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Email Style & Etiquette - Anatomy of an Email

Has your best friend emailed you from work a hilarious summary of the late-night antics at the neighborhood pub? 

Or did your department chair recently email you at work about his attraction to your co-worker with a plea for your help to hook them up?

Maybe you are a manager at the office and a staff member emailed you a personal situation they need help with that could result in a conflict.

It is time for a mandatory email etiquette lesson! 

Like any motivational seminar or session on  personal finance, lessons on email etiquette bear repeating at least once each year.

And good email etiquette begins by understanding how email works.

Now is the time, call now or email me to schedule your 45-minute session on:

Email Etiquette:
The Anatomy of an Email

Call 866-Win-Mail

Visit this resource for writing at work! www.WriteBetterAtWork.com.

Ask a Question - How can we improve response?

Look at the goal of the email campaign. In this case, for a retail business, often the goal is to increase online sales. After analysis of a existing email campaign, the strategy moving forward would be to determine ways to improve email response.

A good assessment tool is to think in terms of barriers, "what are the barriers to a sale?"

1. One key barrier might be that the "call to action" is hard to find. A common mistake is to fill the email full of lots of information. The problem here is that the reader is perhaps overwhelmed both by the amount of text and perhaps even the number of products to preview. Remember, we have an average of 3 seconds to convey the message you want to convey. 
2. A second barrier might be that the process was too complicated. Make sure the process from click to web site through purchase of product is as simple as possible. And of course, test the process before sending the email.
3. Further examination uncovers another possible barrier - the relevance of the products. For example, summer is probably not the best time to be pushing socks or coffee. 
4. More effective messages focus on the type of reaction being elicited. If products have significance to the audience, take a minute to write down reasons for their significance. Then create a message directed more at the reason than at the product. Create messages aimed more to elicit the senses. So mustard may be relevant, but why? Because we eat a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs in the summer, and they can sometimes be dry or flavorless. Add a photo of a woman staring at a plain hot dog on a bun, and the need for mustard becomes more clear and the sense of taste begins to influence the decision.

Pay more attention to the details when looking at the results of previous campaigns. See which elements vary and ask why. A good article by Mike Hotz on analysis and testing to improve results can be found here: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2144332/steps-effective-email-testing 

 

Highlight of the Week - Successful at Large

It is not usually a good idea to put a large amount of content into an email. 

That said, it is always a good idea to know your audience when sending an email.

A year ago or so, the Communications Committee of the National Rural Economic Development Association (NREDA) was inclined to move their newsletter to a web page, and simply email the link to members. The committee surveyed their members and learned that most would more likely read their news if it was within the body of the email. 

So the challenge was in front of them: how to successfully present a large amount of content in an email.

The solution was a layout that was well organized and easy to navigate. WinM@il created a three-column layout with a complete table of contents at the top and ample navigation throughout. Large subheads make topics easy to find. Links to excess information make indepth stories more digestible.

If this is a familar challenge, please comment with any additional ideas for organizing large content into an email. 

For an example of the NREDA email newsletter, visit: http://bit.ly/IhpT7g 

 

Creative Strategies - Avoiding the Where's Waldo factor

As part of the proof reading process, put to test your email marketing campaign's call to action.

Open your email. After 3 seconds, decide if you know what to do next based on what you saw. 

For example, often an email will include product information, image, and contact info in the top few inches of the email. Once the reader scrolls to the bottom, only then does the reader see the call to action, something like, "click here for more info."

Revision strategy: Move the call to action to the top portion of the email. Change the language to be more specific, "Click to view sizes and colors of our entire collection."

Remember, people do not want to open an email and have to hunt for the message. Your call to action is not an entry in a Where's Waldo contest. Write clearly, place promently.

A good article on this subject appears on the Email Critic's blog at http://emailcritic.com/2011/03/email-marketing-calls-to-action-cta/

 

Best Practices - Replace Text Links with Buttons

I received a follow-up email from Backcounty.com after purchasing a few Christmas gifts. The email was clean, well organized, and full of image buttons that were almost irresistible! 

There were three buttons per item purchased, all asking for feedback of some sort. They are like candy! 

         

Ah ha! Did you try to click one of these?! 

It's true that image buttons draw more action than text links. The reality is, for the staff in charge of building the email campaign at many smaller businesses, there just is no time for these types of design modifications. But tweek your email design just a bit and you might see more success. 

For example, download an image to link to any social media site using ButtonsHut.com. And be sure to put some space (padding) around the button. An article at Clickz.com recently reminded us to design for mobile phones 100% of the time as smart phone usage continues to grow. 

"The padding around links and buttons needs to increase so larger fingers can click accurately."

