Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: This research shows examples of email/social integration for emails of 35 UK retail brands.
Implication: The research showed that a surprising number were poorly/not integrated. Take a look to find out best practice for linking.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: This post from the DMA post reminds us of the often missed opportunity to grow and refresh lists from offline contacts.
Implication: Take a look at the best practice example analysed by Tim, to get ideas on how you can maximise your offline signups.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: A new post from Mark Brownlow out Expert commentator on Emails.
Implication: The post title say's it all - ensure you, or your agency is using one of these tools.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: A nice post from Ed Weatherall on our obsession with benchmarking emails on open and click %.
Implication: Ed doesn't make specific suggestions on how to tackle this difference, but I like his idea of the "Taxi Report" test. Dave has added his views on what these might contain.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: Getting emails delivered to the inbox successfully is a perennial problem for digital marketers since the webmail providers continually improve spam protection for their users. It's estimated that 15% of permission-based commercial email messages in Europe are being routed to the junk, bulk or spam folders or being blocked all together.
This is the clearest guide I have yet seen explaining the issues with a lot of links to other sources.
Implication: To avoid becoming a "false positive" discuss the main causes and solutions of deliverability listed with the person/agency responsible for your email.
1. Improve Data Collection
2. Implement Authentication
3. Monitor Your Sender Reputation
4. Manage Your IP Addresses Carefully
5. Practice Good List Hygiene
6. Use Complaint Feedback Loops
7. Monitor Blacklists
8. Reduce Spam Complaints
9. Conduct Pre"€Broadcast Testing
10. Get Certification
Value: [rating=5]
Commentary: The article argues that most email marketers underestimate the value of their email marketing due to focusing on the response metrics of open, click and conversion. Kevin argues that to see the true value of email marketing you should perform hold-out tests and then review incremental response.
Implication: If you are arguing for more response for email marketing then this periodic testing approach is better for assessing email's true worth.
Value: [rating=3]
Commentary: Love the title, and nicely executed Ebook idea for lead-generation, but unsurprisingly experienced Email marketers won't learn much.
Implication: If you're new to Email marketing or looking for a refresher, then try the 35Mb download. If you're more experienced we advise not.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: A collection of diagrams and models to help companies develop a strategy to integrate engagement across different channels.
Implication: I'm not sure how useful these models are in practice, but I'm a fan of using models to frame problems and structure a plan, so I hope you find these useful.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: Amen to this! Although I simply say you should have a KPI of "Email % Active". And it's the Clicks that count more than the opens so why not just use that. I've been banging the "don't just look at individual campaign email response" drum for a long time now - you have to understand the emotional unsubscribes over a longer time period.
Implication: You should calculate your email activity rate or open reach/frequency as described here over a longer period of 1,3,6,12 months and then develop strategies to improve this hurdle rate.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: Kevin "MineThatData" Hillstrom is an expert on Catalogue and Ecommerce marketing. This interview with Mark Brownlow of Email Reports shows...
Implication: how to understand Email ROI fully for a multichannel Ecommerce outfit. He explains that you need to look at offline sales and describes this control test you could run:
Kevin recommends email marketers execute mail and holdout samples in every email campaign. He explains:
"Just take 10% of your email file, and split it into two equal groups. The first group receives your email, the second group does not. In the week following delivery of the email campaign, sum total sales across all channels in each group."
"Then compare the difference between the group that was mailed, and the group that was not mailed. This difference is the true impact of email marketing. This answer is more accurate than what you see via traditional metrics."
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: Our first post by our Expert commentator Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports.
Implication: Read the post to get ideas on how to streamline your email subscription or lead generation process through web forms to gain more subscriptions and leads.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: A good article to challenge your thinking about your email marketing communications strategy.
Implication: The way I like to look at this as email as "timely opportunities or windows to communicate". This post helps you by giving some examples of these.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: A good short presentation, many concepts also apply to B2C Email marketing.
Implication: This is a good alternative to attending an email strategy workshop which would cover of the many efficiency and effectiveness factors for email marketing I cover in my Email Marketing Best Practice Guide for Econsultancy.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: I'm seeing these techniques used more and more by savvy email marketers although they are not common practice, they may well be best practice.
