Email & Twitter

Often described as the SMS of Internet, Twitter has gained extensive popularity and visibility due in part to the mobile applications that accompany the service. Although the privately held company doesn’t release true counts, it’s estimated that there are roughly five million active accounts making it the third largest social network site with roughly 55 millions unique monthly visitors.

Still not convinced that this service could strengthen your email marketing? Consider the folks at Dell, who sold over a million dollars during the holidays by alerting Twitter followers to sale items. They’re continuing to offer discounts exclusively to the 251K+ people who follow @DellOutlet.

Our friends at Wine Enthusiast have also had success using Twitter, posting updates on their Wine of the Day offer, offering tips through a separate site and even hosting contests – including their Blitzen caption contest this past holiday season.

King Arthur Flour posts updates about their test kitchen, Paul Fredrick offers information and makes offers before they hit the catalogue and GovMint has recently started using the medium to reinforce offers while building their following.

There are even local social journalist using the service to send breaking news updates to others, for instance the status of USAir Flight 1549 was being covered by local Tweets well before the major news networks were able to go live.

So here are a few things to keep in mind when establishing a presence on Twitter:
1) Remember that the medium is all about the updates, be consistent and add valuable Tweets to keep your recipients engaged.
2) This is an excellent medium to test offers; subject lines etc. and can also serve as a medium to make offers not quite worthy of an email.
3) Increase your visibility by adding links to your Twitter site on your website, include a link in your emails and remember to follow others to help broaden your audience.

Need more?

Search "Twitter" on this blog for additional tips and ideas and be sure to Follow us on Twitter.

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Email & Video

On Friday’s Service In Action call we had our friends from Goodmail discuss their revolutionary product allowing rich media (video/ audio) to be directly inserted into email messages – traditionally, most email clients block or remove JavaScript and Adobe Flash from the messages for security reasons, limiting the inclusion directly in the message. Alternatives/ work-arounds included image links to video hosted outside the message or animated gifs.

One of the elements I liked about their presentation was that this new email feature isn’t a cure-all and that the traditional email best practices still apply – here are their five closing tips to make your email stand out (these can apply even without video):

1) The Medium is the Message: Consider the possible rendering challenges – how your message will be viewed on Hulu or mobile devices is just a new twist.

2) Be Creative: Always a challenge in eMarketing, you want to make sure you’re being brand loyal while simultaneously garnering attention in the inbox to achieve that open.

3) Use Video to Monetize Email in New Ways: Knowing that the open isn’t enough we must continue to push for a click, conversion and continual engagement – video in email is an additional tool.

4) Promote Video to Stimulate List Growth: This is where exclusivity factors in, by making your email the single source for information, alternate formats and updates you’re creating necessity and playing toward engagement.

5) Test Everything, Constantly: You’ll never break away from this one, as an eMarketer you know your recipient list is fickle, their needs/ wants change daily so you have to keep leveraging possible factors to stay top of mind and retain your importance.

Thanks again to Jordan and Michele for sharing information on this new product, you can access a copy of their presentation (with contact info) and/ or listen to the podcast (available by end of the day today.)

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Email and…

Email, email, email… we all get it, we all want it but what do you do with it? Today is a starting point for ideas we’ve seen that help you move beyond email-only – first is this afternoon’s Service In Action call. We’ve invited our contacts at Goodmail to discuss their new video-in-email product to help you stand out in the inbox (or dance, sing – you get the idea.)

I’m also crafting a series for next week highlighting how email has been integrated with various social media channels and what brands have done to reinforce their offering, locate new prospects and help reengage their existing contacts in a new way.

Finally, we’ve got an upcoming intensive guaranteed to give you the necessary insight and new ideas to make 2009 your Year of Engagement – there is still time to join us in Atlanta for our 10th Annual Panel of Peers! But you have to hurry; we want to make sure you have the chance to hear speakers from Goodmail, YouTube and the National Sports Forum.

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SIA: Lights, Camera, Action!

Are you ready for the next revolution in email marketing? Tomorrow’s Service in Action call will help your messages stand out in the inbox with CertifiedVideo. Imagine the possibilities of using video-in-email to enhance your brand and offer more to your recipients! We’ve asked the experts at Goodmail to lead our call to provide you with an overview of this exciting new capability, best practices for the medium, and how to get the most out of your CertifiedVideo email campaigns.

Make plans to join us! Or request the dial-in information to take part.

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500 and Counting

Today is a special day for the Email Yogi Blog, because you’re reading our 500th Post. We’ve advanced quite a bit since beginning in November 2006 – refining our voice, the focus of our posts and attracting more readers like you.

