Results tagged “email marketing” from Web Design, Website Development and Internet Marketing - One Page Expert Guides

Your most reliable collection point for e-mail addresses is a dedicated subscription page at your Web site, but it's not the only source.

Online vs. Offline Acquisition

Your subscription or registration page is the best source of e-mail addresses, for two reasons:

• Verified information: Your subscribers are providing the information and are responsible for its accuracy. Depending on how you set up your subscription page, you might be able to help them verify it.

• Consistent message: Your e-mail program's value proposition and benefits are presented exactly as you intend them.

As reliable as online collection is, it lacks the personal touch of a persuasive salesperson at the cash register or on the sales or trade-show floor. With the right point-of-sales (POS) equipment, your salesperson can enter the e-mail address during the sale, while the customer's interest is red-hot. You also have exposure to a wider range of customers, not just the ones who shop online.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633650

More than 200 years ago, Voltaire said, "The perfect is the enemy of the good." It's a concept that still holds true today.

A recent Jupiter Research executive survey asked email marketers what their greatest challenge was for improving their e-mail programs. The answer: "Knowing where to begin." My response to these confused marketers: Start somewhere; start anywhere. Even the smallest change you make today will start you down the path to the right strategy.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633579

From time to time we encounter a situation where we make a recommendation to a client. A short time later the client responds by saying that "legal" told them they don't need to do what we recommended or that it's OK to continue doing what they're doing.

What kind of recommendations get this response? Most recently, a recommendation to include an opt-out in an e-mail was denied because the message is technically transactional. And a recommendation to monitor the response address for a mailing was denied because "legal" says it isn't required. In one egregious case, a recommendation not to mail a list due to poor hygiene was met with insistence that they were legally allowed to do so.

This attitude is usually the result of one of two things: either a failure to consider there are multiple constituencies that should be taken into account when determining what e-mail marketing to send, or an attempt to hide behind the legal department when wanting to do something that isn't going to be popular with recipients.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633401

Understanding the impact of social media on our targeted email marketing campaigns opens up a new set of segments to leverage. Consider how you can split your list, not according to dollars list members individually spend, but by the collective dollars they influence others to spend (on top of their own spend). These new measurements follow the impact of a combination of reach and response. I

n the past, people who responded marginally or not at all to your list were typically the people you'd remove from your list. Today, though, those people might not individually respond but may tell others about your offer, news, or sale. They could very well become your best ambassadors.

Who are these experts, and what else did they have to say?

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633360

It's said that the only constant is change. As you look around the world of marketing, you can certainly see significant change happening.

Retailers are moving away from short-term dramatic discounts and moving toward value pricing for the long haul. Technology companies are steering away from marketing technological advances, instead embracing sustainability. Even in e-mail, we're seeing changes come from a strategic perspective.

One of the most exciting changes coming down the road for e-mail is how we look at segments in our e-mail databases. Historically, segments have consisted of your tried-and-true responders and non-responders. From there, sub-segments have often included new customers, high-value customers, high-transaction customers, and so on. The approach to e-mail segmentation has typically followed standard direct-marketing practices.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633087

Last month on the international email marketing at the Email Experience Council's Email Evolution Conference in San Diego marketers think about sending e-mail internationally, localization is obviously one of the first issues that come up. The discussion then often moves to the questions of translation and infrastructure support for "foreign" languages. In effect, localization is often equated with translation.

What struck most during the panel was the consensus that translation isn't localization. The panelists all agreed that localization is vital to international campaigns' success, and they weren't talking about translation.

Localization, effectively, is a form of segmentation. When sending e-mail within a single country with a mostly common language and culture, we know there are significant differences between audiences. We also know that speaking to these audiences individually (segmenting) substantially lifts results. Clearly the same will hold true when sending to multiple countries, each with its own language, culture, and social mores.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3633065

Communication is any process by which information is exchanged. When you say "communication" to digital marketers, most automatically think e-mail. Well, that's not the case anymore. With e email marketing overload and limited time, consumers are often more receptive to other forms of communication that can reduce e-mail use. Therefore, marketers must think more broadly about their digital communication strategy.

Five Forms of Digital Dialogue

As digital communications evolve, so have the forms of engaging with your target market:

• E-mail. As the most mature digital communications channel, e-mail can be accessed via a variety of devices. It's most effective for providing a broad range of content, including promotional, behaviorally triggered, and newsletters. It can also be used as a digital identifier and driver for many forms of social media. While most e-mail communications move one way -- from companies to individuals -- it also should enable consumers to respond.

• Mobile. Mobile offers a variety of information formats, including SMS, e-mail, picture messages, video messages, social networking, and, of course, voice. Further, it provides purchase choices via mobile search, maps, and widgets as well as delivery alternatives, such as scanner-friendly tickets, mobile content, and entertainment (including games). Mobile also facilitates immediate responses from consumers. It's particularly useful for reaching teens.

