MindComet

Special Considerations for Emailing Executives

There’s a lot of buzz in the B2B email world about deliverability to C-level executives. They exhibit different behavior than average consumers and should be treated with special attention when attempting to communicate via email. I’ve provided a few tips for your consideration below:

1. Executive assistants are typically screening email Monday - Friday during normal business hours. For higher open rates (by your intended recipients) try sending on the weekend when the executives are checking their own email or blackberries.

2. Keep in mind corporate spam filters and sophisticated content filtering that may block your message from being delivered.

3. Some speculate that you should target administrative assistants, but there’s not a lot of imperical data to support that arguement.

Stay tuned for more B2B tips & tricks in the future.

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Posted by MindComet on Sep. 21, 2005

Hot & Spicy Emails Build Tolerance

It’s a scientific fact, or so I’ve heard, that hot spices are not only good for your health, they leave you craving more!

I think it’s an interesting analogy to consider when architecting an email campaign. Ask yourself these questions when starting out:

Your subject line is the packaging on the outside of the hot sauce, what’s going to drive my audience to purchasing it?

How do I put together releveant ‘hot’ content that will entice my target audiences’ taste buds?

How do I keep that audience coming back for more and more?

What are the benefits of my email over other bland options in the industry?

An interesting article on the Benefits of Spicing up your food: Cooking and Food.

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Posted by MindComet on Sep. 14, 2005

Opting-in for Email Marketing

Thinking about launching an online promotion? Email marketing may be just the tool your looking for to circulate the campaign and generate awareness. When done correctly, email marketing campaigns that focus on a promotional element can be tremendously successful.

However, if including an email marketing component in an online promotional campaign, it is best to let people opt-in voluntarily. There are several questions you will want to ask if your promotion includes an e-marketing/email component:

- Is there an email sign-up on the homepage?
- Are there email sign-ups on the internal pages?
- Does the Web site use other means for capturing emails?
- Does the sign-up require contact information?
- Do subscribers receive a confirmation that their email has been successfully submitted?
- Are there referral components (forward to a friend, etc)?

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Posted by MindComet on Sep. 07, 2005

What You Can Bring to the Table During Your Next Email Marketing Meeting

Do your research
You may be able to find industry-specific technologies that you can use opposed to coming up with them on your own.

Be Creative
*Keep your personal text e-mail simple. Text e-mail usually sifts through spam filters more easily, generating higher response rates.
*Personalize images and the copy.
*E-mail with built-in interactive forms instead of asking prospects to take the additional step of navigating to the landing page.
*Show off your products with use of product animation.
*Online gaming. Its different and fun opposed to normal emails.

Focus on top prospects
Ever hear of the 80/20 rule? Although email is inexpensive, 20 percent of your database is bound to produce 80 percent of your sales.

Timing
*IT professionals: 8-11 p.m. and 5-7 a.m.
*CEOs: Weekends, most likely when their assistants arent screening.
*Target audiences: Keep track of when your prospects are responding to your messages. Target those timeframes.

Change the style of your writing
*Put the call to action first, and create a short list of links that connect readers to the parts of your message they are interested in.
*Use links to landing pages instead of abundant copy in the email.
*Tell a story to lure readers in but keep it short since most attention spans are limited.
*Build credibility by reducing buyer risk with guarantees, demonstrations of return on investment (ROI), trial periods, service level agreements, and so forth.
*Test your subject lines!

Hire professionals
Hire marketing people, agencies, and freelancers who specialize in e-mail.

Invest more marketing dollars
Email is inexpensive but its an amazing tool with so many capabilities that if more time, budget and brainpower are put into it, it can turn out extremely successful.

