Everyone knows that I love to hear how our customers are using ExactTarget's application for their email marketing campaigns - especially when it is a great example of incorporating good design, call-to-actions, and cross sells - while still maintaining anticipated, relevant and personal content for subscribers. DineWise is a company that specializes in prepared gourmet meals delivered right to your door. They send both informational and promotional emails through ExactTarget. Check out this recent article on exactly what sets their emails apart.
ExactTarget is excited to offer 3sixty Live user group program. In the past week, ExactTarget customers from California, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Ontario and the United Kingdom have signed up to become members or leaders in their local cities. The user group program offers a local collaboration forum for 1 to 1 marketing strategies. Go to exacttarget.com/3sixtylive to learn more about the program and register to join the user groups. We're looking for members and leaders!
As a product marketing manager at ExactTarget, I collaborate with my team all time right in our office to brainstorm solutions to everyday marketing challenges. We realize that many digital marketers using ExactTarget are working independently for their company. But you're not alone! 3sixty Live is a great opportunity to join other users in your city to share best practices and collaborate with other savvy marketers about drip marketing campaigns, CRM email integration, and social media integration. Check out our video to hear more.
As a product marketing manager at ExactTarget, I collaborate with my team all time right in our office to brainstorm solutions to everyday marketing challenges. We realize that many digital marketers using ExactTarget are working independently for their company. But you're not alone! 3sixty Live is a great opportunity to join other users in your city to share best practices and collaborate with other savvy marketers about drip marketing campaigns, CRM email integration, and social media integration. Check out our video to hear more.
As part of Cloudmark's ongoing ESP outreach program, where they work to help spread knowledge and understanding of best practices and bad practices, Jamie Tomasello of Cloudmark spoke to the ESPC (Email Sender and Provider Coalition) group on March 2nd, 2010. ExactTarget is an ESPC member, so I listened in.
Cloudmark is a really big spam filterer, protecting over one billion mailboxes across 190 countries. Successful delivery of email to the inbox depends on passing successfully through Cloudmark filters at a lot of different receiving sites that matter, both B2C and B2B. That makes it important to understand what Cloudmark considers to be good practices and bad practices, as these perceptions are likely to drive their filtering decisions and affect your ability to get mail delivered (or not).
Jamie explained that in the eyes of end recipients of email, the definition of spam is changing. It's not so much just "do you have permission or not" as much as it is now "is the mail desired and wanted." The underlying statement there is that unclear permission, third-party permission, co-registration, etc. are not best practices, and are likely to cause deliverablity woes. As she indicated, these are mailing practices that have been defended in the past, but they're no longer defensible. ISPs and end recipients only want to let desired mail through. Is your mail desired?
Here are just a few of the Cloudmark-preferred best practices that Jamie mentioned on the call.
A lot of what was discussed is stuff that savvy ESPs (and savvy marketers) should know already. But, it's never a bad idea to remind folks of what the rules are, as new people and new companies enter the email space every day. I'm very glad that Jamie and Cloudmark are helping to raise the level of understanding of best practices among email marketers and their email service providers.
Cloudmark is a really big spam filterer, protecting over one billion mailboxes across 190 countries. Successful delivery of email to the inbox depends on passing successfully through Cloudmark filters at a lot of different receiving sites that matter, both B2C and B2B. That makes it important to understand what Cloudmark considers to be good practices and bad practices, as these perceptions are likely to drive their filtering decisions and affect your ability to get mail delivered (or not).
Jamie explained that in the eyes of end recipients of email, the definition of spam is changing. It's not so much just "do you have permission or not" as much as it is now "is the mail desired and wanted." The underlying statement there is that unclear permission, third-party permission, co-registration, etc. are not best practices, and are likely to cause deliverablity woes. As she indicated, these are mailing practices that have been defended in the past, but they're no longer defensible. ISPs and end recipients only want to let desired mail through. Is your mail desired?
Here are just a few of the Cloudmark-preferred best practices that Jamie mentioned on the call.
- At a minimum, compliance with CAN-SPAM. (Keeping in mind that CAN-SPAM is a starting point, not the finish line.)
- Following MAAWG Senders Best Communication Practices document.
- Implementing confirmed opt-in, also known as double opt-in, obtaining explicit permission confirming that every recipient really wants to be on your email list.
- Segmenting or segregating marketing mail from transactional mail. Making sure you're not trying to dilute stats or get away with something by mixing mail streams. (Spam filterers are smart and will figure you out.)
- Using consistent branding in content, sending domains, call to action domains, and reverse DNS.
- Sending from dedicated IP addresses.
- Utilizing feedback loop data to identify and solve problems. (What intelligence can you gather from the recipient response to the campaign? Don't just listwash.)
A lot of what was discussed is stuff that savvy ESPs (and savvy marketers) should know already. But, it's never a bad idea to remind folks of what the rules are, as new people and new companies enter the email space every day. I'm very glad that Jamie and Cloudmark are helping to raise the level of understanding of best practices among email marketers and their email service providers.
The below message was sent to all ExactTarget clients March 2, 2010. For additional information on the acquisition, visit www.ExactTarget.com/Connected
Today is a historic day for ExactTarget and our clients! We are taking an enormous step forward in helping you bring together all forms of interactive communications and drive deeper customer engagement by combining the power of email marketing and social media.
I am excited to announce ExactTarget has completed the acquisition of CoTweet, the enterprise leader in helping businesses connect with customers via Twitter. CoTweet is an amazing software company that powers the Twitter campaigns of big brands like Microsoft, McDonald's, Sprint, Ford, Dell, Pepsi, Whole Foods, Intuit, Salesforce.com, USA Today and Coca-Cola. CoTweet's Web-based collaboration platform provides a single dashboard that allows multiple users to track conversations, assign roles and create follow-up tasks through workflows and simple case management. As one of the earliest Twitter pioneers, CoTweet has developed one of the closest direct relationships with Twitter and has earned the trust and admiration of the social media world.
