New Whitepaper Available: Field Guide to Triggered Email.

As tempted as I am to write about multi-channel marketing this month, I’ve got a new resource for email marketers that’s just burning a hole on my desk right now.  So here’s my shameless plug for it.

On May 5th, ExactTarget launched our Field Guide to Triggered Email. One part whitepaper + one part nature pocket book, the Field Guide to Triggered Email is a great new tool for anyone who’s looking to better understand (and implement!) triggered email.  Here’s why:

  1. It’s easy to understand.  As we waded through the multitude of definitions, terminology and applications for triggered email, we felt compelled to provide clarity on the topic.  We figured that if the marketing team at an ESP was a tad confused (yes, that’s an admission of guilt), it was safe to assume other email marketers were confused about the different types of triggered email, too. The Field Guide is our answer to that confusion.
  2. It’s universal. Whether you’re already using triggered email or just looking for a way to get started, you’re definitely going to learn something.  Packed with thought-starters, there’s something for marketers in all verticals and situations.
  3. It’s fun. I know how tedious it can be to wade through “institutional” whitepaper research.  We say it’s time to break the mold and offer downloads that are both informative and enjoyable.  The Field Guide is our way of making the process of becoming a better email marketer a little more enjoyable.
  4. It’s green.  I mean the color green. We’re just starting to work secondary brand colors back into our marketing efforts after our brand relaunch last summer, and no one is more excited to see a splash of color than me!

And here’s how the Field Guide to Triggered Email relates to this month’s topic, Multi-Channel Marketing:

  • The Field Guide is being promoted on our website, Outlook footers, the client home page of our application, Lock & Publish emails provided to our sales team, etc.
  • It’s received rave reviews from our sales, services, and executive teams.  Take a look and you’ll quickly see this is perhaps the coolest resource we’ve created to date!
  • It’s been downloaded 300 times to date.

All modesty aside, those are not great results for an ExactTarget whitepaper.  Yes, we’re promoting it across multiple channels.  But there is a BIG missing piece for the Field Guide.  Email.  In any given month, we promote relevant new deliverables to 15,000+ subscribers via our InSight eNewsletter.  So when the launch date of the Field Guide fell between newsletter sends, we missed out.

The moral of the story? Don’t take email for granted.  No matter how many channels you’re using, no matter how appealing those “newfangled” channels may appear, no channel beats email when it comes to reach, relevance, cost and trackability. Had the Field Guide been promoted as part of last month’s issue on Triggered Email, the performance should have been right on par.  So we’re including it in the May InSight to keep extending its reach – and to provide another valuable resource for you.

Lesson learned.  Now go check out the Field Guide to Triggered Email to see what you’re missing (and help us give it the attention it deserves!).

Cheers,

Ashley
Manager, Marketing Communications