How to Increase the Perceived & Real Value of Social Media

EngagementDb recently published a social media brand engagement report where they showed how different brands were engaged with the consumers that they served. The report talked about a direct correlation between consumer engagement and increased revenue. They said that the most active brands in social media increased revenues 18%over the past 12 months.

While the exact ROI for most organizations can be a little hard to determine, here are some things businesses could do to increase both the perception and real value of social media within their organizations.

To start things off your business needs to truly understand the available social media channels and the value they can bring to your brand. While the three most used social media channels are Blogs, Facebook, & Twitter - there are two things you should consider. First, don't just jump into all three because 'everyone' else is doing so; second - watch how you engage - if you mess up you can disengage people faster than you can engage new ones.

The best approach to starting or restarting things correctly is to educate your team (you have to include senior management) on the available social media channels, next seek input from your front line & your customers on the best available channels to engage, and then prioritize which one or 'few' channels your company is going to start with. Keep in mind there are quite a few available channels (here are seven to look at for social media)

To measure the success of your efforts - establish metrics for three things - Engagement, Revenue, & Profit. Make sure you publicize your successes within your company - it is going to keep your program going.

Measure Engagement by watching hits on your blog over time, or the number of associations you have on Twitter or Facebook. More importantly - measure engagement based on user feedback - i.e. don't measure on how many Tweets you put out, but on how many people actually 'listen.' You can actually drive Revenue using Twitter like Dell or some others. Social media can also be used to cut costs of engagement resulting in higher Profits. With engaged consumers you can build up on user generated content and also lower the cost of contact.

You have to be careful in how you pick the channels you wish to engage your consumers on. An important consideration in social media is to remember that it is not your voice but the voice of your consumer. So the key difference is engagement and getting your 'consumers' talking. Also, don't forget you have to be sincere & be in this for the long haul.

Social media is here to stay.

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A Black Friday Driven by Social Media

I have scoured the internet & local newspapers for the best deals this 'Black Friday.' I think I have found a lot of good deals and have been impressed by how so many retailers are leveraging the occasion as they enter the world of social media. Here are some pointers - good & bad.

1. I befriended a retailer on Facebook. For that I received a coupon that was good to use at the store - actually it was $5 bucks online & a little more in the store. A phenomenal cross channel experience. I visited that retailer last evening. The store clerk rolled her eyes and yelled out at her colleague, 'Hey Janice, look we got another one.' Not sure they were really happy.

2. I am being followed on Twitter, so I followed these brands back. I received some good tweets & some not so good one's. I was directed to some really good specials on these companies web sites. Some of the other tweets - they looked good, but the fine print was a little too discouraging. The deals were gone as there was a limit on the number of deals available. I was offered a smaller discount and even a slightly different model - but I passed.

3. A major multi-channel merchant advertised the unbelievable. It was a coordinated cross channel advertising blitz. Television, print, email, & social media - they advertised something at over 60% off retail! I needed 'one' for my home so I had it marked on my list of items to purchase. Well, I just received word last night - via email & social media - that they goofed! 'Big mistake,' they even apologized - they meant to sell the item at 30% off! The deal was unbelievable to begin with.

The digital channels are carried by the consumer into their home and private space. Many merchants have done very well to attract, engage, & create anticipation. This is the first holiday season that social media is being leveraged so a lot of what is being done this year will be tracked and followed up on. Merchants can keep the consumer really engaged - they need to learn to do this step by step & by building up trust.

Wish you all a very happy thanksgiving, & I wish merchants of all kinds a start to a great season.

If you are looking for a great deal and don't want to search the web - here is one site that has done a great job pulling together really good offers. (GottaDeal!)

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Five Clicks to Track

One of the strongest ways to segment any campaign is through the click-through data collected. Personalization, relevance and even timing can all be improved through proper click-through analysis.

Most marketers look at the click-through as a summary of the analysis in the life of a single campaign. They then measure it across campaigns by looking at how the each campaign performed comparing the click-throughs over time. While this might give you great results to see how well you are doing; it does very little to improve the overall effectiveness of your campaign.

In an analysis of some of the best email programs in the industry – here are some things you should do with your click-throughs:

1) Purchase Click – Thank the consumer for having purchased your product; set them up to receive survey about their purchase. Ask them about your product(s), your service and their feedback. Leverage this information into follow up campaigns – for better results, run this as a separate stream of communications. It is more targeted and will do better.

