Mar
05
By Stephanie Colleton
Director, Strategic Services
I support the EEC's efforts to redefine the metrics we use to track, understand and learn from our email marketing efforts. The channel has evolved since the original terms were developed. The metrics need to change to reflect as accurately as possible how subscribers are interacting with marketers' email programs and how marketers interpret the data. In today's economy, email is being called upon to work even harder. We should do everything we can to understand what is resonating with subscribers and use that knowledge to improve response and increase ROI.
That being said, I don't think that changing the label "open rate" to "render rate" will make a huge difference as many email marketers know what the open rate is. But it is a more accurate label that better conveys what event has actually taken place. The subscriber hasn't necessarily opened the email. They may just have images on and have scrolled past your email and it briefly displayed in the preview pane. Render is a more accurate term. Making the change in UI interfaces and on report labels shouldn't be that difficult.
The EEC is also careful in their formulas to use ...
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Feb
26
By Anita Absey
SVP, Sales & Marketing
Our good friends at Epsilon have released a new consumer study about email that should make the hearts of all email marketing professional sing! It turns out that email marketing - the much-maligned, eternally unloved tactic - is actually quite loved by consumers.
In fact, an astonishing 57% of consumers agreed with the statement "My impression of companies from which I purchased products/services is positively improved when I receive email from them." This is really great news and definitely shows the power this channel has to move the needle for business.
The study also has some interesting data that marketers should heed when they consider their metrics for success. ...
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Feb
23
By Stephanie Miller
VP, Global Market Development
It's as old as the children's song about "One of these things is not like the other." Subscribers, just like children watching Sesame Street, quickly see which messages are from companies who truly understand them, and which ones are not. In order to successfully use email to build your business outside the US, there are three levels of globalization to consider: Language, Localization and Context. Only the last one will deliver optimal results.
We discussed this as part of our session at the DMA/eec Email Evolution Conference earlier this month with panelists Simon O'Day of eservices, a leading ESP in Australia, David Sergerstrom of Acxiom who has spent the past two+ years traveling the globe for a multi-national product launch for a major mobile phone manufacturer, and Jim Champlin, of the Allstate digital marketing team.
These three globalization steps build on each other, and provide a guideline for thinking about engaging customers and prospects across the globe as efficiently as you do here in North America. In plotting your own course, the panelists emphasized the importance of market planning, cultural understanding and good local partnerships. ...
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Feb
16
What: Customer Bulletins Based on Past Purchases
Who: BarnesandNoble.com
Why we love it: Discovering a new author is a thrill for many readers. BarnesandNoble.com extends this thrill by including promotions for authors you've read before in their regular "This Week at Barnes & Noble" emails. These promotions get inserted to alert readers when a new book by an author they've purchased in the past is now available for order. This sort of highly segmented, super-relevant email breaks through the clutter in most people's inbox. It's a good example of advertising becoming valuable by focusing on the information - your fave author has a new book.
What would make it better: ...
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Feb
12
By Matt Blumberg
CEO & Chairman
I have a challenge for the email marketing community in 2009. Let's make this the Year of "Less is More."
Marketers are turning to email more and more in this down economy. There's no question about that. My great fear is that just means they're sending more and more and more emails out without being smart about their programs. That will have positive short term effects and drive revenues, but long term it will have a negative long term impact on inboxes everywhere. And these same marketers will find their short term positive results turning into poor deliverability faster than you can say "complaint rate spike."
I heard a wonderful case study this week from Chip House at ExactTarget at the EEC Conference. One of his clients, a non-profit, took the bold and yet painful step of permissioning an opt-out list. Yikes. That word sends shivers down the spine of marketers everywhere. What are you saying? You want me to reduce the size of my prime asset?
The results of a campaign done before and after the permission pass are very telling and should be a lesson to all of us. ...
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Feb
09
By Stephanie Miller
VP, Global Market Development
I just returned from San Diego, where, depending on the cold and snow in your town, you may be glad to know that it rained - so no need to envy me the good weather typically associated with this beautiful city. Of course, I only knew it was raining from the puddles outside, as the energy and engaging conversations at the Online Marketing Summit kept us all happily indoors.
Key takeaway: Retention is king and email is at the center of the digital marketer's toolkit.
How refreshing to see email come to the fore of many conversations, panel sessions and keynotes. We all know that now more than ever, executives are finally paying attention to email. The high return, reach and efficiency of this channel are unmatched.
In our recession, the "R" in ROI is now focused around retention and loyalty. Email is perfectly suited to build the kinds of relationships and launch the kinds of conversations that help you mine your existing customer base. ...
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What: A Viral Valentine
Who: Nike
Why we love it: It's sort of cheating to call something Nike does cool, but this email is worth noting. First, you often hear email experts talk about simplicity in email - "one email, one message." But marketers find it exceedingly difficult to follow that advice and end up piling on message after message until it's impossible for recipients to know what to do. Not this email - three images, one call to action. The email is laser-focused on getting readers to come to the site and watch three short films on sports. No product tie-ins are seen anywhere. Once you click through, the site is similarly simple adding only two additional calls to action: "Help kids get active" and "Share with a friend." The share with a friend link produces a simple form that ...
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Jan
15
What: Responsive and Response-Driving Welcome Message
Who: Omaha Steaks
Why we love it: Omaha Steaks has long been the master chef of the "ride along" up selling offer. They elegantly take this concept to their welcome message which provides not just a hearty welcome in a letter signed by the Owner, but also a great filet mignon offer. The invitation at email subscription was clear - sign up to get great deals and special savings. This promise comes through from the very first email. The key goal of every Welcome Message should be to quickly establish the tenor and brand of the email program. This Welcome wastes no time: Omaha Steaks is committed to emailing you great savings offers.
What would make it better: Although true to the program promise ...
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Jan
06
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 whitelisting instructions to take advantage of the new relationship to ensure deliverability. Second, it prompts you to start taking advantage of the offers immediately and also highlights the depth and breadth of content available on the site. For such a succinct message, it really packs in a lot of important and useful information. Finally ...
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Dec
15
By Margaret Farmakis
Senior Director, Strategic Services
With the global economy in a tailspin, marketers are increasingly being asked to do more with less. As a result, email has never looked better when it comes to delivering a high ROI for your marketing investment. Why? Minimal sending costs, instantly available performance metrics and the potential for huge revenue, relationship building and branding gains.
There may be one industry in particular where email could and should, play an increasingly important part of the marketing mix: charitable organizations. After all, nonprofits have always relied on the generosity of others and are now doing so in an environment where people have less and less to give.
In fact, a recent article in the NonProfit Times cited a study by the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation (DMANF) showing that more than two-thirds of non-profit executives plan to change their marketing strategy because of the economy. Why? The study showed that ...
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