We’re going to continue posting, but also need your help to make sure we’re meeting your needs. Our main goal is to make this forum more interactive, so send us your comments and let us know your opinions on what we’ve shared. You can also submit ideas to us directly, so feel free to email topics, articles and/ or suggestions.

Some of Our Best
In the spirit of gaining more interaction, we’re including posts that have garnered the most comments since article #400; hope you enjoy:
- Future of Print
- Marketing in a Down Economy
- The First Date
- The Power of Twitter

Keep reading and thanks again!

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Quality vs. Quantity

There are tons of old adages and clichés that can be applied to today’s post, the title is only one way to summarize the need to connect with your customers and prospects during the current economic uncertainty. Consumers are examining everything more closely, evaluating what they buy as well as where they keep their funds.

This shift in focus also requires eMarketers to realign their outreach; we’ve dubbed 2009 as the Year of Engagement as such we must get away from the list count as the driving metric in eMarketing. To insure your recipient list remains connected you must focus on building relationships, offering consumers the information they seek and constantly building trust with them. This is a delicate process, buying cycles have extended so fight the urge to push them too far too fast. Evaluate your campaigns and website to make sure it has a serve rather than strictly sale tone – this is done by offering advice, insightful views and highlighting the value you offer over all others.

Tell us how you’re modifying your program to build relationships – comments welcome.

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Segment… not Slice & Dice

We spent last week exhibiting at Marketing Sherpa’s Email Summit in Miami and one of the major questions we received from eMarketers was about Segmentation – mainly how to stand out in the inbox. A natural question due to the emphasis placed on email marketing as everyone looks for ways to control costs and measure ROI.

Segmentation is truly an art; if you’re not careful you could simply be slicing and dicing your list without even realizing it. Don’t get me wrong, random splits play their part, but for effective segmentation you really need to incorporate elements of relevance to the recipient. As an eMarketer we know which recipients are prospects and which are customers, we know who is engaged and who is non-responsive – to get to the next level you have to get personal. Well segmented campaigns have to meet the needs of the recipient, incorporate their survey responses, follow their behaviors (Reverse Preferences) and then make an effort at responding to those needs.

Ultimately your recipient is no different than any of us – we spend only a few seconds looking at marketing messages (if we open them.) We check our personal email after work, while the TV is on or we take a quick glace while multi-tasking at work. We’re distracted, we’re fickle and we want to know that you are paying attention to us. Think about your inbox, are there messages that truly spoke to you? Was it because it struck a chord of relevance? Ask yourself these questions and think about what you would like to see when you’re creating your campaigns and applying effective segmentation to your list.

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What were they Thinking?

We’ve all been there, you get an email from a company but are not exactly sure why. I’m not talking about some funky segmentation or broad-brush promotional email – I mean an obvious what-were-they-thinking?

I just had one of those with a well-know online retailer; I’m on their list but my recent purchase had nothing to do with any email I’d received – in fact it was opposite my purchase history. I got the standard transactional messages, an email receipt and then a few days later a shipping notice with the tracking information. All positive things, except littered among these valuable updates were promotions for items in the new category as well as items in past purchase categories. It was almost like the volume was turned up because I had bought something; my receipt frequency had gone from three emails a month to getting six in a week.

I’m of the opinion that the purchase should be a flag to not mail your traditional promotional campaigns. As a buyer, I’m only interested in my order and the associated details (confirmations, shipping notices are all fine.) After receipt, I’ll likely be receptive to an invitation for a survey/ review but other than that I simply want what I ordered… it’s almost too late to show other items or offers.

Sound off – What are your post-purchase strategies?

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Don’t Forget

It’s one of those little things you cross off your to do list – the welcome campaign, the haven’t heard from you campaign, the thanks for buying campaign etc. are all automated triggers that you set and then forget because they’re in place and work fine.

These triggers are excellent items to have but you should never forget that they are there – first be sure to capture analytical data from these, your standard barrage of metrics are just as important as any promotional campaign, if not more meaningful. Just because you’ve seen it a hundred times… your intended recipient hasn’t.

Second, make sure you examine the automated triggers periodically, something may have changed in your overall brand, design strategy or maybe there are things need to change like an alternate landing page etc. At a minimum you should examine these triggers annually, compare them to the past few months of regular campaigns and see how they stack up. The months of July and August are prime for this evaluation as they are typically slower months for new lead collection.