2) Click without Purchase – You now know what the user has clicked on, so leverage their click-through into your preference strategy for personalization. Highlight the item they clicked on as part of a follow-up campaign or include it as one of three offers in a subsequent campaign. In fact, it wouldn’t be bad to get user feedback on the item they clicked on in a non-buyer survey down the road.

3) Bunch of Clicks – Track all the items they click on and personalize. Put out an email featuring a number of life stages to consumers – now track and see what life stage they are clicking on. Perhaps a click on College Education might give the financial institution data to try and personalize an offer on College Loans or Automobiles (the kid needs a car). If you are selling cities or products – give them a number of options, watch what they click on and then try to zero in.

4) Unsubscribe Click – Respect this click and do what I do, ask the unsubscriber why they have unsubscribed. This is extremely good information to help you improve your email program. More importantly, I am able to talk three out of ten unsubscribers into understanding my email program; re-subscribing and some have even become vocal promoters.

5) No Click - This is concerning, you have to try to keep your recipient engaged. Look for opportunities to solicit feedback or opinion from your recipient, else they will just fall off your list. If you have a call center or a direct mail program that can be leveraged - reach out to find out what is keeping the recipient away.

Click through information is a vital gauge on your online marketing program. It can give you focus for your campaigns.

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Are You For Real?

There is so much pressure on growing customer contacts that little attention is being paid on the quality of the acquisition. Merchants are desperately trying to maximize eyeball impressions and in the attempt to do so they are collecting as many email, & Twitter id's as possible. While it is a good sign that these businesses are recognizing the value of these digital channels, a lot more can be done to make sure it can have a positive impact.

With Black Friday coming up this week, web merchants are asking for email id's with an offer via email. Interestingly, these $5 & $10 coupons are being collected by the same individual with different email id's. So all of a sudden a list of 100,000 names actual net 40,000 individuals. Of these people, more than half have just signed up for the free coupon - so the merchant may never see them again.

Some merchants have even gone to the extent of taking their 'bounced' email id's and getting prepared to retry them with Black Friday specials.

Twitter is also turning really interesting. Web merchants have set up numerous Twitter accounts are trying their best to follow as many people as possible. The hope is that these people will follow you back and you can serve up the 'deals' from your site to these people. My daughter is in a seventh grade creative writing class; a lot of these kids set up Twitter accounts as a learning exercise - most of these kids got followed by a major multi-channel retailer. I promise you they have no money, and are definitely not going to line up for Black Friday deals.

You risk getting blocked by the ISP's, getting your Twitter accounts shut down, & worse just loosing consumer. Is it really worth it?

(Cartoon courtesy the New Yorker Magazine.)

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Email & Social Media - How to Create an Interactive Conversation?

To connect with people you have to learn to carry on an interactive conversation. There are many opportunities to engage with consumers. There are five possible interaction points where the recipient can be engaged. Email does a good job to get you there. Social media can help you take it a little further.

1. Welcoming Them - When people sign up to become members of your organization, club, or even your email program - send them a welcome message. Share your social media links. Go one step further, send them a link to a special video, pictures, an article, or even a peek into the inner circle (perhaps your Facebook page). Make it easy for them to join your social media circle. Don't just say join us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter - give them a teaser with a real reason to sign up.

2. Thank You - Don't forget to thank people when they transact with you. Send them both an email message with a link to your social media site and solicit their feedback. Encourage them to send you back a picture or video for you to use on your social media sites of them using your product or service.

3. Update & Offers - If you are featuring different items and unsure of peoples preferences list multiple offers and track them. If people click on an event or a product, follow up with them on that particular product / service. Don't just make your email about pushing your products / service, instead show off your user generated content which includes picture, videos, testimonials, and invite people to contribute.

4. Invitation - Give people reasons to join your inner circle by asking them for feedback on what they think about your product or service. If you are hosting a workshop on financial services list two to three things that people might learn. Clark Howard's Video Minute is a short effective clip that draws a lot of interested people.

5. Statements, Receipts, or Alerts - When a purchase is made send the user a transactional receipt with a simple how to video or pictures. If you are a retailer you could send them a video of how many different ways the ensemble could be worn, perhaps a clip showing how to wear the scarf, a financial institution could encourage people to use an online savings calculator. My daughters school shares next weeks menu via a short podcast. This encourages us to go look at the site to plan out next weeks meal.

Email gets to your inbox quicker than direct mail. It can be used as a push vehicle to engage people and also be strengthened by user generated content collected via social media. Used in conjunction, it is an effective means to drive engagement. It is quick, can be personalized, and an effective way to create an interactive conversation.