CoTweet brings tremendous social media capabilities to ExactTarget and will operate as a business unit of ExactTarget in San Francisco focused exclusively on social media product development. CoTweet Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jesse Engle will lead the team and report directly to me as we work to quickly invest additional resources to establish our Social Media Lab - where we'll develop new innovations to help you harness the collective power of CoTweet and ExactTarget to increase customer engagement. To learn how you can leverage the power of ExactTarget and CoTweet together, visit ExactTarget.com/Connected. Click here to start using the free beta version of CoTweet or visit CoTweet's enterprise innovator's page to learn how you can access richer analytics, conversation history and drive even higher levels of engagement with their enterprise edition.
Today's announcement is the realization of the continued evolution of interactive marketing. We look forward to working with the CoTweet team to deliver new innovations and help drive your business by bringing together the power of email marketing and social media. Thank you for your continued partnership.
Email Marketing Meets Social Media - ExactTarget & CoTweet from ExactTarget on Vimeo.
Today is a historic day for ExactTarget and our clients! We are taking an enormous step forward in helping you bring together all forms of interactive communications and drive deeper customer engagement by combining the power of email marketing and social media.
I am excited to announce ExactTarget has completed the acquisition of CoTweet, the enterprise leader in helping businesses connect with customers via Twitter. CoTweet is an amazing software company that powers the Twitter campaigns of big brands like Microsoft, McDonald's, Sprint, Ford, Dell, Pepsi, Whole Foods, Intuit, Salesforce.com, USA Today and Coca-Cola. CoTweet's Web-based collaboration platform provides a single dashboard that allows multiple users to track conversations, assign roles and create follow-up tasks through workflows and simple case management. As one of the earliest Twitter pioneers, CoTweet has developed one of the closest direct relationships with Twitter and has earned the trust and admiration of the social media world.
CoTweet brings tremendous social media capabilities to ExactTarget and will operate as a business unit of ExactTarget in San Francisco focused exclusively on social media product development. CoTweet Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jesse Engle will lead the team and report directly to me as we work to quickly invest additional resources to establish our Social Media Lab - where we'll develop new innovations to help you harness the collective power of CoTweet and ExactTarget to increase customer engagement. To learn how you can leverage the power of ExactTarget and CoTweet together, visit ExactTarget.com/Connected. Click here to start using the free beta version of CoTweet or visit CoTweet's enterprise innovator's page to learn how you can access richer analytics, conversation history and drive even higher levels of engagement with their enterprise edition.
Today's announcement is the realization of the continued evolution of interactive marketing. We look forward to working with the CoTweet team to deliver new innovations and help drive your business by bringing together the power of email marketing and social media. Thank you for your continued partnership.
This morning, I took one of the numerous bits of B2B spam that I received, and I replied to the sender. This time around, it was a staffing services company, looking to help me with all of my staffing needs. He's ready and willing to help me with all of my staffing needs in the aerospace, transportation, and defense verticals, just to name a few.
In my reply, I asked him where he got my email address. "Through the company website," he replied. That's odd, I thought. My email address isn't published on our website. So I replied, saying exactly that. He replied with, "Have you ever heard of Zoominfo?" Sure, I've heard of Zoominfo. I've previously blogged here that it's a bad idea to grow your list by working with companies like Zoominfo, Jigsaw and Netprospex.
Why? Let's use me as an example. If this guy really did get my email address from Zoominfo, he bought a useless record. I'm not a hiring manager, I don't buy from spam, and I spend a lot of time tracking spam and spammers. I can't be the only one in that Zoominfo contact database who has no interest in receiving exciting, valuable unsolicited offers for help with my staffing needs.
After I informed the guy that if he bought my address from Zoominfo, he ought to try to get his money back, he changed his story. Now he's quoting my online bio at me as if this is somehow proof of an opt-in (buh?), and saying he's going to report me for harassment.
So, it's hard to say if this data really came from Zoominfo or not, as this guy keeps changing his story. But I get an awful lot of B2B spam, and people have to be getting my email address from somewhere. What do you think, dear reader?
In my reply, I asked him where he got my email address. "Through the company website," he replied. That's odd, I thought. My email address isn't published on our website. So I replied, saying exactly that. He replied with, "Have you ever heard of Zoominfo?" Sure, I've heard of Zoominfo. I've previously blogged here that it's a bad idea to grow your list by working with companies like Zoominfo, Jigsaw and Netprospex.
Why? Let's use me as an example. If this guy really did get my email address from Zoominfo, he bought a useless record. I'm not a hiring manager, I don't buy from spam, and I spend a lot of time tracking spam and spammers. I can't be the only one in that Zoominfo contact database who has no interest in receiving exciting, valuable unsolicited offers for help with my staffing needs.
After I informed the guy that if he bought my address from Zoominfo, he ought to try to get his money back, he changed his story. Now he's quoting my online bio at me as if this is somehow proof of an opt-in (buh?), and saying he's going to report me for harassment.
So, it's hard to say if this data really came from Zoominfo or not, as this guy keeps changing his story. But I get an awful lot of B2B spam, and people have to be getting my email address from somewhere. What do you think, dear reader?
Today I had the pleasure of Twitterviewing Linus Gregoriadis, Research Director at Econsultancy about our collaborative research, Marketing Budgets 2010: Effectiveness, Measurement and Allocation Report.
There is alot of great info on email marketing and social media! If you missed the live version here's what we talked about:
@ExactTarget: According to the report marketers are shifting their budgets to digital channels. Why?
@LinusGreg: The shift to digital is an on-going trend. The wider use of online to boost brand reputation is giving this fresh impetus
ExactTarget: Would you say this was the biggest surprise coming out of the research?
LinusGreg: Yes. We expected ROI would drive the shift. Now seeing softer metrics along with harder financials driving digital spending
LinusGreg: Another surprise-a # of companies mentioned lack of training budgets for digital. Need ongoing training to succeed
ExactTarget: Were there any differences between marketers in the US and UK that caught your attention?