Read the Clickz article here:
http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2128674/b2b-email-trends-watch-2012

Bottom line, try using buttons instead of text links. 

Tweet

Ask A Question - Why The Low Open Rate?

• What does "opened" mean in email tracking?     
  The system for tracking opens is called "pixel tracking" - where a tiny 1x1 pixel blank image must appear on the reader;s screen in order for the "open" to be recoreded. So, what this means is that if viewers are receiving and opening their email in a no-image context, either on their phone or in their inbox with the images turned off, we will not be recording that as opened. More and more email clients read emails without pictures turned on, so unless the images are truly key to the message, they may never be viewed. Email open rates are best used as a measure over time, compare rates of fall emails vs spring emails, etc.
• What do industry experts suggest for a better tracking system?   
  Methods to get more "opens" actually recorded include: 1) Add motivators for viewers to open their images; 2) Add must-click links within the email, because a clicked link also triggers an "open" to be recorded; 3) Put of-interest data in a picture format within the email; include a "More Details Click Here >>" link to a flier or registration form. 
• What if our list of subscribers has too many uninterested people?     
  Email marketing is a trial-and-error system and over time, our list of active and interested subscribers will organically shrink due to bounced and unaccessed email addresses and unsubscribes.  So as the list of active/interested subscribers shrinks in total number, the percentage of opens will go up.  
• What can we do to make our emails more relevant and enticing so people will open and read them?     
  THIS is the most written-about topic in the discipline of email marketing!  Some factors to consider include: 1) The FROM line - this is the #1 factor determining if a reader will open an email.  So do your subscribers know who david.russo@parklandprep.com is?  Do they trust this email?  2) The SUBJECT line - this is the #2 factor.  So what is it about the subject line that could be more preventing people from opening the email?  Maybe it needs to be more specific, more tied to the timing of the email or specific to an issue. 3) Is email the right way to reach your     target audience?  Ultimately, a good effort of 6 email attempts, measured over time to compare the open rates, will tell you if you are on the right track.  Ask around, send an email asking for      feedback or actually ask,"Click if you read this and want to continue receiving our emails." 

Best Practices - Email Etiquette

Found at Voddie.com  http://bit.ly/eDDhJg 

What is so powerful that it could spoil your customer relationships, blemish your reputation, entangle you in a legal battle, or even put you out of work?

Email is that powerful tool. To maintain control over it, you must know the rules of email etiquette.

Email, although a form of written communication, behaves much like verbal communication. Email can be expressed quickly, and a response returned within seconds.

Kathryn Towner has written a very good article at Marketing Profs, showing you how using the correct etiquette when sending emails will always provide a greater response.

 

Highlight of the Week - Email Trends Webinar

Presented by a true expert, Webinar: Email Marketing Trends for 2011 - tomorrow at 9am CET:

A BrightTALK Channel

Creative Strategies - Web and Social Media

Apply the "BEEPD" Strategy...

Struggling to figure out how to manage your various social media efforts?

Avoid spreading too thin, shouting in all different directions, and quit wasting time in the wrong lane of internet traffic.

Here's a simple process that will work. The world of social media can be very enticing. With a good plan and an organized process, the circle of web marketing will fall more easily in line:

"Get BEEPD!"

1. Brainstorm at your Blog.
2. Elaborate at your Web site.
3. Entice via Email.
4. Point from Twitter.
5. Discuss on LinkedIn.

Stick to the plan, stay in the right lane!

© Kathryn Towner, WinCommunications

Best Practices - Blogging vs Email Marketing

When it comes to measuring time spent, analyzing dollars budgeted, and calculating successful marketing strategies, it seems that their impact, value and effectiveness are often up for debate, regardless of the method or medium.

For example, email marketing came along a decade ago or so with a whirlwind of activity and applause, and the percieved value depended on numbers sent, numbers clicked and easy-to-measure statistics newly available. As email marketing matured, the lines were drawn regarding privacy, overload and qualified senders. And measure of success these days is often put in terms of how it compares.

Email marketing is beyond comparison, however, as the most targeted, widely used one-to-one "push" marketing strategy with results that are measurable. Professionals agree, email marketing is the backbone of most cross-marketing and social media strategies.

Recently the web site Mashable.com posted an article comparing blogging with email marketing. Read their article here:
http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/generations-internet-infographic/# and read the whole thing, it's great stuff.

Blogs are useful, but more in the same way web sites are, as storage areas for resources and information – they are the libraries, service centers and storefronts.

Blogs are NOT push medium, and they don't pull very well either, but they are handy if you have advice to give and don't want to repeat yourself each time a question is asked. That's how I use my blog, anyway. Every time I answer a question via email, I save post the explanation to my blog. That way next time I can just send a link!

