Client Success

As digital marketers, we tend to be laser-focused on generating more business and revenue for our company. But it's also important to have a content strategy in place, to ensure that you're providing your customers with truly relevant content and actively listening to what they are saying about your brand.

Social media is one important channel for businesses to interact with customers (and potential customers) in real-time.

Every compant is unique, and each company's messaging must be relevant and engaging to their unique audience. At the same time, it's important for social marketing efforts to...

There’s no question about it: email is the foundation of successful B2B marketing strategies.

In 2012, BtoB Magazine reported that 59% of B2B marketers rank email as the #1 tactic for generating revenue and predicted that in 2013 spending on email by B2B marketers would increase 65%. A big reason more B2B marketing budget is flowing to permission-based email is that 57% of marketers say email newsletters are their most effective tool for lead nurturing. (Source: MarketingSherpa 2013 Email Marketing Benchmark Report)

B2B Email Marketing at its Best
One brand that, in my opinion, is a best-in-class...

Looking to increase customer sales and their email subscriber list, Half Price Books initiated an email and Facebook campaign in February offering a coupon for their “Booklover’s Weekend.”

Using ExactTarget Email, SocialPages and SocialEngage, the retailer launched a “Booklover’s Weekend” Facebook tab offering fans an opportunity to receive a coupon, resulting in nearly 36,000 new email subscribers in one month.

Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana faced a common problem—not knowing who its shoppers were or how to connect with them outside of the in-store experience. The organization sought a way to collect data about its best customers—both shoppers and donors—build loyalty with a rewards program, and implement an active email marketing solution. 

Since launching the Goodwill Rewards program with ExactTarget in November 2011, Goodwill sends daily emails, including thank-you communications for donations made, member birthdays, and discount offers.

Success metrics include:

• Nearly 100,000 Goodwill...

Marketing is a contstantly challenging space, especially in the digital world where new channels continue to spring up without warning. Whether navigating social channels like Facebook and Twitter, or attempting to understand how mobile should be a part of 2013 strategies, connecting with the target audience is no easy task.

One company, however, has found great success in involving their young audience in the conversation. To learn more about how Cache was able to connect social and mobile at a key time in the year, check out the video below!

At ExactTarget, we’re passionate about our clients—they’re some of the best brands we know, and we’re often inspired by their dedication to the work they do. And Von Maur is an excellent example! From the company’s start in the late 1800s until now, Von Maur has always put their customers first.

If you’ve visited one of the retail chain’s stores, you know what I mean—impeccable service, inviting décor, musical ambiance, and top-notch products. And while the company’s perfected their signature “above and beyond” service in stores, Von Maur wants customers to experience the same great service...

Interviewing our clients and hearing about their email marketing success firsthand is one of the best parts of my job at ExactTarget—especially when those stories are as compelling as First Midwest Bank’s!

When people talk about the basic elements of a successful email marketing campaign, there are a lot of facets to consider—responsive design, relevant messaging, personalization, pertinent send time, and beyond. But one facet of a successful email campaign that many marketers regrettably overlook is deliverability. After all, no matter how great the email, if it doesn’t reach the inbox, it can’t be effective.

Which brings us to Sky Angel.

Sky Angel came to ExactTarget in 2007 after experiencing deliverability issues sending emails from their internal servers. As a faith and family television...

Whether you're just getting started with mobile optimization or you're a pro and need some tips to share with your colleagues, here are our top mobile design resources for email.

Report: Designing for the Mobile Inbox
Get strategic and practical advice to help you deliver content that’s easy to consume on any device in this new report on mobile optimization.

Case Study: CareerBuilder's Responsive Email Design Results
Learn how CareerBuilder optimized their email design and saw increases of more than 20% in click-through and more than 15% in open rates.

Quick Guide: Design Tips: Mobile + Email
This...

Download the case study now

Currently, a stunning 43% of all email opens occur on mobile devices, quickly overshadowing desktop opens (32%) and webmail opens (25%). Data from Litmus shows us that this percentage is up 38% in the last year alone. Basically, subscribers continue to use viewing environments that include many screen sizes:

• iPhone, Android, and tablets (mobile devices)
• Installed email programs like Outlook and Apple Mail (desktop)
• Email accessed through a web browser like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail (webmail)

This means that by a growing majority, subscribers are tapping and swiping instead...

