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Email Marketing Research

Distributed Email Marketing (Build vs. Partner series)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Dennis Hall
“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!)

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Now That’s Smart! Volvo Construction Equipment Uses Email Marketing to Help Dealers Sell Refurbished Equipment

Monday, August 3, 2009 by Joel Book

Volvo Construction Equipment N.A. Inc. sells a wide array of new and used construction machinery through its network of 70 North American dealers. These dealers sell everything from Skid Steer Loaders, to Pipelayers, to Highway Pavers. And these machines are used in a variety of industries including construction, forestry and waste management. The dealers also take trade-in equipment that is refurbished and re-marketed to other customers.

 

Like other construction equipment companies, Volvo started to see sales slowing over the past year due to the recession. That’s when John Johnston, Manager of eBusiness Marketing, decided to take a look at how the company could begin using email marketing to help its dealers move used equipment off their lots. Selling used machines not only improves dealer cash flow, it also provides an opportunity to attract new customers to the dealership.

 

Using focus groups and surveys, Johnston got input from Volvo dealers and customers. He also studied the latest research on email marketing best practices for the construction equipment industry. Then, Johnston worked with ExactTarget’s Design Services team to redesign the company’s B-to-B e-newsletter for dealers to make it more engaging and improve response.

 

In addition, Johnston began using ExactTarget's content syndication feature to automate production of Volvo’s email program for used equipment remarketing. Using ExactTarget’s content syndication, Johnston captures the HTML from its online inventory Website and automatically populates its email marketing messages without having to manually enter inventory data or other information.

 

The results?

  • Volvo’s redesigned email newsletter for dealers generated 15% more click-throughs on articles.
  • Using ExactTarget’s Content Syndication feature, Johnston reduced overall build time of Volvo’s remarketing emails for end-users by more than 50 percent.

Karen Bannan of BtoB Magazine recently interviewed John Johnston about Volvo Construction Equipment’s email marketing strategy. You can read her article at BtoB Online.

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Marketing to Senior Citizens

Monday, July 27, 2009 by Teresa Becker

In a world where technology is ever evolving, it's no wonder most senior citizens choose to avoid technological devices almost completely. Okay, to be fair, there are a few that completely negate this statement. Take the 80-year-old minister we met in Cincinnati on our Catapult Email Marketing research project. Not only did he have a laptop, he used iTunes on a regular basis and even downloaded e-magazines. But, statistics show he's the exception.

According to a recent article, only 28% of senior citizens use the internet on a daily basis. In contrast, 90% prefer to talk with friends and family in person. Some companies, such as Jitterbug, have specifically targeted the older generation with their easy-to-use technology devices. With limited capabilities and few accessories, Jitterbugs have proved successful. So what are some other ways we can bridge the generational technology gap?

  • Mobile reminders for prescriptions and appointments through SMS or voicemail
  • Simplified internet browsing with reduced functionalities and magnified screens
  • Make adaptation simpler - training at the store, help-line, etc.
Technology isn't going anywhere. In fact, it seems our generation and perhaps a few well-versed baby boomers are the only ones that can keep up with the fast-paced changes. Let's show other generations the value of technology by relating on a more personal level with technology that helps in daily life.  

Learn More: See how the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association balances a multi-channel marketing effort.

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Ideas from the Global Sales Meeting

Friday, July 24, 2009 by Shelly Griffin

Today was the first day back to work after 3.5 days spent at ExactTarget's annual Global Sales Meeting.  It's time each year to pause from the day-to-day - meet up with peers that you haven't seen for a while, learn about new features/functionality, and share success stories - both from the sales team and from our clients.  Personally, hearing how our clients use our application and drive ROI is the best part.  As always, I have gathered tons of ideas that I can't wait to implement now that I am back in the office. When it comes down to it, getting back to basics with email marketing is often a key theme with our clients.  This was reiterated in the keynote address from David Daniels of Forrester Research.  Many email marketers do not employ basic or sophisticated segmentation:

  • Few leverage attributes either within the email itself or for list segmentation
  • Only 1/2 use click-through data from previous email marketing offers in the planning of new campaigns

 Remember to check out ExactTarget's Email Marketing Resource Center for more ideas.