Karen Gedney is challenged almost everyday with coming up with innovative new e-mail marketing approaches for her clients. These were just a few. Read more email marketing tips

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Posted by MindComet on Aug. 31, 2005

Email Subjects: Bar Pick Up Lines

There are so many variables that go into the success of an email marketing campaign; however, one of the most important factors contributing to the open rate of your emails is the subject line. Some may even compare them to pick up lines at a local bar, because they are essentially your first attempt at capturing attention and allowing your audience to understand your brand. Instead of these corny lines:

1. Girl, you gotta be tired cause you been runnin through my mind all day.
2. Do you have a bandage? Cause I just scraped my knee falling for you.
3. Help, somethings wrong with my eyes - I just can’t take them off you.

Try:

1. Run faster with Nike Shox (action-oriented)
2. BandAid for all your cuts & scrapes (brand recognition)
3. Save your eyes with Visine eye drops (value proposition)

Don’t forget that your subject line is your first impression and it should convey relevance and brand recognition

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Posted by MindComet on Aug. 17, 2005

Integrating Incentives in Email Marketing

Internet incentive programs are becoming more popular by industry standards because of the success rate that is often achieved. One of the most prominent ways to reach people when doing an Internet incentive program is through an interactive email campaign. How do Internet incentive programs measure up? Below are some of the industry stats:

- Email is one of the two most widely used methods to communicate incentive programs for companies
- Email marketing has been cited (86 percent) as the most successful promotion vehicle for success
- Consumer advertising (online) is the most effective way to communicate the promotion overall
- The Internet is widely used in the following types of incentive programs: Consumer promotions, Dealer incentives and non- sales recognition
- 80 percent of consumers believe that merchandise or travel incentives are remembered longer than cash
- Internet-only sales is key to garner new business
- 40 percent of households use coupons distributed on the Internet
- 75 percent of consumers have more than one loyalty card that rewards them with redeemable points (often online)
- A typical incentive site should have the these characteristics: Conversion rate of 35 percent, 10 percent of the people should be active and the visitor is considered active for 7 weeks. An email marketing campaign will assist in driving traffic.
-Including some aspect of loyalty in one’s promotional incentive or viral campaign increases the chances that a long-term relationship will be built with the consumer
-An integrated email marketing program is one of the best ways in initiating such a relationship

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Posted by MindComet on Aug. 10, 2005

E-mail or E-Newsletter?

It seems that many consumers, as well as marketers, have trouble distinguishing between a promotional/company email and an e-newsletter. The reason often being? Companies are not utilizing several important opportunities in online communication techniques that make an e-newsletter successful. The result? Often times the two become indistinguishable by the typical consumer and that special e-newsletter becomes “just another email.“

As Jeanniey Mullen from Clickz Network writes in “Email vs. E-Newsletters: Is There a Difference?“ there are several key points to remember if you want to make your e-newsletter successful. Her suggestions are listed below:

“Remain timely. Don’t call it ‘Tuesday News’ if you can’t send it every Tuesday. But do establish a scheduled delivery calendar.

Prioritize messages. What’s the key takeaway? Make it prominent, clear, and intriguing so people will click through for more information.

Reader relevancy is sacred. Use subscription centers and click-through activity to guide message content and context.

Speak with one voice. Content often comes from different sources; make sure the copy tone is consistent.

Follow up on downloads and polls. Failing to acknowledge reader interaction can be damaging. Sharing action-based results in future e-newsletters drives loyal readership.

Add customer service to your e-newsletter loop. Even information-focused content can wake a sleeping tiger. Ensure that your customer service department has copies of your e-newsletters and is ready to respond to reader questions.

Use your e-newsletter as a testing ground. A recent B2B case study focuses on a company that only collects e-mail addresses from its readers. It wanted to enhance its profile. By analyzing click-through activity for vertically focused offers, the company was able to determine the reader’s general position in the company and adjusted the future content appropriately.

A simple statement goes a long way. A B2C client of mine adds a simple statement at the top of every e-newsletter. New readers receive a thank-you for requesting the information. Ongoing subscribers are told their patronage is appreciated. It’s simple, effective, and powerful” (Clickz Network, July 2005).

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Posted by MindComet on Jul. 11, 2005