LinusGreg: Yes, more than a quarter (27%) of UK marketing budget is going digital, compared to only a fifth (20%) for US companies
ExactTarget: For marketers what should be the priority? On-site social media (blogs, ratings), or off-site social media (Social Networks)?
LinusGreg: There is no fixed formula for social media. The right mix of strategies, tactics and web sites depends on your business
LinusGreg: There is a lot of focus on Facebook and Twitter, but building Social Media into your own site is important. Use both!
ExactTarget: U found digital budget allocation is based on “more science than art” What's the impact on those still trying 2 track Social Media?
LinusGreg: Social Media has benefits that precede hard metrics. E.g., reputation must be good in order to sell. Tracking ROI will come.
ExactTarget: How important will brand management be in 2010 and how does social and email fit in?
LinusGreg: Brand management is more important than ever. Well-thought-out social and email strategies are integral to brand-building.
LinusGreg: Social media helps monitor what is resonating. Email is crucial for reaching out and maintaining ongoing relationships
ExactTarget: Lastly, what is the biggest challenge facing digital marketers?
LinusGreg: Staffing is a big challenge. Companies are short handed, which makes it difficult to spend time needed educating stakeholders
LinusGreg: But the real challenge is understanding what works and why ... and trying to explain in 140 characters ;-)
ExactTarget: Where can people go for more information on Marketing Budgets in 2010?
LinusGreg: The full report is @ http://bit.ly/marketingbudgets and free ExactTarget briefing with extra charts @ http://bit.ly/anwhlH
There is alot of great info on email marketing and social media! If you missed the live version here's what we talked about:
@ExactTarget: According to the report marketers are shifting their budgets to digital channels. Why?
@LinusGreg: The shift to digital is an on-going trend. The wider use of online to boost brand reputation is giving this fresh impetus
ExactTarget: Would you say this was the biggest surprise coming out of the research?
LinusGreg: Yes. We expected ROI would drive the shift. Now seeing softer metrics along with harder financials driving digital spending
LinusGreg: Another surprise-a # of companies mentioned lack of training budgets for digital. Need ongoing training to succeed
ExactTarget: Were there any differences between marketers in the US and UK that caught your attention?
LinusGreg: Yes, more than a quarter (27%) of UK marketing budget is going digital, compared to only a fifth (20%) for US companies
ExactTarget: For marketers what should be the priority? On-site social media (blogs, ratings), or off-site social media (Social Networks)?
LinusGreg: There is no fixed formula for social media. The right mix of strategies, tactics and web sites depends on your business
LinusGreg: There is a lot of focus on Facebook and Twitter, but building Social Media into your own site is important. Use both!
ExactTarget: U found digital budget allocation is based on “more science than art” What's the impact on those still trying 2 track Social Media?
LinusGreg: Social Media has benefits that precede hard metrics. E.g., reputation must be good in order to sell. Tracking ROI will come.
ExactTarget: How important will brand management be in 2010 and how does social and email fit in?
LinusGreg: Brand management is more important than ever. Well-thought-out social and email strategies are integral to brand-building.
LinusGreg: Social media helps monitor what is resonating. Email is crucial for reaching out and maintaining ongoing relationships
ExactTarget: Lastly, what is the biggest challenge facing digital marketers?
LinusGreg: Staffing is a big challenge. Companies are short handed, which makes it difficult to spend time needed educating stakeholders
LinusGreg: But the real challenge is understanding what works and why ... and trying to explain in 140 characters ;-)
ExactTarget: Where can people go for more information on Marketing Budgets in 2010?
LinusGreg: The full report is @ http://bit.ly/marketingbudgets and free ExactTarget briefing with extra charts @ http://bit.ly/anwhlH
Last week we released the Marketing Budgets 2010: Effectiveness, Measurement and Allocation Report done in collaboration with Econsultancy. We also released a 2-page brief on the study More Money, More Channels: Marketing Budgets in 2010.
Following a release like this, it is always enlightening to read feedback and questions that emerge in response to the data. Even better is when we can address questions or expand into related topics using data we already have available.
And such is is the case here. I ran across a comment last week on MarketingPilgram.com that gave us an idea. The comment? “I find summaries like this to be almost useless. It would be helpful to see results reported by industry-type.” Yes, ouch! Given that the report was already 50 pages long, we didn't include this information. But thankfully we can change that and Econsultancy has been kind enough to allow us to post this data on our site free of charge!
So now, when you register to download the research brief published by ExactTarget, you will also get a link to download a PowerPoint deck full of charts detailing the changes in marketing budgets by industry. There are over 30 charts in the deck broken out by channel (e.g., email, search, social, television), industry (e.g., retail, travel, publishing, etc.), and audience (e.g., B2C, B2B). Here's an example:
Clearly industry does play a role. Looking at retention email marketing budgets by industry, for example, we see huge discrepancies. While only 44% of travel companies plan to increase their email budgets in 2010, 71% of retailers plan to increase spending in this area.
Likewise, there is a significant difference in the changes in spending on mobile marketing depending on audience type. 66% of B2C marketers will increase mobile marketing budgets compared to only 44% of B2B marketers.
So Tom Kasperski, thanks for the comment and I hope you find the detailed information included in the additional charts valuable. Likewise, if anyone else has data they would like to see presented differently, please let us know by posting a comment!
Get the supplemental charts by registering to download our brief on the research project, More Money, More Channels: Marketing Budgets in 2010.
Following a release like this, it is always enlightening to read feedback and questions that emerge in response to the data. Even better is when we can address questions or expand into related topics using data we already have available.
And such is is the case here. I ran across a comment last week on MarketingPilgram.com that gave us an idea. The comment? “I find summaries like this to be almost useless. It would be helpful to see results reported by industry-type.” Yes, ouch! Given that the report was already 50 pages long, we didn't include this information. But thankfully we can change that and Econsultancy has been kind enough to allow us to post this data on our site free of charge!
