Email Yogi

How to Achieve Perfection through Segmentation

2012-02-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

Perfection in communication can be achieved through a one to one dialogue. You listen, you speak, you listen, and you keep the consumer engaged.

A simple way to segment your list is to do so by where your subscribers live, when they signed up, and their preferences.

In addition to these fundamentals, you should consider the following ideas to enhance your segmentation strategy:

1) Select recipients based on past behavior - This includes buyers versus non-buyers (members versus non-members); RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) Score; previous responders versus non-responders; those who have just completed a transaction; purchase or transaction anniversaries; etc.

2) Direct recipients to focused landing pages - Perform multivariate testing, creating at least two offers in each email and then testing what works better. If your technology can support it, create dynamic landing pages where you can test more variables.

3) Look at your results in Real Time - Watch how campaigns are performing during the transmission process, refine your results and if you can, make small tweaks (live A/B testing).

4) Test different Images - A simple picture change could make all the difference in recipient engagement, swap it out and see how it enhances your results. Also, the location of the images can make a difference as well.

5) Words are Powerful - Make sure your call to action is clear, test pricing variables, end dates or other words that may drive people to complete a particular transaction.

A good way to measure your success is to assign “numbers” or “importance” to each of your segments. Make one of your campaign goals to move your consumers to a higher segmentation number.

Segmentation is a very powerful way for you to build up engagement with your consumers. Your eventual goal is microsegmentation and scoring segments - this strateg can drive remarkable results.

How to Reduce Cross Channel Messaging Failure

2012-02-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

It was just past 5.00 pm, my mailbox received a tempting invite from a pizza place - $7.99 large includes one free topping - pick up only! Perfect timing and the pizza looked decadent. The channels colluded to get me to order. I called the store, placed the order and drove by to pick it up.

As I drove into the parking lot, I saw a sign at the store that advertised the same large pizza with not one but three toppings for $6.99. The store called it their Monday special. I asked for the better deal and was not too surprised to learn that the manager had no idea about what corporate marketing was doing to promote his store.

It took a few steps and of course, I did get the cheaper pizza, also, they had to bake me a new pizza as the one with one topping had to be tossed.

A few lessons for digital marketers –

1 - make sure that your stores are on your digital distribution list,

2 - make sure that the store pays attention to your digital campaigns (monitor opens and clicks for stores),

3 - try to coordinate your specials to coincide with store events

4 - why not consider offering an in store up-sell on the transactional email to the consumer,

5 - why not use the store sign to get people to sign up for digital specials?

Five Types of Clicks to Track in Campaigns

2012-02-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

One of the strongest ways to segment any campaign is through the click-through data collected. Personalization, relevance and response rates can all be improved through proper click-through analysis.

Most email marketers look at the click-through as a summary of the analysis in the life of a single campaign. They then measure it across campaigns by looking at how the each campaign performed comparing the clicks over a period of time. While this might give you great results to see how well you are doing; it does very little to improve the overall effectiveness of your campaign.

In an analysis of some of the best email programs in the industry – here are some things you should do with your clicks:

1) Purchase Click

Thank the consumer for having purchased your product; set them up to receive survey about their purchase. Ask them about your product(s), your service and solicit their feedback. Leverage the information collected into follow up campaigns.

2) Click without Purchase

You now know what the user has clicked on, so leverage their click into your preference strategy for personalization. Highlight the item they clicked on as part of a follow-up campaign or include it as one of three special offers in a subsequent campaign.

3) Bunch of Clicks

Use these clicks to start building up a series of preferences about that consumer. Also analyze the most clicked item within a campaign to try and figure out the popularity of products for future campaigns. Use prior clicks to personalize campaigns to your consumer.

4) Unsubscribe Click

This is the click to respect and an instant opportunity for you to improve your program. First, offer the consumer the opportunity to reduce their messaging frequency from you and do not forget to ask them for a reason why they clicked on the unsubscribe link. Send them a confirmation email and include contact information from your brands other channels.

5) No Click

This is concerning, you have to try to keep your recipient engaged. Look for opportunities to solicit feedback or opinion from your email-recipient; else they will just fall off your list. If you have a call center or a direct mail program that can be leveraged - reach out to find out what is keeping the recipient away.

Click through information is a vital gauge on your online marketing program. It can give you focus for your campaigns.

Five Must-Do Transactional Campaigns

2012-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

Transactional messages work as the consumer expects you to send something - they await your “receipt.” A message sent within three minutes of the transaction can drive an engagement rate of over 98%!

Here are five prime engagement opportunities.

1) When the consumer signs up for your program

Use this opportunity to welcome them into your fold - thank them and talk briefly about the virtues of your marketing program. Most importantly, create anticipation for the next communiqué and be sure to insert an offer with an expiration date.