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Weekly Update: Nov 16 - 21, 2009

1. On Monday we wrote about social media must for casinos. The article was about engaging players & guests; the learning from this is universal to most of our businesses. We focused on some key social media channels, yet keep in mind that email is a very powerful channel that helps drive social media.

http://www.emailyogi.com/2009/11/social-media-musts-for-casinos.html

2. Tuesday featured a conversation with Amy. Amy is a diligent marketer who pays a lot of attention to detail. She shared her best practices with us. Her ideas about marketing being a two step process were interesting.

http://www.emailyogi.com/2009/11/conversation-with-amy-very-responsible.html

3. Wednesday featured 12 winning subject lines. We encourage you take and apply these 'best-sellers' to your own marketing campaigns. You can apply the same principles of engagement to your headline strategy for blogs or even for your Tweets on Twitter.

http://www.emailyogi.com/2009/11/12-winning-subject-lines.html

4. On Thursday we shared a very practical example of how a video camera, ingenuity, & social media can help create a viral message. Check out the ventriloquist by KOA as they leverage the web for engaging their enthusiasts.

http://www.emailyogi.com/2009/11/koa-you-need-passion-for-social-media.html

5. We had our call on Friday on 'Standing out in the In-Box.' There were good ideas shared about engagement, plus a discussion about making your passive messaging more 'active.' Our next call is set for December 18 from 2 - 3 pm EST as we take three email campaigns and give them a complete makeover. The feedback provided will be live and yes, we will solicit input from each of you as we make recommendations. We will feature a multi-channel retailer, a financial institution, & an entertainment company.

6. We featured an article about the value exchange around an email id on Saturday. This post was first written by Philip Looney in June, 2007. It was edited a tad, interestingly, it is almost 2010 and the same challenges remain.

http://www.emailyogi.com/2009/11/value-exchange-for-email-address.html

Thank you for the feedback, your support, & we hope you enjoy next weeks articles. The picture above shows what a little rain can do in a tropical forest.

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A Value Exchange for an Email Address

Collecting email addresses is an ongoing challenge for marketers. This is because most people automatically think when you ask for their email address, that they will get a barrage of unwanted emails from you. Thus, it is important to give the customer valuable reasons as to why they should give you their email.

Your website is usually the first place you look to collect email addresses.Tell the subscriber exactly why they should sign up for email and what message they should expect. List three to five great reasons why people should sign up for your email.

A second place is your front line customer service staff. If you were to ask your front-line people why a customer should provide their e-mail – you will be surprised by the amount of different answers you get. You should make sure that Customer Service knows why a customer should provide an email address, both for the customer's benefit and for the benefit of the company.

If you're not already giving customers the value reasons why they should sign up, what can you do? Write down ten good reasons why people should subscribe to your newsletter; then post it on your website, list it for your front line staff and share it with your co-workers.

Try to give your customers/prospects something of true value in exchange for their email address. Maybe provide a sneak preview of a new product, a member’s only sale, valuable information, or a discount coupon that can be used immediately. Convince your co-workers and front line staff of the importance of e-mail address collection, perhaps even creating an incentive for the employee collecting the most addresses in a month.

If you can show your customers the value they gain from signing up for your email, and then deliver that value, you'll find those objections of giving up the email address easily handled.

(This post was first written by Philip Looney in June, 2007. I have taken the liberty to edit it a tad. Interestingly, it is almost 2010 and the same challenges remain.)

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Standing out in the In-Box

Here is the dial in and information for the call this afternoon.
1-800-774-4523, passcode - 2524.

The call begins at 2.00 pm EST. This is the link to join the webinar.

The call will focus on standing out in the in-box. Active & passive statements and how best to engage the consumer through a number of touchpoints.

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Making Your Messaging Stand Out

Here are three emails from an in-box:

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes - Too much cognitive dissonance

It's Not Too Late! - For what?

For Immediate Release - Why? About what? The From did not help either

I asked Rick what he would do to make his messaging stand out, this is what he said…

Use the word or imply 'Porn' in the subject. Maybe something like 'Hot Sorority p0rn' or 'Pictures inside, illegal in 48 states'.

Use threats. I like the old standard of 'Open this email or a puppy will die'. Or you could go with 'Want to know who stole your identity? Open this message and find out.'

Philip felt that a subject line with RE: could work well for an 'occasional' B2B offer, but use it sparingly else it looks spammy.

Sharmila suggested involving the recipient by asking them what appealed to them. By involving them in the messaging, you could try to get them interested and more likely to open.

