A bad email program is much like an ineffective sales person. Instead of having to read the disinterest on the faces of your customers, feel the negative impact on sales, or in my case, hear the harshness of their words; email marketing can tell you almost everything you need to know about your customers and help you to sell more.

Going Beyond “Hi FNAME”

The insight required to make your email program more profitable is already at your finger tips and it’s inexpensive. It comes to you in the form of data. I don’t mean open and click data, although that will tell you a lot, I’m talking about data that will allow you to personalize the experience for each of your customers.

Sure, personalized greetings are often well-received but as I mentioned in a recent Chief Marketer article, this year’s standout Valentine’s Day campaigns were those that used deeper data, such as purchase history and customer profiles, to make their offers more personal and therefore more relevant. In the article, I was speaking largely about retailers but service companies too have a slew of easily accessible data to track (or even predict) the purchase intent of their customers as well as identify cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

What Do You Have to Work With?

The sources of actionable data are seemingly endless, but here are few categories and specific examples:

Profile: Imagine you run a travel agency and I’m your 65 y/o prospect, do you think I’d respond better to an offer that reflected the most popular senior destinations? Now imagine that the images in the offer were those of the silver-haired persuasion. Or perhaps I’m on west coast time and your webinar is schedule for 1pm eastern, would I be more likely to reserve my seat if the email read 11am pacific?

Purchase History: If I bought gifts in or around today’s date, two years in a row, might I want to buy another again this year? What if the new gift recommendations were in line with my previous purchases of those of other gift buyers? Conversely, what if I’ve already purchased your primary product, do you think that I want to hear about how much money I could have saved, if only I’d waited? Instead, wouldn’t I rather know about your secondary offerings?

Activity: Maybe I’ve downloaded three sequential white papers in 30 days, but I’ve yet to make a purchase, would it be a good idea to invite me into a discussion about my specific needs? Or maybe I haven’t responded to your offers in some time, am I perfect for a reactivation offer or satisfaction survey?

Preferences: Imagine that you have 10 different products but I’m a reseller that’s only interested on products 1-5. Shouldn’t I be put into a segment with other resellers? What if I’m a direct user but I only want to receive educational information, as opposed to promotional, I’m more likely to remain an enthusiast and share your information if I only get what I really want?

It’s Easy and Inexpensive To Execute

I’m always surprised when SMB marketers say that using data at this level is only for the big boys. That may have been true in the years past, but today any ESP that’s worth their salt integrates easily with your CRM or E-commerce solutions and web analytics. All you have to do is integrate it and most importantly test it.

- Scott Hardigree | Indiemark

When: February 8th, 2010, 7am to 6:30pm

Who: Social Fresh Tampa will have 30-35 speakers split between two rooms of content, stand alone featured speakers and panels.

How: Purchase Ticket ($315)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Things You Shouldn’t Do

1. Don’t limit your search geographically. Yes, the most expedient way to build trust is in face-to-face relationships, but that doesn’t mean trust can’t also be built on separate coasts or continents for that matter. Keep in mind that what you’re looking for is the correct fit. Restricting your search from the outset to a defined geographic area is unnecessarily limiting. With your marketing budget and ROI at risk, the stakes are just as high. In this day of the email and WebEx, communication is easy and instantaneous. In fact, when we do meet in person with our clients (whether they required ad hoc or fully managed services), meetings are usually focused and efficient because we’ve planned them in advance and time is limited.

2. Don’t screen out professionals based on size. If you’re a small company, you shouldn’t rule out working with a gun-for-hire simply because they offer more services and have more experience than you need; sure, you may not be a huge profit center for them but perhaps they have the precise expertise you need.

Similarly, larger clients shouldn’t exclude small agencies or independent professionals from their consideration. Talented people at the helm of small shops may have more experience than a localized email marketing professional or the mid-level staffers that would be assigned to you at a big full-service agency. It’s the attention, expertise, and ideas that matter.

3. Don’t make industry experience a must-have. Marketing pros with a lot of category experience might be subject to industry group-think. No one group or individual will ever know as much as you do about your industry, so you should hire them for what they do know: the art and science of email marketing.

