Identity Theft

Maybe it’s the thrill, a sign of the economy or simply a sickness… but the number of identity thefts seems to be on the rise. We’ve read everything from the faceless reports of ATM siphoning (from MSN,) DBAs gone wild (from ComputerWorld) and college students hoping to have a dream vacation (AP article found everywhere).

So the question becomes how to protect yourself, your customers and your name in a world seemingly full of so called friends and faceless fiends who are after your info. MSN’s Money Staff has; listed some tips and we’ve published a few points on the topic… but the simple applications of traditional vigilance are often best. Simply being cognizant of your financial information, watching online to make sure that the charges are truly yours and updating your PIN periodically are all great practices for us as consumers.

From a corporate standpoint, the tips aren’t that groundbreaking either – make sure site vulnerabilities are patched, virus/ malware detection software is current and that your data is securely housed. You could also put some of that Insurance 2.0 we’ve been blogging about… just in case.

Scared STRAIGHT

BtoB Magazine’s Paul Gillin added insight to the recent Forester Report on the declining numbers of B-to-B Blogs on the web – falling nearly 50% from 2006/07 numbers. This decline is likely due to uninspired posts… according to findings, many failed blogs are victims of PR-heavy posts that are being masqueraded as interesting articles.

Gillin’s remedy, shooting STRAIGHT – blogs should be Succinct, Transparent, Responsive, Accepting, Insightful, Genuine, Humorous and Timely. By providing most/ all of these items in your posts (and blog) you’re more likely to have something substantial for the reader, something to make them continue with the article or revisit your site in the future. He encourages stories, the use of first person and, indirectly, to read blogs of others to find your voice.

Other BtoB Magazine articles also include the suggestion of using of email as a gateway to your social channels… email is widely accepted and the use of this channel to promote others is a natural fit. So look at your current blog/ social strategy and determine what needs to be done, while you’re at it figure out a way to bring more attention to your Web2.0 initiatives... maybe through email.

Broadcasting on all Frequencies

Over the last few months we’ve been seeing an increasing number of companies offering podcasts –ranging from a replay of an event they’ve hosted to an interview with one expert of another. We’ve written past posts on the topic and even offer podcasts of our Service In Action calls.

Maybe you don’t have an upcoming event, but there are certainly items on your website or in marketing materials that may lend themselves to a podcast, your FAQs or a snippet for a speaking engagement that you may be part of. In either case, start small, keep each to about ten-minute clips and make them voluntary downloads.

There’s no need to buy any expensive equipment either – we use the services of Blog Talk Radio for our Service In Action calls, all you need is a profile and a phone. The service records your conference call, integrate a little code on your website and the calls publish shortly after you disconnect. I also read about a service called Audacity that works similarly but uses a USB-microphone to record – which you may be able to nab from your X-Box or karaoke machine.

New Life for Email

Last month we penned an article on the quarterly email check-up, just ahead of similar advice from a BtoB Magazine’s article by Karen Bannan, Give Your E-Mail Marketing New Life. In the article Bannan recommends the periodic email evaluation focusing on four key points:

• Is your e-mail program making money?
• Are you maintaining a permission-based list?
• Are you focusing on building relationships – not just the number of names in your database?
• Does your design – both email and landing pages – promote signups and interaction?

Some of these overlap with the seven we posted in June, but I will highlight a couple items that are nice additions/ thoughts to consider. In the article’s second point (the permission-based list) the question arises of whether or not your list contains names that stemmed from a Customer Service inquiry or picked up from a business card… are your co-workers polluting your list and inadvertently adding to SPAM complaints? This might be an item to consider in your Quarterly Review.

I also like the forth point, as eMarketers we should always determine ways to promote interaction and combat churn through new sign-ups. I’ve seen quite a few marketing programs that are very utilitarian in these regards, take a hard look at all channels and determine where/ when you can improve the interaction factor.

The article also suggests that the summer is the best time to evaluate, programs are typically slower and most of your “leads” are taking a little va-cay. So in addition to your beach vacation, plan time for a deep dive into your program analytics.

