Select tests that make an impactThere are an infinite number of tests you can perform, but here is a quick list of some test concepts we have seen produce actionable results: Subject Lines: While subject line testing is probably not going... More

Select tests that make an impact
There are an infinite number of tests you can perform, but here is a quick list of some test concepts we have seen produce actionable results:
 

• Subject Lines: While subject line testing is probably not going to be the biggest impact to the business, it's certainly a great place to start with its ease of execution. The test is simple, randomly assign two or more subject lines and measure response on the backend. Make sure you keep your key success metrics in mind. A quirky subject line may produce more opens, but if it doesn't drive more revenue it may not be a winner.
  
  
• Sense of Urgency: Creating a sense of urgency around the offer/call-to-action can produce outstanding results. Classic examples of "urgent" language include "Only 2 Days Left" and "Ends Soon" - - anything that contributes to the subscriber acting now. This is one of the first tests that should be executed when developing a new email program.
  
  
• Call-to-Action:  Having a clear call to action is an essential part of all email messages. Where you can really drive the business forward is testing different call-to-action tactics. Examples include testing different call-to-action "buttons" and testing the call-to-action placement within the message.
  
  
• Multi-series Messaging: Multi-message streams can be tested in content, number of messages in the stream, and timing. This is an area that can really stretch the imagination of your Marketing Team - - the sky is the limit with testing!

 
Fit testing into your marketing calendar
To adopt a consistent approach to testing, it needs to be something you commit to and don't de-prioritize. Consider developing a 12 month test calendar to keep yourself on track. Identify a handful of items you want to test during each quarter, and then add them into your marketing calendar to keep track of your goals, test execution dates, when it's time to analyze your results, and key findings.
 
Finally, acknowledge that all of your tests will not work. This is part of the continuous learning cycle. Test your theories, analyze your results, draw conclusions, and then move on to the next opportunity.
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Most marketers understand the value of periodically testing a new product or strategy, but testing should be a regular part of your email program. It's easy to become complacent with testing, especially if your program is performing well. But adopting... More

Most marketers understand the value of periodically testing a new product or strategy, but testing should be a regular part of your email program. It's easy to become complacent with testing, especially if your program is performing well. But adopting a consistent approach to testing will ensure that you understand the impact of changes you are making to your program over time and that you are committed to continuous learning.
 
Here are some key things to keep in mind as you evaluate your own testing approach:
 
Define your goals
Testing without defining your goals is a sure way to waste your time. Make sure you clearly define what you are trying to learn. Are you trying to increase conversion? Are you trying to increase open rates? Are you trying to increase engagement or clicks? Create a list of questions you want to answer and then use that as a starting place for building your plan.
 
Make sure you can measure results
Before you execute a test, make sure you have the tools in place to measure response. You may need separate revenue tracking codes for test cells, or you may need to apply a special code to test records so you can separate results. Figure this out in advance and you will save yourself a headache on the backend.
 
Make sure your test is significant
First, make sure your test sample size is large enough to produce actionable results. Since program response varies, there is not a magic number of records to test, but there are calculators you can use to determine if your test sample size is statistically valid. Second, make sure that your test is different enough from your control to produce actionable results. For example, if you are testing subject lines your probably will not see a significant difference in response if you only change one or two words. Differences need to be more drastic to be measurable.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week to learn more about selecting tests that make an impact and the importance of consistent, regular testing.
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According to a recent survey published by eMarketer, nearly 54% of consumers surveyed help friends or family members with purchase decisions, and more than 40% share advice based on information they have read online. So how can you encourage your... More

According to a recent survey published by eMarketer, nearly 54% of consumers surveyed help friends or family members with purchase decisions, and more than 40% share advice based on information they have read online. So how can you encourage your email subscribers to join the conversation about your brand? Here are some simple tips to help you harness brand advocates with email and use that information to influence purchase decisions.

Include Forward to a Friend (FTAF) or Share with your Network (SWYN) feature in email messages with strong viral content. Sharing features are most effective for promotional messages with great deals, limited time offers or new product announcements. 

Send a post-purchase product review. The most effective examples I have seen are sent within two weeks following product delivery and include dynamic content reminding the consumer what they purchased.
 
Here are some recent examples from my own inbox:
Macy's
GAP

Crate&Barrel
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You probably have access to web analytics data that allows you to identify customers who have recently visited your website. This data can be used to create highly targeted follow up messages to increase conversion. More

In Part 1, we introduced triggered messages and transaction communications.  Part 2 presents even more strategies to increase your email marketing response rates.

