Searching for the Perfect e-Dialog Holiday Party Outfit

e-Dialog conducts research on the customer purchase path because we recognize that marketers need the ability to communicate with their customers through various connection points in multiple channels.  (Read more in The Online Marketing Suite.)

 

Our research found that the typical purchase path has 3.8 touch points.  This means that a customer saw your print/online/broadcast ad and was introduced to your product or service.  Next, they likely did some research either on your website, a review site, or even by posting a status asking for opinions on their Facebook wall.  This second connection likely influenced whether or not they considered buying from you.  If they wanted to purchase, they probably looked for a deal online or in their email archive.  Finally, they purchased either digitally (yes, this includes e-, m-, or f-Commerce) or in-store.  This totals 4 touches - and there are endless other combinations of introducing, influencing, and closing advertising activities involved.

 

Key findings:

    - There are 3.8 touches in the typical purchase path

    - 36-50% of purchase paths involve more than one touch point

    - If the path includes multiple touches, the average order value is likely to increase by 42%

 

I would like to detail the recent purchase path I traveled while shopping for the e-Dialog holiday party (our Facebook page probably has some pictures!).  My path probably starts in August 2011 when I bought a dress for a wedding at White House | Black Market.  Since then, I’ve been receiving catalogs for the store at my home address.  In a recent catalog I saw a patterned silk top I liked. 

 

Next, I visited the website to see additional pictures of the item.  I decided I definitely liked it and that it would be great for the party.  So, I checked my email archive for any recent deals or promo codes.  Finally, I went to the store to try on the top.  I ended up buying it – along with 3 pairs of jeans that I found there! 

 

To recap, after 1) seeing the catalog, 2) viewing the item online, 3) checking recent WHBM emails, I ended up 4) spending almost $200 in store. 

 

While the company did not offer an e-receipt option, or send an immediate thank you, I did receive an email to rate my purchase 1 week later.  This was definitely a multi-channel win:

 

 

Overall, I was extremely happy with all aspects of the experience.  However, for the purpose of continuous improvement, I do have to point out a multi-channel miss: I went back to the site soon after my store visit to look at the swim collection that was announced via a recent email.  The swim line is not available in local stores so I considered ordering online.  I had trouble logging in to receive my loyalty program discount.  I chatted (online) with a customer service representative who quickly realized that while I had an in-store purchase history, I had a very old online profile – from two addresses ago!  (This is a perfect case for why getting the “big data” together to get the 360 view of your customer is so important!)

 

All Hail to the Sale-Presidents' Day is Here!

Wow, my inbox still has a rosy glow from Valentine's Day, but now it's been taken over by red, white and blue! Retailers are not waiting until the actual holiday to get the sale started.

 

Pottery Barn sent this email on Thursday, offering a head start on savings of up to 60% off. 

 

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston took a more literal approach, offering 25% off gifts inspired by the famous painting, Passage of the Delaware, which depicts George Washington prior to the Battle of Trenton. 

 

 

J. Jill uses animation to draw an Uncle Sam-style hat on top of their sale announcement in this email. Click on the image to see the animated version.

 

Who gets your vote this Presidents' Day?

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications specialist,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

Feeling the Love

This year, it seems like Valentine's Day has really become a focus for marketers. My inbox is overflowing with love, in the email sense, anyway. This has taken the form of free gifts, special promotions, and even color themes. 

 

Here's an example from Lands' End which turns the tables a bit, showing how much their customers love them. This email features a comment they received on the Facebook wall detailing all the things Arlene loves about Lands' End. Although the cynic in me thinks this is a little too perfect for a spontaneous Facebook comment.

 

 

J. Jill and Lucy both went with a color theme, promoting red and pink clothing. 

 

 

Clarins offered a free gift with purchase for Valentine's Day, but what I liked more was the follow up email. The subject line was "Did you get what you really wanted for Valentine's Day?" and they extended the free gift offer for one more day.

 

 

What emails did you love this Valentine's Day?

