It’s September in Indiana and you know what that means—we’re mere days away from Connections ’08! The excitement is building as we focus our curriculum, dust off our dancing shoes, and make way for some of the most inspirational keynote speakers you’ll ever experience.
On Tuesday, September 23, we’re thrilled to bring you Joseph Jaffe, President and Chief Interrupter of crayon, and author of “Join the Conversation—the New Marketing Model.” Joseph shares our passion for the Subscribers Rule! philosophy, and we’re eager to hear him tell his story. Listen as he previews Connections ’08 and our shared vision for one-to-one communications.
We’ve got so much in store for you at Connections ‘08. If you haven’t already, be sure to reserve your spot at the biggest email marketing conference of the year. We’re counting down the days until we see you in Indy!
Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
The Marketing Department is working hard to get everything prepared for
Connections, our user conference here in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Attendees from last year may remember the infamous Judson Laipply and The Evolution of Dance. We uploaded the video of his performance to our YouTube channel, and it presently has over 70,000 views.
So the Marketing Team is working on new ways to use social media at Connections this year. Nothing is off the table. Possibilities include live Twitter updates, real time video streams, and uploading photos to Facebook.
If you follow us on Twitter, you could hear about the latest after party information, or you if you friend us on Facebook you could be tagged in a picture with Tony Dungy. All this information is right at your fingertips via your phone or your computer.
Head to Connections08.com to register and find out more information. I look forward to meeting some of ExactTarget’s friends and followers!
Dawn DeVirgilio
Internet Marketing Specialist
Attendees from last year may remember the infamous Judson Laipply and The Evolution of Dance. We uploaded the video of his performance to our YouTube channel, and it presently has over 70,000 views.
So the Marketing Team is working on new ways to use social media at Connections this year. Nothing is off the table. Possibilities include live Twitter updates, real time video streams, and uploading photos to Facebook.
If you follow us on Twitter, you could hear about the latest after party information, or you if you friend us on Facebook you could be tagged in a picture with Tony Dungy. All this information is right at your fingertips via your phone or your computer.
Head to Connections08.com to register and find out more information. I look forward to meeting some of ExactTarget’s friends and followers!
Dawn DeVirgilio
Internet Marketing Specialist
Posted Friday, August 29, 2008 by
Al Iverson
My esteemed colleague here at ExactTarget, R.J. Talyor, was quoted extensively in this recent article in the NY Times "Bits" blog. He talks about Obama's use of SMS to announce his choice for VP, and more generally about how organizations and marketers use (and don't use) SMS currently.
SMS is a "brave new world" for me. As I learn more and more about how deliverability works in the land of SMS, I'm learning that it's a lot harder to trick somebody (like an ISP or your email service provider) into allowing spam to be sent. Sure, people still get SMS spam, but the wireless providers are much quicker to clamp down on unexpected and unacceptable usage. There are a much smaller number of wireless providers, compared to the number of email postmasters out there. The number of filters is much smaller. The sets of guidelines are much fewer. And the guidelines, the requirements are much more explicit and specific. No spam. You want to do SMS? You have to tell the providers what you're going to do with that short code. Before sending for the first time, you have to explain how you're going to use SMS, how things are going to work. And if a provider doesn't agree, you can't send or receive to or from users on their wireless network.
Somebody asked me, if the entire world converts from email to SMS, does that mean that I'm out of a job? Will there be no more need for policy compliance enforcement and best practice guidance people in the SMS world? I don't think so. I think a lot of organizations don't yet understand what you can and can't do with SMS. I think there are many, many opportunities to guide and impart best practice knowledge, just like with email. I have a feeling that even in an SMS-only world, I'd never run out of things to focus on.
SMS is a "brave new world" for me. As I learn more and more about how deliverability works in the land of SMS, I'm learning that it's a lot harder to trick somebody (like an ISP or your email service provider) into allowing spam to be sent. Sure, people still get SMS spam, but the wireless providers are much quicker to clamp down on unexpected and unacceptable usage. There are a much smaller number of wireless providers, compared to the number of email postmasters out there. The number of filters is much smaller. The sets of guidelines are much fewer. And the guidelines, the requirements are much more explicit and specific. No spam. You want to do SMS? You have to tell the providers what you're going to do with that short code. Before sending for the first time, you have to explain how you're going to use SMS, how things are going to work. And if a provider doesn't agree, you can't send or receive to or from users on their wireless network.
Somebody asked me, if the entire world converts from email to SMS, does that mean that I'm out of a job? Will there be no more need for policy compliance enforcement and best practice guidance people in the SMS world? I don't think so. I think a lot of organizations don't yet understand what you can and can't do with SMS. I think there are many, many opportunities to guide and impart best practice knowledge, just like with email. I have a feeling that even in an SMS-only world, I'd never run out of things to focus on.
Posted Thursday, August 28, 2008 by
Design Team
Video in Email: Framing the Subject
Melinda Baxter, Director of Marketing Services
Here’s a common question I receive. “Wow! Movies in email! Company X says it’s easy, and we should partner with them to do it. They say our clicks and sales will increase madly!”
