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Email Marketing Tips

Connections '09 - 1 to 1 Marketing Extravaganza

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 by Nicole Ross


I took this picture last year during ExactTarget's Connections User Conference keynote presentation. 1 to 1 email marketing gurus can get pretty darn excited, as you can tell. And no wonder! Last year we launched our online user community, ExactTarget 3sixty, and our new partner community, Extensions Network. Dozens of breakout sessions gave attendees advanced email tips, email marketing best practices, SMS marketing advice, and more. It was crazy wicked...

OK fine, I lied. There was no mosh pit at Connections...but there may as well have been. The buzz coming out of the keynote was infectious. And this year, it's going to be even better.

As a member of our marketing communications team, I get to help build out the keynote presentation given by CEO Scott Dorsey and COO Scott McCorkle each year. Basically, that means I'm getting a sneak preview of all the cool stuff attendees will hear about in October. Jealous? I don't want to give anything away, but for those of you that heard last year's keynote, get ready. This year's going to blow it out of the water.

If you haven't already registered for Connections '09, get on it. The conference sells out every year - especially the pre-conference training - so don't miss out!

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate
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Email Marketing Tip of the Week: Double Check Everything Before Hitting Send

Tuesday, August 11, 2009 by Megan Sabine
Sending Marketing EmailsWe've all been there. You have a deadline that is 10 minutes away, but you are still working on the creative. 9 minutes and 30 seconds later you are miraculously done with the email creative in time and you send it out into the world. A big sigh of relief, and then the sudden feel of dread. Did you remember to change the link, update the copy in the third paragraph, and update the subject line?

Last week I received a few emails with common mistakes. Whether it was a misspelling in the headline or they left a word out in the subject line, I sympathize with the person who hit send on that email newsletter.  Every email marketer has been there at one point, and if they haven’t – they will be.

When we (the email marketers of the world) spend endless hours with a communication, we are more likely to see what should be there instead of what is really there. And there is nothing more frustrating than spending that time with an email communication and something being off – even if we are the only ones who notice it.

So the next time you’re about to hit send on an email communication, check the links one more time and read the copy just one more time before you hit send and your work of art is out in the world. I’ve also been known to ask anyone who happens to be walking by my desk to read over it once before I hit send to get another set of eyes on it, you know someone who hasn’t been looking at the html of the email for the last 4 hours straight.

I may (or may not) have been the victim of not double checking everything in the past, but I can tell you that I triple check everything now. So be sure to check things twice before you hit the send button. Not only will you no longer feverishly check everything after you've hit send hoping you didn't forget anything, your subscribers will appreciate the extra effort.

For more tips on creating great one to one marketing emails, check out Email Marketing Design: The New Essentials.
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Email Marketing Conference Speaking Submission Deadlines Approacheth!!!

Friday, July 24, 2009 by Jeffrey Rohrs
I know that it's a bit early to be thinking about January & February 2010, but that's not the case if you have a great email marketing case study or presentation to share.  Both MarketingSherpa's Em@il Summit and the eec's Email Evolution Conference are looking for speakers, and their submission deadlines are FAST approaching. 

Here's the details

MarketingSherpa Em@il Summit & Expo 2010
January 20-22, 2010
Miami, Florida

MarketingSherpa's Email Summit & Expo 2010

SPEAKER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday, August 3rd
Submit Your Email Summit Speaker Proposal Here

EVENT NOTES: Joseph Jaffe will be keynoting this year's 5th annual Em@il Summit.  MarketingSherpa's conference differs from others in that all the speakers are either in-house practitioners or hands-on agencies sharing the latest & greatest email marketing tips and tactics.  If you want advice on what works in email and one-to-one marketing from the people on the front lines, this is the conference for you.

The eec Email Evolution Conference 2010
February 1-3, 2010
Miami, Florida

The eec Email Evolution Conference 2010

SPEAKER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, August 7th
Submit your Email Evolution Speaker Proposal Here

EVENT NOTES: Part of the DMA, the email experience council is the largest membership organization in the email marketing industry today.  This year's conference will feature a keynote from Pro Football Hall of Fame coach, Don Shula.  With its mix of client, agency, and ESP panels, Email Evolution provides a great forum for idea sharing, collaboration, and best practice debates.

Now, if you're very astute, you've picked up on the fact that if you get picked to speak at both of these events, you can effectively live in Miami from late January through early February.  As a resident Clevelander, I can think of far worse fates.

So, if you've got an email marketing case study, story or advice to share, get moving and submit your proposals to MarketingSherpa and the eec today!  I hope to see you at both events in 2010!

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Response to February Online Spending

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by Josh Colter
Seeking Alpha ran an interesting article last week on February online spending.  Here is a great summary quote:

“The online economy is reflecting what is happening in the broader markets,"said John Squire, chief strategy officer for Coremetrics. "Consumers are being increasingly selective about when and where they make their online purchases, which means that we can’t expect the online sector to power us out of this recession overnight. That’s why retailers are becoming more analytical about launching marketing programs that aggressively target consumers with personalized, relevant promotions designed to get them to open their wallets."

I couldn't agree more.  Yes, times are tough.  Yes, you need to be a wise steward of your resources.  However, the answer is NOT to maintain status quo and avoid new purchasing.  Instead, take a look at your marketing mix and determine how to aggressively target customers with personalized, relevant promotions to get them to spend money.  The answer probably is not to spend more - it is to spend differently.