Great email marketers send the right message to the right people at the right time. That is an art form, and it is appreciated by those who have asked to be sent those permission-based emails. No other marketing medium is based on being asked, what a fantasticly welcome idea!

Great bloggers write when they have something worthwhile to say. They integrate the blog information into their next Tweet or Facebook post and point fans to their blog for details. They understand how all these content areas are used for search marketing. For tips on optimizing your blog post for web search, visit Typepad's reference area and read:
http://www.typepad.com/tips/blog-seo-tips.html.

For best practices in email marketing, visit WinBlogger.com.

Best Practices - Blogging vs Email Marketing

When it comes to measuring time spent, analyzing dollars budgeted, and calculating successful marketing strategies, it seems that their impact, value and effectiveness are often up for debate, regardless of the method or medium.

For example, email marketing came along a decade ago or so with a whirlwind of activity and applause, and the percieved value depended on numbers sent, numbers clicked and easy-to-measure statistics newly available. As email marketing matured, the lines were drawn regarding privacy, overload and qualified senders. And measure of success these days is often put in terms of how it compares.

Email marketing is beyond comparison, however, as the most targeted, widely used one-to-one "push" marketing strategy with results that are measurable. Professionals agree, email marketing is the backbone of most cross-marketing and social media strategies.

Recently the web site Mashable.com posted an article comparing blogging with email marketing. Read their article here:
http://mashable.com/2010/12/16/generations-internet-infographic/# and read the whole thing, it's great stuff.

Blogs are useful, but more in the same way web sites are, as storage areas for resources and information – they are the libraries, service centers and storefronts.

Blogs are NOT push medium, and they don't pull very well either, but they are handy if you have advice to give and don't want to repeat yourself each time a question is asked. That's how I use my blog, anyway. Every time I answer a question via email, I save post the explanation to my blog. That way next time I can just send a link!

Great email marketers send the right message to the right people at the right time. That is an art form, and it is appreciated by those who have asked to be sent those permission-based emails. No other marketing medium is based on being asked, what a fantasticly welcome idea!

Great bloggers write when they have something worthwhile to say. They integrate the blog information into their next Tweet or Facebook post and point fans to their blog for details. They understand how all these content areas are used for search marketing. For tips on optimizing your blog post for web search, visit Typepad's reference area and read:
http://www.typepad.com/tips/blog-seo-tips.html.

For best practices in email marketing, visit WinBlogger.com.

Highlight of the Week - Mary Cantando's Newsletter

I LOVE Mary Cantando's email newsletter!  Today's "Weekly Growth Tip" is about worrying.  Past tips have been about organizing, staying young, surprising your customer...Mary has some simple and very effective short tips that really hit the spot every time.  Here is the list today:

5 Ways to Stop Worrying

1. Keep busy.
2. Pick a specific time of day and allow yourself to worry for 10 minutes at that time each day. If you start to worry at other times, remind yourself that you've got that 10 minutes reserved to worry, so you don't need to worry right now.
3. Don't worry about something you said or did in the past. We think others remember dumb things we said or embarrassing things we did, but these things are almost always forgotten by others and remembered only by ourselves.
4. Think back to a specific thing you worried about that turned out fine. When you start to worry, remind yourself of the hours you wasted worrying about something specific that ended up better than you expected.
5. "You can't change yesterday, but you can ruin today worrying about tomorrow." Tana Greene, as quoted in The 2010 Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar.

The only thing Mary is missing in her email newsletter is the address of her web site!  For more of Mary's great ideas, go to www.thewomansadvantage.biz .

Cool Marketing Resource - LinkedIn Group Suggests Email Marketing Providers

A member of the eMarketing Association Network LinkedIn Group asked "Can anyone recommend an Email Service Provider (ESP) to send out email campaigns?"  Here are the suggestions so far over the past month. (Listed in no particular order, other than the first one is my favorite)  NOTE: add .com to any of these to get to their web sites!

• ExactTarget
• Boomerang
• MailerMailer
• Eloqua
• MailChimp
• Responsys
• Silverpop
• EmailLabs
• VerticalResponse
• CampaignMonitor
• MyNewsletterBuilder
• Bronto
• CheetahMail
• ConstantContact
• InxMail
• ThinkDigit
• LiftMySales
• SendIt
• Publicaster
• Peer360
• DotMailer
• SimplyCast
• Emarket360
• eDialogue
• iContact
• Zumie
• ZetaInteractive
• eConnect
• MadMimi
• SendPepper
• Emma
• AceOfSales
• SubscriberMail
• Campaigner
• RatePoint
• EmailBrain
• AWeber
• Media1llc

Highlight of the Week - Pam Schoffner

Pam Schoffner posted a rave about social media on her blog:

http://www.schoffner.com/2010/08/thank-you-social-media.html

There is nothing all that unusual about this, except that Pam is one of my friends I rely on for good old-fashined stick-to-the-basics reasoning and perspective.