First, here is some clarity around the technology picture:
Our whitepaper “Email Marketing Design & Rendering: The New Essentials” talks about this directly on page ten: “Embedding Flash or video in email will cause major deliverability issues. If delivered, these design elements will be stripped or disabled. If you want to use rich media, use a screenshot of the media linking to the “live” version on your website. Animated .gifs are also alternatives that work across many – but not all – email clients”
Next, I’ll focus on the impact:
ExactTarget customers (and even ET ourselves) regularly leverage videos to engage subscribers. We don’t do this by embedding the video in the email, but by linking to the video. Our own “InSight” newsletter has used this technique. Some of our customers have found that linking to video generates the highest clicks in their email – this is an excellent thing to test! The success is generally related to the relevance of the video content to the subscriber, and it’s not always a silver bullet.
We have customers that use videos to link to product demos on their web site, fashion show footage, “how to” instructional videos, CEO messages, etc.. Some have such success with videos as an engagement technique that they tease it in their subject line to increase open rates. Others have tested it against Q & As, with the Q & A format outperforming the video.
"How Stuff Works" features a video in prime real estate each newsletter (btw - I think this is a very fun newsletter to read!):
Advance Auto Parts also links to "How to" videos each newsletter, along with other interactive links...
Like any other engagement technique to increase subscriber interest and involvement in your email and brand, test it to learn what performs best for your subscribers.
Got the picture?
Posted Thursday, August 28, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
“Isn’t working downtown on the circle exciting?” This is a question that my father-in-law, Fred Inniger, likes to ask me whenever I talk to him about working in Event Marketing at ExactTarget. It’s not really a question; instead it’s a statement he’s making with a question mark conveniently placed at the end of it. Although Fred lives in Kendallville, Indiana (3 hours northeast of Indianapolis), I believe he considers Indianapolis to be his second home because of how often he comes to Indy for Colts games, Indy 500 races, the City Market, the Slippery Noodle (“Indiana’s oldest bar!”) and other special events or spontaneous occasions. I’m convinced he should work for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association (one of ET’s clients - click here to download the case study!) because he loves to talk about all the neat things to do here!
It’s too bad Fred is not an ExactTarget customer because Connections ’08 would be his dream come true. In a period of 2 ½ days we’ve not only managed to jam pack Connections with outstanding content and speakers, but we’ve ensured the evening events would be “top notch” (in the words of my friend and colleague Joel Book) and leave all Connections attendees with a great taste of Indianapolis.
From the Welcome Party at the newly opened Lucas Oil Stadium to the Awards Dinner at Conseco Fieldhouse, we have Connections attendees covered when it comes to experiencing the excitement of Indianapolis! I think Fred’s favorite would be our event at Lucas Oil Stadium. We are going to party in the Bud Light Pavilion – to our north we’ll have an 88’ tall, 244’ wide window with the view of downtown Indy, and to our south we’ll have a view of the new football field – with drinks, music, and Super Bowl champion Coach Dungy speaking in between! And that’s just the first night! If basketball is more your thing, night two will bring us to Conseco Fieldhouse to have dinner on the court – with some surprise tricks up our sleeves to make the last night in Indianapolis magical.
If you haven’t done so already, Fred would highly advise you to register for Connections ’08. And to answer Fred’s question about working in downtown Indianapolis on the Circle: Yes, it’s a blast! And I believe we did a great job with planning Connections in Indianapolis to incorporate all of the downtown excitement that we have the privilege to experience here every day.
Tricia Inniger
Event Marketing Coordinator
Posted Thursday, August 28, 2008 by
Al Iverson
Did you know that Yahoo hosts email for over 127,179 domains? And the list of 127,179 domains comprises just the ones I know about. Those aren't all consumer domains. Yahoo has Yahoo.com, Rocketmail.com, Ymail.com, and all the various Yahoo domains for different countries, but they make up less than 600 of those domains. What else do they host? Sure, there are a lot of vanity (personal) domains. But, you'll also find that they host email for graphic arts companies, realty agents, investment bankers, sports teams, insurance agencies, online electronics retailers, medical clinics, and for many other companies big and small.
What does it all mean? It means that if you're a B2B sender, Yahoo is going to be significantly represented in your list.
This is yet another example of how B2C permission and sending requirements still apply to you if you're a B2B sender.
What does it all mean? It means that if you're a B2B sender, Yahoo is going to be significantly represented in your list.
This is yet another example of how B2C permission and sending requirements still apply to you if you're a B2B sender.
Posted Wednesday, August 27, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
Monday was a BIG day for me. I ate my first branded donut.
I didn't know they existed. The idea had never crossed my mind. The sheer genius of it was beyond my imagination.
Yet there it sat, radiating happiness in all of its chocolatey-goodness inside the towering case at our new Dunkin' Donuts. This Mecca of yeast perfection and cream-filled heaven open its doors to caffeine-crazed, stomach-rumbling Indianapolis downtowners just last month -- and we welcomed it with open arms.
(The fact that Dunkin' Donuts works with Customer Portfolios, one of our beloved Agency Partners, just increased our love for them. Check out Joel Book's blog post on the Dunkin’ Perks™ email program to see their work in action. Their email marketing program is very well done!)
Anyway, it came as no surprised that when R. J. Talyor (you probably know him better as the driving force behind ExactTarget SMS and recent New York Times "quotee") asked if I wanted to run out for coffee and donuts, I sprinted for the door.