Main Street

One of our friends opened a new store in the northeast; it’s a prime location with 1400 square feet and four to nine employees depending on the day and time. This retailer sells custom designs so it is important that the customer talks to the employee about all the available options. Usually, a customer walks in, peruses the store, then an employee steps up and engages them in a dialogue – the next move is typically over to the design center.

For the sake of efficiency, most of the designers like to show a few finished products, custom designs can be put together with the help of swatches or at the computer station. This is where their approach becomes interesting, after priming the customer they step away, allowing the customer space to be as creative without having someone hanging over their head.

They do the same thing online; prospects find their way through search or a referral. The prospect has the opportunity to browse products, read their blog, check images and watch YouTube videos in addition to designing.

Weighing the costs, it’s easy to see that the physical location costs more but it’s supported by the website, email and Web 2.0 initiatives – they are constantly inviting visitors into the store using their electronic efforts. Be sure your channels are working in tandem, and make sure your online dollars are going toward promotion of your physical location.

Hard Challenge, Soft Sell

Soaring gas prices and a questionable economy present a new challenge for eMarketers. Americans are turning focus to the day-to-day needs and may be deferring their once discretionary income toward filling the tank or squirreling away a funds “just in case.”

This change may be a challenge for marketers who simply promote buy…Buy…BUY communiqués, but it’s less of a hurdle for legitimate eMarketing programs. Smart eMarketers know that everything can’t be about selling more widgets; they realize that communiqués have to include informational articles and value for recipients. These marketers aren’t going to push a special sale each time the conversions dip slightly; they know that overall stability of their list will ultimately lead to the year-end bottom line.

Instead of slashing prices, attempt to incorporate more informational articles or brand-enhancing features to strengthen your bond with the customer; if you have a true remedy to solve economic worries – highlight them. Some of the best articles I’ve read are from MSN’s Liz Pulliam Weston, last week a featured article, titled 7 surefire ways to stay poor, included tips and links to other articles/ publications with insightful tips to managing your resources and highlight possible, unknown pit-falls.

Its simple advice but presenting your knowledge in this form could easily translate to your marketing efforts and maybe help create a life-long bond with your recipients.

Combining Transactional & Promotional

Like most companies, you're probably thinking of new ways to generate more revenue. One popular way many marketers have explored this is by using their transactional emails – order and shipping confirmations – to present offers and promotions in hopes of generating additional revenue. When evaluating this option, it’s important to consider:

• Compliance with CAN-SPAM laws
• Deliverability
• Tracking

CAN-SPAM Laws
In order to comply with CAN-SPAM law, you need to make sure that the Primary Purpose rule is followed, a ruling that establishes whether the email is considered transactional or commercial. If it's deemed commercial, then the CAN-SPAM laws would apply; meaning you would need to comply with opt-out requests, provide an opt-out mechanism in the email, etc. There are specific (and subjective) definitions for whether an email is deemed commercial or transactional. You'll need to pay special attention to the subject line, email content, layout, even the fonts and style you use for the promotional parts of the message to make sure you're not crossing the threshold and therefore changing the Primary Purpose.

Here are the nuts and bolts from the CAN-SPAM law, section 312.3:
If an electronic mail message contains both the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service as well as transactional or relationship content as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section, then the “primary purpose” of the message shall be deemed to be commercial if:

(i) A recipient reasonably interpreting the subject line of the electronic mail message would likely conclude that the message contains the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service; or

(ii) The electronic mail message’s transactional or relationship content as set forth in paragraph (c) of this section does not appear, in whole or in substantial part, at the beginning of the body of the message.

Tracking
Once you've figured out what the subject line and email content, consider how you want the email to be tracked. Most companies send transactional emails from their website and lack tracking on opens, clicks, orders, sales etc. Ask yourself if these traditional promotional email metrics are important to track in order to gauge the success of your effort. If so, you may want to consider adding those tracking parameters into your email program or outsourcing the email delivery to your promotional email vendor.