2) When the consumer completes a transaction

Follow a transaction with a thank you and nice reminder of why they’ve chosen your company. Provide the consumer with useful information about the product or service that they have purchased.

3) Don’t forget to solicit their feedback

A few days after shipment (or the transaction), ask them for feedback on the products purchased or the service provided. Make it easier for them by making the survey top heavy – solicit open-ended feedback first then progress to the multiple choice items.

4) When the consumer abandons their transaction

Be it an incomplete transaction or an abandoned shopping cart, you have to go back to them to ask them if there is anything you can do to help them complete their transaction. It doesn't have to be a discount, a simple reminder works wonders. If they still don't purchase, wait and send them a reminder in the future.

5) When the consumer clicks unsubscribe

Mail them after they click on unsubscribe, tell them you’re sorry to see them go. Include a banner to your sales outlet or a special discount at the bottom. You’ll be surprised when the unsubscribed recipient actually makes a purchase.

Transactional messages are tremendous revenue generators, plus they help you build brand & create relationships.

Practical Tips to Improve Your Email Deliverability

2012-02-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

With the increased volume of email campaigns, marketers are going to have some challenges as they try to resolve various deliverability issues. Don't forget that even if your emails are legitimate and you follow all protocols - your recipient may mark your email as spam.

To try to increase your chances of getting into the inbox, consider a variety of factors.

For starters - you need to ensure an opt-in list, not share your IP (sending) address, monitor your reputation, watch feedback loops, monitor blacklists, & ensure that you are compliant with all major ISP's.

Additionally, monitor your infrastructure as you manage the number of sends per minute or per hour. Do not forget to run a spam check on every campaign as every little point against you can add up.

Put useful information on your site, educate your front line, & work with your list management team about how the process works.

On your site, list what the recipient can do if they feel that they received an unsolicited email from you - give them contact information and a simpler opt out other than clicking on “this is spam.”

Next, educate your front line on how they go about capturing the email id - a proper script will go a long way in getting people to pay attention to your campaigns.

Third, make sure that you work with your database administrator to ensure that the un-subscribe flag is monitored correctly.

Your battle for credibility against spam is going to continue - keep checking up on what you can do to outsmart the bad guys and make sure you have better relationships with your recipients.

I have compiled over 100 pages of tips that can help you with your email deliverability. If you would like a copy of the information please send me a message on Linkedin.

11 Deadly Social Media Sins

2012-02-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

Most brands are trying really hard to succeed with their social media initiatives. They are trying new ways to engage - from receipts at checkout to advertisements in newspapers; brands are trying their best to connect with consumers on social networks.

In the pursuit of trying to get things done, some "top" brands have made mistakes. Here are some things to avoid, with no exceptions - things that I hope are rarely repeated.

1 - Run specials all the time. In a struggle to keep the consumer engaged, brands tend to keep offering consumers special deals. This all-out effort to discount and lure tends to have a negative impact by devaluing the brand and devaluing the relationship.

2 - Wait for people to come. Brands set up shop on social media sites and simply wait for the consumer to come and find them. They do little to engage via dialogue or by trying to market along other channels. They have simply set up shop and expect that it is good enough to drive consumers in.

3 - Run contests and games all the time. Gamification is the new buzzword for engagement with many brands investing significantly in games to engage their consumers. Additionally, brands tend to run multiple contests, which results in severely diluting their engagement to conversion metrics.

Here is a link that will take you to the original article that I wrote for ClickZ. It has the eight other sins and a lot of good commentary by your peers.

Practical Ideas for Mobile Applications

2012-01-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

I went to my favorite home improvement store to purchase a new part for my door lock. Unable to remember the exact model, I was about to run home when my son took an image of the lock, and texted it to me. 15 minutes later, I was home with the right part.

A good friend of mine was looking to plant flowers in her yard. Not sure as to what to put where, she took pictures of a number of flowers, went home, and then started grouping them together until she liked the pattern. Her phone helped her take pictures that she downloaded, and when she put her patterns together she actually posted them on Facebook - got her friends to comment and only then did she go back to the nursery and purchase exactly what she needed.

I was lucky to have an awesome room at a hotel last year - top floor suite. It rained all night and I woke up at 3.30 am to a continuous drip of water from the ceiling. I called the front desk to complain only to be told that engineering would take care of the problem later in the morning. I decided to text the image over to the hotels twitter account. Engineering was at my door before 4.00 am!

You can use your mobile device for authentication for financial transactions, carry an electronic boarding card for an airline, receive coupons for retail, & stay connected.

Mobile makes consumer interaction easier and it gives marketers an opportunity to connect in real time with those they serve. Keep looking for ways to serve the needs of your consumers.

When Tracking Can Become Creepy!

2012-01-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

A couple of months ago, a security researcher, posted a video where he detailed how the hidden software on your smart-phone can track your various activities. This is controversial because it's installed as a diagnostic tool without your permission and can log activities such as keystrokes, sent and received text messages, web browser searches, and so on.