Faced with the seemingly impossible task of choosing my donut, my eyes darted wildly from the chocolate cake to the marble frosted, the maple glaze to the vanilla cream-filled éclair-thingy. And then I saw it. An orange and pink sprinkled yeast donut with chocolate frosting.
With feigned calm, I quietly placed my order and watched as my Dunkin' Donuts branded sprinkle snack was placed in a bag.
In case you're having trouble getting as excited about this moment as I was, just look at this donut. (Yes, you can find anything on Google Images.) And just FYI, it tastes just as good as it looks.
Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
p.s. -- If you want to pin down the team from Customer Portfolios to ask them about their Dunkin' Donuts success, register for Connections '08. They'll be there!
I didn't know they existed. The idea had never crossed my mind. The sheer genius of it was beyond my imagination.
Yet there it sat, radiating happiness in all of its chocolatey-goodness inside the towering case at our new Dunkin' Donuts. This Mecca of yeast perfection and cream-filled heaven open its doors to caffeine-crazed, stomach-rumbling Indianapolis downtowners just last month -- and we welcomed it with open arms.
(The fact that Dunkin' Donuts works with Customer Portfolios, one of our beloved Agency Partners, just increased our love for them. Check out Joel Book's blog post on the Dunkin’ Perks™ email program to see their work in action. Their email marketing program is very well done!)
Anyway, it came as no surprised that when R. J. Talyor (you probably know him better as the driving force behind ExactTarget SMS and recent New York Times "quotee") asked if I wanted to run out for coffee and donuts, I sprinted for the door.
Faced with the seemingly impossible task of choosing my donut, my eyes darted wildly from the chocolate cake to the marble frosted, the maple glaze to the vanilla cream-filled éclair-thingy. And then I saw it. An orange and pink sprinkled yeast donut with chocolate frosting.
With feigned calm, I quietly placed my order and watched as my Dunkin' Donuts branded sprinkle snack was placed in a bag.
In case you're having trouble getting as excited about this moment as I was, just look at this donut. (Yes, you can find anything on Google Images.) And just FYI, it tastes just as good as it looks.
Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
p.s. -- If you want to pin down the team from Customer Portfolios to ask them about their Dunkin' Donuts success, register for Connections '08. They'll be there!
Posted Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by
Al Iverson
Occasionally I talk to somebody who opines that because they don't send to Yahoo, they don't need to follow Yahoo's rules. The point is rarely that simplistic, but it does usually boil down to this: "I'm a B2B sender. All of my lists are B2B recipients only. My lists are comprised of nobody but business professionals, for example. Yahoo or Hotmail's sender guidelines don't apply to me, do they?"
Yes, they do apply. And here is a great data point as to why:
Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports checked his own B2B lists. What did he find? 11% were Gmail, 4.6% were Hotmail, and just about 8% were Yahoo. That's almost a quarter of his list. And they are all B2C providers, with the typical B2C rules and requirements that senders have come to know and love: Keep complaints low. Subscriber engagement matters. Opt-in permission rules.
Mark's list makeup is typical. There's nothing too surprising there. The take-away here? B2C rules matter, even in a B2B world.
Yes, they do apply. And here is a great data point as to why:
Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports checked his own B2B lists. What did he find? 11% were Gmail, 4.6% were Hotmail, and just about 8% were Yahoo. That's almost a quarter of his list. And they are all B2C providers, with the typical B2C rules and requirements that senders have come to know and love: Keep complaints low. Subscriber engagement matters. Opt-in permission rules.
Mark's list makeup is typical. There's nothing too surprising there. The take-away here? B2C rules matter, even in a B2B world.
Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
I promise it is not as scary as it sounds!
First, an introduction - Hello! My name is Dawn DeVirgilio and I'm one of the newer members to the ExactTarget Marketing Team. One of the most exciting things I am involved in is heading up ExactTarget's social media!
The first day I joined ExactTarget, I received numerous triggered emails from my new teammates asking me to "friend" them on Facebook, or "follow" them on Twitter. Many companies block these types of services, so I was excited to see that ExactTarget was adopting them.
One of the first initiatives was to get an ExactTarget account on Twitter. We had seen companies like Jet Blue, and Comcast use Twitter successfully, and wanted to provide a place on Twitter where our clients could talk to us directly.
One of our first "tweets" (a tweet is a post on Twitter) was a discount code to our Route 1 to 1 Marketing Tour. As we gain followers we are hearing about email marketing success stories, customer feature requests and a few complaints that we've tried to solve in real time.
We also have a Facebook Page, various Facebook Groups including one for our Subscribers Rule campaign, and you can find many of us on LinkedIn.
Every day, we are learning more and more about the power of social networking.
So whether you friend us or follow us, we are excited to hear from you thru this new medium!
Dawn DeVirgilio
Internet Marketing Specialist
First, an introduction - Hello! My name is Dawn DeVirgilio and I'm one of the newer members to the ExactTarget Marketing Team. One of the most exciting things I am involved in is heading up ExactTarget's social media!
The first day I joined ExactTarget, I received numerous triggered emails from my new teammates asking me to "friend" them on Facebook, or "follow" them on Twitter. Many companies block these types of services, so I was excited to see that ExactTarget was adopting them.
