Delete! That means it won't be there when I get to my desk.
Also, rethink the content itself. Long sentences in long paragraphs force more and more scrolling. This also can be a barrier to conversion or another source of frustration for readers.
4. Validate your Web site, too.
Is your Web site mobile-friendly too? Probably not, if you haven't had it redesigned specifically for mobile applications. If you have to send readers to your Web site to get the most value from your email marketing, better make sure it will also render on their devices. You can check it easily by using a new validator developed by the World Wide Web Consortium: http://validator.w3.org/mobile/.
Final Thoughts On Mobile-Friendly Emails
- Include a mobile option on your subscription or registration page. Track how many users check this option.
- Add a mobile reference to your online-version link in your message copy.
- "Above the fold" becomes even more crucial on the mobile screen. If you must keep boilerplate elements such as an admin center at the bottom, link to it near the top so that readers will know they need to click to download it.
- Keep your message short, and give readers a reason to save it for later to view in their desktop clients.
- Test before sending. You should be doing this anyway, but mobile adds another platform to the mix. Don't assume that because it looks good on your BlackBerry or iPhone, it will show up that way on all Web-enabled phones. Make sure it looks good on the cruddiest phone in the office, too.
By : Stefan Pollard
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