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

Groundhog Day for Email Marketers

For most people, the month of February brings thoughts of flowers and candy for Valentine's Day. For me, February reminds me of one of my favorite movies, "Groundhog Day," in which Bill Murray relives Groundhog Day over and over until he learns to recognize his faults. I think many email marketers are in the same situation; performing the same action over and over, but expecting different results each time. Some would even say this is the definition of insanity. Marketers wonder why response rates are dropping, but are blind to the fact that they are sending the same non-targeted, irrelevant messages over and over again. Of course subscribers are losing interest; you are conditioning them to expect the same redundant email every time.

One online retailer I know of has sent 13 consecutive weekly emails with the same subject line. Here's a hint: if I wasn't enticed the first time, the 13th time probably won't convince me. This retailer does themselves no favors in a cluttered inbox. We know that consumers often save an email to go back to later when they are ready to shop. Make it easy by using distinctive subject lines for each message. Create distinctive offers as well. Using math to trick your customer into thinking they are getting a deal may initially drive sales, but after a while they'll catch on. No matter how many ways you change the percentage off, or offer free shipping, if the end result is $24.99 every time, customers will eventually stop looking for that "special" offer.

Another way marketers train customers to ignore emails is by sending too often. Seeing that email in the inbox each morning becomes routine. In most instances, people actually may want to receive all of those daily deal emails, but just skim the subject lines each day until they see an offer or brand that they may want, while deleting the rest without opening, and this can influence spam filters. So why not just ask what they want and segment based on that information? A simple preference center can allow your customers to set products, categories, and brands they are interested in. Your customer may have bought that deal for 50 percent off bungee jumping today, but chances are they won't be interested in a buy-one-get-one-free deal on knitting classes tomorrow.

All of this boils down to engagement. ISPs are factoring engagement into the filtering process and marketers will need to test and refine their strategy to remain in the inbox. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, it's here, and it's not going anywhere. If you aren't testing, how can you know what it is that's driving your performance? I understand that developing a testing strategy can be time-consuming and a bit intimidating, but start small and ask for help. Your email service provider can help you develop and test programs that will ultimately give you actionable information. Just like in "Groundhog Day," it might take a while to find the right combination, but it's worth it.

 

Jay Brangiforte, senior deliverability operations manager,

e-Dialog

 

This article originally appeared on ClickZ. 

 

Marketing Wrap-up: Week of February 3, 2012

Welcome to the first week in February! Did you see your shadow yesterday? Let's get into the top stories this week. 

 

Of course, everyone is talking about Facebook filing for their IPO on Wednesday, seeking to raise $5 billion. Speculation is rampant about what this will mean for the company, for Mark Zuckerberg, for social media in general, for Facebook employees, etc. Mashable has thoughtfully pulled it all together for you on one handy page. Definitely worth a read.  

 

In email-related news this week, we saw the announcement of the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance group, or DMARC. DMARC is made up of representatives from email service providers, financial services companies, social media companies, and email security firms, with the purpose of developing standards to reduce the threat of deceptive emails. You can read more at www.DMARC.org.

 

On the social media front, a company that is getting a lot of attention suddely is Pinterest. I've been using it for a little while, and as more brands get on board, it will be very interesting to see how it evolves. The infographic below shows how much traffic Pinterest is already driving for retailers. Some users are already saying allowing commercial entities to be on Pinterest ruins the site for them. We'll see how Pinterest manages the site in the future. 

 

 

Well, that's it for this week. As always, I'd love to hear your feedback on my picks and any stories you think are making waves in digital marketing.

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications specialist,
e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz 

 

Six More Weeks of Email Marketing

Today was Groundhog Day, a holiday in which everyone waits to see whether or not Punxatawney Phil is ready to come out of hibernation. This year, he wasn't, which means we have at least six more weeks of winter. I saw a fair amount of emails featuring the lovable rodent, and figured I would share some of my favorites with you. 

I loved this email from Petco that features an animated groundhog popping up to to offer 20% for one day only. Click the image to see the animated version. 

 

Solutions.com sent this cute message offering free shipping for the afternoon. The headline reads "Six more weeks of winter? Who can trust a groundhog anyway?" and makes me wonder if they had two version ready in advance, or waited until the morning to finalize.

 

 

Kmart also sent out a Groundhog Day promotion, but for some reason, this creative reminded me more of a prairie dog than a groundhog...

 

 

What do you think of these Groundhog Day promotions? Have you seen any good ones? I would love to see them!