Finally, evaluate and audit. Are your triggers still applicable, obviously the welcome campaign should go out after a new sign-up but maybe the timing needs to be adjusted on others. In today’s economy the haven’t heard from you campaign should be evaluated, maybe adjusted based on your customer’s lifecycle. Use the evaluation time to audit that the triggers are accurate and working so that there’s nothing to slow the process.

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Little less Green

St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really a top sales holiday, as compared to the end of the year, but despite all the shamrock association this year’s green is down. Yesterday’s eMarketer included results of NRF’s St. Patrick’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey that reported less spending in 2009.

According to the survey, those celebrating were projected to spend an average of $32.80 on decorations, food/ beverage and attire – down from $35.04 in 2008. Given the givens, what’s an eMarketer to do… other than hope for a pot of gold?

Our recommendation still centers around the value exchange, if you can’t inspire a sale today make sure you’re still top of mind when their need arises. Your current recipients will continue to benefit from your campaigns despite their change in spending habits. When you can, offer advice to help save them money and/ or show them you’re in this with them. Above all use EVERY campaign as an opportunity to learn about your recipients it will help you in the long run.

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Good, Bad & Iffy

One of the most popular sessions in our Panel of Peers events is the Good, Bad & Iffy campaign reviews – for those who haven’t played, we show examples from well-known companies and ask marketers to critique them. These critiques are very subjective as the examples we offer typically have good, bad and (occasionally) ugly elements all wrapped up in a single piece of HTML.

My thoughts immediately went to these Panel of Peers sessions while reading Curtis Jackson’s article What are the top 10 e-mail marketing mistakes? His top ten list included an array of common mistakes – but three of these ten focused on email content. Specifically the offering of non-relevant content, being imbalanced (too text heavy or graphic heavy) or being too sales-y.

To make sure you don’t fall into these traps, ask yourself how you would feel if you received your campaign. Bring in other members of your team – marketing, finance anyone to help provide additional perspective and provide campaign suggestions. For the ultimate insight, nominate your campaigns for the Good, Bad & Iffy campaign reviews at our 10th Annual Panel of Peers Conference.

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Virtually There

Teleconferences, Webinars and Virtual Offices have all become part of today’s business landscape and are increasing in popularity as budgets and schedules tighten. Virtual events are also becoming more prevalent… but they can’t replace everything. Charlotte Woolard covers the increasing popularity of these events in her BToB Magazine article; Economy drives interest in more complex virtual events.

I liked that the article mentioned that face to face events are still important – especially for relationship building and networking, while education and communication events are better suited for virtual access.

We’re participating in a virtual event tomorrow through BrightTALK, their educational format allows for participants to submit questions in real time and take part in votes created by the speakers. Visit their site for topics, scheduling and to sign up… and remember, unlike in-person events, you can access these on-demand afterwards.

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The Future of Print

Your favorite newspaper or business magazine may soon be an online-only. Earlier this year we blogged about the Electronic Enlightenment and how a number of periodicals are going digital; a few weeks ago we blogged about the Downsizing of Column Inches as the Rocky Mountain News closed their doors after 150 years.

Industry publications are not immune to this trend, according to a BtoB Magazine article nearly 300 publications have closed since January 2007. Sean Callahan’s article, What does future hold for Print? recounts MediaFinder data listing 137 closings in 2007, 120 in 2008 and over 20 in the first quarter of 2009. Fortunately there is a silver lining, some of the “stop press” activity hasn’t resulted in the full closing of the magazine – many have just shifted dollars toward online while others have consolidated weaker publications and reintroduced a stronger, united publication.

This begs the question, are these closings the result of the economy, consumer mindset or both – are you more prone to read online or in print? Comments are welcome.

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Left Behind

We’ve blogged in the past about the importance of data security… and like most, I typically think this is a straight-forward concept – one person protecting THEIR PC, mobile etc. That mindset changed for me yesterday when I read Lucas Mearian’s article in ComputerWorld, Layoffs leave behind orphaned hardware, unused software licenses.

This article highlights the challenges associated with corporate layoffs and the PCs that are left behind. Lucas writes about the countless PCs, servers and handheld devices lying around – some with sensitive data. Thankfully, some of these are being properly recycled… but others are gathering dust or being sold on eBay. All that precious data you worked to collect could now be sold to the highest, nearly-anonymous bidder.

If you’re overseeing data use/ security, keep the following points in mind:
1) Limit/ keep reign over customer information, don’t let copies float around unnecessarily.

2) If information is shared (internally,) make sure that only the minimum is offered. Explain the concerns to your team/ co-workers odds are they’ll understand.