What happend?  Pam found she actually enjoys social media exchanges, and is recommending it to people she knows! 

So this is telling.  Marketing fuddy duds beware, even the traditionalists are logging on to facebook these days! 

My questions...Is it working?  Does it sell your business or service? Does it bring in customers?  Do you generage measurable results?  And do you measure those results?

Highlight of the Week - Monday Marketing Builder

A new email is coming to my inbox, and I am happy to see that is uses three important must-have features of a good email campaign.  The new relationship-building campaign is sent by Chris Wood at KCCI in Des Moines. 

Here is what Chris is doing right:

1. Catchy, specific subject lines, like "Boom, Boom, POW---> Don't forget about the Boomers!"
2. Brief, easy-to-scan content, like this week's email which was one paragraph, one image, a couple bullets and a chart.
3. Relevant, new stuff!  He reports facts and research that I haven't seen yet, and provides the link for more info.

Here is what Chris could improve: Layout and presentation.  Let's see if we can get a more professional and attractive design for the next one!

Creative Strategies - Include Loyal Customers in Your Email Newsletter

Add this to the email strategy toolbox:

Introduce good customers to other good customers by including fans in the your actual email copy. Often a good customer is willing to comment or give testimony, and creating this kind of exchange via your email newsletter can reinforce loyalty and repeat business. Add facebook and Twitter icons to further encourage customer inteaction.  (READ PREVIOUS POST!)

Cool Marketing Resource - DIGIDAY:DAILY

Nick Godfrey writes succinctly and pointedly about the importance of strategy.  Read his article here >>
digiday:DAILY - Improving Email: Crafting an Effective Communications Strategy.

Creative Strategies - Building a facebook Page for Your Brand

Did you know that Google results can improve if your brand has an active facebook page?  Add this idea to your list of ways to improve your web site's search engine results!  Create a brand page, and post your brand "badge" on your blog and in your next email marketing campaign.  Here's a new WinM@il badge:

WinM@il

Promote Your Page Too

Creative Strategies - Ask for Referrals

One of the simplest and most effective ways to grow your email list and likewise your target list is to ask your biggest fans for their help!  If they appreciate your email newsletter or email campaign, for whatever reasons, then these are the best people to ask for a referral.

And email marketing tools make this process simple.  Highlight your forward-to-a-friend button in your next email campaign.  Encourage sharing and be willing to share.  Using an integrated sign-up request once the email is forwarded, someone you never would have reached otherwise is now able to sign up for your newsletter!

Those who do participate (and you know who they are through your email marketing tool) should be rewarded.  A week later send a thank you note, better yet send a special offer or a valuable "How-To" document that has not yet been posted anywhere.

Email works well for new customer acquisition, it just needs to be executed properly and tactfully.

Email Style & Etiquette - Presentation to ISAE

Kathy Towner and Mike Sansone present a session on Email Etiquette to members and guests of the Iowa  Society of Association Executives on April 26, 2010:

Etiquette, Efficiency, and Effectiveness in Electronic Messaging

This session will focus on communications etiquette within the online environment. Learn strategies for producing and responding to electronic media and messages. Learn to recognize which types of messages are appropriate for the various channels of communiqué, as well as tips and time-savers for managing the daily deluge of incoming messages.

Best Practices - Preparing Your New Email Marketing Campaign

More and more small businesses seem to be signing up to use various email marketing software applications. There are two questions to ask yourself if you are in the process of building your own email marketing campaign:

1. Do I have the skills and knowledge that I need to succeed?
2. What tool is the best to help me successfully reach and affect my target audience?

Other questions to ask as you begin designing your email marketing program:

1. Who is(are) my target audience(s)?
2. Do I have permission to email them, how do I get permission?
3. What are the goals of this marketing strategy?
4. How often should I email in order to achieve my goal?
5. When should I email in order to achieve my goal?
6. What action is my email asking the subscriber to take?
7. Is my message written as concisely and effectively as possible?
8. Is the design of my email going to work in their inboxes?

Like any fully functional web site design or effective and attractive ad design, email marketing requires a trained professional and a well developed strategy in order to succeed.

My favorite tool is ExactTarget.  As an alternative, iContact has a nice platform.

Read more about email marketing tools:

http://www.email-marketing-options.com/providers

http://webmarketcentral.blogspot.com/2008/05/hosted-email-service-price-comparison.html

Best Practices - College Students Use facebook, Not myspace

Of the 100-or-so college students attending our session on "Internet Etiquette," only one was using myspace. Almost all use facebook. The question on the minds of these future employees was this: What do employers look for when they include facebook in their background checks?