Deliverability
As with any other email campaign, it's important to monitor the deliverability for transactional emails, especially when your company is counting on generating revenue from them. As with the tracking challenge, most internal/ website-generated transactional messages lack the deliverability focus offered to promotional emails – to remedy, consider sending these emails through your email vendor if they handle deliverability, or add deliverability monitoring internally. That way you can see if the emails are reaching intended recipients, and identify if you have bulking or blocking issues. When your boss asks why sales for these emails have dipped – you'll know and will be able to correct it.

As always, to maximize results, it's always a good idea to test...Test...TEST! See what format and offers work best and be sure to change them every once in a while so customers don't always receive the same offers again and again.

Site Hijacking

Do you have that insurance policy yet? Computerworld ran an article last week about some 1,000 sites that were infected by Asprox, an attack tool kit that infiltrates venerable sites with hidden attack code. This code waits for a user to visit the site and then checks for vulnerabilities in the visitor’s PC – once found, malware is downloaded onto the computer. The article named the Snapple site as well as a city-government site as two examples that were hit and have since been cleaned.

If you’re in question of whether or not your site is at risk, a Google search could give you the answers. There are tips for how to address in the article written by Erik Larkin titled, Major sites fall victim to Web hijack; check yours. Maybe a quick search and then some insurance are in the cards for your .com.

Insurance 2.0

May’s Website Magazine included an article written by Andrew Cohn discussing website insurance… an offering that I never even considered until reading.

I’ll make the assumption that all of us have a corporate website, but I can’t help but wonder how many of us have insurance for our www. The article bullets liability coverage options for:

• Infringement/ unauthorized use of advertising materials (logos, copy written material etc.
• Failure to protect private/ confidential info
• Violations of personal/ organizational rights to privacy
• Plagiarism or unauthorized use of literary/ artistic content
• Failure to prevent the transmission of computer viruses

I’ve paraphrased the points that Cohen covers, and want to highlight the last point as he did. The failure to keep your virus protection software current could be a punishable offense; imagine having a simple sign-up or inquiry form that infects a visitor’s PC or a worm that attaches itself just because you visited. I realize that these are extreme examples, but the possibility of such malicious hacker-magic is a danger.

Cohen also discusses the need for the definition of “territory” included in your policy; although you may have a US-reach, your site is worldwide… which could play into account should any violation occur. Take a look at his article and see if your 2.0 world could benefit from some old-school liability protection.

Customer Concierge

I just finished spending a few days at the Goa Marriott in India; beautiful resort, great food and SPECTACULAR service. Following check-in we were escorted to our rooms by one of the concierge staff; they opened the doors, took pictures of our family and inquired about our preferences – what we liked to eat, drink, activities, etc.

The concierge distributed the information to their top tiers so each morning, we were part of a report circulated to their associates. The associates learn your name and preferences, so as you walk through the halls you’re acknowledged by name and surprised with things we liked. Apparently they save your information for future trips; so the new staff can be briefed prior to your next stay.

As email marketers, we can do so much more – by aligning preference page information with relevant, subsequent surveys and ongoing behaviors, we can stay current with consumers and ensure everyone in the organization is aware of the person and their preferences. Combining this electronically-gathered data with information from paper and phone surveys in a single database can go even further to make sure the customer is always welcome irrespective of the channel.

Only a few days of vacation left…

SIA: Welcome Summer – Think Holiday

Think Holiday… Christmas in July, whatever you want to call it, we’re planning ahead for the season. Tomorrow’s Service In Action call will help you get your email campaigns ready, we’ve compiled tips, examples and always have plenty of opinions to share.

Check out our updated site, and make plans to join us to learn how to capture some summer sizzle in your 2008 Holiday campaigns.

We look forward to hearing you on the call!

