There has been a lot of information published over the past few weeks regarding the economic uncertainty we find ourselves in.A few items every marketer should be thinking through:* Dashboard: What are the key metrics that you need to have... More

There has been a lot of information published over the past few weeks regarding the economic uncertainty we find ourselves in.

A few items every marketer should be thinking through:

* Dashboard: What are the key metrics that you need to have your 'finger on the pulse on' every day, every week, every month? And the key question, "Do you"? Without identifying and monitoring these key metrics you may find yourself in a place where you cannot adjust quickly enough to the ups and downs of today's economy. Most marketers I've worked with have an understanding of these metrics, but often do not have the discipline in place to watch the metrics frequently enough to be able to adjust in real-time to the opportunities and challenges a program may face.

* Relevance: All email has the opportunity to be personally relevant (i.e. dynamic content); however, there is an even greater need to ensure your communications are "relevant to the times". For example, most consumers may reconsider some of the excess purchases they've made in the past. As such, marketers need to consider how their message is being communicated in light of world events.

See my blog on Restoration Hardware for a specific idea.

Also, check out this recent article on CNN regarding the "rise to coupon cutting" and think through the online applications of coupons.

* New Channels: Despite everything you hear the Internet is still the fastest growing marketing channel. As such while your first thought might be to hold investment, be cautious that you don't hold too much and miss the opportunity to invest in new channels. Many marketers are starting to explore the benefits of new marketing opportunities in social media. This is an area of great focus for us, which we'll have more to share on soon.

As marketers, we are in unfamiliar waters; however, the opportunity to succeed still exists.

Be focused
Be consistent
Be true to your value

If you do you will make it through this time stronger than you are now.  Less

One of my favorite email analysts, David Daniels from Jupiterresearch, just published a new report on Email Marketing to Small Businesses. The report is based on a survey of small businesses conducted in April 2008. The overall conclusion:"E-mail marketing is... More

One of my favorite email analysts, David Daniels from Jupiterresearch, just published a new report on Email Marketing to Small Businesses. The report is based on a survey of small businesses conducted in April 2008.

The overall conclusion:
"E-mail marketing is an efficient tool for pushing small businesses through the consideration and purchase process, with the number of small businesses (i.e., with fewer than 100 employees) researching products and services online increasing."

A few great findings:
* Small-business owners receive on average 27 email messages per day -- more than a typical consumer

* While small-business owners are highly engaged, 19% change their email addresses every six months -- a significant attrition rate for a B2B marketer

I highly encourage you to read the full report.

One final thought, while small-business owners are more engaged in email themselves as a buying channel, small-business owners are also more and more starting to adopt email as a channel that they use for their own marketing purposes. We recently launched Yesmail Direct, an easy to use online marketing tool that facilitates email, direct mail, and customer management. For a free 60-day trial including 500 free emails and 100 free postcards; check out the site:

www.yesmaildirect.com Less

We are entering a world where every for profit and non-profit entity could conceivably and justifiably have an email marketing program. Gone are the days where only the big brands are present in email marketing. Today Enterprise, Mid-Market, and Small... More

We are entering a world where every for profit and non-profit entity could conceivably and justifiably have an email marketing program. Gone are the days where only the big brands are present in email marketing. Today Enterprise, Mid-Market, and Small Business entities are present. What is also interesting is that not only are smaller companies having a presence in the email channel, but they are also starting to use some of the same best practices that larger entities have utilized for years.

 

A great example of a small business doing it right is Kitchen Kaboodle. They are a locally owned retailer of cookware, kitchenware, dinnerware, furniture and accessories for the home. They have a small website that allows purchasing online and five neighborhood stores. As a subscriber to their email program, I've received an every week promotional campaign for several years.

 

This week things changed.

 

I received a great email with the subject line: "We hate to say goodbye..." The email was intended to grab my attention - which it did - but more importantly, they were introducing a new "Insider" program for all subscribers; especially those that have been inactive like me. Yes, I admit to being over-whelmed by email and not opening or clicking on their emails regularly. Thus, I'm sure, the reason I received the "Dear John" email.

 

Suffice it to say, I clicked through and am now happily a part of the "Kaboodle Insider" group; even yesterday I received my first "Insider-only savings" (10% off). Now granted, this offer would have likely been extended to everyone -- Insider or not -- prior to the program being re-branded; however, Kitchen Kaboodle was able to reinvigorate a somewhat stale program with this straightforward and *smart* marketing tactic.

 

To recap, Kitchen Kaboodle successfully:

* Re-branded their email program to play up its exclusivity ('Insider')

* Re-activated a dormant population (me!) and removed assumingly many non-responders

What's your favorite small business email marketing program?

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