Congress has now officially stepped into this controversy with many smart-phone owners demanding an explanation about how the technology is used.

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had proposed key changes about what could be tracked, how companies should let their consumers know about the tracking, and how a consumer could opt out of the tracking.

The challenge for both consumers and companies is balancing "awesome service" and "consumer privacy." Think about the scenarios listed below. Would you consider this tracking to be creepy or good service?

….here is the entire article on ClickZ...

Five Key Considerations for Your Mobile Program

2012-01-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

Your business can conduct business in real time as the consumer is on the go with their mobile device. The smart phone gives the consumer instant anytime access. This means that the consumer can call you, read your email messages and interact with you on social media – all while they are on the move.

Here are five key issues to consider.

Consumer Acceptance

Mobile has the ability to target people one on one, yet there still exists the “horde” marketing mentality. “Horde” translates to as many offers to as many people most of the time. Instead the focus should be on extreme personalization (which might be hit or miss and you can learn from it) driven through preferences.

Managing Emerging & Transitioning Technologies

Old mobile was designed for the flip phone. New mobile is being designed for the smart phone. Applications are being built for both environments – the old flip phone and the smarter phone; and in some cases applications are being delivered without proper testing. You will get fewer second chances to make first impressions with mobile applications.

Cost of Usage & Bandwidth

While incoming is free in many parts of the world - many US providers make a lot of money on incoming messages. Hefty fees on the transfer of data coupled with real network bandwidth challenges are going to be the gauge on driving user engagement. The cost will have to come down, bandwidth will have to increase, and the applications will have to be more efficient to keep users engaged.

Regulation & Laws

Do you know about the Telephone Consumer Protection Act? Before capturing user preferences, businesses need to make sure that the consumer has opted-in to receive mobile messaging. There are a number of companies that are offering to get the consumer opted-in to your marketing messages via SMS, yet their methodology opens up a can of ethical worms.

SPAM

You have to be wary of spam; this is the easiest way to increase regulation, choke bandwidth, increase costs, flood the consumers in-box, consequently reducing consumer acceptance. A few large companies with top-notch programs are “unaware” that their “local brick and mortar places” have their own mobile messaging initiatives!

Five Guiding Principles for Social Media Success

2012-01-23T00:00:00.002-05:00

The ROI conundrum continues to trouble many brands with their social media initiatives. Here are five key guiding principles that you should apply to help drive your social initiatives.

1 - Use social media to increase your outreach.

Pick a few channels and stay focused to drive “growth” metrics. Your brand is looking for an increase in followers and an increase in awareness. Come up with a baseline for your metrics and measure that metric month over month.

2 - Use social media to let your consumer know more about your organization.

That way if the consumer is in the market for a particular product or service you want to make sure that they are aware of what your organization has to offer. Use every interaction with the consumer to “inform” them about your brand and to “learn” more about the consumer.

3 - Use social media to get testimonials.

Solicit feedback from your customers and members about their interactions with your brand. Ask the questions tactfully by making them specific to your brand offerings. Organize this data effectively so a prospect can find the information on your site and through search engines. Keep thinking of ways to engage your consumers in a dialogue - answer their question, solicit their opinion, & make it easy for them to share.

4 – Use social media to cut costs.

There are many things you can do to begin cutting costs from your traditional marketing channels through judicious application of social media. Think about reducing paper newsletters and non-targeted advertising. Look for ways to strengthen a paper catalogue that has been sent to the consumer.

5 – Use social media to drive revenue.

An article on your blog might get the consumers to click through and make a product purchase. A few targeted tweets can drive people back to your brand. Soliciting feedback on Facebook can drive your customers friends to come to your brand. Look for specific ways to measure the revenue impact of your social efforts.

You have to save money, and drive revenue to continue any marketing program. Social media is no exception.

3 Key Social Mantras for 2012

2012-01-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

As social continues to drive consumer engagement - here are three key aspects of social for us to consider in our marketing efforts for 2012.

1 - Social integration. Social integration is the combination of social media into consumer touchpoints. These touchpoints include the cash register, a mobile device, the web, email, kiosks or ATMs, call center, and the personal people channel.

Social media is word of mouth - or a conversation among people. Companies that are able to train their employees along other touchpoints in order to engage with consumers effectively can do a better job of continuing the conversation on social media channels.

Think about the last time you shopped and were handed a receipt. Almost half of the receipt contained information that requested you to fill out a survey; but the employee or self-service device (aka the brand ambassadors) that handed you the receipt made a lame connection by simply requesting you to go "like" the brand on social media to take the survey and receive an incentive. Where was the real push or connection from the brand ambassadors?

If the brand ambassadors used intrigue or incentive to lure you into the brand's social web, they would be much more effective. Brick-and-mortar brands have presence, which gives them an opportunity to connect. The opportunity for them is to train their touchpoints.