Email Construction

In my book, bad email content is one of the greatest goofs, many examples we encounter end up in our Good, Bad, Iffy reviews for Service In Action or Panel of Peers events. Without including photos of offenders, I though I’d give a few pointers on how to avoid content mistakes:

• Print ≠ Email – I have a few examples in this category, either an entire brochure has been put into an email, or the entire website is restated. Keep it simple and targeted, you can always continue with a click through. The best tip here would be around 300 words (if it’s informative), maybe 50 characters each if you’re attempting to sell multiple products. FYI – my opening paragraph is 50 words, 228 characters without spaces (277 with.)
  
• Get to the Point – Related to the previous point, you sometimes wonder what the message is attempting to accomplish, is it selling, informing, recruiting or simply attempting to entertain. This where graphics play a role – the “click here” option is vital in some messages, just the subliminal urge is all that’s keeping you from complete confused frustration (and for the record, the button is more at home above the fold.)
  
• Keeps Going… and going – Ever receive a message that requires unnecessary scrolling? Yeah me too, I’ve gotten the most graphic-heavy newsletters with small while text on a multi-shade black and blue background. If printed, the email would be seven pages. Although allusive, I’ve also received messages that required left/ right scrolling. There are a couple schools of thought here but the most accepted width is 600 pixels and the height should be maybe double that… if you have more, I’d suggest separate messages and interesting copy to inspire click throughs.
  
• Read Carefully – You can always tell when email text has been copied from word and pasted into the graphics program, usually because there a few odd characters included (apostrophes and dashes are usually the first hit.) Proof-read and have others proof-read, you may catch misspellings too.
  
• Know thy Target – It should go without saying, but emailing for the sake of sending is pretty pointless. This is where segmentation and customer insight is crucial – otherwise you’re firing blind. I recently received a very well written email from my credit card company reminding me about their online services and inviting me to visit the portal… only trouble is that I cancelled the credit card seven months ago.

Again, these are just a few points to consider... otherwise, you may end up in our presentations!

Subliminally Brand-Loyal

There are products that you instinctively buy, maybe with little thought – you’re in the grocery on the isle with hundreds of cereal boxes and you’ve gravitated toward the first box of Life and drop it in the basket nearly oblivious to the others that are staring back at you (I wrote a paper on the science of cereal marketing, how the eyes of the cartoon characters are meant to look at you in hopes that the child in the cart will make an instant friend.)

I also subliminally pick up Dove soap without much thought; it’s just another seemingly generic reminder on the post-it I have in my hand – cereal, soap… These general words actually translate to specific items in my mind. Similar to the subliminal urge to buy the soap, is my need to read more about their marketing approach…

Dove was featured in an article in Deliver Magazine, a publication sponsored by the USPS that is mainly targeted toward marketing applications of direct mail. The article focused on Dove’s mini-magazine, Dove Dimensions, a 14-page, 8” x 5.5” publication with features about products, charitable causes and innovations. The publication is sent to the brand-loyal and concentrates on editorial content and general beauty/ health topics rather than serving as a coupon distribution medium.

The most interesting part of the article is also in the subliminal; Dove is concentrating on their existing customers in hopes of making parallel purchases – since the customer has a relationship with the brand, they are more likely to buy other items. The approach is simple, yet seems completely contrary to the way most companies approach their marketing endeavors – looking toward adding more to the ranks instead of expanding those already on board.
Consider your efforts; are you ignoring the loyal who believe that your brand is the only item in the category?

Mobile Mandate

One of the most popular tradeshow questions has involved the search of a magic translator to convert HTML to text – the underlying hope is to improve rendering on mobile devices. Unfortunately there’s no current witchcraft to make the translation possible… and the applications that attempt, seem to leave much to be desired.

Since there is no quick fix, the only approach is through the application of best practices – yeah it’s the hard way, but it greatly reduces the surprise factor. Here are a few pointers:

Notepad not PowerPoint – One of the most common mistakes is that you’re in a world without images; in simplest terms you’re now presenting to an audience who cannot see the graphics-heavy PowerPoint you worked so hard on. This includes logos, tag lines, product shots etc. etc. So be clear, convey in words who you are and what you’re offering.