Mark thought that having a conversation would be ideal, 'Would you like free shipping with your order?'

The ultimate goal is to create meaningful conversations, but you have to grab the recipients attention.

A good subject line drives your open rates and gets people interested in your campaigns. It is the start of any relationship. Join us later this afternoon from 2 - 3 pm EST as we share great lines that work, talk to marketers who continue to excel, and offer a basic strategy on how best to approach your 'Headline' strategy.

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KOA: You need Passion for Social Media

Kampgrounds of America brings together enthusiasts - people who truly love nature. Not just the people who stay at KOA's but even the property owners & managers. You need really passionate people to meet the needs of their guests. These guests share the same passion about the great outdoors.

KOA does a very good job leveraging social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, & YouTube. They truly believe in speed, personalization, & being 'green' as they have a great email marketing program. Their entire focus is around engagement - how can they engage their guests effectively.

A little creativity, a simple video camera, & a genuine interest to get involved inspired this KOA property owner to create a fun viral video.




Here are a few ideas that can enhance the guest experience...

1. Know more about the people you serve. Engage your guests in a dialogue so you can know them better. Do it when they make a reservation, engage them during their stay, & don't forget to follow up. Keep tabs on these preferences through a functional database, and don't forget to include social media.

2. As you make them aware of your offers, build up your Social CRM. Twitter is for deals, & special announcements. Their Facebook pages allow you to connect with people on their 'own turf.' Point out your YouTube & Flickr channels - don't make it difficult for people to find or don't let them search for it through Google - it might not be your best impression. In every dialogue with your guests, encourage them to share their stories, pictures, & videos with you.

3. Kick it up a notch. Don't just blog - share recipes on the blog, share nature trails or bike paths - let people vote on those. Involve people to vote for the best article, picture, or videos. Ask your guests to be stars in your commercials. Use Twitter to stay in touch. In fact, how about a Tweetup where you can 'hear nature' & look at the stars. Imagine thousands of enthusiasts stepping out into the open and using their mobile devices to tweet.

KOA offers you a peek into the outdoors; opportunities for beautiful pictures and videos. Their people are very enthusiastic, leveraging social media to stay in touch - with each other and with their guests.

Yes, passion goes a long way - mean it, believe it, & achieve it.

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12 Winning Subject Lines

1) Thank You, Here’s $10 – This is a simple and effective way to show gratitude and value exchange. Just don't forget to put an expiration date on the offer.

2) Weekend in Tuscany – This was from a cataloger selling gift baskets; they used one of the gift basket names. This was a slightly different subject line to spark inspiration and get people to pay attention in a sea of general messages.

3) Double Takes – This was from an apparel retailer and highlighted mix and match items to help recipients realize their closet’s potential. It was also a slightly better offer than their traditional, making recipients look twice.

4) Don't Forget! – Use this to reinforce your most important offers, send as early as possible on your last day to give recipients adequate time to react but use sparingly or it looses its effect.

5) Save, Spend, Splurge – I liked the variety and imagery conveyed in this subject line, the sender offered a mix of useful items, nice to have items and even made me think of buying myself something.

6) Lock in Your Holiday Savings – I received this email from a cataloger, intrigued I opened to learn that I could lock in my savings coupon for the next 30 days. There was a sense of mystery in this email because I had to go to a landing page to find the percentage savings and the amount of time I had to redeem.

7) Pick the Plan to suit Your Needs – Everyone likes to be in control and make their own choices – be sure to balance this one, offering too many choices will lead to indecision, procrastination and increases the odds that they will forget about your offer.

8) Add $50 to Your Account – Offer your recipients a cash incentive to open an account or sign up for bill payment, put the credit directly into their account. A subject line like this grabs their attention and makes them read your offer; strengthen it by up-selling on the landing page.

The next four are even better if they are done right after each other.

9) Thank you for ordering (product/ service) - Be specific and thank the customer for the order they’ve placed, remind them about the advantages of the product/ service and your company.

10) How to use (product/ service) - This is an excellent way to stay top of mind post purchase; it also conveys to the customer that you’re the expert looking to enhance the value of what they’ve selected.

11) We want your Feedback - This is an opportunity to collect information, show your involvement and open the door to an established dialogue.

12) We recommend… -Using the feedback collected, personalize future offers – a complementary product, service or suggestions based on what other (like consumers) selected.

Don’t forget to join us for our monthly call on 'How to stand out in the In-Box.' The call is set for this Friday November 20th from 2 - 3 pm EST.