Mantra 1: Continuously seek ways to integrate social into your brand marketing mix.

To read the rest of the story or the other two mantras, please visit this link on the ClickZ website...& if you like it, do share it...

Cross Channel Social Media Success Stories

2012-01-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

A post card from a charitable organization talks about inspirational stories of change. A link on the post card takes you to their blog. The blog has more stories and solicits donations.

A grocer sells a product with two recipes. One recipe is listed on the box, the second recipe has teaser that encourages the consumer to go to the web channel.

A bakery tweets specials to people on their list and asks them to “whisper” the code over to the check out person.

An entertainment company solicits your opinion on the “show” and then texts you a coupon to use at the concession stand.

A financial institution intrigues you at the ATM machine, and this intrigue actually drives people to enter the branch, provide a mobile number, or go online to learn more about the offer.

A retailer runs an advertisement not for all but for one consumer at a time on their mobile device.

A travel company keeps in touch by asking you for feedback so they can update their recommendations across all channels.

One of the best cross channel social media tweets was about how to create an insect free back yard. The tweet took you to an article on the company blog, which was peppered with good information and great pictures. The article was about attracting bats (the nocturnal kind) to your yard so they could keep the yard insect free. The article wanted you to create a haven for bats by getting a bat house.

The engaging article ended with a link to purchase a bat house and you could do this by speaking to a person or do it online. The box that was shipped to your home included a catalog that offered even more. It all started with a simple tweet to followers that cared.

Think about how you can engage your consumers and try your best to drive this engagement across channels.

2 Retail Success Stories on Personalization and Preferences

2012-01-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

The NRF - retail's big show kicks off in New York. It will feature a lot of product, a lot of innovation, and most of all a lot of retailers keen on learning how to engage their consumer.

Here are two case studies from brands that have done a good job in driving consumer engagement.

Leveraging The Registry

Many big department stores have bridal registries, it is a very simple concept – couples come in, register and select items they’d like to receive. This one company allowed couples to announce their wedding via email and give those recipients the option to congratulate the couple via personalized email messages and browse through their registry.

After the wedding, the newly married couple received an email offering an exclusive three-day sale. They wanted you to come to their store and purchase all the items you did not receive as gifts. You could even earn a discount based on the product, the service, or your "segmentation status."

All purchase information was recorded – by knowing the consumers interests, the store decided to retain the information for future marketing. The marketing possibilities were endless and all offers were completed targeted.

Lesson to retailers - remember what people purchase and leverage this information to build up preferences.

Leveraging The Contest

I was consulting for a home décor company; they sold window treatments, carpets and other home furnishings. They had a lot of traffic at their website – it seemed that people loved to browse through their site. I looked for a way to engage the web traffic by offering a $10,000 shopping spree. To win, you had to select the items you would like to win, and answer some trivia.

We awarded a grand prize, multiple small prizes, and gave discounts to most others for the items on their wish lists. We used the information that the consumers provided to create personalized offers to them - results in higher open, clicks, and eventual conversions.

What can make your “contest” different is that you actually use the information collected to build up preference information about the consumer and you use it for your future communiqués.

Retailers have multiple opportunities to watch how we browse, and what we transact - they need to leverage this information to build up preferences.

How to leverage returns to build relationships

2012-01-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

The consumer used multiple channels to interact you’re your brand this holiday season. Not only did they use “brick,” even their “clicks” were dispersed across your multiple channels. Social media, search, email, and the traditional website – all played a role in consumer engagement.

One thing is for sure, the consumer is going to come back to your brand (across multiple channels) to exchange or return the “gifts” that they received or purchased.

Businesses usually prepare themselves for returns and exchanges – and most of them do a fairly decent job in engaging the consumer. The opportunity here is to do more than “fairly decent.”

Think about leveraging your “returns and exchange” department to engage with the consumer even if the customer is returning the product (disengaging with your brand).

If a person receives a gift that they do not want, do not make it hard for them to interact with you. Treat the return like a “purchase” transaction – apologizing to the consumer about the experience and try to help the consumer as much as possible.

Also, use the time spent with the consumer to learn more about their preferences and exchange relevant information about your brand.

Five Impactful Resolutions for Email Marketers

2012-01-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here are five key resolutions that should be the focus of email marketers in 2012.

1 – Implement transactional messaging programs –Start by listing all possible interaction opportunities for consumers with your brand. Now, create specific messages for every possible transaction. Automate as many of these messages as possible but your key focus should be to deliver the email in a timely manner.

2 – Implement a cross channel preference center – Create preference pages that solicit and consolidate preferences across channel. This real cross channel preference center should solicit recipient preferences, and update preferences based on user interaction.