One of the first initiatives was to get an ExactTarget account on Twitter. We had seen companies like Jet Blue, and Comcast use Twitter successfully, and wanted to provide a place on Twitter where our clients could talk to us directly.
One of our first "tweets" (a tweet is a post on Twitter) was a discount code to our Route 1 to 1 Marketing Tour. As we gain followers we are hearing about email marketing success stories, customer feature requests and a few complaints that we've tried to solve in real time.
We also have a Facebook Page, various Facebook Groups including one for our Subscribers Rule campaign, and you can find many of us on LinkedIn.
Every day, we are learning more and more about the power of social networking.
So whether you friend us or follow us, we are excited to hear from you thru this new medium!
Dawn DeVirgilio
Internet Marketing Specialist
Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
If you've read our Field Guide to Triggered Email, you're probably already pretty familiar with automated confirmation messages. This 1 to 1 marketing species is one of the easiest to automate, and subscribers all-but-expect an instantaneous response to actions like newsletter or event registrations.
Yeah, especially me.
If I don't get a triggered confirmation email about two nano-seconds after I take action on a website (especially if it was an action that required me to submit payment information), the cold-sweats begin. Did my registration go through? Is my credit card number just floating out there in cyberspace?
I recently began taking a few classes through the Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, and they've been great. Wonderful people. Quality content. And I can't wait to get more involved with an organization so dedicated to helping people in disaster. So when I stumbled upon their email marketing newsletter opt-in, I figured "Why not?"
Within my two nano-second timeframe, a triggered confirmation email popped into my inbox. Wonderful! Though I normally just file these messages away without much thought, I made an exception for this one. The wording just seemed a bit strange:
"Thank you for contacting the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis. We will forward your e-mail to the correct department for response. If you need assistance because of a disaster or are in need of military assistance, please contact the chapter 24 hours a day at (xxx) xxx-xxxx to speak with a Red Cross representative."
Yeah, see anything about my new subscription? Me neither. Wouldn't it be better to customize the copy for an eNewletter confirmation so it references...the newsletter? Just saying, if I wanted "military assistance," (who knew we could request that, by the way?!) I probably wouldn't have tried to get it by filling out an online newsletter form.
It can be tempting to save time and just create one blanket confirmation email for all online activitites -- but it may leave your visitors confused. So take the extra few minutes to customize your copy to the action taken.
Because right now, I'm not sure if I requested a newsletter in my inbox....or a Sherman Tank at my front door.
Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 by
Scott Dorsey
Note: Sorry for my absence on this blog - I have taken the SEC quiet period very seriously!
Regardless of political preference, this year's presidential election has sparked tremendous voter interest. Young people are getting involved and the promise of better times ahead has everyone thinking about what it means to be an American. As you might imagine, I have been watching very closely to see how both candidates use email, SMS and social media to drive voter interest and engagement.
I was very excited to learn that Obama would use SMS to announce his VP. The value proposition was clear (be among the first to learn of his pick for VP) and the communication had both an urgency and brevity ideal for a text message. Everything was looking so good - millions opted in, confirmation messages and further opt-in messages were sent (enter zip code for local Obama updates).
Then it happened - the VP pick was leaked and the Obama camp sent their text messages at 3am eastern time - oops! Glad that I didn't have my phone near my bed! I actually received an email (USA Today breaking news alert powered by ExactTarget) announcing the pick over an hour before Obama's text message arrived! Email 1, SMS 0. What a missed opportunity!
The good news is that marketers and even politicians are starting to leverage SMS to engage their subscribers. Just like email, success with this new medium requires planning, strategy and execution. If you're interested in learning more about SMS, read our SMS field guide or give us a call. When used appropriately, text messaging can be a powerful way to connect with your subscribers.
Regardless of political preference, this year's presidential election has sparked tremendous voter interest. Young people are getting involved and the promise of better times ahead has everyone thinking about what it means to be an American. As you might imagine, I have been watching very closely to see how both candidates use email, SMS and social media to drive voter interest and engagement.
I was very excited to learn that Obama would use SMS to announce his VP. The value proposition was clear (be among the first to learn of his pick for VP) and the communication had both an urgency and brevity ideal for a text message. Everything was looking so good - millions opted in, confirmation messages and further opt-in messages were sent (enter zip code for local Obama updates).
Then it happened - the VP pick was leaked and the Obama camp sent their text messages at 3am eastern time - oops! Glad that I didn't have my phone near my bed! I actually received an email (USA Today breaking news alert powered by ExactTarget) announcing the pick over an hour before Obama's text message arrived! Email 1, SMS 0. What a missed opportunity!
The good news is that marketers and even politicians are starting to leverage SMS to engage their subscribers. Just like email, success with this new medium requires planning, strategy and execution. If you're interested in learning more about SMS, read our SMS field guide or give us a call. When used appropriately, text messaging can be a powerful way to connect with your subscribers.
Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
Hello friends --
Let's not bother with the standard excuses for my blogging hiatus. Suffice to say, I'm back. And I've missed you all!
A lot of exciting things are happening around here (the Connections '08 email marketing user conference is just around the corner -- clients, get registered!), and it'll probably take me a few posts to do them all justice. I actually wondered how to choose today's topic -- but the news just solved that little quandary for me.