Many companies have experienced the power and benefits of sending personalized email messages to customers and prospects. One organization in particular, Thomas Cook Group, has seen a tremendous increase in their email open rates, which in turn dramatically increased their sales.

So, who is Thomas Cook Group?
Thomas Cook Group is a global online and offline travel company with various retail brands, including Sears Travel and Thomas Cook retail stores. 

How did Thomas Cook use ExactTarget email?
The Thomas Cook retail stores used ExactTarget’s platform to allow their travel agents at each retail...

I recently had the chance to sit down with Charlie Shin (@CRMinSports), CRM & Fan Engagement Leader for Major League Soccer, at MLS league offices in New York. MLS just launched its 18th season on Saturday, March 2, and arguably has more momentum than at any time in the league’s history. With 19 teams currently taking the pitch and rumblings of expansion teams in markets like Miami and New York (would be a second team), this season is poised to be full of headline making moves.

Charlie shared the primary objective of his role is to build the fan base and increase engagement through utilization...

As a part of our Voice of Customer program, we're always innovating with new ways to delight clients and gather their feedback so we can continue to improve the ExactTarget experience. That's why we recently organized the first-ever company-wide Client Thank-a-Thon! 

The Thank-a-Thon worked just like it sounds: a drive to call clients and thank them for their partnership. Additionally, we targeted contacts who had not yet taken the Client Success Survey we had recently sent and asked for their time to complete it.

Over 30 non-client facing ExactTarget employees from teams across the company (HR,...

The Positive Coaching Alliance teamed up with High Five Marketing to fulfill the mission of providing a positive youth sports experience for thousands of kids across the United States. Their success led them to be recognized as a 2012 finalist for the ExactTarget Power of One Awards at Connections 2012.

THE POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE STORY
Seventy percent of kids lose interest in youth sports by the time they reach age 13. Volunteer coaches often don’t know how to teach beyond the Xs and the Os of the game to keep kids motivated and engaged.

That’s where the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)...

Forrester Research, Inc.'s January 2013 report entitled, "Top Ways to Combat Survey Fatigue" addresses the growing issue of companies bombarding customers with surveys—resulting in lower response rates, lower completion rates, and lower quality data. Our Client Experience Team took interest in this topic since we care a great deal about gathering client feedback but want to avoid over-surveying.

Achieving balance is an ongoing challenge, but here are some ways we try to make our Client Success Survey as streamlined as possible:

• Show how we use client feedback. We take pride in both using client...

Welcome to another edition of the Baer Facts. Today's discussion is around the new report released by SocialBakers in regards to 1400 new Facebook insights. Within the report, they talk about the increase in customer usage of Facebook as a customer question/customer service platform. We usually think of Twitter as a great tool to use for customer service but I think we are finding both platforms as worthy customer service tools.

Enjoy.

The process of buying a home can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. National home builder Clayton Homes is using ExactTarget’s Automation Studio, SocialPages, and email applications to transform the buying experience.

Clayton Homes launched a custom Facebook tab inviting fans to enter a weekly giveaway, and offering homebuyers the opportunity to subscribe to personalized emails featuring custom tips and professional advice based on their individual stage in the buying process. By offering personalized information, Clayton Homes is alleviating buyers' stress and improving the buying...

If a company is serious about video marketing, they might need the services of Wistia, a fast-growing online video hosting company.

Wistia hosts videos for companies so that prospects don't have to leave the site to view it or watch ads. By using Wistia, marketers get analytics on user behavior and interactivity with the video. If the video was a hit, and most people watched it straight through, perhaps the company will produce another one like it. If it wasn't successful, it's time to come up with a new concept.

If Client Experience (CX) experts are right, companies that use surveys heavily to monitor the opinions of their customers will find their effectiveness wanes over time. This “Decline of Surveys” was highlighted as the number one CX trend to watch for 2013 in a recent blog post by the Temkin Group.

As they point out, “As more companies thirst for customer feedback, the number of surveys has escalated. But there is a limit to customers’ willingness to complete surveys. As completion rates get more difficult to maintain, companies will become more efficient with the questions they ask, target...