Opt In Email Companies

As we head into the busy summer travel season, travel brands will be looking for ways to connect with consumers. Of course, brands are constantly chided to avoid over-communicating with their opted-in subscribers. Even after consumers have subscribed to your brand's email or chosen to "like' you on Facebook, your brand's connection with them remains tenuous, because they can break off the relationship at any time.

A major temptation for some brands is to over-communicate with customers, inundating them with offers, deals, product news, and just about anything else that marketers believe could...

In my last post, "Are You Narrowing Your Shopping Experience to a Single Channel?", I explained how interacting with shoppers in the same way regardless of channel could produce a bad user experience, and that retailer may be missing out on an opportunity to personalize the user experience for the “next best offer” for a particular channel.

In this post, we'll look at how non-targeted or blast emails could be causing increased opt-outs, more un-engaged subscribers, and a poor user experience.

#3 Way Retail Marketers are Leaving Money On the Table: Sending Non-Targeted or Blast Emails

Sending the...

The Marketing Sherpa Email Summit is heavily focused on providing attendees with takeaways to apply in your marketing as soon as you get back to the office--or even before.

The conference provided best practices and real-life examples for the lifecycle of your email campaigns, starting with list acquisition. Matt Byrd of WeddingWire used his presentation to highlight a topic that is extremely helpful, but also stressful for marketers: removing unengaged subscribers from your lists. This topic was recently highlighted by Al Iverson but I wanted to share Matt's experiences as he took on this...

Everything was going fine. You had set up your email marketing campaigns properly, all of your subscribers were double opt-in, you were sending emails on the right frequency, and your content was exactly what you had promised.

As far as you knew, people loved this stuff.....

But then, out of the blue, Gmail and the other ISPs started blocking your emails! But why? Why? Because those subscribers aren't interacting with your email anymore. They've become disinterested. They've become what are now known as 'the un-engaged.'

Just sending email to your subscribers isn't good enough

Just sending email...

In researching our recent report, Marketers from Mars, we found that the majority of marketers and consumers are generally positive about the way the internet is evolving to benefit consumers. When it comes to issues of online privacy, over three quarters of both marketers and consumers agree that it’s a big concern.

However, our research suggests that the root causes for privacy concerns differ between marketers and consumers. Marketers’ concerns tend to stem from their knowledge about the amount of data that’s available online. Consumers’ fears tend to originate from a lack of knowledge about...

I recently read an article on TFB (The Future Buzz) which argued against the principle of using simple communications to reach out to the mass of your customers. I must admit, I wholly agree with assuming that you have a smart base of customers! It is definitely apparent that "dumbing down" messages does not guarantee that they will be engaged with by everyone, especially in today's digital age of smart and service-focused consumers.

The same blog post argues that using generic and simple messaging can portray your brand as "cheap" and "untrustworthy." I am not a businessman, but I am sure...

About 18 months ago, I blogged about some impending changes to cookie laws in the EU, and potential ramifications for marketers. As it turns out, those laws didn't cause the world to end, some Governmental sites weren't even compliant, and to this date I do not believe the legislation has been truly enforced on any individual or organisation.

That being said, the latest proposed updates to the EU Data Protection Regulations have potentially much more widespread impact for all marketing, and indeed any company which handles or processes customer data.

If the legislation were to be passed in its...

Permission-based email has become the foundation of successful one-to-one marketing, and a company's database of email subscribers is one of its most valuable assets.

And with good reason! As our 2012 Channel Preference Survey revealed, 66% of US online consumers report making at least one purchase that was triggered by an offer received via email. And for BtoB marketing, nothing tops email for aiding the customer’s buying decision. In a 2012 article, BtoB Magazine reported that 59% of BtoB marketers say email is their most effective channel for generating revenue.

At the recent 2013 MarketingShe...

ExactTarget’s February 2013 release went live over the weekend, and several exciting enhancements and additions joined the cast.

The Welcome Series Playbook is now available via the Interactive Marketing Hub

Welcome series campaigns are critical players in the interactive marketing industry. They greet customers, and are often the first impression for a company’s email marketing. Subscribers tend to be most engaged at the point of opt-in, and the recently released Welcome Series Playbook makes it easy for marketers to act on this in a few simple steps. Take a few minutes and read about the Welcom...

