Apr
17
By Tami Monahan Forman
Director of Strategic Services
Spammers have negatively influenced email in lots of ways, with one of the most visible being the need for image suppression. There is no question that the average consumer prefers pretty, graphically-enhanced email over the boring, plain text versions. But there is also no question that the average consumer prefers that pictures with "adult" themes don't accidentally pop up while at the office or in front of impressionable kids. The ISPs have combated this problem by suppressing graphics -- essentially treating all images as potentially problematic. (Thank you, Mr. Spam.)
Despite how widespread this practice has become, few marketers really think about how image suppression affects their email program. They should. Why? Three reasons:
1. Image suppression messes up your tracking: Open rates are calculated when an invisible graphic pings your servers. No graphic, no ping, no open. Data from DoubleClick and others suggests that an overall decline in open rates is due to the rise in image suppression. Knowing this ....
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Apr
11
By Stephanie Miller
VP Strategic Services
Integration of email with other marketing channels is gaining traction this year, primarily because it works! Audiences - both B2B and B2C - are fragmenting, meaning that both acquisition and retention programs must reach across channels to create interactive customer experiences.
In a survey of CMOs we conducted with MarketingProfs.com, we found that just 35% of marketers were using email in combination with other channels. But if they were using a multi-channel approach, they did so 60% of the time. Respondents reported that email in combination with printed direct mail, trade events, search and telemarketing improved response rates for each medium, in addition to boosting results overall.
Jupiter Research found similar success, reporting in 2005 that marketers using testing, multi-channel marketing and other sophisticated tactics are almost twice as likely to attain conversion rates of more than 3%, compared with marketers that do not.
Get started by considering the end business goal, then work backward toward offer and message to isolate the most effective channel mix. If your goal is improve registrations ....
Categories: Response
Mar
07
By Tami Monahan Forman
Director of Strategic Service
Many marketers feel overwhelmed trying to write great copy for email. And, in fact, there are a lot of elements that go into a responsive email message. But if you have to focus your efforts in just one place, there's no question: it has to be the call to action.
In fact, this is by far the biggest missed opportunity we see when evaluating email creative. If the call to action isn't clear, compelling and prominent, you probably aren't going to be happy with the results of your campaign. Email readers don't have time to figure out what you want them to do. You need to tell them using strong action verbs.
The first step, of course, is knowing what you want them to do ....
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Mar
02
What: A truly welcoming welcome message
Who: Sherman's Travel
Why we love it: Welcome messages are routinely underutilized and even ignored by many email marketers and publishers. Sherman's Travel has one that employs nearly every best practice for this type of message. First, they include
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Feb
15
By: Tami Forman
Director of Strategic Services
We came across this story in MediaLife (by way of MarketingVox): Advertisers can now have their messages etched onto egg shells.
Aside from the obvious humor to be found in this story, we are most intrigued by the ROI one might expect from this type of campaign. Those of us who work in interactive marketing -- particularly email -- are used to being beaten over the head with the need to prove out our campaigns with real numbers, preferably the kind that have dollar signs attached them. So, how does one measure the impact of egg etchings?
Funny you should ask ....
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Feb
14
By: Stephanie Miller
VP of Strategic Services
Forget experience, gut feelings and opinions. Turns out that the intuition of marketers was completely unreliable in predicting the best performing creative for online, email and search marketing. Results from this Marketing Experiments Lab are posted online.
What's an email marketer to do? One word: TEST.
All day long our Strategy Group works with marketers to apply best practices to their retention and acquisition emails. We pour over past campaign data and click analysis ...
Categories: Response
Feb
08
By: Tami Forman
Director of Strategic Services
We recently wrote about viral marketing and offered viral content ideas. Maybe you weren't convinced that this tactic is truly important to your email marketing success.
Well, a recent survey by Sharpe Partners should get you thinking otherwise. They found that almost 90% of adult internet users share content with others via email. And the respondents are forwarding frequently...
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Jan
26
By: Stephanie Miller
VP of Strategic Services
Every marketer knows that email works when it is done right. Yet the data shows that precious few make that happen in their email programs. Consumers want your email, will open your email, and will buy from you via email--if you build a relationship and keep that relationship relevant. Think of it as a courtship--with better odds.
A recent Return Path survey analyzing consumer use of email during the holiday shopping season showed that consumers respond to email when they have an ongoing positive experience with the sender and have received value from their email program...
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Jan
20
Jan
19
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