See, the marketing team has a pretty sweet deal up here on the 10th floor. Aside from rooftop access and a massive kitchen, the flat screen TV hangs but a few feet from my desk. Sure, this can be distracting at times...like when quasi-dramatic soap operas come on (who's in the hospital today?) -- or The Ellen DeGeneres Show which brings our collective productivity to a virtual halt.
But as this morning's news came on, I caught the following headline:
"Waiting for text from Obama with VP candidate."
Coming off the launch of our new Field Guide to SMS, this immediately piqued my interest. I quickly opened Google to investigate -- and sure enough, Obama's going to text subscribers the moment he makes his VP choice. How cool is that?! Check it out. Full of engaging copy and a catchy tagline ("Be the First to Know"), it shows just one creative illustration of how of Landing Pages and SMS have become effective 1 to 1 marketing tools.
So download your copy of our Field Guide to SMS -- you just might find the inspiration for your company's first (or next!) text messaging campaign. The possibilities are endless.
Talk to you soon,
Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
Let's not bother with the standard excuses for my blogging hiatus. Suffice to say, I'm back. And I've missed you all!
A lot of exciting things are happening around here (the Connections '08 email marketing user conference is just around the corner -- clients, get registered!), and it'll probably take me a few posts to do them all justice. I actually wondered how to choose today's topic -- but the news just solved that little quandary for me.
See, the marketing team has a pretty sweet deal up here on the 10th floor. Aside from rooftop access and a massive kitchen, the flat screen TV hangs but a few feet from my desk. Sure, this can be distracting at times...like when quasi-dramatic soap operas come on (who's in the hospital today?) -- or The Ellen DeGeneres Show which brings our collective productivity to a virtual halt.
But as this morning's news came on, I caught the following headline:
"Waiting for text from Obama with VP candidate."
Coming off the launch of our new Field Guide to SMS, this immediately piqued my interest. I quickly opened Google to investigate -- and sure enough, Obama's going to text subscribers the moment he makes his VP choice. How cool is that?! Check it out. Full of engaging copy and a catchy tagline ("Be the First to Know"), it shows just one creative illustration of how of Landing Pages and SMS have become effective 1 to 1 marketing tools.
So download your copy of our Field Guide to SMS -- you just might find the inspiration for your company's first (or next!) text messaging campaign. The possibilities are endless.
Talk to you soon,
Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 by
Al Iverson
Not everybody we talk to (especially in the sales process) shares our commitment to permission, our commitment to spam prevention.
It makes sense, right? There is a lot of spam out there. I get thousands
(literally) of spam messages myself, every single day. Somewhere, somebody is
sending those messages. Even though it’s not a good idea, somebody thinks it’s
a good idea. Either because they’re bad guys and don’t care about best
practices, the law, and overwhelming ISPs, or because they just don’t know any
better yet. Most folks aren’t born with an innate understanding of how email
works, or they don’t understand that email is not the same as “direct mail.”
So, every once in a while, we have a sales call that turns out to be a real bummer. Somebody wants permission to spam, and is upset that we’re not about to grant that permission. What do we do in these cases? We spend a lot of time explaining that spam doesn’t work. Spam doesn’t get delivered. It gets blocked. The senders get blacklisted. It’s the kind of things ISPs are actively looking to prevent their users from receiving. How successful do you think you can be, long term, if you’re sending something that ISPs are actively attacking?
Oh sure, you’ll get away with it for a while. That is until the feds show up at your door, and you start down a path that leads you to thirty years in prison. Or, you could deal with lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit.
But, set aside the legal aspects of it. You want people to open your emails, to buy from you, and to do that, you need to be able to get that email delivered. And that means not sending spam.
It seems simple, but not everyone sees it that way. As my boss Chip is fond of saying, “Hey, we're just trying to tell you what works. If we thought spam was successful, we'd be telling you to spam. It's not. That's why we're telling you otherwise.”
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by
Morgan Stewart
In today's Email Insider column, "Statistics, Lies, and Mathematical Literacy", I wrote about some of the common errors that I see in email marketing on a regular basis with regard to the use of statistics. Honestly, it scares me a little when different statistical terms are used incorrectly. It concerns me greatly when clearly bad statistics about email marketing or direct marketing are published and not widely scrutinized.
I believe we could brush up a little. Not convinced? Well try a few basic questions and see how you do:
1) What is the difference between "average" and "mean"? Mean and median? Median and mode?
2) Assuming a normal distribution, what percentage of cases fall within 1 standard deviation? Within 2 standard deviations?
3) What is a null hypothesis?
4) What is the name of the test for identifying significant differences?
I consider myself a "stats guy", having taken a lot of statistics both as an undergrad and in grad school. Even so, I am not embarrassed to say that the reference book used most often in my office is an old statistics textbook I bought at a used bookstore for $5.
Something similar, in combination with the book I wrote about in the article, "How to Lie with Statistics" should help you discern--and question when appropriate--the next time you hear something about averages and "significant" findings.
I believe we could brush up a little. Not convinced? Well try a few basic questions and see how you do:
1) What is the difference between "average" and "mean"? Mean and median? Median and mode?
