Very Good Read: Drake Morton

Transactional Emails 2.0: Think Beyond The Purchase

by Loren McDonald, Thursday, July 15, 2010

We marketers tend to think about the transactional email in its most literal sense, relating to a specific transaction as defined by the CAN-SPAM Act and by conventional wisdom.

But transactional emails can become a potent force in your email program when you broaden your vision and look for ways they can enrich your customer relationships, from pre- to post-transaction and beyond.

These triggered messages, based on abandonment, recent purchase and CRM data, enable additional touch points that provide further value to customers and additional revenue and customer data for your company.

Four Categories of Purchase-Related Email Message
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Excellent Read: Drake Morton

Are Your Emails Anticipated & Appreciated?

by Ryan Deutsch, Thursday, July 8, 2010

As with many of you, I have been in the marketing technology space for a little while. During that time, I have heard (and certainly spoken) my share of buzzwords. In fact, I could probably throw together 500 words on email marketing buzzwords — stay tuned for that blog post in the coming weeks! Anyway, two words I do not hear often enough in relation to email are “anticipated” and “appreciated.” There are two interesting trends occurring in the email marketing space that make these particularly relevant: the flash sale and localized marketing.

Link to vMail / video email

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Give this some thought: Drake Moton

Friday, June 25, 2010

Coupons Benefit Retailers, Too

According to the latest Online Shopper Intelligence survey, one-third of online shoppers surveyed said they generally use coupon sites while shopping online.  35 million consumers visited coupon sites in April 2010, up 5% from the year prior. Besides the consumer benefit, says the report, coupons have a significant impact on retailers’ bottom lines.

More than half of the consumers who used a coupon code during their last online purchase said that if they had not received the discount, they would not have bought the item(s), suggesting that coupons can be a highly effective sales driver.

In response to the question “If you did not have a coupon, would you have made a purchase…” respondents answered:

• No… 57%
• Yes…43%
Source: Compete, June 2010
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Good Read: Drake Morton

Three Rules For Email List Growth

by Morgan Stewart, Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The first email program I worked on in 1999 attracted over 4 million subscribers in the first year. Getting people to sign up for email promotions and newsletters used to be easy. Start with a Web site, add some decent content, a “Sign up for our free newsletter” banner, and a form — and  voila! Subscribers!

Things have changed. It’s gotten more difficult. Still, many brands are driving considerable growth in the channel and consumers report using email more and more despite recurring speculation about email’s looming demise by misinformed pundits. It’s simply that the bar is always rising. Consumers understand how to play the email game. They know that brands can deliver really good content tailored to their personal interests, and they seek out those programs.
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Good Read: Drake Morton

Animated Gif Usage Rising 64% Year-Over-Year

by Chad White, Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I released a report called “Animated Gif Usage Surging.” The key finding of that report was that animated gif usage had risen 35% in March compared to March 2009.

At the time, that was the only year-over-year data I had. However, now that a little more time has passed, I have more data, which shows an even larger increase. In March and April of this year, animated gif usage rose 64% compared to those two months during 2009. (more…)

 Good Read: Drake Morton

E-Mail Marketers Plan Advanced Campaigns

MARCH 18, 2010

Few are using sophisticated tactics

E-mail is a well-tested marketing tool, but rising volume and cluttered inboxes mean marketers must find ways to stay relevant to consumers.

The “Email Marketing Industry Census 2010” from Econsultancy and Adestra found that while most marketers worldwide were using basic segmentation techniques and cleansing their e-mail lists regularly, other advanced e-mail practices were followed by only a minority of respondents.

 

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Get it right: Drake Morton

It’s Holiday Season.

What If Your Emails Don’t Care?

by Mike May , Wednesday, November 18, 2009

If you thought inboxes were already cluttered, just wait until this year’s holiday season ramps up to full speed. Retail business are struggling to recover, while at the same time cutting ad and direct mail spending, and focusing more resources on ROI-heavy programs like email. It’s a perfect storm headed straight towards inboxes. (more…)

Good Information: Drake Morton

E-Tailers Investing Ahead of Recovery

NOVEMBER 13, 2009

Getting ready for consumers to open their wallets

Recovery from the recession is not yet in reach, but online retailers are ready to start spending all the same.

E-tailers know online consumers demand a top-notch shopping experience, and that difficulties navigating e_commerce Websites can lose them sales. Internet Retailer and Vovici Corp. found that more than seven in 10 Web merchants planned to spend more on advanced e-commerce applications and services this year.

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You need to understand the parameters of the playing field: Drake Morton

Most Popular eMail Clients 2009

 

You need to know: Drake Morton

New Chart: Email Spending Sped Up

As the Economy Slowed

SUMMARY: Email has not only been spared the ax that fell heavily on most marketing budget line items, it seems to have actually benefited from the down economy. This boon wasn’t skewed by a few email-reliant sectors, it occurred in every industry participating in our benchmark survey.

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