So now, when you register to download the research brief published by ExactTarget, you will also get a link to download a PowerPoint deck full of charts detailing the changes in marketing budgets by industry. There are over 30 charts in the deck broken out by channel (e.g., email, search, social, television), industry (e.g., retail, travel, publishing, etc.), and audience (e.g., B2C, B2B). Here's an example:
Clearly industry does play a role. Looking at retention email marketing budgets by industry, for example, we see huge discrepancies. While only 44% of travel companies plan to increase their email budgets in 2010, 71% of retailers plan to increase spending in this area.
Likewise, there is a significant difference in the changes in spending on mobile marketing depending on audience type. 66% of B2C marketers will increase mobile marketing budgets compared to only 44% of B2B marketers.
So Tom Kasperski, thanks for the comment and I hope you find the detailed information included in the additional charts valuable. Likewise, if anyone else has data they would like to see presented differently, please let us know by posting a comment!
Get the supplemental charts by registering to download our brief on the research project, More Money, More Channels: Marketing Budgets in 2010.
“It’s not a problem until it’s a problem.” A great quote from a Product Manager at a leading SaaS provider who I met on the road last week. His company had invested significant man years of development to build their own email infrastructure back in 2006.
He pointed out, “At the time there weren’t any other viable options for us so we didn’t have a choice.” As their customer base expanded, the volume of email followed in an exponential way. Their email system had shifted from a competitive advantage to a liability with issues from system failures, constant maintenance, delivery problems and limited visibility to tracking data.
More and more technology driven companies are experiencing these kinds of pains with their in-house email systems. And the question rises once again, “should we build version 2.0 or leverage a 3rd party?” Working with hundreds of technology companies over the years, I’ve heard all sides of the debate. Underneath the market research, the gap analysis and financial models, the decision ultimately rests on time, money, resources and strategy.
Next week, I'll share a list of top level requirements we've gleaned over the years from our Partners. If you are thinking of becoming an email service provider on behalf of your customers, you'll want to stay tuned!
Maybe you’ve “been there done that” or perhaps you are just beginning your journey. Either way, we are interested in your perspective so please feel free to share your comments or contact me directly anytime.
Dennis - dhall@exacttarget.com (512) 423-0876 (24 x 7!)
He pointed out, “At the time there weren’t any other viable options for us so we didn’t have a choice.” As their customer base expanded, the volume of email followed in an exponential way. Their email system had shifted from a competitive advantage to a liability with issues from system failures, constant maintenance, delivery problems and limited visibility to tracking data.
More and more technology driven companies are experiencing these kinds of pains with their in-house email systems. And the question rises once again, “should we build version 2.0 or leverage a 3rd party?” Working with hundreds of technology companies over the years, I’ve heard all sides of the debate. Underneath the market research, the gap analysis and financial models, the decision ultimately rests on time, money, resources and strategy.
Next week, I'll share a list of top level requirements we've gleaned over the years from our Partners. If you are thinking of becoming an email service provider on behalf of your customers, you'll want to stay tuned!
Maybe you’ve “been there done that” or perhaps you are just beginning your journey. Either way, we are interested in your perspective so please feel free to share your comments or contact me directly anytime.
Dennis - dhall@exacttarget.com (512) 423-0876 (24 x 7!)
We at ExactTarget are proud to once again be the Exclusive Title Sponsor of the DMA’s Email Evolution Conference which kicks off on Monday, February 1st in Miami at the fabulous Eden Roc Hotel. Conference organizers tell me they are expecting a record turnout, and it’s easy to see why. This program is locked and loaded! And the lineup of speakers is off the hook.
Keynoting Email Evolution 2010 is Brian Harniman, EVP of Marketing and Distribution at Kayak. Harniman will offer a visionary look at the Kayak.com customer experience today and tomorrow with a focus on the role of email in relation to other channels.
Harniman will be one of many outstanding experts on email marketing including several ExactTarget clients and partners including Renee Middleton of Taco John’s, Kip Edwardson of Scotts Miracle-Gro, Andrew Kordek of Groupon, and Mike Corak of Mighty Interactive
The New Triangle Offense of 1to1 Marketing
If you want to see two outstanding examples of how brands are successfully using Email + Social Media + Mobile to attract and retain customers, plan to attend my session on Tuesday afternoon. I’ll be joined by Renee Middleton of Taco John’s and Kip Edwardson of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.
In our session, you’ll learn how marketers are:
Register Today and Save $200!
I think the Email Evolution Conference will be one of the BEST conferences on email marketing you will attend this year. So if you haven’t registered yet, do it now!
Call Barbara Cruz in DMA Customer Service at 212.790.1500. Or go to the EEC2010 Registration page, enter the special code BEST, and you will save $200.
See you in sunny Miami!
Keynoting Email Evolution 2010 is Brian Harniman, EVP of Marketing and Distribution at Kayak. Harniman will offer a visionary look at the Kayak.com customer experience today and tomorrow with a focus on the role of email in relation to other channels.Harniman will be one of many outstanding experts on email marketing including several ExactTarget clients and partners including Renee Middleton of Taco John’s, Kip Edwardson of Scotts Miracle-Gro, Andrew Kordek of Groupon, and Mike Corak of Mighty Interactive
The New Triangle Offense of 1to1 Marketing
If you want to see two outstanding examples of how brands are successfully using Email + Social Media + Mobile to attract and retain customers, plan to attend my session on Tuesday afternoon. I’ll be joined by Renee Middleton of Taco John’s and Kip Edwardson of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. In our session, you’ll learn how marketers are:
- Using Dynamic Content to personalize product information and offers to subscriber interests
- Using Social Forward to empower “brand fans” to expand message distribution to friends
- Using Mobile Messaging to accelerate response to offers and attract new subscribers
Register Today and Save $200!
I think the Email Evolution Conference will be one of the BEST conferences on email marketing you will attend this year. So if you haven’t registered yet, do it now!
Call Barbara Cruz in DMA Customer Service at 212.790.1500. Or go to the EEC2010 Registration page, enter the special code BEST, and you will save $200.