One of the things I love about being in email marketing is the cross-pollination of ideas gained from working across a variety of industries. Every industry is unique, but they all share common characteristics. Often what we learn serving a client in one industry triggers a fresh idea for a client in another.

4. Don’t ask for (or entertain) speculative work. Speculative campaigns or tests are the bane of the agency business, the same holds true for email-centric ones. Spec campaigns are like steroids, they often over-inflate the presenters’ capabilities. But the biggest reason not to ask for spec work is that the best prospects–the ones you really want–won’t do it. They don’t have to. The more they are willing to jump through speculative hoops for you, the more you should be suspicious. If they’re ready to give away their work there must not be a very good market for it.

5. Don’t avoid questions about your budget.  Don’t let anyone tell you that money (or budget) doesn’t talk. Each agency or outsourcer has certain client budget minimums, arrived at through experience and predicated in part by the economy and their current client load. That’s why it’s important, for the sake of conducting an informed review, that you have some idea of what your budget is or should be. Maybe you’ve had an unpleasant experience by declaring your budget early on or what you thought was too openly (remember the first website you had developed?) It happens. But as a general rule, when you speak with the interested prospects, engage in open dialogue when it comes to your budget. In the end it will save you time, energy, and money.

So how should you select an email marketing partner?

1. Do determine what you need. The worst thing you can do is hire for a job and then not let them do it. Do you need someone to lead or someone to follow? A firm that can develop strategy or an expert at execution? A consultant that likes to have fun or one that’s all business? An employee to take orders or someone who will challenge your thinking?

2. Do initiate a conversation. Send the prospects an e-mail, or give them a call. Spend a few minutes on the phone together and you’ll get an immediate sense of chemistry and interest. Ask them about their history, who their current clients are, what their core capabilities are.

3. Do invite them to review a handful of case studies. Keep in mind that you’re not looking to see if they have good outcomes to report (all of them will) but to understand the thinking behind how they arrived at their solutions. You’ll learn about their process, what it is, how it works, and how it might fit your company and culture. Is it methodical? Inspiration-based? Data-driven?

When you find a good fit, discuss with them the best way to ensure a long and successful relationship. Come to clear agreement on your expectations for compensation and services. Then fire the starter’s gun and let them work.

Headquartered in Orlando FL, Indiemark specializes in interactive communications for global and domestic companies and organizations. Indiemark will work with Palm Beach Condo Company to showcase and communicate their many properties – including the largest single selection of condos available for sale in South Florida – which has propelled the company to become the leaders in this and other growing markets.

“Selecting Indiemark as our agency of record is a natural extension of the relationship that we have built with them over the years,” said Brian Saver CEO at Palm Beach Condo Company. “Scott Hardigree and his team have immersed themselves in our company and in our business. We have developed a strong partnership, and we believe this partnership will pay dividends for us, our partners and for the many clients who trust us.”

“Palm Beach Condo Company has a wealth of expertise to share with prospective condo owners, which is particularly important given the complexity of the real estate ownership and investment marketplace,” said Scott Hardigree, CEO at Indiemark. “They help countless individuals, families, and investors cut through that clutter, every day. We’re proud to serve as their agency.”

Not only am I excited to meet with a slew of new vendors, partners and clients but I’m also looking forward to the robust session lineup, here’s a few must-attends for Indiemark:

• The Five Best Ways to Optimize Email Response: A Six Month Experiment Across 1.2 Billion Sends
• How to Use Existing Customers to Gain New Ones – Email’s NEW Critical Role
• Short and Long-term Strategies for Email List Growth
• Bringing Dead Prospects Back to Life with Email Marketing
• Mounting the New Challenges of Deliverability

If you’d like to schedule a time to chat, please reply below or ping me directly.

Needless to say, this troublesome limitation creates many challenges for email marketers. But that’s just the way it is, right? Not so fast.

We’ve licensed a powerful little application, crafted by our friends at StyleCampaign,  that converts each pixel of an image into HTML — which may avoid the issue altogether.