2) Assuming a normal distribution, what percentage of cases fall within 1 standard deviation? Within 2 standard deviations?
3) What is a null hypothesis?
4) What is the name of the test for identifying significant differences?
I consider myself a "stats guy", having taken a lot of statistics both as an undergrad and in grad school. Even so, I am not embarrassed to say that the reference book used most often in my office is an old statistics textbook I bought at a used bookstore for $5.
Something similar, in combination with the book I wrote about in the article, "How to Lie with Statistics" should help you discern--and question when appropriate--the next time you hear something about averages and "significant" findings.
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by
Design Team
Question: How do I design for an SMS message?
Answer: Designing an SMS message is very different from designing an email. By nature - SMS is a text-only communication protocol that doesn't support rich content of any kind. This includes images, audio and video.
Unlike with HTML emails, there are no font choices, sizes or colors, to choose from with SMS - all of the text will display in the same format. In other words, the visual aspect of the message gives way to pure content. With SMS, your words are the only tool at your disposal to inform and engage your subscribers.
To make things even more challenging, SMS messages are limited to only 160 characters. Spaces and punctuation factor into character count, and exceeding 160 characters may result in a delivery failure or subscriber frustration. If you send a message that exceeds the character limit it will be broken into multiple messages. Subscribers will receive a disjointed communication (and may have to pay for more than one text message).
Each message should include QUIT and HELP options as well as make mention that "Standard rates apply" or "Other rates may apply." This information may take up approximately 60 of the available characters leaving only 100 for the branding of the program and the primary message/call-to-action.
Remember to choose your words wisely when "designing" an SMS message. With only 160 characters to work with, it makes creating an engaging and compelling message even more critical.
Tim Siukola, Senior Email Campaign Manager
Answer: Designing an SMS message is very different from designing an email. By nature - SMS is a text-only communication protocol that doesn't support rich content of any kind. This includes images, audio and video.
Unlike with HTML emails, there are no font choices, sizes or colors, to choose from with SMS - all of the text will display in the same format. In other words, the visual aspect of the message gives way to pure content. With SMS, your words are the only tool at your disposal to inform and engage your subscribers.
To make things even more challenging, SMS messages are limited to only 160 characters. Spaces and punctuation factor into character count, and exceeding 160 characters may result in a delivery failure or subscriber frustration. If you send a message that exceeds the character limit it will be broken into multiple messages. Subscribers will receive a disjointed communication (and may have to pay for more than one text message).
Each message should include QUIT and HELP options as well as make mention that "Standard rates apply" or "Other rates may apply." This information may take up approximately 60 of the available characters leaving only 100 for the branding of the program and the primary message/call-to-action.
Remember to choose your words wisely when "designing" an SMS message. With only 160 characters to work with, it makes creating an engaging and compelling message even more critical.
Tim Siukola, Senior Email Campaign Manager
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by
ExactTarget Marketing
Last weekend, I conducted my semi-annual "closet sweep." If you're a woman, you know what I"m talking about. Men, consider yourselves lucky that your fashion changes once a decade. As I rummaged through my closet, it was tempting to hang on to items I might possibly someday want to wear again. After all, you never know when that neon-yellow tube top might come back in style. But in the back of my mind, I kept repeating The Rule: If you haven't worn it in the past year, get rid of it. I ended up with three lawn & leaf bags full of clothes to drop off at my local Goodwill.
If you haven't used it in the past year, get rid of it. Those are wise wardrobe words. It's also a principle that is wise to apply to your email marketing program. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we launched ExactTarget Insight as a fresh new take on our eNewsletter program. With new design elements, a new logo, new content and a freshly-scrubbed subscriber base, InSight simply couldn't have been more stylish.
It's a year later, and InSight is evolving. Sure, we're still delivering the best resources you can find anywhere on 1 to 1 marketing (just check out the new Field Guide to SMS) and providing expert advise and best practices to improve your lives. But just as I reluctantly examined my closet with a critical eye, so too must I examine InSight.
Next month, you'll receive a different type of InSight. We're kicking off a re-engagement and preference campaign to continue to improve the quality of your newsletter. On its heels in October, we'll be unveiling a new look and content for Insight.
In September, engaged subscribers will have the opportunity to update your personal preferences and choose form a new menu of content choices. Unengaged subscribers will be asked to confirm their subscription to continue to receive InSight. Those who do not will be removed from our subscriber base to ensure we keep our deliverability high and do not risk being marked as "spam" by uninterested subscribers.
Much like the yellow tube-top, it's easy to want to hang on to InSight the way I know it and love it today. But ultimately, going through this "newsletter sweep" is a hugely important component of a successful email marketing program. In the spirit of the classic "little black dress," the core of InSight will stay the same. But like a great new pair of heels, a new InSight will be a welcome addition to my life.
Ashley
Manager, Marketing Communications
If you haven't used it in the past year, get rid of it. Those are wise wardrobe words. It's also a principle that is wise to apply to your email marketing program. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we launched ExactTarget Insight as a fresh new take on our eNewsletter program. With new design elements, a new logo, new content and a freshly-scrubbed subscriber base, InSight simply couldn't have been more stylish.