See you in sunny Miami!
As a fellow email marketer, I spent quite a bit of time in December determining what my 2010 resolutions were going to be. After finalizing my goals, I stared at my list…and then had a moment of panic. How exactly am I going to get everything done in 2010?!?!?
It was at that moment that I decided to make resolutions on how I plan to achieve my resolutions. (And yes, I’m aware that it’s a lot like having a meeting to discuss another meeting or having a plan to have a plan.)
I’ve got high expectations for the New Year and I won’t settle for anything less. Hopefully by using the sub-goals below (yup, I said sub-goals), I’ll have a completed to-do list on December 31, 2010. And in my eyes that’s reason enough to have goals for goals and meetings on meetings!
One slip up doesn’t mean I get to forget about that resolution for the rest of the year.
Like many of you, a big resolutions of mine is to test, test, and test some more with ExactTarget’s communications. Also like many of you, sometime the timeline doesn’t allow for the in-depth testing schedule I’d like. While those scenarios aren’t going to go away in 2010, the notion of “well I didn’t test anything on the last communication, so I’m not going to on this one either” will. Every time I have the opportunity to test, you can bet I will.
Set goals that are both challenging and attainable.
While I’m a big fan of setting high goals, I’m an even bigger fan of achieving my goals. Goals should be pushing you past the limits of your comfort zone and challenging you to reach the next level, but you shouldn’t be setting goals that have a zero chance of being met. If currently all of your email campaigns are a manual process, make one of your 2010 goals to automate 4 campaigns versus automating all of your campaigns. If none of your communications contain a social media aspect, resolve to have social media in your “bread and butter” communications.
Uncomplicating my complicated goals.
In the world of email marketing, it’s easy to make a scenario complicated very quickly. For example, you want your email communications to feed off of search history living in your website analytics while pulling in information from your CRM – all while conducting a multi-variant test. And the head scratching begins. Having a 360 view of how your subscriber is interacting with your company is a great 2010 resolution, but at the same time very daunting to tackle at once. It’s a lot easier to tackle one complex goal (think integrating your email with your web analytics) than attempting to tackle all of them at once. That’s why I’ll be setting quarterly goals that will keep me on track for achieving the bigger (and scarier) resolutions of 2010.
P.S. Stuck on what your 2010 resolutions should be? Our latest whitepaper, 5 Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010, takes the guess work out of the equation.
It was at that moment that I decided to make resolutions on how I plan to achieve my resolutions. (And yes, I’m aware that it’s a lot like having a meeting to discuss another meeting or having a plan to have a plan.)
I’ve got high expectations for the New Year and I won’t settle for anything less. Hopefully by using the sub-goals below (yup, I said sub-goals), I’ll have a completed to-do list on December 31, 2010. And in my eyes that’s reason enough to have goals for goals and meetings on meetings!
One slip up doesn’t mean I get to forget about that resolution for the rest of the year.
Like many of you, a big resolutions of mine is to test, test, and test some more with ExactTarget’s communications. Also like many of you, sometime the timeline doesn’t allow for the in-depth testing schedule I’d like. While those scenarios aren’t going to go away in 2010, the notion of “well I didn’t test anything on the last communication, so I’m not going to on this one either” will. Every time I have the opportunity to test, you can bet I will.
Set goals that are both challenging and attainable.
While I’m a big fan of setting high goals, I’m an even bigger fan of achieving my goals. Goals should be pushing you past the limits of your comfort zone and challenging you to reach the next level, but you shouldn’t be setting goals that have a zero chance of being met. If currently all of your email campaigns are a manual process, make one of your 2010 goals to automate 4 campaigns versus automating all of your campaigns. If none of your communications contain a social media aspect, resolve to have social media in your “bread and butter” communications.
Uncomplicating my complicated goals.
In the world of email marketing, it’s easy to make a scenario complicated very quickly. For example, you want your email communications to feed off of search history living in your website analytics while pulling in information from your CRM – all while conducting a multi-variant test. And the head scratching begins. Having a 360 view of how your subscriber is interacting with your company is a great 2010 resolution, but at the same time very daunting to tackle at once. It’s a lot easier to tackle one complex goal (think integrating your email with your web analytics) than attempting to tackle all of them at once. That’s why I’ll be setting quarterly goals that will keep me on track for achieving the bigger (and scarier) resolutions of 2010.
P.S. Stuck on what your 2010 resolutions should be? Our latest whitepaper, 5 Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010, takes the guess work out of the equation.
Twitter has revolutionized micro-blogging and ways users share content in real-time. Some believe that social media is more valuable than email, but I beg to differ, as both are powerful platforms and are different mediums of communicating. A great solution is integrating Twitter into your email campaigns to reach out to both audiences.
Why Twitter? According to Mashable, there was an estimated 18 million users on the popular micro-blogging site in 2009. Even with 60% of users quitting within the first month, there are roughly 7.2 million active users; untapped and perhaps not an email subscriber of yours. That’s a lot of people to reach out to. Twitter is a way to reach out to new users to: a) communicate with them outside the reach of email b) compel them to become an email subscriber.
Integrating Twitter to your email marketing campaigns will expand your presence and is very simple to set up. Here are a few ways to integrate Twitter in your email strategy:
Twitter integration
Twitter integration is currently an iLab feature and will be available to all ExactTarget users in the future, which will automatically post your email as a tweet to your company’s Twitter account. This is a simple and effective way to broadcast your message further; with the opportunity for your followers to re-tweet and share your email message.
Add social forwarding on your emails
The ExactTarget application provides a simple way to spread your email message beyond your lists with our social forward feature. Social forward will include buttons in your email message (Twitter is included as a ShareThis feature) which easily allows your subscribers to share your message. You will reach out to users who are not your subscribers; opportunity for new relationships.
Start a #hashtag
It’s amazing what people will do if you simply ask them. If you’re trying to reach out to your audience on Twitter, consider asking them to be an extension of your broadcast by starting a hashtag. For example, if Northern Trail Outfitters wanted to start a hashtag on Twitter, they could send an email asking subscribers to tweet with the hashtag “#NTO.” This begins a searchable discussion of content tagged “NTO.”