When you’re just starting to put your mobile strategy into action, email is probably your bread and butter for reaching customers. At this stage, using mobile to beef up your email list is a good first step—but there’s plenty more you can do to get your mobile program off the ground!

Here are some ideas to help jump-start your mobile efforts during the first few months.

Grow your email opt-in list via mobile. If gaining email opt-ins is your goal, then create plenty of opt-in opportunities via text message—like, “Text JOIN and youremail@address.com to 12345 to subscribe to our program”—or add an...

If there was ever a sporting event that didn't need another pixel devoted to its promotion, it is the Super Bowl. From its humble beginnings in front of 62,000 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (100,000 capacity, mind you), the "Big Game" has ballooned into a worldwide phenomenon that commands $4 million per 30-second advertisement. Marketers, of course, watch from start to finish--not so much for the game, although it has been super of late--but for those advertisements.  And we in the digital marketing space have paid particular attention to see if and when brands would finally realize...

Today’s tip is similar to yesterday’s use case, and it provides another great opportunity to build your subscriber base. The difference is the channel in which you deliver your communications—instead of email, you send an SMS message!

STRATEGY OVERVIEW:
If you’re looking to transform your mobile messaging program, launch an outbound (mobile-terminated or “MT”) SMS messaging program. This type of program is the first step in delivering targeted, timely, and contextually relevant marketing communications to a subscriber list via text message.

Companies or organizations looking to launch a mobile...

At Connections this year we recognized over 30 companies as finalists for our Power of One Awards. The marketing team from Blinds.com, a leading retailer in the window blinds and shade business, was recognized as a finalist for their "Entice and Engage" campaign that generated 175% growth to their email list. Featured below is a summary of how Blinds.com went about achieving these phenomenal business results.

THE BLINDS.COM STORY

The Blinds.com team wanted to grow their email list with engaged prospects that could be reached across a number of platforms—not just email. The team knew that...

In this #InspiredMarketing blog series, we are sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. In today’s post, Kip Edwardson from Scotts Miracle-Gro shares his thoughts.

Get the Picture(s)!

As a fan of the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings, I’ve been wrong more often than not when it comes to predicting the future. If I was right, my teams would have at least five Lombardi Trophies apiece. And I never did marry Drew Barrymore like I told everyone...

This week, I'm presenting a series of posts that reveal some of the top things consumers want from marketers—backed by solid, statistical data—plus real, actionable recommendations to help you improve your cross-channel marketing program.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, then read on for today's tip!

TIP #3: Consumers want to know you care

Regardless of channel, our research shows that one thing consistently drives customers away: communications that somehow demonstrate you don’t care.

As we discovered in SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS #8: The Social Break-Up, the concept of “caring” is...

As email marketers in the US, we are all familiar with local privacy laws like the CAN-SPAM Act. When it comes to doing business outside of the US, do we know exactly what guidelines we need to follow to avoid being fined for a violation of privacy?

Germany has one of the strictest privacy laws in the world. Its Federal Data Protection Act governs how subscriber, customer, and traffic data is obtained and distributed, and requires consent to sell or use any contact details for a marketing purpose. Because this is the data email marketers work with on a daily basis, it is imperative to...

Happy Birthday to SMS! On this day 20 years ago, Neil Papworth sent the phrase “Merry Christmas” from his computer to the Orbitel 901 handset of Vodafone’s Richard Jarvis, and so began the great SMS race.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “In the developing world, where smartphone penetration is low, SMS remains a key technology, enabling mobile money transfers, the sending of alerts on weather and planting advice for farmers, and distribution of health information for consumers. Globally, SMS traffic is continuing to grow and stood at 7.4 trillion messages in 2011, up 44% from the year...

It isn't a mystery that email list growth is important. The majority of companies are investing money in the development of campaigns and strategy that heavily rely on email. This 

 In an ExactTarget SUBSCRIBERS, FANS, & FOLLOWERS report released earlier this year, 66% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as a result of receiving an email. Despite the growth of mobile and social channels, email is the channel consumers choose when it comes to driving revenue and ongoing engagement with brands.

1. Make a list of your five most common customer touchpoints and audit each to ensure you’re...