See the Iowa State Daily's summary of our session HERE >>

Ask a Question...

If you have been working with email marketing and have a question, or if you are considering adding email to your marketing strategy, use the comment feature below to ask a question! 

It's free, it's my advice based on my own experiences in email marketing, sales and management for 22 years now! 

Go ahead, ask...

If you have been working with email marketing and have a question, or if you are considering adding email to your marketing strategy, use the comment feature below to ask a question! 

It's free, it's my advice based on my own experiences in email marketing, sales and management for 22 years now! 

Go ahead, ask...

Cool Marketing Resource - Survey Gizmo

Planning an online survey but don't know where to begin? 

Build a simple survey using your email marketing application.  This will deliver the results you need if you are creating a survey with a basic Q&A format. Using ExactTarget's survey tool, I have collected some fantastic marketing information for customers of mine, and the results are automatically tallied and graphically presented. 

In a more sophisotcated environment, where you might want to add page jumping, question piping, question/answer tables, or triggered questions based on prior responses, Survey Gizmo is an easy to use and inexpensive tool that really works.  Survey Gizmo also integrates with ExactTarget so that individual survey responses become relevant email marketing content.

I recommend ExactTarget for email marketing, and Survey Gizmo for online surveys.  WinCommunications will jumpstart you into either of these programs, just email kt@wincommunications.com for more info.

Highlight of the Week - 25 Connections

Yesterday's lunch club meeting was one of those "lightbulb" events for me. 

Our VIP Club had the pleasure of listening to Adam Steen of 25 Connections speak about relationship building.  He focused our thoughts on people helping people.

Aha!  It's a matter of matching resources. 

The idea is simple, and not new - just a really focused approach at what we are all aware really does work.  Help a friend, and some day the friend will help you.  Match resources of mutually invested businesses, and some day they will come looking to make a match with you.

Best Practices - Call to Action

Read through your email that you are about to send out to your target audience.

How clear is your call to action?  What are you asking your reader to do?

I am amazed at how often this obvious feature of a good email campaign is missing.   Even if you are sending a news item or a transactional email, a clear and well placed call to action will elevate the response of your email. 

Examples include:

• Order by Monday to receive the 10% discount.
• Download the report for more information
• Try our new recipe using Mesquite Marinade.

I enjoy the emails sent by Blue Moon Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant.  The call to action is obvious in the right top corner, where it says, "$1 Margarita Click Here" and that takes me to a printable coupon.  (However, the same email requires me  to scroll down to find information about the promotional event, which I may never see because I have clicked to print the coupon.) 

Preview emails for the call to action and see what you find. 

Cool Marketing Resource - article2video.com

Wow, here is a bright idea!  I am not sure if the concept of putting an article into video format is a good idea, but if it seems to be worth a test. 

One trial is allowed for free.  www.article2video.com

Check it out, comment here!

Best Practices - Apply the "BEEPD" Strategy...

Struggling to figure out how to manage your social media marketing? 

Struggling to find the right route through the web of social media?

Stop straying in all different directions, quit wasting time in the wrong traffic.

Get BEEPD!

Here's a simple process that will work.  Keep it handy, the world of social media can be very enticing.   And so far, there are a few spots that have proven to be worthwhile for business marketing:

1. Brainstorm at your blog.
2. Elaborate at your web site.
3. Email to announce.
4. Promote at Twitter.
5. Discuss on LinkedIn.

© Kathryn Towner, WinCommunications

Highlight of the Week - PDI Committee Meeting

Ok, this may be the ONLY time I say this...the committee meeting I attended yesterday was the highlight of my day!

Here's why:

1. Our committee of 12 from around the state of Iowa met via telephone.  This cost effective, time-sensative strategy allows me to keep working until the moment we meet and get back to work as soon as we are done.  I am able to take notes and research issues on my computer as we talk.  And we do truly get straight to the "work" of the committee.

2. The first topic of discussion was social media. Our moderator, the Professional Developers of Iowa Director, asked the question, "What social media do you use and what results do you see?"  I learned that among this group of professionals, Linked-In is the most popular social media tool.  Facebook was mentioned, but was used for more personal connections.  Almost everyone had a Twitter account, but almost noone had a real strategy for results.  And YouTube got the nod for posting training and promotional videos.

So, the takeaway?  The three tools worth my time seem to be Linked-In, Twitter, and YouTube. 

The challenge? Integrating the tasks of marketing via social media with existing tools like web site content management, blog posts, email newsletters and online forums. 