For a great example, check out Style Campaign’s blog post on how HBO’s True Blood used Twitter in their emails. This is a great way to utilize email to leverage your Twitter campaign.
Post content on your company Twitter account
Your presence matters. Regardless of the size of your company, start a Twitter account and open dialogue with the Twitterverse. Consider posting links, re-tweeting useful content and speaking with your followers. Set up a search and see what people are saying about your company.
Link to your Twitter account on every email
Again, your presence matters. Put a link to your Twitter account on the footer of your email messages; could be a button or simple link. Let people know you are there.
I want to conclude with a few reasons to use email in your marketing campaign, that doesn’t quite work on Twitter:
- Sometimes you just need more than 140 characters.
- HTML email will allow you to send your message to your subscriber’s inbox.
- Your Twitter posts can get lost in the timeline and be bumped out of the real-time stream.
For great insights on the rise of social media and its relation to email, check out our whitepaper, Expanding the reach of email with social networks.
Follow us on Twitter at @ExactTarget and @ETDesign.
Happy Tweeting!
Video in email is one of the most intriguing hot topics regarding email's technological growth and audience engagement capacity. Current support for the combined use of these mediums is low, but audience interest and advertiser investment in online video—and this type of media convergence—continues to grow. This blog recaps the major points I discussed in the "Email + Video: Take 2" panel at Connections '09. Please note that this blog centers on the technological considerations around email + video—the strategy around sending video in email (or not) is another discussion!
Online video
Online video, itself, is young—it only began to take root in 2005—but it's quickly become an integral part of our online lives. Discussed in conjunction with email, it's imperative to note that online video has already seen rough standards emerge (formats such as .mpg, .mov, .wmv, and .avi). Email, unfortunately, continues its history of little to no standards, and the emergence of video in email has created a new set of compatibility issues.
Current support for video in email
Today, there's a near complete lack of support for video across the major email clients. Sporadic support exists for some formats but the animated .gif is the only format reliably supported. Gif is a standard web image format and supports animation, though it's limited to 256 colors, does not support sound, and inconsistent frame rates are possible. It's hardly a true video format—which has given rise to some innovative, albeit workaround, solutions—but animated .gif images remain the best all-around option for including motion graphics in email.
There are also a few companies in the marketplace offering paid solutions to include video in email. These companies offer two main services: first, the technology to send video; and second, relationships with consumer email services (such as AOL and others) to allow the successful receipt of that video. However, the list of ISPs supporting these services is limited and should be researched. Lastly, HTML5 is around the corner and there are indications that it might open more options for including video in email.
Delivery methods
Embedding is occasionally mentioned and refers to actually inserting the video file or video code into the email itself, almost like attaching the video to the email. This is a workaround, represents a negative user experience in many ways, and is not recommended.
Part 2 of this topic will contain a look at benefits & concerns of email + video and give a few concluding thoughts. Part 3 will share some interesting customer experiences and discuss ExactTarget's animated and static .gif testing using Connections '09 emails.
Online video
Online video, itself, is young—it only began to take root in 2005—but it's quickly become an integral part of our online lives. Discussed in conjunction with email, it's imperative to note that online video has already seen rough standards emerge (formats such as .mpg, .mov, .wmv, and .avi). Email, unfortunately, continues its history of little to no standards, and the emergence of video in email has created a new set of compatibility issues.
Current support for video in email
Today, there's a near complete lack of support for video across the major email clients. Sporadic support exists for some formats but the animated .gif is the only format reliably supported. Gif is a standard web image format and supports animation, though it's limited to 256 colors, does not support sound, and inconsistent frame rates are possible. It's hardly a true video format—which has given rise to some innovative, albeit workaround, solutions—but animated .gif images remain the best all-around option for including motion graphics in email.
There are also a few companies in the marketplace offering paid solutions to include video in email. These companies offer two main services: first, the technology to send video; and second, relationships with consumer email services (such as AOL and others) to allow the successful receipt of that video. However, the list of ISPs supporting these services is limited and should be researched. Lastly, HTML5 is around the corner and there are indications that it might open more options for including video in email.
Delivery methods
- Streaming – video downloaded as it plays
- Linking – click through to externally hosted video
- Embedding – video data included in sent message
Embedding is occasionally mentioned and refers to actually inserting the video file or video code into the email itself, almost like attaching the video to the email. This is a workaround, represents a negative user experience in many ways, and is not recommended.
Part 2 of this topic will contain a look at benefits & concerns of email + video and give a few concluding thoughts. Part 3 will share some interesting customer experiences and discuss ExactTarget's animated and static .gif testing using Connections '09 emails.
We are going strong on our email marketing resolutions so far, and this week I got to sit down and Twitterview (a twitter interview) the one and only Joel Book, our Director of eMarketing Education.
In our latest whitepaper, Five Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010, Joel provides insights into how email marketers should get back to the basics in 2010.
If you want to learn more about getting back to the basics, or get more simple, step-by-step recommendations on how to achieve your 1 to 1 Business Email Marketing goals download
Five Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010.
In our latest whitepaper, Five Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010, Joel provides insights into how email marketers should get back to the basics in 2010.
1. ExactTarget: @joelbook In 2010 what is the one thing email marketers can to do get back to the basics? #ET2010
Joel: Develop “needs-based” strategy for delivering info & offers that are relevant to customers. Content relevance is key.
2. ExactTarget: How can marketers better leverage welcome emails?
Joel: Say “thank you” by offering a discount coupon for new subscribers. Or for B2B, provide a link to a popular whitepaper.
3. ExactTarget: We’ve seen a few folks talk about Preference Centers recently. Explain the #emailmarketing value.
Joel: Pref[erence] Centers make it easy for customers to identify their info needs/interests. Use this to personalize email content.