3) Audit vendors/ partners to make sure they are taking precautions with your data. As related questions should your vendor has turn over (i.e. your account manager.)

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Lights, Camera, Action!

We all rely on TV as our main source of video content but an increasing number access using their PCs and mobile devices to bolster their daily dose. According to Nielsen’s AM/M2 Three Screen Report, the average US viewer consumed over 151 hours of television each month in 4Q08. Internet viewers got another three hours of online video; mobile viewers got an additional four hours of video per month on their phones and other devices.

In the coming weeks we’ll be able to add a sub-category for PC viewers – video through email. Leading this evolution is Goodmail and their soon to be released CertifiedVideo token that will allow users to embed video within email messages.

In today’s environment, most email clients remove JavaScript™ and video for Adobe® Flash® from the messages for security reasons; the Goodmail Solution offers a safe and trusted solution that allows users to harness the medium. Recipients will have a seamless and automatic experience; when they open a CertifiedVideo message, the mail client will display the message and start playing the video content. Goodmail’s default settings require messages to play on mute unless the recipient explicitly turns sound.

Imagine the possibilities this will add to your marketing efforts – new product releases, features and brand messages can be sent to your trusted recipients quickly, allowing them to do more than see a flat image. Learn more about this technology when we host the Goodmail Team at our next Service In Action call. They will share ideal practices in this revolutionary development in email marketing. You’ll learn how to make your messages stand out in the inbox while enhancing your offer to your recipients. Join us on Friday, March 27, for our next call themed, Lights, Camera, Action!

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Stila & Barbie

This internationally known stylista has fans spanning generations, she’s reinvented herself over 50,000 times (sine 1959) and has had just about every job imaginable all while brandishing that trademark smile… Hello, it’s Barbie!

Did you know that Mattel has over 25 hair-and-face designers along with teams of marketing and idea people visiting Paris runways and scouting city streets for the next Barbie-worthy fashion trends? Did you know about the attention she’s received from Stila Cosmetics?

Stila has created a marketing event out of Barbie’s Big 5-0, incorporating signature Barbie looks in four "Decades of Beauty" paint cans. This is an excellent example of Stila creating their own event – creating campaigns, branding their website and offering packaged offers. Stila created a promotion to enhance their modern, approachable and individual mantra – with an icon fitting that complete definition.

Use this post as an inspiration for your eMarketing – involve your team, seek outside influences and use reinvention tactics to stay relevant, it’s worked for Barbie. Like Stila, look for outside events to enhance your campaign calendars and sales events; this tie-in is bound to earn them attention from all ages.

For more about campaign planning, visit our December Service In Action podcast – eMarketer’s Calendar.

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Dr. Zagat’s

We’re all familiar with the Zagat’s Restaurant guide but it seems that the service has expanded to include ratings and reviews on medical care... an expansion that has a number of doctors fighting back.

Docs seek gag orders to stop patients' reviews was the headline in The State, the story detailed how patient reviews were becoming a common consumer rating in Zagat's and Angie's List. This expansion has sparked a NC-based neurosurgeon to form a company to fight against the negative posts – since the creation of the company; nearly 2,000 doctors have signed up in hopes of having these negative posts removed (reviews are managed through signed waivers by doctors and patients.)

I had a negative experience with a dermatologist about a year ago; I felt as if my questions were being dismissed and that I was being hurried along. Like most unsatisfied customers, I told my friends and colleagues about my disappointment... its simple word of mouth, but now similar experiences are amplified through a Web 2.0 application.

Marketers, retailers, health care and service companies all know that there are people unhappy with the experience provided... the question becomes how to handle these posts/ negative critiques in a Web 2.0 world. In most instances, if you have the opportunity to present a response (same forum) you gain additional credibility. Maybe the warranty expired on the product that the consumer is complaining about… maybe its user error, in these circumstances you could shed additional light on the one-sided review. Unfortunately, a doctor critique isn’t quite the same – as a marketer, how would you remedy the situation?

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Twitter/ Football Fans

Are you a Twitter-addict? According to a December 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project report, 11% of online American adults have used Twitter (or similar service) to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.

According to the report, those using these services are fairly young – nearly one in five online adults aged 18 to 24 have used Twitter, along with 20% of those aged 25 to 34, the use steadily drops off after age 35. This group is also highly mobile and uses Twitter along with a number of other social mediums – blogging and other social networking sites.

Odds are this is the same group responsible for the Twitter Chatter during the Super Bowl, take a look at this NY Times interactive map that shows Twitter users across the nation sending a steady stream of tweets during the Super Bowl. The map shows location and frequency of commonly used words in Super Bowl related messages. Go Steelers!