Web Analytics Triggers
You probably have access to web analytics data that allows you to identify customers who have recently visited your website. This data can be used to create highly targeted follow up messages to increase conversion. For example, you can develop a triggered message to be sent to email subscribers who abandon their shopping carts without making a purchase. Or you can send educational messages to consumers who browse specific product categories to help them make a purchase. Sometimes all it takes is a friendly reminder, or a well timed offer to push consumers over the purchase hurdle.
 
Key Events
Special dates and events are the perfect time to send personalized communication to your email subscribers, and most of the information you need to set up the triggers is probably already in your database.  Examples of date driven triggered messages include:

• Welcome to the email program
• Happy birthday
• Email anniversary
• Seasonal purchase reminders

This isn't an all encompassing list of triggered messaging possibilities, but I think it is a good place to start. Once you start adding more triggered messaging into your marketing strategy, you will see an increase in your overall response rates and succeed at delivering more relevant content to your subscribers. 
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Want to increase response? Introduce more triggered messages If you are looking for ways to maximize your email program response and increase conversions, consider introducing more triggered messages to your marketing strategy.  Triggered messages are typically automated campaigns based on consumer... More

Want to increase response? Introduce more triggered messages
 
If you are looking for ways to maximize your email program response and increase conversions, consider introducing more triggered messages to your marketing strategy.
 
Triggered messages are typically automated campaigns based on consumer behavior or key events, like a purchase, website visit, or a special date. Since these events are relevant to consumers, they generally produce the highest response and conversion rates of all email campaigns. And since they are automated, they require limited resources and are easy to maintain.
 
While you are planning for 2010, ask yourself if you are communicating with consumers at all relevant touch points. If you don't have one already, I recommend creating a visual roadmap of your email marketing program to identify opportunities to add new messages triggered from consumer behavior.
 
Here are some campaign ideas to consider while you build your plan:
 
Transaction Messages
Transaction messages are an important part of a consumer's online shopping experience. As long as marketers ensure the transaction information is top priority (and get approval from their legal counsel), there is a great opportunity to introduce engaging marketing content to transactional messages following purchases or product registration. Some tactics to consider include:

• Add a website navigation bar in your transaction message template
• Cross-sell in purchase and shipping confirmations
• Invite consumers to join your email program
• Thank consumers for their purchase and provide an incentive to buy again
• Invite consumers to review their purchase

Stay tuned next week for Part 2: utilizing web analytics triggers and key events to increase your email program's response rate.
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The best computing solutions are patterned after biology - they have the ability to quickly adapt and learn in response to stimulus. Similarly, some of the most intriguing musical performances have the same qualities More

Like all biological life forms, they have the innate ability to quickly adapt to their surroundings in response to stimulus.  To adapt, but also learn and evolve.

By comparison, the best computing solutions are patterned after biology - they have the ability to quickly adapt and learn in response to stimulus.  Similarly, some of the most intriguing musical performances have the same qualities.

Take for example, the song "Quadrant 4", from Billy Cobham's Spectrum album. (Go to iTunes and download it, then continue.)  The song is based on one of the most familiar, basic patterns in music: the blues.  Yet the four musicians take this most basic of formats, blues in 4/4 time (four beats to a measure), and twist it into something entirely new - largely in response to each other - all at breakneck speed.

The first minute is an improvised keyboard and drums segment.  The ambidextrous drummer, Billy Cobham, plays like a speeding locomotive: both feet and hands churning away with mind-boggling speed and precision.  At the 0:57 second mark, you'll hear him and the keyboardist playfully mimic each other as they head into the main section of the song.

At the 2:50 mark, you'll hear a perfect example of adaptation in response to stimulus - the guitarist goes off on a rhythmic and melodic tangent, and the drummer instantly adapts in a very complex 6-second game of "follow the leader".   Not something you could exactly predict, or maybe even understand, but the result? "Wow."

In the end, what they did was take a familiar structure (4/4 blues), adapt it in real time, and create something deeply personalized and compelling on the spot.