4. ExactTarget: What companies do you see getting ‘more juice for the squeeze’ with Social Forward?
Joel: Any company with “brand fans”! Social Forward makes it easy for subscribers to share. Nothing beats word-of-mouth!
5. ExactTarget: And lastly, How does getting back to the basics invoke the Subscribers Rule philosophy?
Joel: When you “serve” subscribers by providing useful information that aids their purchase decision or product
If you want to learn more about getting back to the basics, or get more simple, step-by-step recommendations on how to achieve your 1 to 1 Business Email Marketing goals download
Five Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010.
Recently, ExactTarget partnered with MarketingExperiments to explore how marketers can use data to make smarter email creative decisions. Researchers from both companies developed experiments to test the most effective creative executions as part of a special ExactTarget email redesign competition.On Wednesday, January 13th, join Andy Mott, Senior Manager of Research for MarketingExperiments, for a special web clinic where we will take you behind the scenes of this competition that pitted three agencies against each other to create emails for Pier 1 Imports, AAA of Ohio, and MarketingExperiments.
You’ll see “before and after” designs, and learn why you may be leaving money on the table by not testing your email and corresponding landing page.
Register today to attend this special web clinic:
Maximize your Agency ROI: How adding science to the creative process reveals a 26% gain in email response!
Wednesday, January 13, 2009
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
I admit it. I am, at heart, a gamer. I always have been. I always will be. I got hit by the bug early in high school with AD&D and it hasn't left me since.
I am also opposed to spam, in its many forms. Unfortunately, sometimes these two things intersect and one of the things has to give way. I'm pretty sure you can figure out which one it is. You may think I'm talking about Zynga, but I'm not. Although their games have had to give way recently because of their practices. I'm talking about another game.
Guild Wars. I bought Guild Wars back when it came out and have played it on and off over the years. I even bought some expansions and was going to get GW2 for a Christmas present. Every once in a while, they send me a newsletter, even though I unsubscribe every time. I have now unsubscribed more than five times. I send them a nice email each time, explaining why this is bad and a violation of CAN-SPAM. I even get a personal response saying they won't do it again. Then I get another just when I'm about to start hoping that it's ok to start supporting them again. The most recent one was the day before I went Christmas shopping.
I am heartbroken. I love my games. Don't look at me like that! There are worse vices that I could have, like underwater basket-weaving or tai chi skydiving. Fortunately, there are a lot of other game companies that get it. I'll give my money and time to them instead.
We just completed the first 'Twinterview' in a series we'll be doing with some of our experts on email design, deliverability, education and research from our latest resource, Five Resolutions Every Marketer Must Make in 2010.
Here is how it went down:
Here is how it went down:
ExactTarget: @jkrohrs - What’s the most important resolution for email marketers in 2010? #ET2010
jkrohrs: @ExactTarget In 2010, email marketers should resolve to actually meet their best subscribers face-to-face.
ExactTarget: You talk about customer feedback in the whitepaper, what’s the best way to get it?
jkrohrs: No "best way" for customer feedback. Seek it wherever possible. Start conversations. Meet in person. Survey.
ExactTarget: What brands do a good job of engaging customers to get feedback?
jkrohrs: Amazon, Zappos, Apple. But there's a lot to learn from local companies who depend on WOM to survive.
ExactTarget: How should everyone's favorite topic, Social Media, fit into marketers’ new year’s resolutions?
jkrohrs: Be authentic. Passionate marketers are best at social media. Not passionate about your product? Change jobs.
ExactTarget: And last but not least! How does the Subscribers Rule philosophy play into all of this?
jkrohrs: The @SubscribersRule philosophy reminds us all that consumers--subscribers--are our bosses. Serve them well.
You can check it out yourself by searching #ET2010 (where Jeff also add's some color commentary on his authentic avatar), and read more on Jeff's 2010 resolution.
You can check it out yourself by searching #ET2010 (where Jeff also add's some color commentary on his authentic avatar), and read more on Jeff's 2010 resolution.
"Should we build or partner?” Executives around the world and across industries have to make this call on a daily basis. A little more than a decade ago companies routinely built their internal business applications, like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Inventory Management systems. I still have nightmares about a custom CRM application we deployed in the early 90s...
However, with the proliferation of technology, most notably open source code and software as a service (SaaS) applications, an executive would be thrown out of the boardroom today for suggesting a 6 or 7 figure project to build CRM over adopting salesforce.com, Siebel OnDemand or Microsoft CRM Online (and tens of other applications per vertical per industry!).
For commercial technology companies, this is a more acute (and contentious) issue. How can you justify acquiring technology from another company when building it is part of your core business? There are Engineers just sitting there waiting to build the next cool thing! Well, there is no question that developers can build most anything if given the time and resources, but these are finite commodities often overwhelmed by demands surrounding core product development and innovation.
At ExactTarget, we’ve built a business dedicated to partnering with technology companies in order to solve this challenge – ExactTarget Embedded. As Bryan mentioned in “2009 in Review”, we are seeing strong demand from technology providers, especially in the Computer Software, Direct Marketing Services and Commercial Printing verticals. The primary motivators for these companies include satisfying customer demand, achieving competitive advantage, increasing market share + revenue, and reducing COGS.
To support your decision process in 2010, we’ll share a series of articles around the topic of “build vs. partner”, including a deep dive into leading technical requirements, go to market business models and partner case studies across industries.
We welcome your input and look forward to an interactive discussion!
Dennis
However, with the proliferation of technology, most notably open source code and software as a service (SaaS) applications, an executive would be thrown out of the boardroom today for suggesting a 6 or 7 figure project to build CRM over adopting salesforce.com, Siebel OnDemand or Microsoft CRM Online (and tens of other applications per vertical per industry!).
For commercial technology companies, this is a more acute (and contentious) issue. How can you justify acquiring technology from another company when building it is part of your core business? There are Engineers just sitting there waiting to build the next cool thing! Well, there is no question that developers can build most anything if given the time and resources, but these are finite commodities often overwhelmed by demands surrounding core product development and innovation.