• Pros, Cons, and Recommended Usages
• View Example
• Forward Example
• Want one?
  

With the restrictions placed upon email marketing by image blocking, why not use this technique if it helps you to better communicate with your customers.

Thoughts?

Scott Hardigree | 407.614.5952 | www.indiemark.com

Let’s Look at the Numbers

Email has been the marketing workhorse for a decade, and that’s unlikely to change in the near future.  It allows targeting because it’s data driven. It drives direct sales. It builds relationships, loyalty and trust. It also supports sales through other direct channels:

• According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generated an ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2008, that’s twice that of the first runner-up.
• A recent summary by MarketingSherpa states, “Those that see the effectiveness of their email programs diminishing are much more likely to have short-sighted organizational attitudes toward the tactic. Organizations with investment-oriented views of email reap the rewards.”
• The CMO Council’s Marketing Outlook ‘08 Report reviewed the plans and opinions of 650 marketers. Email marketing was the top target area for investment.
• In a 2008 survey of retailers, Shop.org stated that “E-mail is the most mentioned successful tactic overall”.

Handle Email Marketing In-house?

If you don’t have an existing agency relationship or do have sufficient in-house talent, consider this:

1. You (meaning you or your team) know your business; are you also well-versed in email marketing?
2. If yes, do you have time and energy to optimize the effort?
3. How does your integrated marketing and CRM compare against your competitors?
4. Does your email marketing drive sales, build loyalty, and reduce marketing costs?
5. Is your email program founded on research and/or historical data?
6. Does your in-house work save or cost you money?

Already Have an Expert?

If you already have a marketing agency or other outside help, ask yourself:

1. Do they specialize in email or are they “full service”?
2. Do they generate an ROI that’s in-line with the findings above?
3. Do they think about us without being prodded?
4. Do they understand our target market and business processes?
5. Have they explored and monetized all the options?
6. Is their work for fresh, exciting, and reflective of best practices?

Pieces of the Email Marketing Equation

Email marketing can involve customer acquisition, lead nurturing, client reactivation and retention, and of course direct sales, which means that a host of processes and services are potentially involved, including:

• Strategy & Research
• Editorial & Promotional Planning
• Copy Writing & Content Development
• Design & Coding
• List Growth & Community Building
• List Segmentation & List Enhancement
• Behavioral & Customer Profiling
• Message Delivery & Deliverability Monitoring
• Cross-channel Integration
• Email Service Provider (ESP) or In-house Mailing Solution Evaluations
• Lead Nurturing & Direct/Up/Cross Sales
• Multivariate Testing & Program Optimization

If the list above encompasses more than you’re doing, this may be a strong indicator that you’re under-utilizing this lucrative channel. Perhaps it’s time for a fresh marketing partner or maybe you need to reallocate budgets and/or provide your in-house team with more training?

If you’ve (officially) determined that you need help, stay tuned. In the second and last installment we’ll discuss HOW to find and evaluate qualified talent that fits your unique needs and meets your budgetary restrictions.

Thanks to Dan, The Life Insurance Pro, for finding this.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Email has been the marketing workhorse for a decade, and that’s unlikely to subside, he said. This endorsement, which is supported with hard data, comes as the industry has dealt with suggestions in 2009 that its long-held, top-tier role is fading.

However companies are using some inventive programs with mobile and social media to grow enhance their email efforts that marketers could learn from, he indicated. Outback Steakhouse, for example, offered a free Bloomin’ Onion to the first 500,000 people who became its fans on Facebook. And its list grew by 125,000 between Nov. 16 and 24.

This and other relieving statistics  (including Tiger Woods’ preferred media channel usage) are outlined is this well-delivered and insightful presentation.

Indiemark, a full-service email marketing agency, will develop and manage comprehensive email marketing communications plans for the company, including all client relationship and acquisition efforts.

“Given the company’s rich tradition in forex and online trading, Indiemark is honored to work with them in determining and executing their future email marketing directions,” said Scott Hardigree, CEO at Indiemark.

###