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

 

Love vs. Football: The Battle for the Inbox

I don't know about you, but for the last week or so, pretty much every marketing email I get is either about Valentine's Day or "The Big Game" as so many like to call it for trademark reasons. Some tie-ins are pretty weak, others are kind of inspired, so I wanted to share some favorites with you. 

This email from Uncommon Goods goes beyond the traditional "romantic" Valentine's Day options, and includes ideas for best friends, teens, pet lovers, music lovers, etc.

 

 

I also liked this email from Fab.com, which encourages personalized Valentine's Day gifts for a cliche-free V-Day. It can be hard to find gifts that aren't super sappy, like stuffed bears holding a heart, so it's nice to showcase modern, unique gifts. 

 

I also liked this email from Tuesday Morning, with the subject line "Love Means Never Having to Say I Spent Too Much Online." I also like that they ask what movie inspired the subject line and direct subscribers to Facebook to post their favorite romantic movie. 

 

For football themes, I liked this message from the Christmas Tree Shops, which features everything you might need to watch the game on Sunday. I like the background that simulates the football field and also the circles and arrows which remind me of the telestrator commentators use when talking about a play. 

 

Crate and Barrel get in on the game day action by also showcasing the items to have on hand if you're hosting a party. They keep it a little more formal, but I like that each item they show in the hero image is then repeated below along with price. 

 

Finally, I have this example from Dancing Deer that incorporates both the big game and Valentine's Day in the same email. I also noticed that they've added Pinterest to their social sharing links in the footer. I think this is the first time I've seen it in an email this way. 

 

I'd love to hear from you who you think is being creative for Valentine's Day or the big game!

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

Email New Year's Resolution Check In!

It’s almost February, so time to do a quick gut check on your email New Year's resolutions! Wait, you didn’t set any? No worries, you can apply some common New Year's resolutions to your email program to yield significant results

. 

Resolution 1: Lose weight!

With customers being bombarded by email and other mediums, the sad truth is that as email marketers we often fail to trim the fat off our lists, so to speak. Ways to make sure you continue to send your relevant messages to only those customers that are actually engaged is by updating your preference center. Consider sending a re-engagement email driving customers to update their preferences. The inactives that don't respond may need to be kept off the main list after a specified period of inactivity. 

  

Do customers have a way of opting down from your program as opposed to out of it completely? Can your customers elect to communicate with your brand via other channels? Provide options for text messages and allow for direct links to your Facebook or Twitter accounts to keep them engaged if email isn't their preferred channel. 

Cleaning up your preference center is an easy and efficient way to optimize database health and provide users with additional ways to engage with your brand.

 

Resolution 2: Have more fun!

Have fun with your email program. Don't be afraid to shake things up. Are you sending the same emails as last year with no change to your content? If so, consider switching things up a little. Add a fun game, poll or a call to action to encourage engagement via your Facebook page. Not only will you learn some new things about your customers, you might make a new fan or two out of it.

 

Resolution 3: Make More Money

Nothing drives additional revenue like new customers, right? One easy way to acquire new customers is by making sure your website prominently displays the email enrollment option. That means having it on every page, not just the home page, because with many visitors arriving at your site via search, they may never see your home page. Already have that covered? Try adding a viral component to your emails encouraging customers to forward your great deals to their friends.

Taking the time to even try one of the 3 "resolutions" will have you well to making your "new and improved" 2012 email program a bit of a boost! And don't forget, you can try e-Dialog's Email Resolution Generator app to help you as well! 

 

Paola Cerda, e-Dialog

Marketing Wrap-up: Week of January 9th 2012

 

Thirteen days in to the new year and already we have seen and heard some big developments coming from the marketing, tech and media world. So, to make your life easier, here are some of the top news and blog articles we have found most interesting.