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A Conversation with Amy (Very Responsible Marketer)

Amy started off as a direct marketer. Her job included staying in touch with those who bought from her - knowing what customers purchased and why they purchased those items. She helped survey students, parents, & teachers about teaching and testing materials. All this information was vital as it helped shaped the offers that were taken back to the consumer. She is very reliable, worries about details, & always has a good explanation. Yes, she is responsible and very dedicated - carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Here are some of her thoughts on what it takes to engage or disengage consumers.

1. She believes in asking the recipient for their preferences, creating lists, and validating whether the interests are still valid. Blanket offers are horrible, unless they are being used to bucket people into categories - i.e. she doesn't mind sending an offer out to people to find out what their interests are. She believes in keeping in touch with your preferences, they could have changed.

2. She wants you to test your email rendering before you put out the message. Make sure that you can see the call to action in the preview pane or above the fold. She hates offers where the call to action is hidden or not in the message at all.

3. Marketing messages should be a two step process. Engage to click, & convert. Move your prospect from the offer to a landing page where you attempt to convert.

4. She believes in setting up conversations on social networks. You have to engage recipients where they hang out and soften your offers so your 'friends' are willing to share offers with their friends. She wants you to tell 'stories' on the social network, with a call to action for more information.

5. She monitors her campaigns around the clock - literally. Ideally, you have a group of people that can do that for you. In Amy's case I know she does not sleep and is there to manage her results at all times. The interesting thing with her is that she is looking at results - preferred click times and also monitoring feedback. Anyone giving her feedback gets a response from her in near real time. This creates an even more engaged recipient.

6. Social Media is going to drive both segmentation & engagement. She wants you to track what people are doing on different social media channels and use that information to create segments. This is ideal in creating conversations with the recipients.

7. Amy wants you to vote for her dog, Abby in the cutest dog contest. Yes, another simple yet effective use of Social Media.

You can join Amy & other smart Marketers on our monthly call this Friday as we talk about Engagement Strategies!

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Social Media Musts for Casinos

A lot of casinos are trying to engage their patrons young and old; leveraging multiple social media channels. From Blogs to YouTube and a lot in between they are focused on 'showing off' their brand in an effort to dazzle the consumer.

The key to engagement lies in making things convenient for the consumer, the messaging has to inform & ENTERTAIN, and you have to look for ways to leverage every interaction. Yes, not just online, but you need to involve your direct marketing channels to drive effective engagement across channels.

Here are some practical ideas on how a casino can use Social Media -

1. Twitter - You should tweet about events leveraging your brand, your performers, & special events at the property. Mix up information with an occasional special coupon driven by trivia. Of course, all coupons have to be redeemed in person.

2. Blogs - Take the feedback you get from your consumers and post that on your blog. Invite some of your patrons to write about their experiences. Genuine articles work very well. People can blog about their first visit or special events that they celebrated at your property.

3. Facebook allows you in to the 'living room' of your patrons. Give them an opportunity to share their pictures & experiences on these pages so these can further be shared with friends & family. MySpace can work in the same way as well.

4. Flickr & YouTube allow you to share your experiences. Yes pictures & video are worth a million words. Encourage your kitchen or your bartender to whip up one of their favorite recipes. Capture this on YouTube. Take pictures of cakes & pastries and post these on Flickr. Be sure to tag both video and image with the right captions.

5. Email is your gatekeeper. Encourage & reward your EMPLOYEES to collect email ids from your patrons by focusing on the value of the email program. If you use your social media channels effectively, your employees can talk about whats being shown off on social media. Done correctly, this can help lure the patrons to sign up for email.

You have to be a little careful here not to create too much virtual reality. The experience over the web should be done as 'teaser information' to drive the patron in.

The marketer must create an aspirational destination not limited to the casino floor. You have to engage the patron as someone special.You need to also need to know as much as possible about the patrons preferences so you can make sure that they completely understand everything you offer.

Done correctly, you can keep the patron engaged and leverage them into brand ambassadors.

If you want to join a group of professionals dedicated to the Gaming Industry, join GHIP on LinkedIN. The G2E conference - Global Gaming Expo is bringing together professionals in the gaming industry in Las Vegas this week.

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Meet Mike: Don't treat him like a number!

Mike has a great sense of humor. People enjoy being with him as he always keeps them engaged. He is a superb marketer who is always looking for ways to keep his customers engaged. Social media allows you to bring your business into the customers home, you have to learn to respect their space to engage them.