An elite few interactive marketing software solutions have this same ability: to take something basic and familiar (an email marketing message, website, microsite, social media communication, etc.), receive real-time campaign feedback stimulus, and then adapt, learn and continually evolve it - all in real time, at breakneck speed.  Yesmail has such a solution, one that has received a patent for its universal ability to dynamically adapt and learn as it personalizes interactive media channel content. Examples of this real-time "situational awareness" stimuli that can be received from the targeted audience are:

- What time is it where the email or webpage is being opened?
- Where is the viewer of the email or webpage when it is being opened?
- What is the weather like at that location?

Those are just a few examples of how this solution - similar to our musician friends - can create something highly personalized, relevant and compelling on the spot.

You'll be hearing a lot more about this innovation in the weeks to come.  I'm pretty sure it will make you say, "Wow." Less

This morning CNET had an article on how Spam now accounts for 90.4% of all email sent. The report from Symantec is clearly reputable and I'm sure based on very scientific data. That being said, I was surprised by how... More

This morning CNET had an article on how Spam now accounts for 90.4% of all email sent. The report from Symantec is clearly reputable and I'm sure based on very scientific data. That being said, I was surprised by how 'un-surprised' and really un-phased I was by the percentage. Perhaps it is because I like most individuals have become numb to the daily exercise of upon login selecting the 'spam' that I see and deleting it. I've actually felt that my own percentage of spam has decreased over the past few months. Perhaps that is due to our corporate spam filters or simply due to my ability to delete the messages faster - thus paying less attention to them.

The overall point being that as individuals continue to become numb to spam -- real spam -- the spam that you know you did not subscribe to and that is unintelligible in its design and offer -- we as marketers need to heighten our own efforts to ensure that our email campaigns do not suffer the same fate; that of numbness to respond.

What are you doing to ensure your subscribers do not become numb?
- Have you re-designed the creative for your campaigns?
- Have you adjusted your overall strategy (targeting, content, subject lines, delivery times)?

Or are you in a rut of send on x day - same day, same time, same content, same subscribers, same generic offer, etc...

Beware the rut of numbness! If you need help getting out of the trap, let me know.

To see the full article from CNET, see below:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10249172-83.html  Less

Sometimes we hit the 'send' button before we intend to do so. One would assume that was the feeling generated at the Academy Awards today when they sent the email below with the subject line:"TEST HTML Email for Membership Mailing"To... More

Sometimes we hit the 'send' button before we intend to do so. One would assume that was the feeling generated at the Academy Awards today when they sent the email below with the subject line:

"TEST HTML Email for Membership Mailing"

To be quickly followed by a "Correction" email - sent very quickly, as in 24 minutes after the original send...

Below are both emails for posterity:

First email - note the broken images and incorrect subject line - don't forget to TEST!

Second email - "The Correction"

Of course there was a third email which featured the appropriate subject line and images that functioned; however, we'll leave that one out.




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CircuitCity.com sent a "re-launch" email today announcing the re-launch of their website under new ownership. The email campaign does a nice job of accomplishing several items facing a company coming out of bankruptcy under new ownership; including:Branding: Consistent use of... More

CircuitCity.com sent a "re-launch" email today announcing the re-launch of their website under new ownership. The email campaign does a nice job of accomplishing several items facing a company coming out of bankruptcy under new ownership; including:

• Branding: Consistent use of the Circuit City brand and a nice introduction of the new brand - Systemax. I also like the treatment of the "Re-launch Announcement" - it is descriptive and clear.
  

• Letter of Introduction: Nicely embedded letter explaining to the subscribers why they are receiving the message, what happened, and what to expect moving forward.
  

• Subscription Info: Clear language depicting why the new brand is mailing the subscriber and what they can do if they'd like to be taken off of the list.
  

• Promotions: As a part of the announcement, they included a few promotions encouraging the subscriber to give the new company a chance.
  
  

Overall - a great a message and great learning for other brands to follow if they are in a similar situation.

Below is the message:


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I really love the Kodak Gallery email creative. Kodak Gallery is promoting their 'Mini Photo Book' and the design does an amazing job of highlighting the photo book in use. Additionally the four call-out boxes do a great job of... More

I really love the Kodak Gallery email creative.

Kodak Gallery is promoting their 'Mini Photo Book' and the design does an amazing job of highlighting the photo book in use. Additionally the four call-out boxes do a great job of jumping off the page and highlighting the critical value points tied to the book.

In respect to the creative itself, note that you too can utilize these best practices:

• Call-out boxes/bullets that break the linear structure of the design
• Sharpness of images contrasted against fuzzy images - the contrast is key
• Clear, consistent action buttons (e.g. "Start Your Book" & "Order Prints")

Great, great design!

