An Inventor's Shocking Forecasts for Marketing Technology
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Renowned futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil shares his bold predictions on virtual environments for marketing, the effects of an accelerated technological pace, and how information will transform communications.
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Why Direct Digital Marketing Matters
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Direct digital marketing is as simple as it is important. The concept is based on a proven marketing principle -- addressability. While traditional direct marketing uses a postal address to communicate relevant information to a consumer, direct digital marketing delivers targeted communications to individual consumers through the three primary digital channels -- email, web, and mobile -- using an email address, a web browser cookie, and a mobile phone number.
Email Marketing: Thoughts on Getting People to Open Your Emails and Permission
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The title of this post might seem a bit silly but with an increasing amount of emails sent, ever more email clients (remember Facebook’s plans), the need to focus on relevant content to avoid unsubscribes (and get your emails delivered) and lots of email clients blocking images, it is certainly a topic email marketers are concerned with. On top of that, with the changing policies of ISPs regarding deliverability (where content, interaction and open rates become increasingly important), you can’t talk about it enough.
Lessons in Landing Pages
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You spend hours working on the design and copy of your email marketing campaigns, but how much time do you devote to your landing pages? If you’re like many marketers, the answer is simple: not enough. “It’s definitely one of the lesser-thought-about things,” said Jim Wehmann, senior VP-global marketing with Digital River, a provider of e-commerce and marketing solutions. “It’s too much of an afterthought, which is one of the biggest mistakes that a marketer can make.”
A Three-Step Plan for Continual Email-List Growth and Engagement (Part 1 of 3)
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Since the infancy of direct-response marketing, a targeted and captive audience has been the key to success. It didn't take long for "the list" to become king.
Though your list may remain the most powerful pillar of your direct-response effort, you also need strong, motivating offers and spot-on creative to go with it. Still, without the ability to reach the right people, the most enticing offers and the most exceptional creative take you nowhere.
Global Healthcare Calls for Target Marketing
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No matter where consumers live, healthcare is important. But where they live often determines how minor ailments are treated. While Europeans put their trust in the neighborhood pharmacist, North Americans rely more on the advice of doctors. In countries where healthcare infrastructures and economies are evolving, opportunities exist to lessen the considerable burden consumers currently put on doctors and help governments reduce their healthcare expenditure.
Using Email To Remarket To Customers
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Email is a superior channel to drive sales, but it can also help you capture the next sale, the sale after that -- and even the sale that didn't happen.
Remarketing to customers is one of the benefits that email delivers once you begin to use the channel for more than sending yet another untargeted discount or free-shipping offer.
The emails you send in a remarketing program are highly personalized messages, which generate significantly higher response and conversion rates than broadcast emails.
Set the Alarm Clock on Your Sleeping Subscribers
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Once you decide to invest time and budget resources to upgrade your list quality, one of your first targets should be winning back the segment of your mailing list that has gone inactive.
That could be pretty sizable, given that half or more of a typical B2C (define) list can be inactive. (I explain why you should either win back inactives or move them off your mailing list in this column.)
Tips for Email Marketing Bliss
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Bliss may be too strong a word when it comes to anything marketing-related, but according to the Direct Marketing Association, every dollar spent on email marketing generates $43.62 in revenue. That, of course, is the average. Follow these rules and get better results from your email campaigns.
Person-to-Person
We are communicating with people so always remember this essential point when you write your messages. Stay away from marketing speak and use language that connects on a person-to-person level.
5 Ways to Win Back Lapsed Customers With Email
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In any direct marketing business, it's a foundational problem when previous buyers stop engaging with the retailer or brand. Sometimes referred to as the "leaky bucket" problem in direct marketing, customer attrition impacts all areas of the business. It impairs the overall value of the housefile, for example, and puts added pressure on customer acquisition. Lapsed customers for email programs are no different.
Here are five strategies for engaging and reactivating lapsed customers:
Are Companies Getting Smarter with Email Marketing?
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Personalisation and segmentation
There has been a big increase in the proportion of companies taking advantage of their email vendors' ability to personalise emails, something which can have a significant effect on open rates.
More than half of respondents (52%) say they use personalisation, compared to 38% in 2009.
Mind the Generation Gap
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Marketers looking to fine-tune their campaign targeting should be interested in new data from Nielsen concerning the unique shopping needs and wants of each major generation in the U.S.
Each generation has its own unique quirks and attitudes be it in music, fashion or even shopping preferences. For marketers, understanding what drives each generation to part with their cash, and where they do it, is critical to campaign development.
Sending Survey Emails? Learn From Orbitz’ Example
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Orbitz has been my online travel site of choice for years – I’ve strayed occasionally, but they always seem to be where I end up booking.
Most recently, I booked a hotel room in Philadelphia through them for New Year’s Eve. The day I checked out, this email arrived in my inbox:
Triggered survey emails like this are a nice touchpoint that can help a brand learn more about its customers and create a better experience for them in the future.
The challenge, of course, is getting people to:
The Importance of Relevance and Knowing Your Target Audience better
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Recently, I read a post by Mark Haslan on the small business and graphic design news blog of OvernightPrints called ‘Improving relevance, targeting can boost marketing ROI’, based on some recent data from eMarketer.com. Since it’s about relevance and customer-centricity I decided to cover it. Consumers are bombarded with an infinite number of advertisements and promotional messages. So, if something does not seem relevant to them, they immediately discard it.