• RSS. RSS provides an alternative for content distribution, especially for time-sensitive information in a user-controlled environment. It can extend relationships and build lead generation through use of private feeds to distribute tailored, trackable information.

• Chat. Is mainly focused on providing one-to-one cost-effective pre- and post-purchase customer support. It's also an alternative channel for consumers to communicate with each other and share information.

• Social media. Social media enables dialogue because consumer and marketer can post messages to each other. While social media gives users and brands an environment in which to connect and interact, marketers should exercise care and participate in a transparent manner. To preserve credibility, their communications shouldn't be promotional in any obvious way.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/clickz_email_experts/crm/actionable_analysis/newsletter

Ka-ching for Cupid: Valentine's Marketing Tips

"Valentine's Day is the perfect time to reach out to potential customers with gift ideas and holiday promotions,". "Holidays can be hectic, especially when trying to find the right gift for that special someone. By giving your customers something of value such as gift ideas and special holiday offers, you are showing them that their interests are the motives behind your campaigns -- building greater trust in your brand." Here are six tips for successful Valentine's email marketing promotions:

1. Promote your special holiday offers up front: Make sure your customers can immediately see that you are offering Valentine's Day specials starting at the subject line. If your customer sees an offer they can't refuse, your email will be opened.

2. Offer gift ideas:Rather than letting your customers browse your site, offer gift ideas. This is a great way to help your customers find the perfect gift. You can even offer a Top 10 Popular Gift section to help aid their search for that special someone.

3. Welcome those last minute shoppers: Let last minute shoppers know that they can shop with you. Offer guaranteed shipping or pick-up options to reel them in to shopping with you. This is a sure way to make an impression with a customer and to make sure they remember you next holiday season.

4. Offer additional incentives: Offering additional offers like online-only coupons, discounts off future purchases, special membership pricings, etc are enticing ways to grab the attention of potentials shoppers.

5. Think outside of the candy box: Flowers, candy and jewelry aren't the only things that make good Valentine's Day gifts. No matter what kind of business you have, think of creative ways for people to want to do business with you. If you are a ski resort, offer discount passes for those buying during a certain time period. If you are a restaurant, offer a special Valentine's Day menu.

6. Gather additional customer information: If you don't already have customer 'friends and family' profile data, Valentine's Day can be a good opportunity to gather additional information from your customers such as important dates for them, friends, family and significant others, including birthdays and anniversaries.

See the full story at: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3801251

In this economic environment, many organizations want to use email marketing more effectively. List maintenance and growth are critical. The constant attrition from churn, unsubscribes, and complaints places a downward pressure on lists and presents challenges to marketers trying to maintain program efficacy.

Most organizations also have only a fraction of their customers' e-mail addresses. Eventually this leads to the topic of e-mail append.

I've written before about how to perform e-mail append successfully.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/clickz_email_experts/em_mkt/opt/newsletter

Going forward, online marketers will face challenges similar to those of their political counterparts. The online market's accelerated maturation due to recent economic turmoil means that growth will no longer come as easily. Growth now will have to come at the expense of other channels or competitors, rather than from new users.

Three Online Marketing Goals for 2009 and Related Metrics

Because both marketers and consumers will have limited budgets, we'll see longer sales cycles, lengthier prepurchase dialogues with consumers, and less brand advertising. As a result, companies will focus on the following three goals and the related analytic indicators to track them:

• Increased ROI from better resource utilization.

• Improved targeting based on a better understanding of the behaviors that drive profitable revenues.

• Enhanced customer focus to determine what's being said about your organization and to respond quickly to resolve customer issues.

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3632306

It's no secret that 2009 will be a challenging year for business owners. As the line between success and failure shrinks, it pays to make the most of your marketing efforts. Email marketing, when done well, is a highly effective tool to drive sales and to build customer loyalty.

Find bellow the top five suggestions on how to improve the results you get in your 2009 email marketing campaigns .

1. Clean Your E-mail List

2. Review What Worked and What Didn't

3. Make a 2009 E-mail Marketing Plan

4. Use Customer Data

5. Try Something New

See the full story at: http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/buyersguide/article.php/3794736

Maybe the best thing we can say about 2008 is that it's over today. Was it a dismal year for you and your e-mail program? There's no time like the present to resolve to do better, starting tomorrow.

If you don't know where to start, any one of the resolutions on the list below will help you get your email marketing efforts back on track in the coming year.

Need more information to help understand any of them? Most of these resolutions come with a link to advice in a related ClickZ column. Nothing could be easier, and after you celebrate tonight, maybe that's the best gift of all.

Here are the top 10 resolutions for email marketers:

See the full story at: http://www.clickz.com/3632218

See the full story at: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3788236

Now that Halloween is over and November is underway, it's time to reassess -- and adjust -- your holiday email marketing plans.

Find out what Web shop owners should be doing between now and Dec. 1 to optimize their holiday email marketing efforts.

To see the full story visit: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3783891