So, here is my suggested organizational structure for distributing online marketing content:

1. Begin with the blog.  Jot down ideas and collect responses here.
2. Repurpose for the web.  Refine, support, detail and edit your ideas for posting to a web page. 
3. Summarize in your newsletter.  Email your target audience, explain the relevance of your idea, link to your web page.
4. Promote via Twitter. Write about ideas, link to your web page, ask for retweets.
5. Solicit feedback and create discussion on Linked-In.  Contact your groups, link to the ideas on your web page, and ask a relevant question to open discussion.
6. Go live on YouTube.  Prepare a related interview and post to YouTube.

Cool Marketing Resource - Sherpa Stats on Social Media

Here's something, MarketingSherpa has a chart concluding that marketers believe social media to be effective, although unmeasuarable.

I wonder how they know these strategies are effective?

MarketingSherpa Chart >>
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=31043

Best Practices - Managing Email Bounces

Small or big business, non-profit or otherwise, it is important to understand the nature of email bounce management.  The success of your targeted permission-based email program may hinge on how well you maintain your list, and here's why:

1. Bounced emails are unreceived, and if ignored, these subscribers will forget they ever subscribed.  It is up to you, the sender, to investigate best strategies for insuring delviery to this segment of your audience.

2. A high and continuous rate of bounced emails will tarnish your email reputation with the receiving internet service providers, and that bad reputation can cause further disruptions in your email deliveries.

For more on this topic today, read J. Jennings's article at Clickz:
http://www.clickz.com/3632719/print

Email Style & Etiquette - Editing

Just when you thought you were finished, THAT's the time to get out the red pen.

Your business email writing process should conclude with a check for:

spelling, grammar and punctuation errors

sentence structure errors and unnecessary run-ons 

proper language and word choice

natural and professional tone of voice

See this useful list of tips for email writing by Dennis Jerz at Seton Hill Univeristy
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm

Cool Marketing Resource - @deliverability

A Twitter account allows you to follow the thoughts and daily interactions of another individual who is also using Twitter.

For email marketing pros, I recommend following @deliverability.

You can also read the blog at www.Deliverability.com  

And here is a useful article about email deliverability:
http://www.demandgenreport.com/articles_print.php?codearti=1243

Highlight of the Week - The Wine Lady @ Gateway

We are publishing a new newsletter for local wine lovers. 

The Wine Lady @ Gateway... makes use of one of the key elements for good email newsletter writing: personal tone.

One of the most challenging creative tasks for email newsletter writers is to produce a professional publication with a more personal tone - something that has style and is memorable yet not flashy or gauche.

With our highlight this week, Abbe writes with authority, and at the same time when you read the newsletter it sounds like she is speaking directly to you.  This is the right mix!

Another challenging creative task for email newsletter writers is to be concise.  This requires:

• touch decision-making
• well crafted sentences
• use of bulleted information
• and good grammar. 

Check around for the perfect mix in the newsletters you read in your inbox.  Who has that perfect mix of tone, professionalism, and content?

Creative Strategies - Internet Branding at No Added Cost

It is so fantastic to see your name or your brand meander from source to source, leaving a searchable trail as it travels, logging trackable records good for measuring and reporting.

I searched my name and specialty at Google recently and found myself all over the place! 

Today I'd like to report my name appears at Voddie.com - I never heard of Voddie.com, but it is really cool. It is an internet & marketing company managed out of England.  The reason I am there is an article I wrote on Email Etiquette.  Read my article here >> http://www.voddie.com/blog/2008/03/11/email-etiquette%E2%80%94use-it-or-lose-business/

I am referenced at TCEWorld as a source for a similar article - read their article and find me at the bottom >> 
http://www.tceworld.co.in/index_files/tmm/new/kma/mkt/mc/mc_020408.htm

Today I got busy and updated "what I am doing" at LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter and my 3sixty account. 

None of these appearances on the Internet stage cost me a dime, and all of them are trackable, searchable, and focused on my area of expertise. 

Now why wouldn't someone dive in and begin building a social network, an internet persona. 

Search me!

Best Practices - Writing for Email

Emails are unique.  A well-structured business email will:

• Contain more content than a social media message like those posted at Twitter or LinkedIn
• Use correct grammer and spelling
• Present less information than a business document, often sent instead as attachments
• Present the most important idea at the top (See this nice demonstration from Yale >> )
• Use bullets

Make your emails more effective - write effectively, efficiently and correctly.

Email Style & Etiquette - Reply to the question

It is true we usually scan email messages rather than read them. 

This is no excuse, however, for overlooking the most important question asked within a business inquiry.

How much time is wasted repeating a question via email - I asked the question in the first email, my contact replied to my email without answering the question I asked.  So I need to reply again with the same question.

This is a business etiquette issue because it wastes the time and patience of your professional contacts.

Be reminded: Scan the ENTIRE email before replying.