It's a year later, and InSight is evolving. Sure, we're still delivering the best resources you can find anywhere on 1 to 1 marketing (just check out the new Field Guide to SMS) and providing expert advise and best practices to improve your lives. But just as I reluctantly examined my closet with a critical eye, so too must I examine InSight.
Next month, you'll receive a different type of InSight. We're kicking off a re-engagement and preference campaign to continue to improve the quality of your newsletter. On its heels in October, we'll be unveiling a new look and content for Insight.
In September, engaged subscribers will have the opportunity to update your personal preferences and choose form a new menu of content choices. Unengaged subscribers will be asked to confirm their subscription to continue to receive InSight. Those who do not will be removed from our subscriber base to ensure we keep our deliverability high and do not risk being marked as "spam" by uninterested subscribers.
Much like the yellow tube-top, it's easy to want to hang on to InSight the way I know it and love it today. But ultimately, going through this "newsletter sweep" is a hugely important component of a successful email marketing program. In the spirit of the classic "little black dress," the core of InSight will stay the same. But like a great new pair of heels, a new InSight will be a welcome addition to my life.
Ashley
Manager, Marketing Communications
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by
Integration Team
Prepare for it: your marketing team will come running into your office. They’ll demand that you drop everything and start programming the API calls that power an SMS program. Sound familiar?
Their urgency is appropriate – as soon as an SMS application is submitted to the wireless carriers, companies have a small window of time to ensure that SMS programs are running as soon as possible to prevent delays in the testing phase of the campaigns. Delays in the API call programming can cause delays in the testing, and thus, the launch of an SMS program.
But because you’re the technical resource on the project, you’ll want to be ready to either to meet these quick turnaround demands, or with ask the right questions to assess that they’re not ready to go yet. Here’s where you start:
Likely, no amount of planning will prevent the marketing team from hovering over your shoulder as your program these API calls, but if you can ask the right questions and consider the three items above, you’ll be able to manage.
R.J. Taylor
Product Marketing Manager
Their urgency is appropriate – as soon as an SMS application is submitted to the wireless carriers, companies have a small window of time to ensure that SMS programs are running as soon as possible to prevent delays in the testing phase of the campaigns. Delays in the API call programming can cause delays in the testing, and thus, the launch of an SMS program.
But because you’re the technical resource on the project, you’ll want to be ready to either to meet these quick turnaround demands, or with ask the right questions to assess that they’re not ready to go yet. Here’s where you start:
- Request the SMS plan or strategy. The marketing team or SMS program owner has to complete an application for a short code, including the plan and exact wording for the SMS messages. This should include JOIN, HELP and STOP messages or messaging flows. Ask for it!
- Coordinate. Once in hand, program the API calls exactly as written in the application. You may identify some improvements or changes, but the smallest changes may or may not cause the wireless carriers not to decline approving the program.
- Be ready for more. It seems that no matter the level of planning, you can expect a few quick change requests from the marketing team as wireless testing begins. OK, this is true of any project, not just SMS.
Likely, no amount of planning will prevent the marketing team from hovering over your shoulder as your program these API calls, but if you can ask the right questions and consider the three items above, you’ll be able to manage.
R.J. Taylor
Product Marketing Manager
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by
Al Iverson
I get this question often: Why are my emails being reported as spam? I comply with CAN-SPAM, I send only to people who opt-in, and I think I'm doing everything right. What's going on? How can I possibly still be identified as a bad guy by the ISPs?
Well, here's why. Tamara Gielen capably summarizes the recent MarketingSherpa/Q Interactive survey that talks about why recipients report mail as spam. According to the survey, the top five reasons people report a message as spam are as follows:
Regardless of why recipients report your mail as spam, ISPs still count those votes against you. That's why it's up to you to ensure that you're doing all the right things, if you want to remain a sender in good standing. Failure to observe these best practice guidelines means you're far more likely to find your email blocked, filtered, or delivered to the junk folder.
Well, here's why. Tamara Gielen capably summarizes the recent MarketingSherpa/Q Interactive survey that talks about why recipients report mail as spam. According to the survey, the top five reasons people report a message as spam are as follows:
- Didn't sign up to receive email from sender (52%).
- Email received was not of interest (41%).
- Receive too much email from the sender (25%).
- Receive too much email from senders in general (20%).
- Found email offensive (15%).
Regardless of why recipients report your mail as spam, ISPs still count those votes against you. That's why it's up to you to ensure that you're doing all the right things, if you want to remain a sender in good standing. Failure to observe these best practice guidelines means you're far more likely to find your email blocked, filtered, or delivered to the junk folder.
Posted Monday, August 18, 2008 by
Al Iverson
Box of Meat points us toward this tidbit of information on anti-spam law in Viet Nam: Under a new anti-spam decree in Viet Nam, "[s]enders of spam e-mails and text messages which aim to cheat, disturb people, diffuse viruses, or advertise will be fined."
Posted Friday, August 15, 2008 by
Chip House
Anyone that has driven west across South Dakota knows about a little drug store called Wall Drug. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Drug Located in the diminutive town of Wall, South Dakota, Wall Drug is resident Ted Husted’s tourist destination through nothing less 50-years of brilliant self-promotion. The initial promotion started back in the 1930’s. As Wikipedia reports, “Business was very slow until his wife, Dorothy, got the idea to advertise free iced water to parched travelers along the road. From that time on business was brisk. Wall Drug grew into an enormous cowboy-themed shopping mall/department store.” By 1981 they reported serving over 20,000 cups of ice water per day, which is pretty impressive for a little town of 231 residents.