He wants you to personalize you messaging as much as possible without being creepy. In other words if the recipient has already offered information about themselves, leverage that information to personalize their communiqué's. Use data that has been provided and not data that he hasn't offered. He is willing to fill out preferences and hopes you use that information to market to him. He doesn't want you to use data that he hasn't offered. Yes, Mike is a brave marketer - he does not like to use click habits.

Mike is always asking for feedback and uses the feedback in communiqués. "There is nothing worse than being asked for information then getting ignored; however if you are asked for opinion/feedback and it's listened to and referenced then you feel like you have ownership/a natural buy-in to a program." His local vet sent a survey home for their dog - they filled it out and sent it in; the vet liked their suggestion about offering treats for sale in the check-out area, so he implemented it and sent them a free sample thanking us for the idea. needless to say he won't be going anywhere else.

Mike feels that the one thing companies can do to stop disengaging their customers is stop thinking of their email list as a number. "We have 600,000 email addresses in our list. We think of each one of these as current customers, future customers, or past customers that have feelings and opinions."

One thing that is good is how more companies are trying to create preference pages so that customers can tell them what they want to hear about and how often they want to hear it - now it's just a matter of those same companies listening to what their customers are saying.

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Why do cardinals kiss?

Wonder what your customers and prospects are thinking? There are research firms out there that will charge you thousands of dollars to research this for you – but there is also a free way to gather the same information. Add a feedback link to your emails, web site(s), & yes even your social media channels.

First you have to grab their attention - using intrigue works well - try this one from Duncraft - 'Why do cardinals kiss?'

Then ask your consumers a few simple questions - like

1) Rate our product
2) Rank our service
3) What could we do better? - keep this open ended

Get them to give you a litte information about themselves and email them the answer to the question.

All you have to do then is compile the responses; over time you’ll gather valuable feedback without that research firm. You’ll also engage your recipients and further the relationship.

If you would like to know more about cardinals kissing, simply click here.

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How to make your messaging stand out?

It might seem like common sense, but the number of marketers who come up with subject lines as an after thought is astonishing. The subject line of your email is the most important piece of your email campaign. It is the first thing your customer or prospect sees and is usually what motivates them to open and read the rest of your mail.

The subject line is also one of the easiest things to test in email. There is no hassle of creating new content, just splitting up a portion of your audience and trying out different subject lines to see which one gets the best reaction. A best practice is to try out 3 different subject lines. Try one that is informative, one that is esoteric, and one that is full of intrigue. Try subject lines with personalization, and ones without. Whatever you do, make them seductive.

Send out the test and see which subject drives more opens or more sales. Then use that subject line for the rest of your campaign. As cost effective as it is to send emails, you can't afford to not test subject lines on a regular basis to see what will work best for your brand.

On November 20th, we will be sharing ideal practices with a panel of experts (you too) to focus on how you can make your writing stand out. Do join us, we will focus on writing samples for Email, Twitter, & Mobile.

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Is Twitter (Becoming) the New Hyde Park

If you walk through Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, London (UK) you hear a lot of opinions. There are a lot of people who stand out and openly express their opinion on any subject. These opinions are very audible and basically sound like a bunch of yelling. As long as you don't say something illegal and don't use profanity - you have free reign to share your opinion. I find this place really amusing as there are more people talking and very few listening, with only a small fraction paying attention to what is really being said! Sound familiar?

Twitter is turning into a launch pad of how a lot of people are planting tweets, re-tweeting, but rarely listening.

A quick survey of some good friends who Tweet. I asked them to share feedback on how they are using Twitter, and what their response from Twitter really is. Their opinion, people are polite and re-tweet what they are saying but there are no responses back on what is really being said. Fewer people are listening.

A look at a few business over time on Twitter. A tweet six months ago led to a large number of responses or feedback. Today, with 10 times more followers, each tweet elicits less than 5% responses compared to the past.

Lists in Twitter are going to create interesting challenges for the 'Tweeter' - you have to learn how to multi-task as you message different lists with different messages. A bigger challenge for people who are in small businesses or those who Tweet while they are doing other things.

Twitter is also like the Jim Carey movie, the Truman Show with one significant difference. Imagine hundreds if not thousands of shows running concurrently. This gives people a lot of things to look at, good choices no doubt, but again very few people focused on listening.

There are more applications that are being launched that allow people to reuse tweets, this allows business and individuals to reuse Tweets and repackage old information as they reach out to people. You need to go back to the basics and remember that Twitter brings together the power of now, merging both your computer and mobile. You have to go back to the fundamentals and create interactive conversations.