Break it Up – In addition to being word bound, you’re space bound. The best copy and offer can be lost if you’re sending huge blocks of text. Keep it short; lines should only be around 30 characters for mobile devices, paragraphs should have spaces between them and each paragraph should include only a couple sentences. Following this formula reduces funky line/ word breaks, keeps your message from being one huge pile of characters and makes it easier for the reader – remember, they could be walking (or driving) while reading.

Pyramid Scheme – As a journalism major, I’ve heard the theory of the inverted pyramid one too many times. Think of your daily newspaper – the most important items are at the top of the story, as the piece continues the less important items fall into place. This format helps you organize and helps the reader; because most of us lose attention somewhere in the middle… the inverted pyramid keeps the most important points at the top so everyone gets the chance to see them.

The Missing Link – Current crack-berry addicts know that messages render links in a different font, with broken spots scattered among the occasional word; keeping links to a minimum will help your reader understand the message. The corresponding links should be included at the bottom of the message; this way the recipient can click through from their PC – the reality of someone actually visiting your site from their mobile device is slim… remember you’re dealing with a recipient with limited time and bandwidth.

These are just a few pointers that apply to the process of creating a separate text-based offer, standard practices still apply – you must test, preferably on your phone or a mobile rendering format. You should also consider construction, hopefully you’re not slapping together your current HTML messages – your text version shouldn’t fall into that category just because it isn’t as “pretty.” Remember that you’re standing out in the mind of the mobile recipient.

Check other posts on the subject, we’re penned a few others on the topic – Good ‘ol Text and Email on the Go.

… and the Kitchen Sync

Since the early 90’s, The International Housewares Association has sponsored a national Student Design Competition to recognize and encourage the talent of young industrial designers. There were 17 award-winning innovations for 2008, one of the coolest (eMarketing related) inventions tied for second place – the Kitchen Sync.

Noah Balmer, a senior at California College of the Arts, noticed that many people stored recipes on a computer but needed them in the kitchen so they would have to print copies or bring the laptop with them. Balmer designed Kitchen Sync to bridge the gap between the PC and cooking area. His invention connects to a home network and displays recipes in a standing book format on the counter. He has included washable, dual touch-screens allowing users to chat online about recipes… a great way to cook up social networking (and potential advertising).

Show me the Money!

I opened an account with a major international financial institution five years ago; the convenience of the account was to provide me with money and financial services during my travels, I signed up for their email program and began to receive messages about how simple it was to transfer funds, endorsements from various international celebrities, announcements of new locations and promotions about their strength and convenience.

Coincidentally, two weeks before my trip to India I received an email with a special offer – No fees on money transfers above $1000, no need to visit any branch and instantaneous transfer of my funds. There was a little star on the side that said it could take up to three business days for my transfer to be complete. I made three separate transfers and as I arrived in Mumbai and logged into my account, I found no funds.

I walked over to a branch (two blocks away) to inquire; I was shuffled from person to person (a total of five) before being told by a private banker that she had no clue where my money was. I proceeded to show her my tracking numbers which were instantly emailed, she asked me to call the help desk. I tried to explain to her that she was the bank; she had access to systems and as the expert should be able to find my money. She insisted that I call the help desk and claimed that her bank didn’t put out any email promotions because of the fear of phishing.

My saga continued for six days and included conversations with their help desk (who acknowledged my transfers and kept telling me that my funds were on their way), multiple trips to the bank and countless people without seeing my money. I asked to speak to the manager and their CEO – but was told that their executive offices were shielded from direct customer contact.

Finally I lost my patience. Dressed in a suit, I was able to sneak into the office of their VP of Customer Service. A little annoyed at me having barged in, she was able to track my funds and handed me my money. I told her about my experience, here’s a recap of our conversation:

Q: Why did the transfers take longer than the three days?
A: Sometimes we run into issues.

Q: I had three separate transfers, why didn’t one of them come through earlier?
A: Like I said, sometimes we run into issues.