3 – Integrate email into your traditional channels – Your email-marketing program should not work in a silo. You need to make sure that you are delivering messages from all your channels via email. Look for ways to automate responses and go green. Leverage the ability to track consumer interaction to further personalize their experiences with your brand.

4 – Tie email with social and mobile marketing – There are three primary digital communication channels at your disposal – email, mobile, and social. Connect email and mobile to deliver on the urgency of your messaging. Connect social with email to enhance your user-generated content. Connect mobile and social to capture real time consumer feedback. Do not forget, a well thought out email subject line can be leveraged on social media and as an SMS message.

5 – Make sure your email is delivered – You have to make sure that your email message is delivered to the consumer into their in-box. Watch your delivered messaging and blocks on every campaign.

Good luck with your campaigns in 2012. You should strive to converse with your consumers, engaging them in a timely profitable dialogue. After all, marketing is all about creating interactive conversations.

17 issues that keep an email marketer up all night?

2012-01-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

1) How do I get higher conversions or clicks from the people who’ve opened? How to boost sales?

2) How do I make sure the data is segmented correctly?

3) How do I improve my deliverability?

4) How do I truly integrate different channels; where should I start? How should I combine the cross-channel data collected?

5) How do I deal with un-subscribes – reduce the number and deal with those who want to drop off?

6) How do I best explain our eMarketing program to management?

7) How do I really get started with social media?

8) How do I integrate social media marketing in my overall marketing efforts (print)?

9) How do I reduce the time spent on executing my email marketing campaigns?

10) While analyzing results, what should I look at first? Who else should analyze results?

11) How do I reduce marketing spend without leaving out impressions?

12) How do I deal with email being perceived as SPAM?

13) How do I make sure the recipient is not receiving too much email?

14) How do I survey the recipient? How do I ask questions? What should I ask?

15) How do I grow my list (effectively)?

16) How do I increase my budget?

17) How do I keep my list secure?

Happy New Year - Here are Five Absolutes for Your Digital Programs

2012-01-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here is wishing you the very best for 2012 and five ABSOLUTES to help drive your digital marketing programs - Email, Mobile, and Social Media!

1) You have to grow your digital database

Have metrics to track your progress with digital collection. The digital contacts that you capture should include email, mobile, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ being key). What is extremely important is that you should tie this digital contact information back to a real person. You should group households, and also learn to segment your consumers.

2) You must know what your consumer prefers

There are three types of preferences – those that the consumer states, those that you observe, and those that you imply. You need to keep asking and observing preferences across channel. Maintain these preferences about the consumer so you can have relevant conversations.

3) You must communicate across channels

No more left hand right hand dislocation – your recipient is on the receiving end of a number of different communiqués. They expect you to make sure they are served appropriately. There is no channel conflict in their mind and you better treat them that way. Think about telling your story across more than one channel – it will help you enhance relationships.

4) Creative, copy, and content will engage

The three Cs – Creative, copy and overall content; focus on what is inside your message. Recipients are expecting you to grab their attention, keep them tuned-in and steer them towards the offer. Think about every digital message as a piece of art – take time to put it together, and you will see your efforts pay off.

5) You have to make sure that you are connecting

Make sure that the consumer is receiving your messages and paying attention to what is being sent. Not only is email deliverability important, you need to make sure that the consumer is paying attention to your messages (across channel).

Best wishes to keep your consumers engaged!

2011 Top Post: 17 Resolutions for Email Marketers (Mobile & Social too!)

2011-12-30T00:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a 17 resolutions for every digital marketer. Try to include these as part of your strategy and keep integrating email, mobile, and social as your digital interactive channels.

1 - I will redo my Welcome messaging - by creating a compelling must have message that engages the consumer from day one. I will make sure that this message is updated regularly and will include real consumer input as part of this message.

2 - I will create transactional triggers – think about specific messages for specific transactions. Create these messages and automate the sending process. Review your results weekly.

3 - I will work hard on growing my digital list – you need to set realistic goals and involve your team in growing your email, mobile, & social media lists across all channels. Remember the transactional triggers – enable them for your non-web channels as well.

4 - I will create a preference center – a real cross channel preference center that will solicit recipient preferences, update preferences based on user interaction, & keep the preference tables updated through surveys.

5 - I will watch the frequency of my campaigns – so as not to startle, or numb the recipient from the excessive barrage (or the out of the blue email) of messaging. You can make this effective by tracking your open rates per consumer across multiple campaigns and not just one.

6 - I will keep surveying the consumer - include a survey link in every email to solicit recipient opinion. Leverage other channels into collecting user preferences. Think hard about the questions too – don’t use the survey to score how well you are doing. Use the survey to connect with the recipient.

7 - I will survey the non-buyer – reach out to people that don’t buy from you and try to get their opinion. Make them a priority – you will learn something good about your program, get an opportunity to try new things on people that don’t seem to respond, & perhaps convert someone.