Hyde Park also has some great speakers. They have a following, they are engaging, & they respond to the questions thrown out to them.

To fix Twitter you have to focus on three things - you have to learn to listen so you can participate in conversations, you have to build trust so your followers will click through on what you provide them, & you need to communicate relevance else you are as irrelevant as the loud obnoxious ones in Hyde Park.

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Email, Facebook, & Reviving Your List

A multi-channel retailer offered everyone on their list an incentive to come shop – web, call center, or store. Buyers were given a discount, non-buyers were offered a little more. Even if you didn't buy, you could win something. You spun for free shipping or gift with purchase. If you didn't want anything you could even get a small gift if you paid for shipping & updated your preferences. There was also a grand prize winner. You had to tell them a little bit about yourself, and of course, all offers were e-mailed to you.

You were even given the option to share your incentive on Facebook. A 'free-shipping' turned into a 'free-shipping + gift' if you shared with your friends on Facebook. If one of your friends from Facebook were to purchase, they too were asked for information about their preferences.

The sequence of events that led to this were quite interesting. You got a direct mail piece at home or a phone call. They provided you with an access code with a timed incentive to respond. You went online – input your offer code & were e-mailed a confirmation link.

This confirmation link asked you to provide preferences – a few questions & a big thank you with a coupon you could redeem immediately. If you didn't open, click, or use the coupon you got a gentle reminder.

You were even encouraged to call their call center or visit one of their stores with your coupon. Their employees could help find you your perfect gift! Those who purchased items were encouraged to write about their purchases on the merchants Facebook page. If you posted it on Facebook, you were given another offer and the ability to share the offer with your friends.

Prior to doing this this merchant was averaging response rates of less than 5% open rates with a dismal click-through. They were also averaging three communiqués a week. With this coordinated cross channel blitz they reduced their offers to one a week and have enjoyed open rates of more than 25% with high conversion rates & even higher engagement.

The post purchase survey and subsequent messaging from the customer revealed that customers now felt like they were part of the club!

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Your Webinar Changed My Life!

This was the subject line of an email that I received from someone who attended an online workshop by Builder Radio. The rest of the email read as follows.

I sat and tried to think of a catchy subject line to prove I learned something yesterday…

Thought maybe an “ego builder” would prompt you to open but you don’t seem like you have a big ego. Plus the subject line has nothing to do with this email which is misleading and illegal. See! I did learn something.

Anyway-would you mind sending me the subject lines that work you offered to us yesterday? And is there any way you would share the electronic presentation as well? Let me know if you would. Thank you!

Have a terrific day!

Here are some additional ordinary statements that now pack some punch …

Trucks are the greatest luxury! I have TWO! And I love them both. We go places together.

On an email selling camping gear with the subject line, ‘How to pitch a tent…’

I have a big box in my garage that has everything I need to camp. I just throw it in my truck and go! Most important thing is toilet paper, flashlight, lighter (or fire starter logs work best) and tent. All the rest is gravy!

Come to think of it, chairs are nice too…and pots and pans, and silverware, plates, cups, sticks for hotdogs and marshmallows, pillows and blankets, towels –big and small, Ziploc bags of all sizes, batteries, radio, rope and bungee cords, trash bags, bug spray, soap, games-sorry, now I am telling you how I camp…

Just don’t show up to your site at night. Makes it much more difficult to pitch a tent.

Our dialogue continued and I realized that this copywriter at heart put so much punch into everything she wrote – it got me to read it.

With so much of our focus on deliverability, engaging subject lines, and call to action we tend to neglect something that gets people into reading more. To create dialogue you have to write well. Good copy sparks interesting conversation. Be it Twitter, Email, Facebook - you have to engage and capture attention quickly.

Our Service in Action call in November (11/20 - @ 2.00 pm EST) will focus on 'How to Stand Out in the In-Box.' We will introduce you to a roundtable of experts that will lead the discussion around best practices.

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From Direct Mail to Email & Social - Mark's Story!

Mark came from the world of direct marketing. He ran programs to engage consumers and businesses with all kinds of direct response materials. His principled approach to marketing provided him with a few very strong fundamentals. Advertise with a superb image, write awesome copy, & have multiple 'great' calls to action. The world of online has provided him an avenue to apply his direct marketing experience.

Online to him is direct marketing on steroids. You are able to see results in near real time as marketing campaigns can be launched with great speed. To leverage the effectiveness of the internet Mark feels that these are fundamentals for any marketer.