Q: Why didn’t your employees know about the email program?
A: I am not sure what you are talking about, I will look into it and get back to you.

Still frustrated, I left with my money and wondering how they could be such a disconnection between their outside appearance and the inside reality. This is just another example of how even the best marketing can be quickly lost with service issues. The emails talked of convenience and efficiency and were attempts to build a bond… unfortunately the reality was nowhere close.

Show me ya Know me

We often talk about various channels available to the consumer, your physical location, self service device (ATM or Kiosk), email, call center, printed catalogs or statements, mobile devices and all things internet. Each of these channels offer multiple opportunities for the consumer to touch you, but as a company it’s not as easy to connect with them – you need their information, their habits and preferences to quickly leverage into a targeted message.

This empowerment shift means that a simple email offer isn’t going to cut it any more, to compete, Marketers need to concentrate on three areas:
1) Consumer Engagement – Social networks, mobile technology (and the emerging confluence of these channels) is putting the consumer in charge. Customers now have the ability to quickly find offers, eliminate vendors and learn more than some of your reps before even venturing out of their homes. Creating/ sponsoring social media outlets is a great way to accept User Generated Content and invite consumers to your site… not doing this may result in it being created for you.
2) Cross-Channel Offer Optimization – The consumer is expecting to be recognized, not only for who they are but as an interested party who wants you to guide them through their interactions. Engage them in a dialogue so they can continue to collect their preferences; optimize the time and offer by creating a conversation – don’t throw everything over to them, send three to five distinct offer components to test responses and facilitate conversation.
3) Educate the Frontline – CSRs, Sales Reps etc. are often THE impression for your company; keeping your team informed is the best chance you have to be prepared for the inquiries from customers/ prospects. Send your team the offers, emails and associated details to make sure your employee is the expert in the conversation.

The marketing game is changing; by staying current on the evolutions you’ll garner customer respect and hopefully their market share.

Finding the Right Balance

We’ve talked a lot about building customer repositories and applying that logic to your marketing; and while this preference information is vital, it MUST be compared to the recipient’s actions and routinely validated throughout the lifecycle.

For instance, when I signed up for emails from an apparel company, they asked me about the dress code at my office. They collected my sizes and send a special email when something new is added to their line or placed on sale. Even though I don’t purchase from each email, I pay attention to them all and take the time to go through their print catalog.

From their perspective, they know that I specified business casual as my office dress code and that I wear a 15.5” shirt but they’ve seen that I only buy casual wear and the last two dress shirts purchased had a 16” neck. Armed with this knowledge, they can begin to incorporate a wider range of options into the specialty emails sent and/ or append my preferences.

A second example is from one of my financial institutions; they know that I have a single account type with them and that I’ve historically declined the offers from the telemarketers (they push one top-tier offer.) However, they also know that I regularly read articles on their lesser publicized services that are included in their newsletters. The newsletter articles are posted on their website and the newsletter recaps the week’s articles… yet I regularly read the articles on the site and then click through again from the weekly newsletter. I was impressed when one of their business development agents called specifically about two of the services I had recently read about, I can only assume he knew about my click throughs.

If your program or CRM isn’t equipped for this level of detail, there is a simple, yet effective way to help determine the right balance of a campaign… ask yourself if the recipient will find the message Relevant, Timely, Significant and if the medium is correct. Evaluating this balance and focusing on the recipient will help you to find the right balance for your program.

Securing Data

Recent headlines have included the security breach of Citibank's network of ATMs inside 7-Eleven Stores, where hackers managed to steal customer PINs – the most guarded part of a banking record. Based on initial gatherings it would seem that the PINs aren’t being encrypted properly while in transit between the ATM and the computers processing the transactions.

Investigators are still determining the number of customers impacted as well as how the hackers infiltrated the system – all that is known is they hacked into the ATM network through a server at a third-party processor, meaning direct contact with the ATMs wasn’t necessary. The approach is noteworthy, because historically there would be physical evidence of the tampering either at the machine or through the sending of phishing emails.