Cool Marketing Resource - Social Media

It's the rage, there are webinars, seminars, white papers, and loads of tweets on how to use social media for marketing. 

I attended a presentation by Hillary Brown (@hillabean) on social media marketing strategies, and I am finally sold. 

There are two valid reasons to monitor and participate in social media marketing:

1) Search engine rankings - the more your brand appears online, the more likely your brand name will appear in search findings.

2) Viral marketing - the online form of word-of-mouth marketing.  If your business has flourished as a result of good customers talking good things about your business, those same good customers are now likely twittering, blogging, facebooking, and posting comments about your business. 

The tools exist to track your brand name across these social media platforms.  Want to know what people are saying about you?  Moreover, would you prefer to contribute to the positive image your brand name already enjoys?  Join Twitter, create a Facebook page, build a blog...

The time has come.

For more on social media marketing, keep up with Hillary Brown at www.lavarow.com

Ask a Question...

If you have been working with email marketing and have a question, or if you are considering adding email to your marketing strategy, use the comment feature below to ask a question! 

It's free, it's my advice based on my own experiences in email marketing, sales and management for 22 years now! 

Go ahead, ask...

Highlight of the Week - Twitter

I have figured out Twitter.  See me wade my way into the social waters at:

http://www.twitter.com/katwired

I plan to follow local social media expert Hillary Brown of Lava Row, international email marketing consultant Tamara Gielen, and Kenneth Yu.  Click their names to learn more about each Tweet.  Sign up with a community of Tweets to begin reading their Tweeps!

If you figure out how this will benefit marketing professionals, comment here!

Best Practices - Understanding SPF Records

Email servers, whether they are owned and operated by your corporate office or if they are Yahoo or MSN, are bound by rules and algorithms that determine the validity of the emails they receive.  Obviously a great focus in recent years has been on creating rules by which to sort out the unwanted emails.  By checking the actual behind-the-scenes "envelope" information of an incoming email, the receiving server decides if the sender if valid, forged, or possible SPAM - and all of this is automated.

Improving the success of your email deliveries requires an understanding of email authentication, and the main factor in this equation is your own email domain's SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record.  Read about SPF at www.openspf.org and follow the wizard under the heading Deploying SPF.

To check your record, go to to a helpful page at the Microsoft site: http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/safety/content/technologies/senderid/wizard/
and enter your domain name in the field on the right side of the screen.  This will bring up your SPF record if it exists. 

Best Practices - Targeting

One of the hardest concepts for small businesses to buy into is the idea of segmenting their target audience and building messages based on customer needs. 

Either time, technology or knowledge seems to hamper this type of true target marketing for smaller businesses. Email promotions or customer retention programs are usually sent out to one group all the same.  I know that large retailers and national service organizations are on board to segment their various audiences and then they can email more relevant messages and draw better results.

But what about small businesses?  If your house list is only 400 addresses, are you thinking you can treat those 400 individuals as one?  Think hard about those 400 individuals - are there even just a couple of significant characteristics that make half those business prospects unique?  If so, put those people into a group of their own and recreate your message to address that unique characteristic.  If you do, your message will more likely be opened and read!

For more on audience segmentation, see Stefan Pollard's Five Tips for Building Better Segments at http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=clickz_print&id=3630580

Cool Marketing Resource - Salesforce.com

I was a sales rep with a large international company for 15 years.  Managing the information flow to and from sales reps was a trick in and of itself.  And overseeing data collection and information flow from reps to customers was nearly impossible.

This has all changed in the past 5 years with new technologies and the creative use of Customer Relationship Management tools.

What is fantastic, as a sales rep AND an email marketing professional, is how we can integrate email programs with CRM tools, resulting in more timely communication, easier communciation management, and more satisfied and connected customers.

Triggered email, as defined at Webopedia.com, is: "Any email message that is automatically sent to a person based on an event..."  Triggered emails are created in advance and delivered as they are triggered.  The trigger can be a click at a web site, a relationship to a particular data field in a database (date of birth, for example), or any type of action within a customer relationship cycle.  Triggered emails are often "transactional" in nature, confirming a sale or a registration.  More and more, email marketing professionals are focusing on triggered one-to-one emails to implement marketing campaigns.  With our email solution, we can integrate a product update with a purchase confirmation, automate an annual renewal email or send an personalized offer based on a recent registration or purchase.

Our tool of choice for email marketing is ExactTarget, and the online sales tool of choice for our customers is Salesforce.com - which integrates seemlessly with ExactTarget.  See ExactTarget.com and Salesforce.com. 

Best Practices - Inbox Management

My Inbox is my best friend and my worst enemy all in the same.  I click to recieve emails with the anticipation of a child at Christmas, always expecting that new inquiry or happy customer or friendly invitation.  At the same time, it often feels like a spring rain that never stops, like the summer of 1993 in Iowa or the winter of 2008.