8 - I will work with the call center, brick & mortar channels – yes, we all resolve to do it each year. But here is what you should do – first engage them by pushing offers their way, & two show them all the different ways you can track people. The more involved they are in your campaigns the more they will support you.

9 - I will test before I launch – test each campaign before you put it out. Have three types of tests – first – a sanity test on what the campaign should do, second involve your team to see what they think will work (and let them find errors), third – test it out on a sub-section of your recipients before you send it out to your entire list.

10 - I will work on subject lines – these drive open rates and engagement. A good subject line can also be leveraged into Facebook or Twitter. Take some time to come up with them rather than just slapping them on last minute. In fact, set a goal to solicit subject lines from your peers and narrow them down with testing.

11 - I will monitor my deliverability – watch your delivered and blocks on every campaign. Don’t mess this up – keep your IP’s clean by keeping your customers and prospects on different IP’s.

12 - I will monitor my metrics – for all my campaigns. You need to look at all your numbers across channels. Innovative marketers this year will actually start measuring success across channels – start campaigns on one channel and transfer people to another. Also, share your reports with other people in your organization.

13 - I will integrate social media into my email. Social media is an effective way to engage the consumer. Integrating social into your email will help you build relationships, increase engagement, & drive some very powerful results.

14 - I will play the role of a customer. (Take a look at your campaigns as a consumer). Make a checklist of things that you like about your campaigns. See if the path makes sense, and if the marketing is up to par. Track your subscribe & unsubscribe process.

15 - I will respond to queries and comments – good or bad, and will do this quickly across channels. If I can, I will create a digital help desk to create a more engaging experience for my consumer.

16 - I will solicit input from my peers to establish success metrics and will share these metrics with everyone on a regular basis. This will keep others involved and drive useful input into my own program.

17 - I will create an inner circle! Try your best to engage your best consumers into an inner circle. An interactive dialogue with them will provide effective guidance for your marketing program.

Good luck with your campaigns in 2011. You should strive to converse with your consumers, engaging them in a timely profitable dialogue. After all, marketing is all about creating interactive conversations.

How to check the maturity of your digital marketing programs

2011-12-21T00:00:00.002-05:00

Your email marketing program drives your digital marketing strategy. It can be used effectively to drive true consumer engagement across channels.

The challenge is that many business leaders think that email is a cheap way to communicate and a way to drive a quick buck. So they spend less and beat it to death to drive what they think are 'maximum' results.

There are truly five stages of email 'maturity' (if I may)within organizations.

Stage 1, it is Cheap

Stage 2, it is Quick

Stage 3, it can be Tracked

Stage 4, it can be Personalized

Stage 5, it can speak across channels, Multi-channel

1 – Cheaper than paper – your company does email because direct mail costs are higher and email helps subsidize those costs.

2 – Quick way to communicate – it is a very fast way to get your campaigns out of your door into the prospects inbox.

3 – Track effectiveness of campaigns – you are concerned about measuring success of your other channel campaigns, so you are interested in seeing what is really working effectively.

4 – Personalize your messaging – you want to track what people are doing, place them in segments, and personalize each message uniquely (or strive to) towards recipients.

5 – Ability to leverage information across channels – you are using email as a means to build preference repositories and create a two way dialogue with recipients across channel.

Assign yourself a number for each one of the bullets above – most marketers have moved from two to three and some are beginning to reach stage four. There are very few companies that are in stage five.

Usually, the higher your number; the higher the level of your 'email maturity.'

Should you be on Twitter? Here are seven reasons why...

2011-12-20T00:00:00.003-05:00

Many businesses simply don't know if they should be on Twitter. They know about the buzz and get excited about followers but they are unable to justify whether they should be on Twitter or if they are, they are having some interesting challenges with engagement.

Here are seven simple ways you could use Twitter for your business.

1. Provide updates from your brand. The goal here is to make people aware of things that you have going on. The key is to keep the updates short, and make sure that they are relevant. Don't put traditional press release out via Twitter.

2. Announce special events or promotions. If you are hosting an open house, or you have a special speaker coming in - you can use Twitter to make an announcement to those that follow you. You can also use Twitter if you have a special offer. Crisp, clear, & concise - this is what Twitter feeds can be leveraged into.

3. Offer some basic tips about your product or service. One suggestion is to take some of your frequently asked questions from your site and make them available to those that follow you via Twitter (with a link to the page with more information). They important thing to do here is to use a little intrigue to get the dialogue going - engage with a question and then offer an answer that is relevant.

4. Offering 'deeper' information about your brand. You can use Twitter to schedule a special online event - some have done well by scheduling power hours where people tweet about a particular topic. This is also used effectively while covering real events.