See for yourself:


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The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a great email today promoting their fundraising application within Facebook. It is essentially a nice way for users to extend their fundraising efforts through their network of friends. As many marketers start... More

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has a great email today promoting their fundraising application within Facebook. It is essentially a nice way for users to extend their fundraising efforts through their network of friends.

As many marketers start to adopt additional integration points with the leading social media sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc), they will also start to utilize email as a way of driving channel adoption. From adoption, marketers will turn to utilizing email for promotion usage and analyzing performance to fine-tune and improve their program through segmentation, personalization, and sophistication.

Today many marketers are simply focused on presence and adoption; however, it will serve them well to be thinking broader in terms of ultimately how to monetize these social media applications. This example by Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a testament to a marketer thinking several steps ahead.

See for yourself:



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I love the email from Kodak that comes out monthly. The email campaign selects a customer submitted picture as the "Kodak Moment of the Month". In this example, a photo from Kodak customer Ellen S. Whittle shows a high school... More

I love the email from Kodak that comes out monthly. The email campaign selects a customer submitted picture as the "Kodak Moment of the Month". In this example, a photo from Kodak customer Ellen S. Whittle shows a high school JV football game tackle in the rain. The picture captures the essence of high school football and has an amazing splash of water from the field.

Many marketers have been using customer reviews - another form of customer generated content on their web site and more recently in emails. Not too many marketers though have created a way for customers to submit content that can be re-purposed and used for their marketing needs.

Kudos to Kodak for taking it a step further! And be on the look-out for next month's "moment" featuring a 'spectacular travel photo'.

Here's the campaign:


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Love the creative from Finish Line!What makes the creative jump out is the use of a hand-written font and the leg drawings. Further, the shoe laces appearing tied together creates a nice visual separation that draws the eye. Love it!... More

Love the creative from Finish Line!

What makes the creative jump out is the use of a hand-written font and the leg drawings. Further, the shoe laces appearing tied together creates a nice visual separation that draws the eye.

Love it!


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Many marketers have a standard 'welcome' message that is sent shortly after a subscriber signs-up. adidas has a nice twist on the classic welcome that I wanted to share with everyone.Two great twists:Utilizing 'Personalities' - from the images of today's... More

Many marketers have a standard 'welcome' message that is sent shortly after a subscriber signs-up. adidas has a nice twist on the classic welcome that I wanted to share with everyone.

Two great twists:

1. Utilizing 'Personalities' - from the images of today's leading athletes to the call-out in the text to "Follow football star Reggie Bush, to NBA All-Star Dwight Howard", adidas has it down with leveraging the star personalities at their disposal to create a stronger connection with their subscribers.
2. The "Insider" Club - a great call-out to join 'adidas Insiders'. The special community allows subscribers to:

"Share your ideas and thoughts with key people at adidas and see it play a direct role in new adidas products and marketing."
"Get a sneak peek into what adidas is going to do next."
"Get to know other like-minded members and network with them."
"Have an impact on the future of adidas."

When you click-through on the link you are prompted to take a quick survey which indicates whether you are qualified to be an 'Insider'. Unfortunately I was not, however, I love the concept.






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Wikipedia has a great recap of the history of sex in advertising. As an example, check out this image from a 1921 National Geographic magazine... a scantily clad woman pitching tire valve caps.Sex in advertising has certainly evolved, but many... More

Wikipedia has a great recap of the history of sex in advertising. As an example, check out this image from a 1921 National Geographic magazine... a scantily clad woman pitching tire valve caps.


Sex in advertising has certainly evolved, but many things still ring true.

For example, in today's Boston Proper email campaign the following items are asserted:

"Sexy Summer Catalog"
"Wear it like no one else"
"Summer heat" - next to the image below
"Lose yourself in the exotic"

It is safe to say that while things change, they often times also stay the same.

Below is the email:

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I love the email campaign from the Tyler Place today that shares their decision to join the Facebook and Twitter revolution. The Tyler Place, a family vacation spot in Vermont that is incidentally an amazing time, shuns TV, electronics, mass... More

I love the email campaign from the Tyler Place today that shares their decision to join the Facebook and Twitter revolution. The Tyler Place, a family vacation spot in Vermont that is incidentally an amazing time, shuns TV, electronics, mass media, etc, but is fully embracing the world of Facebook and Twitter. Despite the skepticism of "Ted" one of the original owners...