Implication: Check them out and trial them in your email templates.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: The post we have selected gives a range of three-column designs. You can also browse by email type - mainly enewsletters. It's a pity there isn't a breakdown by industry sector.
Implication: If you're looking for inspiration on new designs for your e-newsletter or e-shots try the Campaign monitor.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: I love the subject line of this feature by Riaz Kanini of Silverpop.
Implication: Check the 3 recommended tactics - I think the first of these is the most established and still widely neglected according to the research.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: You may have seen examples of the opportunities of linking email marketing with Facebook and Twitter in my presentation on integrating email and social marketing. Here's a topical April Fool's Day campaign example :
Implication: Review this article for examples of cross-promotion and devise campaigns you can use.
Value: [rating=5]
Commentary This week I received my first Linked In Partner Message - see example. These are targeted according to the details within ones profile, so could enable micro-targets of individuals in particular roles and industries. A good alternative to email list rental or enewsletter ads to trial for B2B marketers. Google content network Adwords ads are already available within Linked In.
Implication: We expect these to be popular for B2B marketing, but will be restricted to big brands only initially like FB Engagement Ads unfortunately
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: The clip says it all!
Implication: Using video can work fantastically well to promote business services and few do this better than the incredibly engaging and memorable MailChimp brand.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: The inbox of the Future - some, including myself see email marketing as a relatively static marketing approach, but all the web mail providers and the desktop giants - Outlook and Apple Mail are innovating all the time.
Implication: Review Chad White view of the future, and in particular think about how you are integrating mobile, social networking and video into your email services.
Value: [rating=4]
Commentary: I wrote this article to show that social media marketing shouldn't be a scary unknown for marketers already working with email marketing.
Implication: Many of the challenges and opportunities are shared, so review the 10 success factors to see which you can improve.
Value: [rating=3]
Commentary: These extracts from the 2010 Email Marketing Census show that automating email marketing through dynamic content and event-triggered campaigns is becoming more common.
Implication: Email Service Provider systems have offered these facilities for years, I believe that reviewing and improving these will give better, more consistent ROI than "a social media initiative". However, they do require a defined email communications strategy and a business case to argue for the resource to set up the email templates and rules. But smart marketers have realised for years that once setup and optimised, they just run and run - probably the best form of ROI in online marketing.
By Dave Chaffey
Digital strategist Dr Dave Chaffey is co-founder and Content Director of online marketing training platform and publisher Smart Insights. 'Dr Dave' is known for his strategic, but practical, data-driven advice. He has trained and consulted with many business of all sizes in most sectors. These include large international B2B and B2C brands including 3M, BP, Barclaycard, Dell, Confused.com, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, M&G Investment, Rentokil Initial, O2, Royal Canin (Mars Group) plus many smaller businesses. Dave is editor of the templates, guides and courses in our digital marketing resource library used by our Business members to plan, manage and optimize their marketing. Free members can access our free sample templates here. Dave is also keynote speaker, trainer and consultant who is author of 5 bestselling books on digital marketing including Digital Marketing Excellence and Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. In 2004 he was recognised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as one of 50 marketing ‘gurus’ worldwide who have helped shape the future of marketing. My personal site, DaveChaffey.com, lists my latest Digital marketing and E-commerce books and support materials including a digital marketing glossary. Please connect on LinkedIn to receive updates or ask me a question.
Turbocharge your results with this toolkit containing 8 resources
The Email Marketing And Marketing Automation toolkit contains:
Start your Digital Marketing Plan today with our Free membership.
Recommended Blog Posts
Our compilation of the latest social media statistics of consumer adoption and usage of social networking platforms Social networks have transformed marketing and, as this post shows, their popularity is still growing in our latest global social media statistics research …..
What are the six essential parts of a campaign planning template? Today’s marketing campaigns are complex since they need to reach and engage audiences across a range of digital and traditional channels as shown by our RACE growth system visual. …..
Why use a framework to create an integrated marketing strategy? I believe that implementing a digital marketing strategy framework to follow is essential to ensure the success of your integrated marketing strategy. Importantly by agreeing on a marketing plan structure …..