5. Effective on-boarding. Most people who work with your brand may not realize all that you provide. The best way to make them aware is to get to know them better. You can use Twitter as part of an engagement cycle where you can introduce them to the different things you do (set up timed welcome tweets). Additionally, you can use Twitter for consumer surveys and do a little aspirational marketing. Take a look at Live Solid, they have done a good job with 'aspirational engagement.'

6. Get more mileage out of print. Start with something you may just mailed to your list and highlight parts of an interesting article. Refer to something specific within the article and try to engage people with a question online. Once you get the hang of doing this, do this for upcoming mailers. Eventually, look to reduce or stop the distribution of a specific direct mail piece. The ROI gained could help you do more with Twitter.

7. Now, try to be cool. Three simple contests work well here. You could put up a picture and ask people to vote on a caption. You could post a question on Twitter and may the first correct answer win. You could also run a scavenger hunt on Twitter - driving people from one spot to another.

A few things to think about - you can use Twitter for customer service, for FAQ's, to engage people, & yes sometimes be cool. The thing to remember is that you have to be careful about being too cool as you may not be able to sustain it or your brand may not stand up to it. Twitter is also very powerful in getting people engaged on both mobile and the web.

The important thing to remember is not go be an 'Illtwitterate' or a 'Twammer' but 'Twengage' 'Tweeple' with 'Tweets' that 'Twexpound' 'Twisdom.'

False Advertising: Five Sneaky Subject Lines

2011-12-19T00:00:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share five email newsletters with you - these emails include subject lines that I consider deceptive. I am in the business of email marketing and pay special attention to what is sent. I know others have received similar message. I simply do not understand why a brand is willing to risk relationships with bad messaging.

Subject Line: Your news personalized…
Really, I never really did personalize what this news portal offered. In fact, the only reason I set up an account with them was to get a copy of my free birthday horoscope. I never told them about sports, or business, or the type of news. Yet my email had news articles that had nothing to with any of my interest. What was worse was that they didn't even include my horoscope.

Subject Line: We miss your online orders - & we want you back
I received this message from a place that sells food online. While I have signed up to receive their emails, I have never ordered online. What is interesting is that I have ordered from their 'store' but it would be impossible for them to associate the email id with my in-store contact information. When I questioned their store about the email message I was told that they were trying to be 'inclusive' and make everyone part of their 'family.'

Subject Line: People who bought table cloths also bought…
Yes, we did purchase table cloths for our formal dining table. We purchased two different table cloths and the company knows that we have a table that can seat eight. I opened the email in eager anticipation to see what other accessory they were recommending - I expected table mats, chair covers, perhaps table accessories. The body of the email offered us a wide selection of wind chimes! Wind chimes! Were they expecting us to blow the wind chime to get served?

Subject Line: Your subscription is about to expire
Intrigued, I opened the email to read the following copy. We recently mailed (direct mail) you a subscription offer to 'Magazine.' Our great offer to you is about to expire. How can an offer become a subscription? Where did they find my email? And how do I un-subscribe from something I didn't subscribe to?

Subject Line: Welcome to our newsletter
Impossible is what I said. I expressly remember having ordered a graduation gift for a colleague. I had put in my email id for the order confirmation & expressly unchecked the box to receive their email newsletter (full of discount coupons, great deals, & timely information). I was even impressed when I received a confirmation phone call from them about the order. Once again, I was asked and I declined the 'valuable newsletter.'

We need to be quick to get the consumer who signs up on board with our newsletters, but we also need to be careful about what we are sending them. The examples above range from a 'false' sign up to mailing of incorrect offers, or the company making assumptions about them knowing what they think I am interested in.

Isn't this False Adverting?

12 Simple Steps to Kill a Brand

2011-12-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

1. Protect your brand from change like a religious zealot. Your marketing mojo has worked for 100 years, and by golly it'll work for another 100. Convince yourself that all good change is evolutionary; that anything progressing faster than a terodactyl is downright dangerous.

2. Democracy rules. Vote on everything, especially creative work. And vote often. Phil in accounting. Lisa in customer service. Your mom. And, of course, legal. Your marketing will be stripped of anything that could possibly make it work, but an ass covered is an ass saved.

3. Believe your sacred brand lives in a vacuum where it is immune to cultural, technological and demographic changes. Like Women's Suffrage and the Internet, they're all fads anyway.

4. Worry about losing your job. That fear will protect you from taking any action that could positively move your business forward, while you may get lucky and ride the flat growth line into retirement.

5. Wear Teflon by Armani. Let the little guys take the fall. Make your subordinates more afraid of losing their job than you are of losing yours. After all, it's your job to cultivate talent internally.
6. Talk a good game. Drop buzzwords. Maybe Tweet once or twice. Reference articles about social media and forward them to higher ups. Everyone will know you're on top of this new fangled stuff, but don't do anything about it.

7. Congratulate yourself for being at the top of your industry without wondering if your industry will be there in 5 years.