And why not? If you are an amazing summer retreat, what better than to have a Facebook page where previous visitors can interact, share stories, share pictures, etc. I can also envision the Tweet regarding a sing-along by the campfire or climbing the rock wall...

Here's a real tweet from them:
"The osprey is back on her towering nest in Fairfield Swamp. Phoebes are trying to nest under the eaves. Swallows have returned. Spring!"

Last week Yesmail hosted a webinar on social media integration in your email program that was attended by over 150 of our clients - a turnout that was further affirming of the interest and desire to understand and embrace the social world we live in.

If a small business like the Tyler Place can take the leap - so can you!

And of course, if you need any help - give us a call.

In the meantime, check out the Tyler Place's great email:


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It is hard to pass up Ben & Jerry's 'Free Cone Day' - this year held Tuesday, April 21st at a Ben & Jerry's near you. That being said the email creative below leaves a lot to be desired...A few... More

It is hard to pass up Ben & Jerry's 'Free Cone Day' - this year held Tuesday, April 21st at a Ben & Jerry's near you. That being said the email creative below leaves a lot to be desired...

A few small suggestions:

• Branding: The lack of Ben & Jerry's logo is appalling.
• Imagery: You would think a nice photo of an 'ice cream cone' for 'Free Cone Day' would have been very appealing.
• Template: Ben & Jerry's could easily invest in a nice re-usable creative template that would address branding, imagery, font sizes, etc vs. the current floating boxes of text.

What do you think?



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If a picture is worth a thousand words, which incidentally comes from an old Chinese Proverb "A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words", how many words is 14 pictures of the same product worth? 14,000?Regardless, Neiman Marcus did a... More

If a picture is worth a thousand words, which incidentally comes from an old Chinese Proverb "A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words", how many words is 14 pictures of the same product worth? 14,000?

Regardless, Neiman Marcus did a great job with their email campaign today highlighting their $2,500 Women's Vince Shopping Spree.

I love the black and white vs. color contrast in the images.

See for yourself:


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I really liked Lowe's email campaign yesterday. It is nicely designed for the Spring and has several great elements including:Simple, clear, direct subject lineNice header treatment with text for those with images disabledGreat background color and the vine treatment makes... More

I really liked Lowe's email campaign yesterday. It is nicely designed for the Spring and has several great elements including:

• Simple, clear, direct subject line
• Nice header treatment with text for those with images disabled
• Great background color and the vine treatment makes the email feel less flat
• Clearly defined sections with easy to read text and clear action buttons
• Nice social media call out to Facebook
• Nice call to action to subscribe to other communications
• Simple footer providing easy to configure settings for future campaigns

Overall, a really, really nice job.

Take a look yourself:


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CompUSA sends out a daily email every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The marketing strategy as far as I can tell is pretty simple... blast something every weekday and hope that something sticks.Last week I received my 5 emails... More

CompUSA sends out a daily email every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The marketing strategy as far as I can tell is pretty simple... blast something every weekday and hope that something sticks.

Last week I received my 5 emails that had the following subject lines and deals:

Monday 3/30: One Day Left: Acer 22" LCD $149...OCZ 4gb DDR2 $14...First Ever 50" HDTV under $500

Tuesday 3/31: Exclusive HP Deals: Netbook from $299...Laptops from $379...LCDs from $79...PCs from $449

Wednesday 4/1: All-in-One PC $449...Seagate 1tb HD $89...Garmin GPS $99...more deals

Thursday 4/2: Madness: Toshiba 52" 1080p HDTV $999...Samsung Blu-ray Player $149...Acer Netbook $239 & More

Friday 4/3: DEALS: Acer 23" HDMI LCD $199...Sony 52" 1080p $1389...640gb Ext HD $49...17" Blu-ray XP Laptop $899

Each of these emails contain new promotions and are generally not tied to any previous offer. Further the subject lines generally do not match the content.

Take the Friday 4/3 campaign with the subject line listed above.

You tell me, does the creative below match the subject line?

I think not.

All this being said, having an everyday mailing strategy can work if you follow a few simple guidelines:

• Allow subscribers to opt-in to this level of frequency
• Maintain a consistent branding strategy (e.g. "The CompUSA Daily Deal")
• Utilize a consistent creative look and feel

If CompUSA followed these guidelines the performance of these campaigns would change dramatically.
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