 

Top links of the week:

 

1. An interview with Phil Simon: Business lessons from Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google MyCustomer.com

 

2. Ten social media strategies to define a successful 2012 Brian Solis

 

3. Help customers reach content and products more easily: How to streamline site navigation to attract and retain customers Marketing Profs

 

4. Apps to become universal - HTML 5: The future of AT&T’s mobile store Mashable

 

5. Real-life examples of how Google’s ‘Search Plus’ pushes Google+ over relevancy  Search Engine Land

 

6. Mercedes and Facebook? Who predicted that one? PSFK

 

7. Here to stay or marketing fad? 86% of marketers to use 2D barcodes in near future Econsultancy

 

8. The most downloaded social apps - Mobile social media: top apps, deal sites and more Marketing Profs

 

9. YouTube and Twitter are growing while Facebook stays static: Facebook loses share of social network visits as YouTube grows Brand Republic

 

10. Consumers seem to be more likely to click on an ad than on other devices: Mobile drives more search ad clicks ClickZ

 

11. Four timeless email copywriting commandments Marketing Profs

 

12. Mobile payments insight: How PayPal plans to scale its in-store payment system Gigaom

 

Be sure to drop us a comment below and tell us your favorite industry developments of the new year so far.

 

Millie Bartlett, Marketing Coordinator, e-Dialog UK

Are Your Fans as Passionate as Glee's?

A while back, I wrote a post that talked about the FOX show Glee, and the tips email marketers could learn from it. Little did I know that I was tapping into not only an audience of email marketers, but also a passionate Glee fanbase. I wanted to share with you some of the comments we received from Glee fans and also some lessons we can learn. 

 

Lesson #1: Fans want to share ideas with you

One of the reasons we got so many comments on this post is because if you Google email and Glee, one of the top results is our blog post. So obviously, Glee fans are looking for a way to reach out to the show creators to give them feedback. Here are a couple of comments:

Why do you completely ignore the instrumentalists that back up the singers on Glee? Every high school usually has a Band Director, why is there no character playing this role? At one point one of the singers actually referred to the pianist who backs them up, all the time, as "Furniture." How insulting to the fine musicians that make these kids sound great! There are other musical instruments being played besides the guitar and it takes top professional musicians years to learn their craft. As much as I enjoy your show I find this slight of instrumentalists appalling.

 

Glee should do a song from the movie Rent. Seasons of Love. That song would be really cool to see the cast of Glee performing.

 

These people are highly-engaged with the product, and want to share their opinion with you. For email marketers, this means encouraging product reviews, and letting people know how they talk to you and to other fans, such as on Facebook, Twitter, or your own online community.

 

Lesson #2: Fans want to give you their opinion (good and bad)

People who use your product or services have a relationship with your brand. You are part of their lives, and that means there are emotions attached. This can be positive or negative. For example, this strongly-worded comment on the racial make-up of the show and the sexual activity on the show:

I am so mad at Glee this season. First you only have one black person on the show, that makes it unbalanced. So what you have a few in the back ground. You have two Asians, hella Whites and one Black, we make up more than 1% of the nation. And let Rachel and Finn get together. She never had a boyfriend, now you are making her a geek again. Third why is Curt still on the show ? He is at another school, you give him a man but not the girls. These are school girls they are having a lot of sex and this is a high school. You’re making them whores before they get their wisdom teeth. Finally you will lose me if you do not change. You guys are making me sick.

So, as marketers, you need to acknowledge this emotional connection and find ways to promote a positive relationship, as well as responding to a negative experience. In email, this can be done with simple "Thanks for being our customer" emails, or emails that ask customers to take a quick survey to let you know how they think you're doing. Here's a great example from Art.com that thanks customers and talks about ambitions for 2012.

 

Lesson #3: Fans sometimes want to be part of the show

Because Glee is a show with lots of singing and dancing, we did get a few comments in which people said what an awesome dancer they were, and wanted to know how they could submit an audition tape! Here's one comment that made me smile:

Hey Glee cast my name is Simon. (age12) I live in Ontario, Canada. I am a huge fan of your show ;-) I mean who isn't. But I am a competitive dancer and a closet singer. Anyone who has heard me in the shower says that I'm very good for my age. I'm also a decent actor and I was wondering if you could send me an e-mail with a script to an new character so I could give you an audition tape. much love -Simon

I replied to Simon to let him know that unfortunately, this blog was not the way to contact producers and wished him good luck. So how does this connect to email marketing? I think one thing for marketers to keep in mind is that there are probably people who are customers who would also like to be employees. Here's a nice example from Christmas Tree Shops:

 

 

So while Glee is no longer one of my favorite shows, I do still think it has lessons for us a marketers. What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments!