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Just Ask

The best advice for any eMarketer looking to create, improve or redefine their email marketing or social networking is to just ask… go straight to the source. Ask your recipients, they are the ones you want to reach, the ones best designed to give you feedback.

Here’s an example from NPR, this was posted on their fan page in Facebook – it’s simple, straight forward and asks their fans what they could do to improve their interaction. There are some quick suggestions, including discussions with hosts, NPR Personalities or making content available for posting on individual profile pages.

You could take a similar approach with your social media strategy – if you’re entering into the space ask your email recipients which mediums they use. If you’re looking to grow membership, include links in your outbound emails and on your site. If you’re looking to make a bigger splash (more participation) use the NPR approach. Just Ask, then work toward integrating the feedback received.

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Slumdog Millionaire & Email Marketing

I barely watch movies, but a few weeks ago we watched Slumdog Millionaire – well before the pre/ post-Oscar hype. It was very late, we were all tired but for two hours we were all glued to the screen waiting for the movie to play out.

The movie is not about poverty but about hope and taking chances, it’s the story of a young man who earns a spot on the Indian version of Who wants to be a Millionaire? All but one question posed to him elicits a correct answer – he knows the answers not because he is a genius but because every question sparks a memory that impacted his life. The story is engaging, even when you figure out where they’re going with it – you want to see how the man answers the next question.

Likewise, a good email program keeps recipients engaged, we recommend using a carefully scripted plan that way even if they figure out your formula and know what to expect, they’ll still have something to look forward to. A few weeks back we blogged about Use Cases, this approach help guides you in planning your offers and move toward a scripted path with your recipients. Such a plan will help you anticipate needs, determine recipient’s favorites and their best-fit offers.

The movie followed a path – simple questions leading to more complicated ones; even when you knew what to expect, you waited to watch because there was enough of a teaser. Use the same approach with your campaigns, lay them all out and see if they flow. Offer a theme to keep people engaged across campaigns, make reference to current events and keep sharing feedback from the users and incorporating feedback from your team. Your goal is not just to get a click-through to landing page, but to get people to keep coming back for your campaigns.

PS – Don’t worry if you haven't seen the movie, I haven't spilled any beans. Like I said, the young man gets all but one question right, he wins a prize… but it is not what you think it is.

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Where’s my Phone?

Do you know where your cell phone is? If you’re like millions of other professionals it’s within arms reach – it’s your lifeline, schedule, calculator and camera. New evolutions are taking place even as you read this… unfortunately, most marketers don’t realize the full potential of the medium despite how they use their cell or know the stats associated with the number of devices sold, text messages sent or functionalities integrated.

Do you know how many of your recipients read of your campaigns using their smart phone first? Maybe if you pass the initial check, they’ll save an view using a standard email client. Do you know if your email recipients are open to receiving text messages from you on important offers? Do you have the capabilities of sending coordinated SMS campaigns in lieu of email or as a multi-step campaign, if they are willing to receive?

We’ve deemed 2009 as the Year of Engagement – so consider the number of channels available for your brand engagement, your recipient’s openness to multi-channel messages and your capabilities to make that a reality.

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Downsizing of Column Inches

Just read the headlines… we’re not out of the economic woods yet. Ironically there are now fewer newspapers for those headlines – with Colorado's oldest newspaper publishing its last edition this past Friday.

Although the Rocky Mountain News has been a scrapper through the past 150-years, they were unable to remain operational in tough economic times. According to the ABC News feature, the newspaper lost $16M in 2008 and was unable to find a buyer to remain in business. This is the latest and largest newspaper to fail. We’ve blogged about the challenges the newspaper industry has faced in the current economic climate; adding to this info are the four owners of 33 U.S. daily newspapers who have sought Chapter 11 protection in the past 90 days and others are up for sale.

As we continue to forge through the uncertainty, many marketers are continuing to edit their efforts; specifically we’ve seen a few trends:

– Heavy Focus on ROI: Campaigns, efforts and departments must prove worth or faced getting scrapped.
– Stay on Course: Marketers are making the necessary cuts but keep consistency and retain as much recipient continuity as possible.
– Experimentation: Alternate, more affordable mediums are being considered to help expand efforts without offsetting budgets.
– Ruthless Editing: Those initiatives that don’t prove successful or retain that sought-after continuity are being slashed without a replacement in sight.

Continue your focus on these principles; the economic turndown could help you judiciously edit your current practices and help you know where to concentrate once the bull market returns.

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