1. A welcome campaign, hopefully with an offer to engage, is sent as soon as possible after first contact with the potential customer. He prefers to automate this offer with an offer that is relevant. The channel of contact or initial engagement could be the company web site, an ad on Google, an offer in a magazine, or even content from social media channels.

2. If people want to get off your mailing list, he recommends an EASY to navigate Opt-Out process, but with an intermediate step to allow the user to ammend their profile. Perhaps to change their contact information, adjust their preferences, or even receive a reduced volume of communiquees.

3. Don't just plug in the name of the recipient. Check to see if the information flows correctly. Poor, incorrect, or inconsistent personalization sucks! Twitter is interesting, 140 words to get your message across - they couldn't have taught better lessons at Direct Marketing school.

Mark is passionate about racing - he enjoyed racing cars and loves riding bikes. The web offers him the opportunity to test out offers really fast. He loves email and continues to be thrilled by the opportunities presented through social media.

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Mobile Media or 'Mocial': An Interview with Jacob!

Jacob was one of the first users of an iPhone. He has always tried to do all of his work on a mobile device. He is big on blogs and social networks, and yes he pulls most of this up on his mobile device. To him the future of interactive marketing will be delivered on mobile devices - with social networks & user interest driving relevant content.

Here are some tips from him to make campaigns more engaging:

-Marketers should assume that their customers are checking emails on a wide variety of mobile devices, so start using mobile text versions and use header row offers that will display in the message preview on a mobile devise screen. Images in HTML should be reduced in file size so that a mobile device will not take as long to download the images, and a better ratio of text vs images should be worked for.

-A/B testing to learn how to shorten a subject line so that it will deliver the most impact in with the least amount of space. Short subject lines will also display well on mobile devices where real estate is very limited.

What Jacob doesn’t like:

-Blanket offers that do not apply to the email receiver; by getting more information at the subscribe page, offering a recepient to update preferences, and then using past purchase history, geographical location, past email history, and the wise use of surveys, a much more targeted offer can be presented that will encourage engagement, not unsubscribing.

What can Social Media do?

- Build a good blog that is updated frequently with valuable content, then add blog post snippets into the email to pull people to the website. Blogs are a softer sell and provide a rich source of content and interaction. Provide responses and feedback on the blog to build a community, and then tie the blog posting back to products offered on the website.

Perhaps the most important thing Jacob points out is for marketers to learn how to engage their customers on social media channels while they are on the move! Think about it, you are at a 'real' social event, and you are on a 'virtual' social event at the same time. Mobile social networking will facilitate two way communication based on your location.

That is where we are headed.

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13 Ideas to Reengage Your Customers & Prospects!

It’s inevitable, at some point you’ll lose contact with some of your customers and prospects… but don’t worry, there are a number of ways to reengaging them, here are a few simple yet effective ideas:

1) Send a simple email with the subject line – Do you read your email? or Do you read your catalog?

2) Offer more control over the type of emails they receive and the frequency of the messages; if the consumer can control this interaction, then they are more likely to participate.

3) Send a We miss you! email with an offer (better yet, try a split test without the offer.) This will hopefully capture their attention and give you the opportunity to target more effectively.

4) Go back and look at the links they clicked in the past and then target them with similar offers.

5) Keep the focus on the transactional, send an email at the conclusion of the transaction. If they have purchased, ask why; if they haven’t purchased try to find out why not... the goal is to keep them engaged.

6) Check their activity across other channels, see what they are doing, remind them about your program and see what you can do to get their attention using alternate mediums.

7) Integrate multiple channels, send a print piece that offers part of the story/ offer and references the remainder on the landing page. This is a great way to grab the customer’s attention and test the validity of your data.

8) Ask your people, your frontline folks are your lifeline to your customer base. Ask them what customers and prospects are saying about your email campaigns and leverage their feedback into the process.

9) Let them truly be the first to know; if you promise a good deal via email, make it come true.

10) Be sincere, tell them about the benefit of your email program, stress the environment, your ability to serve them better and your savings – stress how you can translate these savings into a benefit for them.

11) Solicit customer & prospect feedback - ask them about your campaigns, your products, your services. Make this information available over the web for others to evaluate and comment on.

12) Open up your social media channels, and do listen to what people are talking about on those channels.

13) Humanize your campaigns - let your customers reach out to your organization if they need to. An email help desk helps answer questions, analyze results of campaigns, & provides real time feedback for improvement of your campaigns!

You could pay a research firm thousands to get free and relevant advice from those you serve!!

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