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Julie Katz and Stefan Tornquist at Connections... Survey Says!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Morgan Stewart
ExactTarget is in full swing preparing for Connections 09. If Malcolm Gladwell, Marlee Matlin, They Might Be Giants, and Second City aren't enough, then how about a panel aimed at sorting through reams of email marketing research? (Okay, that may be a bit of a stretch.)

This week I have received confirmation from two of the industries most trusted experts on email marketing that they will be participating in the "Survey Says!" breakout session on Day 2. Stefan Tornquist from Marketing Sherpa and Julie Katz from Forrester will join me Wednesday October 14th with one goal--extracting the research insights that matter most when developing your 1 to 1 marketing plans!

If you haven't signed up for this event yet, register before July 10th to get a $200 discount.

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Email List Growth: Stay Away from the Dark Side

Thursday, June 18, 2009 by Morgan Stewart
Building your email list can be a real challenge. In our recent List Growth Study we evaluated 18 different tactics for building email lists. Among the tactics evaluated was co-registration. Among non-organic list growth tactics (tactics that involve the marketer going out to find subscribers as opposed to organic tactics which capture information from consumers who have initiated contact with your site, call center, store, etc) co-registration faired well.

Unfortunately, co-registration is a catch all phrase for anything that involves soliciting potential subscribers on a website other than your own. As such, it may be one of the more loaded terms in email marketing.

I recently came across this great example of how NOT to do co-registration. From this example believe you will agree that the process only benefits one party—the vendor running the program (in this case a company called JoeTec Networks Inc.) Everyone else loses. Customers lose and brands lose.

It all started with a free IQ Test.



They are up front about being an advertising supported site. In fact, in the fine print of the site states “To get your IQ Results you will be required to sign up to our site and view some of our advertisers promotions. You are not required to signup for or buy any of our advertiser's products.”

They are even more transparent in their privacy policy. Here are a couple selections from that page:

Solicited Email:
Company only sends email to individuals who have agreed on the Websites to receive email from Company or to individuals who have agreed on third party websites to receive email from third parties such as Company. Company does not send unsolicited email messages. As a result, statutes requiring certain formatting for unsolicited email are not applicable to Company's email messages.

Third Party Email:
When you fill out one of our forms, you are consenting to receive e-mail that informs you about new merchandise, sales, special discounts and promotions from us and our trusted 3rd party partners. If you wish to discontinue receiving these emails you will need to click the opt-out hyperlink at the bottom of the email.

JoeTec MAY sell or transfer individual information to trusted third parties for any legaly permissible purpose at its sole discretion.

In essence, once you give them your email on any form, you’re inbox is toast. This is the perfect example of where visitors would do well to read the privacy policy. Assuming they understand what they are actually signing up for, I cannot imagine many would continue at this point. Fortunately, I have an unlimited number of junk mail addresses that I can use for this type of research on email marketing. And so I continued to take the test.
 
Once complete, the forms started. Remember the promise on the first page “You are not required to signup for or buy any of our advertiser's products.” Well it is not true if you actually want to get the results. As you can see, I tried to select no to all of the offers presented to me and I was informed this was not allowed.



So, I completed it and got this form…

 

Many of these are notable brands. Worse still, some of those brands had their own forms requiring me to sign up for their deals or else the process would terminate and I wouldn’t get my test scores.

 

After no less than 15 pages with multiple offers and another 15 or so forms from specific companies, I finally got my IQ Test score. Apparently my willingness to submit myself to this abuse made me dumber. The score I got was a full 40 points lower than any other score I have ever received on an IQ or similar test.

But now for the consequences. In the two months that have passed since I ran this little experiment, that mailbox has received over 400 email messages. That is 200 a month, or an average of about 7 email messages per day.

A few smart brands have only sent one email to that address asking me to confirm my subscription. I received approximately 20 of these in the first week and I did not respond to any of them. Why? Not because I wasn’t interested, but because I was overwhelmed.

A few other brands continue to send email to that address. They are now on my “do not do business with” list. If companies can’t pay attention to the company they keep, then I don’t want to do business with them.