What is great is knowing I have a system for managing all of the messages. 

And my system has a lot in common with the manamgent strategy posted at the EEC recently.  For tips on how to better manage large quantities of email in your inbox, visit this list of "Inbox Managment Tips"
http://www.emailexperience.org/resources/inbox-management-tips/

Cool Marketing Resource - ExactTarget Seminar

ExactTarget's Route 1 to 1: The New eMarketing Essentials is heading your way!  More info >>

In addition to informative presentations, top industry experts and analysts will provide one-to-one marketing technology insight, and ExactTarget clients will share real-life examples of B2B and B2C email marketing success.

WinCommunications will be there in Chicago in May.  Look for the latest tips here at WinBlogger soon after the May seminar, and be sure to call 1-866-win-mail if you are interested in learning more about how to incorporate ExactTarget's tool into your marketing plan.

Best Practices - Good Business

I am impressed with the Hilton Corporation.  We are regulars at the Homewood Suites in Chicago and ever since our first stay, I have been an subscriber to the Hilton's email newsletter. What the Hilton does right is customer service, and their style of customer service is no longer surprising - for me it is the standard and the norm.

Of course, if I go online and make a reservation, I get an email receipt.  What's more, if I call in a reservation by phone, I also get an email receipt. 

In the receipt, I find details about the hotel location with a link to a map, as well as the weather and local events.

Their newsletter is published in very digestible size, with manageable frequency.

The hotel industry has other customer service queens - I liked something that the Minneapolis Radisson did for me back in February.  My reservation had been made 6 weeks prior to that visit, and the week before our stay the Radisson emailed me a reminder of my reservation.  That was handy to have, because once again it had the weather report - perfect for our ski trip and no icy roads!

These hotel chains are doing it right with email and customer service.  Take a lesson!

Email Style & Etiquette - Published Again!

I am please to share a terrific article on the fundamental manners of email.  Its author and I have a lot in common!

Read Article Here >>
http://www.marketingprofs.com/8/email-etiquette-use-or-lose-business-towner.asp?adref=znnpbsc238

In a related blog moment, Rick Short of Indium Corporation built on the idea of email etiquette in his recent post.  Short's message adds that everyone in business is an Internet representative for their company - via email, we all wear our business badge and need to remember our mission and our image.  His blog "Rich Short's B2B Marcom Blog" is fun and full of interesting stories and marketing tips.

Highlight of the Week - Trilix Group

I love contests.  I never win, but there's no "quit" in me, and I will keep trying 'til they close the entry box.

Which is why I love the email marketing strategy that includes a well-crafted, relevant and informative contest that is also fun and entertaining.

Trilix Marketing Group developed such a contest using a combination of You-Tube video, sports statistics, their web site, and of course a daily email campaign the weeks preceeding this year's Super Bowl.

The contest comes in with a daily drawing, followed by a grand prize after the Super Bowl Game is played.  And the fun part is the video - ads from previous Super Bowl Games that bring back memories and make me laugh.  What a great idea!

What a great way to keep in front of customers and highlight the agency's strengths.  I would bet they've added a few subscribers to their email list along the way, too.

Highlight of the Week - Educational Opportunities

A host of professional organizations, seminars and conferences have sprung up over the past few years.  Join the Email Experience Council (www.emailexperience.org), read articles at www.Clickz.com, and spend time in training at an upcoming conference: Email Evolution Conference, eTail 2008, Email Summit '08.  Or call me for a one-hour training session on a variety of topics in Internet marketing (866-Win-Mail).

Best Practices - Email Marketing Goals

Email is the perfect way to announce upcoming events and invite our customers to visit and try out our new wines,"- Kristin McClarnon, WinM@il Customer, Summerset Winery

What's the goal of your campaign?  Did you make more money than you invested in your marketing efforts? Did you set and meet your marketing goals? How do you plan to calculate this relationship in 2008?  I am constantly surprised at how often this concept is left in the dust as businesses rush forward with an email, or even an email campaign.

Reports show that email marketing, when done correctly, returns more dollars o n your investment than any other marketing strategy. Results from email marketing are simple to measure.

And remember that the best way to measure results is to track them back to the goals of your email campaign.  What are your marketing goals?  Below are some sample email marketing goals derived from WinM@il customers in 2007:

Goal of Campaign: Raise awareness, develop sense of community, fill and retain properties
Goal of Campaign: Increase web traffic, increase visits to booths at trade shows
Goal of Campaign: Increase registrations of clinics and camps
Goal of Campaign: Increase sales
Goal of Campaign: Increased member retention, increase attendance
Goal of Campaign: Develop loyalty, bring in customers