8. Ignore criticism or even the hint of negative karma. Consumers are idiots or difficult cases. Research lies. And your agency's job is to suck up and take orders.

9. Never benchmark or evaluate your program against other industries much less competitors. Those guys are clueless and their ideas have no relevance to an aged and revered brand like yours.

10. Consumers are idiots (see No. 8). Listening to what they think or feel about your brand, or how it could better meet their needs is just stupid. What could possibly come from it? New product ideas. More share. Why bother? Your brand had this nailed 100 years ago.

11. Not listening to your peers. Yes, just because you tweet doesn't make you an expert on Twitter.

12. Not staying open. Check your channels to see that you are open at all times.

Many thanks to Susan @ Ideopia!

How to design the perfect welcome message

2011-12-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

If you had one chance to connect with a consumer - how would you go about it? Would you just send them a generic welcome message and hope that they agree to start reading the rest of your messages or would you try to make the first message special.

Take extra time to design your welcome campaigns.

These welcome campaigns may be years behind your current design work or they could be doing only part of their job. Think of the campaign(s) as your first impression, it’s the best chance you have for the recipient to add you to their safe sender list; your chance to highlight something they may have overlooked while on your site or simply introduce them to your full experience – either through a purchase, survey or social media offerings.

Evaluate these campaigns quarterly (monthly if you can); make sure they are serving your organizations needs:

· Show recipients a sample of what to expect

· Provide them with important information (something that will want them to keep your email for a while)

· Collect information from them – i.e. a simple survey (fill-in from the registration page)

· Push them toward other items – cool or underappreciated part of your site or social media outlets

· Generate sales – this could be your best chance to convert!

· Don't think about just one campaign - plan a series of welcome campaigns (2 - 3) to help your new prospect become part of your family

· Mix it up – drive your campaigns to them through mobile, social, & email.

You need to use this first impression to start a dialogue with your consumers, it is the best way to learn about them, it is the best way to communicate, it is the best way to market - all towards creating interactive conversations.

Seven things you should do with an abandoned transaction

2011-12-14T00:00:00.005-05:00

Most of us know the effectiveness, yet very few follow up on abandoned transactions – even fewer do an adequate job, resulting in fewer conversions and more lost opportunities.

Here are a seven suggestions to help get things going:

1) The Abandoned Cart email needs to go out within 48 hours

2) The email should always have a split test – with and without an offer as incentive to complete the transaction,

3) The email should inquire – Could you tell us why you left the cart? Leverage the information, and update customer’s profile.

4) The email should have a simpler call to action and an expiration date – Dear Customer, All you have to do is click on this link, call or print to take to a store or branch; this offer is valid for (less than five) a few days.

5) Whether you close the transaction or not – update the customer’s preferences with specifics regarding the products or services that they selected.

6) If you have the bandwidth, turn the incomplete transaction over to your customer service team for follow up.

7) Show the customer the value of the offer within your social media channels.

The abandoned cart is a great micro campaign opportunity. You already know the prospect is in the market and you can leverage their specific preferences into a one on one opportunity.

How to get repeat business from your customers

2011-12-13T00:00:00.002-05:00

I had meetings with three organizations; the first was an online retailer that told me that they have very little repeat business despite their vast selection of products. People bought just once and moved on.

Another merchant (catalog, web and B2B store presence) told me that half their hits on search come from existing customers. Yet they continued to increase their search budget. Imagine spending money to find people who you already found!

The third was a bank that gives away $50 to open new accounts, yet only one in 20 of the people opening these accounts actually establish more than one other relationship with the bank.

These numbers are disappointing, but not atypical.

We spend so much money on acquiring new customers, but very little is done to take care of the existing – our focus should start from within, by nurturing existing relationships.

Start with a thank you email that is personal; follow up with a call (even a voicemail will do). The goal is to establish a dialogue to thank the new customer and solicit feedback to improve your process.

After the initial email (and or discussion) put the customer on a recurring campaign to introduce them to your brand; highlight certain parts of your business and make sure that your dialogue is educational. Regularly solicit their feedback on your campaigns.

It might seem like too much work, but keep in mind that if you compare this with the cost of new customer acquisition – it is only a part of the overall cost.

To the first company, I suggest creating an email help desk to call customers, thank them and solicit direct feedback about their experience. Follow this up with two to three campaigns that inquire, educate and introduce recipients to other parts of the business.

To the second company, put the customer on a recurring stream of communiqués – part of your bonding program. Send them a sample, solicit their feedback and keep in touch.

Finally, to the bank, make the recipient tell you more about themselves in exchange for the $50. Then assign a rep to this newly acquired customer – make it their responsibility to stay in touch with them over the first four weeks. The goal should be to make them aware of the services your bank has and see if you can help the new account holder meet their personal goals.

You need to explore every opportunity to continue the conversation with your consumer.