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications specialist,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

Are You Asking the Right Questions for Relevance?

The email tools available to marketers today can provide reams of information on subscriber behavior, including opens, clicks, conversions and shares. This info can be really valuable and provide insights into how effective your newsletters are, what topics you cover, how frequently you should be contacting your audience and more. But there's another way to get this insight; ask subscribers what they want directly.

 

I recently got an email from GE Appliances soliciting my preferences. I had no idea they had a preference center, or even which emails I was getting from them. I probably signed up originally as part of contest for a new stainless steel range or some other promotion. The creative was simple, with one call to action: visit the new preference center and select which emails I want to get from GE Appliances. They show and mention that there are samples of each newsletter, which is great.

 

 

 

Once I clicked through to the landing page, there were seven newsletter options, each with a visual depiction and a link to a sample. It also told me how often the newsletter is sent for five out of the seven. One thing that was confusing to me was that each newsletter had a radio button for subscribe or unsubscribe. Some were already ticked, but some had neither choice selected. So I assumed that for newsletters where the subscribe button was selected, I was not currently subscribed and vice versa. For the newsletter with no option selected I had to assume I was not currently subscribed.  

 

 

 

 

At the bottom of the page they have some options for which topics or products interest you and the link to unsubscribe from all emails. Overall, I think it's a solid program, and one that's important for a company like GE, because a purchase of a new range or dishwasher may only happen every 5-10 years, so keeping up to date with subscriber needs, and offering newsletters the give an added engagement point, like recipes, keeps the relationship going even when the customer is not in the purchase cycle.

 

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this campaign, and preference center best practices or missteps you've experienced. Just leave a comment!



Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications specialist

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

 

2012, the year of...

Big events! There will be some significant occurrences in the upcoming year including the Olympics and the Presidential Election. Make sure you have them marked on your promotional calendar now. Having well thought out promotions built around these special events can help you stand out from the crowd.

First up: Leap Year.  February 29 appears on the calendar once every 4 years. Therefore, Leap Year Babies are often thought of as being neglected. If you have enough customers born on 2/29 to justify a special birthday message, it would be nice to treat them to 4x the typical birthday deal. The majority of your database will likely be born on other days of the year, so celebrate them too by offering a special deal on their birthday if they enter or confirm their information on the 29th. Perhaps 29% off?  This will fill in gaps in your data and give customers something to look forward to. 

“Leap” also implies skipping over or avoiding something – like shipping fees! This holiday season we saw an incredible number of Free Shipping deals starting on Black Friday. Many companies extended the deal to the last minute, offering free upgrades to 2-day shipping and free express delivery. Some companies, like L.L. Bean, offer Free Shipping all the time.  If you are still charging shipping fees, Leap Year Day might be a nice day to temporarily suspend them – or charge a nominal flat rate like $2.29.

Another event occurring every four years is the Summer Olympics.  Starting in July, the Olympics will be the focus of much attention. Many athletes have interesting backstories and the news media will be doing a lot of biographies. Take a cue from this this channel and feature in-depth information on designers or employees that are inspirational or have shown great teamwork. J.Crew published a web video last spring on how a particular pair of shoes was made.  It provided a look into the personalities of the team who designed the shoe, picked the materials, and ultimately produced the product. The video made me much more attracted to both the product and the company. According to e-Dialog research, nearly 20% of consumers subscribe to email because they identify with a brand or the lifestyle it promotes. Let them in on more of that lifestyle by putting faces to your brand. 

An obvious tie-in to the Olympics is to feature a game in your email. Games promote interactivity and engagement. The current email from the Choice Hotels loyalty program advertises a simple matching game where you flip over cards and match each of the brand logos. The game times how fast you make the matches and lets you share it on Facebook.  Not only did it engage me, but it also familiarized me with hotels I didn’t know already. This could be replicated using brands or even products from a new line.

http://choicehotelscreative.com/ecrm/11-767/index.html

 

Election 2012.  An event we can expect to hear about for the majority of the year is the Presidential election. The population will be urged again and again to get out and vote.  Therefore, including a poll or survey in your email will be right in line with what customers are seeing and hearing in their day-to-day lives. This is an especially great way to refresh and/or build out the information in your preference center and to gain actionable data from your subscribers. Multiple choice polls can be built directly into your emails with e-Dialog and results are tied to email addresses.