(If you haven’t heard of Wall Drug’s promotions, my friends further south tell me it is similar to the “See Rock City” campaigns for this icon in Chattanooga, TN).
I was reminded of Wall Drug recently while out driving in south-western Minnesota, some 500 miles from Wall, SD. They had a little road sign near the highway saying something like: “Been to Wall Drug lately?” By erecting billboards across neighboring states, Wall Drug has created itself as a destination. The closer you get to Wall on highway 90 the more billboards you will see. Nearly every mile or two you’ll see a billboard ranging from 2’ x 3’ to 50’ x 80’ reminding you to visit Wall Drug.
But, they also use their billboard strategy across the world. One billboard in Amsterdam read: “5397 Miles to Wall Drug.” That concept got me thinking, is it really effective to post a billboard over 5,000 miles from a brick-n-mortar store?
For the most part, the folks at Wall Drug are direct marketers. They have “profiled” me by the fact that I’m in a car driving toward Wall, likely a hot/stuffy one, and I just may need a break. They’ve exploited the fact that I’m probably weary of the repetitive (albeit beautiful) scenery of middle South Dakota. And, they’ve taken this a step further by posting signs in nearby states, assuming at some point I’ll be that guy in the car and I’ll need a break when I’m driving to Mount Rushmore. Also, they’ve taken that a step further by branding themselves across the globe, presumably such that future international tourists will stop on their way to Mount Rushmore to see what all the fuss is about.
In the automobile days of the 50’s throughout the 90’s a billboard was a great way to make an impact on a new audience. As Americans begin to drive less due to fuel costs, what will replace the Great American Billboard? Can email be the answer?
Since over 95% of the population uses email, it has developed the reach and importance in our daily lives to allow marketers to create an online brand that scales much beyond what you might predict, much like Wall Drug has using older methods. Here’s the difference, the reach is actually bigger and isn’t limited to likely buyers based on proximity or chance. In fact, the timely nature and targeting capabilities of an email program integrated with other web technologies brings us opportunities for customer interactions the world has yet to see. Take concepts such as “out of stock” notifications, or “single use coupons” delivered via email, for an example. This is like Wall Drug beaming a coupon to approaching cars or catching them on the way back from Rushmore with a “now in stock” message. Try that with a billboard!
My pal Morgan Stewart recently presented some of these concepts at eTail East 2008 in Washington, D.C., and the folks at catalog success wrote about it. Great stuff!
See: http://www.catalogsuccess.com/story/story.bsp?sid=115096&var=story&3970
(If you haven’t heard of Wall Drug’s promotions, my friends further south tell me it is similar to the “See Rock City” campaigns for this icon in Chattanooga, TN).
I was reminded of Wall Drug recently while out driving in south-western Minnesota, some 500 miles from Wall, SD. They had a little road sign near the highway saying something like: “Been to Wall Drug lately?” By erecting billboards across neighboring states, Wall Drug has created itself as a destination. The closer you get to Wall on highway 90 the more billboards you will see. Nearly every mile or two you’ll see a billboard ranging from 2’ x 3’ to 50’ x 80’ reminding you to visit Wall Drug.
But, they also use their billboard strategy across the world. One billboard in Amsterdam read: “5397 Miles to Wall Drug.” That concept got me thinking, is it really effective to post a billboard over 5,000 miles from a brick-n-mortar store?
For the most part, the folks at Wall Drug are direct marketers. They have “profiled” me by the fact that I’m in a car driving toward Wall, likely a hot/stuffy one, and I just may need a break. They’ve exploited the fact that I’m probably weary of the repetitive (albeit beautiful) scenery of middle South Dakota. And, they’ve taken this a step further by posting signs in nearby states, assuming at some point I’ll be that guy in the car and I’ll need a break when I’m driving to Mount Rushmore. Also, they’ve taken that a step further by branding themselves across the globe, presumably such that future international tourists will stop on their way to Mount Rushmore to see what all the fuss is about.
In the automobile days of the 50’s throughout the 90’s a billboard was a great way to make an impact on a new audience. As Americans begin to drive less due to fuel costs, what will replace the Great American Billboard? Can email be the answer?
Since over 95% of the population uses email, it has developed the reach and importance in our daily lives to allow marketers to create an online brand that scales much beyond what you might predict, much like Wall Drug has using older methods. Here’s the difference, the reach is actually bigger and isn’t limited to likely buyers based on proximity or chance. In fact, the timely nature and targeting capabilities of an email program integrated with other web technologies brings us opportunities for customer interactions the world has yet to see. Take concepts such as “out of stock” notifications, or “single use coupons” delivered via email, for an example. This is like Wall Drug beaming a coupon to approaching cars or catching them on the way back from Rushmore with a “now in stock” message. Try that with a billboard!
My pal Morgan Stewart recently presented some of these concepts at eTail East 2008 in Washington, D.C., and the folks at catalog success wrote about it. Great stuff!
See: http://www.catalogsuccess.com/story/story.bsp?sid=115096&var=story&3970
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