This breech is a warning to everyone, on a corporate level data security is paramount – every portion of the consumer’s profile is valuable to a would-be hacker or identity-thief. This is also an indicator that customer education is a valuable service, if your recipients know your communiqués; they are more likely to spot a phishing message and can be the first to alert you. Additional best practices would be to supply tips on avoiding common mistakes and to create a repository to research past emails/ alerts so that if a recipient is in question of the message they can quickly determine authenticity.

On a personal level, use your credit/ debit card wisely, monitor transactions and change your PIN periodically. As a recipient, pay attention to communications sent by your bank or credit card company – by knowing how notices are sent (email, SMS or print mail), their format and typical content/ voice you are in a better position to detect a phishing email or fraudulent claim.

eRecognition

In some of my presentations, I’ve told the story about the cashier in a shoe store asking for my email address. Before giving it to her I asked what they sent; her response, “SPAM and stuff.” This story has inspired many laughs and gasps from those of us who focus on email marketing.

Another retailer I visited recently had tons of signs displayed throughout their store offering an island vacation – they had forms at the cash wrap asking for an email address and preferences in exchange for an entry, all the sales reps mentioned the chance to win and tried to get my email (main requirement.)

I would like to offer these stores (and others) a suggestion, something to make their email program the true star. Consider if the first company had a clever name for their email program, or if the second offered the program benefits associated with email sign-up rather than just the chance to win a vacation – this would help establish the program, give the front line additional talking points and could help establish brand recognition for the recipient. Our friends at AAA Carolinas has named their main communiqué the eUpdate, their call center uses the name and their printed piece also make reference. Coastal Federal Credit Union has branded theirs as eClips; just another example of branding at its finest.

… and for the record, I have no island vacation in my future and the shoe company isn’t exactly spamming me.

Five Star Customers

Segmentation Strategy is a pretty common theme among eMarketers; we’ve covered some simple strategies in other posts on the blog – buyers vs. non-buyers, leveraging preference data etc. We recently got a little insight from a marketing manager of an apparel company and his criteria to target buyers:

1) Recency – Check the time associated with the last order and when the recipient became a customer. Their strategy is to flag the person quickly for targeting with more personalized emails.

2) Frequency – Recipients who buy once are encouraged to quickly buy again; two-time buyers are pushed to three etc. Once the customer is over the five-time buyer mark they are put into a special category where the goal becomes creating a dialogue with this customer.

3) Average Order – They evaluate the total revenue and margin from the customer, the higher the values the higher their customer rating. Higher margin customers get five stars and are treated with a lot of respect and work hard to move the high revenue/ lower margin customers to higher margin products.

4) Geography – They realize that certain products don’t sell in certain climates or year-round so timing and geography become key factors. Geography also plays into their timing, they have seen an up-tick in sales from recipients shopping at work around 11:00AM and 3:00PM, so they release based on time zones to grab the multi-tasking worker.

5) Payment Method – Customers purchasing by check or PayPal are treated differently than those who pay by credit card (and not all credit cards are created equally.)

Just a few items to think about while developing the right mix for you to create interactive conversations with your customers…

Get Cocky

I’m a graduate of the University of South Carolina Journalism School; I grew up in the state, supported the in-state rivalry against an orange school that will not be named and will likely be a Gamecock all my life. Yes, that’s right… our mascot is the Gamecock, you know the aggressive rooster involved in a number of fights, the nickname General Thomas Sumter earned during the American Revolution and our mascot. We even made a larger, friendlier version for the sidelines (Cocky is pictured here.)

Anyway, as a proud alumna, I really liked the recent campaign launched for the 2008/ 2009 membership drive, titled The Face of Y’all. To boost interaction among graduates, the Alumni Association created a special page for us to register, upload nominations and view videos. This drive is on the heels of their Online Community introduced in January.

So marketers take note, this is just one more example of how to get people involved. A little creativity, a couple branded landing pages and you too could have the customer/ prospect input. Y’all hurry up!