At ExactTarget, we’ve built a business dedicated to partnering with technology companies in order to solve this challenge – ExactTarget Embedded. As Bryan mentioned in “2009 in Review”, we are seeing strong demand from technology providers, especially in the Computer Software, Direct Marketing Services and Commercial Printing verticals. The primary motivators for these companies include satisfying customer demand, achieving competitive advantage, increasing market share + revenue, and reducing COGS.
To support your decision process in 2010, we’ll share a series of articles around the topic of “build vs. partner”, including a deep dive into leading technical requirements, go to market business models and partner case studies across industries.
We welcome your input and look forward to an interactive discussion!
Dennis
Industry analyst Forrester Research released the “Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Service Providers Q4 2009” report Dec. 23 and named ExactTarget at the front of the email marketing leader pack. While it’s a monumental achievement in our business and highlights our relentless pursuit of innovation and service, the real credit goes to you - our customers. ExactTarget was the only vendor evaluated to score a perfect 5 out of 5 in the customer category – an aggregate rating of customer satisfaction, customer diversity and number of customers. I’m humbled by the resounding vote of confidence our customers shared, and I am energized to drive even greater levels of customer satisfaction and customer ROI in 2010.
When we founded ExactTarget, we set out on a clear mission – help companies build relationships with their clients. Forrester’s report shows we’re well on our way to achieving that goal. In fact, Forrester awarded ExactTarget perfect scores in 6 of the 14 categories evaluated. What’s even more exciting is we out-performed or tied our closest competitor in 11 of the 14 categories, including current offering, technology platform, services and customer satisfaction.
Thank you again for your resounding confidence in ExactTarget. I look forward to delivering new and exciting innovations in 2010 to help you further drive ROI from your ExactTarget partnership.
Best,
Scott
When we founded ExactTarget, we set out on a clear mission – help companies build relationships with their clients. Forrester’s report shows we’re well on our way to achieving that goal. In fact, Forrester awarded ExactTarget perfect scores in 6 of the 14 categories evaluated. What’s even more exciting is we out-performed or tied our closest competitor in 11 of the 14 categories, including current offering, technology platform, services and customer satisfaction.
Thank you again for your resounding confidence in ExactTarget. I look forward to delivering new and exciting innovations in 2010 to help you further drive ROI from your ExactTarget partnership.
Best,
Scott
As reported on the local news in the bay area on Monday night, Yahoo will be closed from December 25th through January 1st.
"Yahoo is shutting down from December 25th to January 1st and if employees are out of vacation time, it will be an unpaid week off.
"Yahoo told their employees this summer, most of the 13,200 employees around the world will be forced to take the time off.
"They are ending the year the way they started it -- trying to cut costs. Yahoo executives laid off about 700 people earlier this year and got rid of some products. Now, the Sunnyvale company is shutting down operations for a week, but this move doesn't shock technology analyst Rob Enderle." -- KGO TV, San Francisco
I'm passing this along as a heads up to ExactTarget clients. Our deliverability services will be around in the week between the two holidays, but keep in mind, we likely will not receive any response from Yahoo on any outstanding issues during this time. Also keep in mind that other ISPs are probably also understaffed due to holiday vacations.
"Yahoo is shutting down from December 25th to January 1st and if employees are out of vacation time, it will be an unpaid week off.
"Yahoo told their employees this summer, most of the 13,200 employees around the world will be forced to take the time off.
"They are ending the year the way they started it -- trying to cut costs. Yahoo executives laid off about 700 people earlier this year and got rid of some products. Now, the Sunnyvale company is shutting down operations for a week, but this move doesn't shock technology analyst Rob Enderle." -- KGO TV, San Francisco
I'm passing this along as a heads up to ExactTarget clients. Our deliverability services will be around in the week between the two holidays, but keep in mind, we likely will not receive any response from Yahoo on any outstanding issues during this time. Also keep in mind that other ISPs are probably also understaffed due to holiday vacations.
One of the first things that a subscriber sees before opening an email is the subject line. This is a critical moment where your subscribers have the choice to delete or open (or dare we say it – hit this Spam button). If you want your subscribers to read your email, it’s important to have an effective subject line. Here are some tips:
Length - Most ISPs show about 60 characters in a subject line. If your subject line is longer than 60 characters make sure it makes sense when trimmed around 60 characters. It’s also a good idea to list the most important information first.
Entice - The subject line should intrigue the subscriber to know more. With that being said, also make sure the subject line doesn’t over deliver. The subject line should re-enforce what is in the email.
Separation - There should be something separating your subject line from the 100s of others in the subscriber’s inbox. One interesting way to do this is by adding Unicode characters.
Spell Check - This sounds like an obvious one, but it needs to be done.
Don’t Sell - Don’t sell in your subject line. Instead, tell the reader what is inside the email. On that same note, you should also avoid using spam trigger words. These are phrases like Free!, Click Here, Call Now, You’re a Winner, Collect, and Cash Bonus. This will also help improve your email deliverability.
Make it Personal - Making emails personal is the foundation for 1 to 1 Email Marketing. Not only should the email content be personalized, but so should the subject line. Consider adding things beyond the basics, like the subscribers name, to your subject line. For example use pervious purchase information, preferences, and other data you have about the subscriber.
Be Quite - DON’T SHOUT! All caps can be a Spam trigger. Regardless of that fact, no one wants their inbox shouting at them. It’s also a good etiquette to avoid using unnecessary exclamation points.
Name Tag - Research by Jupiter has shown that "including the company name in the subject line can increase open rates by up to 32 percent over a subject line without branding."
Compare - See what subject lines other people in your industry are using. This is a great way to get new ideas for your emails. There are many blogs out there that track the subject lines in marketing emails.
From Name & Pre-Header Text - The subject line is not the only thing the users see before deciding to open your email. Make sure you have an effective and consistent from name and pre-header text that complements your subject line.
Test, Test, Test - Something as simple as an A/B split test can identify the effectiveness of new subject lines. Try something new, but don’t forget to test it.
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