See the example CVS poll below. Based on the answer chosen, you could direct customers to different landing pages. If they are done wrapping, show them gifts for themselves – they earned it! If they haven’t started, bring on the tape, scissors and gift bags.

 

The 12 Days of Christmas.  If you thought you saw a lot of companies doing a daily-deal and counting down the 12 days of Christmas, you were right. And if you think they won’t do it again – especially when the calendar turns 12/12/12 - you would probably be mistaken. Review your favorite daily-deal emails now to see what competitors did and start brainstorming creative takes on this concept. I like the approach L’Occitane took this summer by displaying outlines of the products they would be discounting but still keeping some mystery around them. 

 

I also liked the video Best Buy did right before Christmas where they summarized their deals-of-the-week in a 2 minute video. The video was a nice change from having to click and scroll through all of the deals. Furthermore, it was engaging and entertaining with a little humor sprinkled in.

 

Others.  While Leap Year, the Summer Olympics, the Presidential Election and 12.12.12 are events special to the new year, there will indubitably be others that pop up along the way.  (I’m not even going to address the end-of-the-world stuff predicted for next December). Be flexible and ready for these “events” too with branded templates. At a minimum, create a postcard-like shell with your branding that can be pulled off the shelf to promote something last minute or to match a competitor’s offer.

Wishing you a happy and health 2012!  (And, Happy Birthday leap year babies!  Go Team USA…)

Are there any events I missed?  Please send them my way!

Animation Adds Interest to Retail Emails

Email volume was way up this holiday season and made it more important than ever to grab a recipient's attention quickly. Increasingly, the way to do this is through animation. I've seen an increase in animation in email by retailers and wanted to share a few examples. 

One of the trends I noticed was animation for the call to action, or to highlight the offer. J. Jill had a 5 days of gifts promotion, and animated the countdown in the series of emails.

 

 

 

Here's the animated section in action:

In this email from Boden, they use animation to reinforce the urgency of the one-day deal. The text changes from Monday to One Day to Today. Click the email to see the animation.

Another trend was animating products, like in this Coldwater Creek example, where the sweaters stack up. Click the image to see the animated version. 

Then there are animated design elements. OpenSky has been experimenting with adding subtle animation to their hero images. This example features host and hostess gifts and uses an image of the ribbons from the gift box blowing in the wind.

In this example from CVS, to emphasize their gift card offer, they add a garland of animated gift cards at the bottom of the section. Click the email to view the animated version. 

 

Do you think we'll continue to see an increase in animated elements in email? I'd love to see any examples that cut through the clutter in your inbox this holiday. 

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

 

Marketing Wrap-up: Week of December 23, 2011

Before you all rush home to your friends and family, here is one last post to sum up the week in links. Keeping it short and sweet; Merry Christmas and to all, a happy new year.

 

1. Yule want to try this – Xmas tips for marketers by our very own Senior Creative Designer Elliot Ross. The Drum

2. 11 things Santa won’t bring you this year … You won’t be too disappointed. Econsultancy

3. If you’re like me, this might come in handy: 22+ last-minute gifts you can send via email Mashable

4. 5 ways to generate sales leads with mobile Mashable

5. ICO updated guidance on cookies: DMA, ICO, Smart Insights

6. 6 E-CRM trends to consider for 2012 planning Smart Insights

7. It takes more than a loyalty scheme to keep hold of your consumers: Loyalty schemes don’t create loyal consumers, says Ipsos MORI Econsultancy

8. Infographic -> The anatomy of a perfect landing page Formstack

9. Email is more popular than beer... and other fun facts from Email Marketing Reports

10. Is batch and blast such a bad thing? The Future is not one to one ClickZ

 

Let us know your favorite articles from this week.

 

Millie Bartlett, Marketing Coordinator, e-Dialog UK

 

Is Facebook Hiding Your Email Messages?

Facebook Messages has been around for about a year now, and there was a lot of talk when it launched about how different types of messages from different recipients were managed and categorized by Facebook into either the Messages folder or the Other folder. We even wrote a pretty detailed piece about it. But suddenly, people seem really surprised that messages they want to see aren't being presented to them because they are showing up in the Other folder.