Don’t play with your companies reputation. If you are going to try co-registration (or any other non-organic list growth tactic), you need to work with experienced and reputable providers that understand the principles of true permission.
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Determining Email Content for Different Audiences

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by Angela Khan

The fact that one-to-one marketing is critical to email success is old news. So why are so few doing it?  Many find it hard to decide how to tailor and personalize content. I’ve always been a big fan of taking ideas to the streets, so I ask you– how do you approach content decisions when determining relevant content for your audience segments?

Great campaigns are executed outside the box, so I say ask the people what they want! A great example is the approach Toyota took when launching the Tundra in 2007. They first identified vertical demographics in construction, hunting, fishing, farming, and the outdoors. Before deciding exactly what to say to these consumer segments, they made a list of major events related to each segment. Toyota attended these events, documenting anything from the color of trucks driven by attendees, down to the beer the enthusiasts drank during the events. 

Many clients are realizing how important it is to tailor messages and how easy it can be to personalize email. Yet others are still missing the opportunity to leverage features that can make the creation of highly-relevant emails much easier, such as Dynamic Content. What’s the hold up? The biggest concern isn’t the cost or maintenance of the email, but is deciding what content to put in the emails and how varied target segments should be. The solution can vary depending on the industry, but the key is to first sit down and define your target audiences. Then be creative when gathering market research as you determine how to personalize your emails.

I’ve put together a quick list of top questions to help you get started in defining your target segments.  Print it out, meet with your team, and get creative!
 

  • How do you define your brand? Are you known as an innovator? Are your products known for their high safety ratings? What is it that your customers remember you most buy and does it vary across age groups, geographic location, etc.? Should the message to each of those groups look different?
  • Have you identified every attribute stored about these various customer bases from all data sources? Are you sending based on geo-graphic location, gender, age, categories of interest, favorite color, life-style, etc.?
  • Is there a personality that resonates well with each of your target segments that you could carry through to other content areas? Think real or non-real. Heck– create them from scratch!
  • Certainly along the way, there have been lots of customer surveys telling you exactly what your customers want. How can these be tied into the content creation?
  • How can you make brand extensions work for personalization efforts? Look at products already launched successfully via email and determine if perhaps, product recommendations along with personally identifiable attributes could be leveraged together for multiple content areas.
  • How does each of these email variations tie back to various ROI metrics? Tip:  Don’t rely on just one metric– identify many. Just because one metric was successfully met or unmet doesn’t mean the send was or wasn’t successful. And don’t forget to measure against short-term and long-term metrics.

Download the Dynamic Content for Email Marketing Whitepaper and learn how companies such as Ice Miller, Scott’s Lawn Care, and Nexus Energy Group have leveraged the power of one-to-one messaging using Dynamic Content.
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Tongue-tied?

Friday, March 21, 2008 by ExactTarget Marketing

Writing whitepapers reminds me of being married.* You try hard to develop an important relationship -- but you don't always know the right thing to say.

Take our March ExactTarget InSight topic for example: Email Marketing Design. When we decided to write an email marketing design whitepaper outlining best practices, tips & tricks, and industry trends, we were about to be tongue-tied.

As we began researching for Email Marketing Design: The New Essentials, we abruptly arrived at a fork in the road. Were we writing for marketers? Or designers? Marketers certainly have a vested interest in message performance -- and design's a big factor. But should we really leave designers out in the cold? After all, they're on the front-lines of creativity and rendering.

To be honest, we were a little stumped. We just didn't know what to say.

And then it came to us. Compromise (oh Bill would be proud!) -- the answer to every marital dilemma. We would write for both audiences -- marketers and designers! If you've already downloaded the whitepaper, you'll notice the layout's a bit different. Readers are guided to color-coded content based on their interests.

Orange for marketers; green for designers.

So, whether you're wondering where to place your call-to-action to drive the most conversions -- or looking for information about designing for Lotus Notes, you've come to the right place.

Download Email Marketing Design: The New Essentials -- and remember, till death do you part.

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate

*Based on The Family Man and The Cosby Show. But, whatever.

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