By the way, ExactTarget offers a suite of tools and email marketing tips geared towards retail marketing communication including email, SMS, and voice.  A great place to start would be to learn more by downloading ExactTarget's email marketing almanac.
 


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Email Marketing Tips: Chris Dickey Took the Words Out of My Mouth

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 by Angela Khan

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  I stumbled upon a great article from Chris Dickey this morning.  Almost, as if he were speaking directly about how to use the ExactTarget 1-to-1 communications platform - http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=135269. 

He gives some great advice on how to measure engagement and trigger appropriate re-engagement campaigns, including the use of text and voice.  Once you've taken a look at the article, check out the laundry list of features below that can be used to set these campaigns up.  Every use case in his article can be simply executed upon with the ET application.  Enjoy!

Measures & Filters - automate the set up of these for triggered email campaigns and for generating relevant engagement subscriber lists....

Emerging Messaging Mediums - Text & Voice

Automated Interaction Management (AIM) - Schedule and pre-set filters and triggered messaging including text and voice based on user behaviors...

 

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Monday's Email Marketing Tip: When in Doubt, Just Ask...

Monday, March 9, 2009 by Angela Khan
I recently stumbled upon a Baynote product recommendations video on the Subscribersrule.com website and wondered why don't more retailers simply just ask their customers what they are searching for in the upcoming months.

With all the holiday and birthday activities that swirl around us on a weekly basis, wouldn't it be nice to just be asked what we want recommendations for in the upcoming months.  That way, when I need to buy something for a baby-shower, birthday, wedding, etc. I'll simply wait for the emails to come in and select which item I want to purchase from there.  Better yet, set up a series of recommendations over a period of time.  That way, each month, the subscriber knows how many more are coming.  For example, send an email with the title "Your Personal Shopper:  Series 1".  If you asked for a series of 8 emails over the course of the month, you'll know when your time is running out.

All you need to do is set up a simple survey to ask the subscriber what they want recommendations for in an upcoming period.  Schedule a filter to pull the category or product type subscribers are interested in.  Trigger an email with recommendations from a product feed and Wha-la!
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3sixty is the answer to Groundhog Day blues....

Monday, February 2, 2009 by Liz Farrelly
Today was Groundhog's Day.  What with all the Super Bowl hype, I think that a lot of people almost forgot!

On my way into work this morning, I was greeted with the news that Punxsutawney (try spelling that....thanks, Google) Phil saw his shadow.  That means 6 more weeks of winter before Spring comes out to play.  If I was a meteorologist, I would hate this day.  But, even just as an average citizen, I think I still hate it.  Why do I need confirmation that I am still going to be cold and (possibly) snowy for another month?  Thanks, Phil.

Ever feel like that?  Stuck, with no hope to an end?  Email marketing shouldn't feel that way, but every now and then we let ourselves get buried under so many details.  Should I do SMS marketing?  Where can I get email marketing tips?  And the list can go on and on and on....  Or, just feel like each day is repeating itself?  (See, that - I can throw movie references around too!)

We never want you to feel stuck, or like you keep waking up in the same place!  That is why we have 3sixty.  3sixty is your answer out of the doldrums, and into the sun.  We have resources, answers, ideas, and community members that want to help you get out of any cycle that you might be in.

So, maybe we have 6 more weeks of winter.  I can brush it off.  Just keep my 3sixty coming...


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February To-Do List - Join 3sixty

Monday, February 2, 2009 by Liz Farrelly
I forgot to pay my rent yesterday.  Rent is always due on the 1st of the month and I have been living at this place for 6+ months (not to mention the time in previous apartments where rent was also due on the 1st).

So what happened?  I am responsible, I have calendars, and I have never done this before....why now?

Well, there probably isn't a real reason that it happened yesterday.  Maybe I can blame the Super Bowl - but it was honestly just something that slipped my mind.  However, it certainly made me double-check my list of "to-do's."  You know - just in case I forgot something else important!

The beginning of the month is a great time to think about things that you want to accomplish in the next 30 days (or 28 as February might have it).  If you haven't taken the time to join 3sixty, add it to the list!  Do it today.  If you have joined 3sixty, but admittedly haven't taken the time to get familiar with the site, or look around, you should put that on your list.  The site is full of targeted email marketing tips and resources, great tutorials, and of course, other users just like you.

I know that we all have to-do lists longer than my arm....but I promise, 15 minutes on 3sixty will make your ExactTarget life easier over the month, and maybe free up some time for other things on that ever-growing list!
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Holiday Email Marketing Tips for Retailers

Monday, November 24, 2008 by Chip House
It is getting down to the final stretch for retailers, and Black Friday is just 4 days away! Are you a retailer looking for a way to differentiate your brand? I penned a byline for the folks over at Multichannel Merchant on this topic and they called it: "Five Ways to Differentiate Your Brand this Holiday Season."

The first tip flies in the face of what most retailers will do this season. The tip is: "Send More Relevant Rather than More Frequent." Unfortunately most retailers will ignore me and will increase their email frequency by at least one email per week starting about 11/20, much to the chagrin of their lifetime customer value. I can feel it already!

Check out the other tips too, such as leveraging tools like ExactTarget's live content to deliver targeted, single-use coupons to help drive your cross-channel sales, or promote popular items, then use live content to swap them out when quantities run low.

Happy Thanksgiving!
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