This story reminded me of some recent research we did, in which we asked consumers if they were aware of the filtering tools offered by their email clients that could help them prioritize email messages. The results were pretty surprising. More than 30% of respondents in the US and UK said no, and more than 40% in APAC said they were not aware.

For me, the key take-away from these two points is that marketers can't assume that consumers know how to use technology in the best way, and that education is needed to help consumers have a beneficial relationship with brands. When Facebook Messages was launched, we recommended that marketers comb through their database and identify Facebook.com addresses and send them an email telling them how to ensure they receive the messages they opted in to. I think it's even more important now. 

 

I'm curious if any of you have looked at how many Facebook.com email addresses are in your database and any strategies you are using to make sure your messages get seen. Let me know in the comments!

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

What Facebook's Timeline Cover Photo Means for Brands

With the official launch of Facebook Timeline for all users, there has already been speculation about when brand pages will get the Timeline treatment and what it means. That's not what this post is about. Instead, I want you to think about how brands can leverage the Timelines of individuals, and in particular, the prime real estate of the cover photo.

 

Brands on Facebook today drive engagement primarily via page likes, comments, and photo shares. But the cover photo presents a new opportunity for engagement. Consumers who love your brand can now make your imagery their own, enhancing your reach. VW was early to the party, offering a cover photo back in October. Mountain Dew is already on this, offering several versions of Dew-themed cover photos to their fans. HBO's True Blood is offering their fans images from the show for their cover photos as well. 

 

For email marketers, your images can do double duty. Retailers like The North Face often use a stunning hero image in their emails. Imagine offering that photo as a downloadable cover image. Other uses for the cover photo could be wish lists, product reviews, or purchased items. 

 

Then we get to contests. Contests are huge on Facebook. Certainly a brand could ask fans to create a cover image and those could be voted on and the winning image offered for download. I could also see posting a brand's cover image as a prerequisite for entering a contest, in the same way liking a page is now. 

 

And of course, there will be the "just for fun" options that can be a great way to keep fans engaged and checking in with you for new content. It could also be a way to reward brand advocates and super fans, by giving them an exclusive image for their page.

 

I'd love to hear what you think about these possibilities for the Timeline cover photo and any ideas you are thinking about. Leave me a comment!

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,

e-Dialog, @eDialogLiz

 

Strategies for Winning Back Email Subscribers

The DMA (London, UK) put on their final seminar in the Email Customer Lifecycle series on the 22nd November. Eighty delegates were on hand to hear the presentations on how to improve their Win-Back efforts.

 

 

e-Dialog representatives Jill Brittlebank, Director of Strategic Services, presented the keynote speech and James Beauchamp, Strategy and Analytics Lead, presented relevant case studies. 

 

To find out more about the day's events, further details are here in an article posted on the DMA's Email Marketing Blog.

 

If you missed the presentations you can find them below:

 

Jill Brittlebank's keynote included identifying four types of win-back scenarios, the importance of understanding the purchase funnel, and how to define an inactive email subscriber. View the presentation below.

DMA Win-back Keynote

View more presentations from e-Dialog

 

 

James Beauchamp presented case studies from several well-known brands, and reminded marketers of six key questions to ask when developing a win-back strategy, such as what is the desired response, and what's in it for subscribers? View the presentation below.

 

DMA Win-back Examples

View more presentations from e-Dialog

 

 

Millie Bartlett, Marketing Coordinator, e-Dialog UK, @eDialogEurope

 

Green Monday: How Did You Celebrate?

Well, apparently Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not big enough, because now there's Green Monday, the newest "big" shopping day of the holiday season. You probably celebrated without even knowing it!

 

The term Green Monday supposedly originated because it is the last day before Christmas to purchase a gift that will arrive in time using standard shipping. But with so many free shipping offers this year, does it still ring true that Green Monday will be one of the season's biggest shopping days? Plus, there's Free Shipping Day to think about, coming up this Friday, December 16th. 

 

So far, marketers don't seem to be promoting Green Monday the same way they have Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Kmart and Sears prepared special deals for last minute shoppers and extended their shipping deadlines. They also promoted their "Ready in 5" in-store pickup option for online orders. 

My inbox was not showing a lot of green on Monday, but there were a few examples. The first is from the Food Network Store. It was pretty basic, and actually didn't use any green in the creative, instead sticking with the traditional red. 

Justice, a retailer of girl's apparel, was a little more colorful. They featured Green Monday in the copy and put the shipping deadlines right up front. Interestingly, the Green Monday sale is online only, but they also offer an in-store coupon for the same dates and percentage off the purchase.

 

Finally, Miles Kimball sent a Green Monday-themed message. I like that they give the deadlines for shipping for both personalized and non-personalized items. 

 

Do you think Green Monday will become as familiar to consumers as Black Friday and Cyber Monday? I'd love to hear your take-just leave a comment.

 

Liz Lynch, senior marketing communications associate,
e-Dialog, eDialogLiz 

Marketing Wrap-up: Week of December 9, 2011

One week closer to Christmas and one sentence closer to 10 links that will inspire you digitally. This week we have been gifted with reflections on the past year and predictions for the next. In the next few minutes you will see some valuable stats and interesting findings that you can take with you until next time. As always, enjoy:

 

Top 10 links of the week:

1. Who are you rooting for? The Tech Wars of 2012 Fast Company

2. ClickZ reflect on the innovations in email of 2011

3. In case you hadn’t heard - Facebook buys Gowalla Brand Republic

4. Ever wondered how to use social media for better customer acquisition? Mashable

5. Email marketing: 4 steps to manage your inactive subscribers. Inbox Group

6. Your complete guide to measuring email marketing success HubSpot

7. If you’ve got it… Data should flaunt its geek chic MarketingWeek

8. Maybe a bold statement, what do the creative folk make of this one? The only email design tips you will ever need to succeed EmailBlog.eu

9. Great stats -  Mobile and iPad email use spikes MediaPost

10. Consumer expectations are not being met - Consumers are now less forgiving of a poor mobile experience UTalkMarketing

10.5 One to see you well in to the Christmas season – If Santa was an email marketer…  Email Marketing Reports

 

Have any views on this week's links? What was your favourite article of the week? We would love to hear from you so be sure to drop a comment below.

 

See you next time.

 

Millie Bartlett, Marketing Coordinator, e-Dialog UK, @eDialogEurope

Finding the Holiday Fun in my Inbox

I’m done holiday shopping.  It is a new record for me, and I’m not going to lie – it feels good!  I shopped at the mall Black Friday Weekend and I “celebrated” Cyber Monday.  I scoured my email for coupons, promo codes and free shipping deals to get the best prices.  Now that I’m done, I can focus on the fun in my inbox!

 

The first “fun” I came across was in an email from White House | Black Market:

 

They created a Facebook-based application where customers drag-and-drop items to generate a personalized wishlist.

 

This wishlist is, of course, share-able to your wall:

 

The SC Johnson family also got into the fun on Facebook by allowing customers to create a mood board based on their favorite Glade fragrances.  This really struck a chord with me – since I’m done with shopping – now it’s time to concentrate on decorating!

 

The email directed consumers to Facebook:

 

Once on the site, you select different room scenes and decorate them using furniture, trimmings and Glade products.

A few companies used contests or sweepstakes to draw interest to their product offerings.  The Limited sponsored a “Holiday Wishlist Facebook Giveaway”.  Just “Like” their page to enter for a chance to win a prize a day.

 

Others used Twitter and YouTube to promote their holiday initiatives.  Bed Bath & Beyond asked subscribers to follow them on Twitter using a cute play on decorating your nest:

 

Finally, there was the just plain silly.  Walmart added a banner to their email to encourage views of a holiday “Yodeling Cat”. (While I don't see any real added value here, the link is here in case you just can’t resist!)

 

 

Overall, companies are using email to broadcast their social programs this season.  This makes sense because the overlap between email is social is only around 18%, according to
e-Dialog’s primary research.  Furthermore, email is typically the first medium a customer chooses to interact with.  Seventy-five percent of respondents said they signed up for email before they investigated the company’s social presence. (Source: Deciphering Customer Acquisition: Connecting Acquisition Across Email, Social and Mobile, e-Dialog © 2011) 

 

So, I will continue to kick-back and watch the fun file into my inbox!  What is your favorite interactive holiday activity to date? 

 

Lauren Pizzi, e-Dialog