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Podcast #01: Podcasting & You
February 28, 2007
After months of anticipation, we have posted the first eROI Podcast, oddly enough, on Podcasting. The following Podcast was recorded during a recent eROI webinar where I was joined by Frank Rinaldi of Cascade Media, a specialist in Audio gear.
We provide a beginners guide to Podcasting - what it is, where it's going, what topics you can cover, and what gear & software you need to get a professional sound on the web.
You can download a pdf of the accompanying slides here.
[Podcast 58:32min] | Download
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 9:07 AM | Permalink
You say it's a match, you dont even know me
February 26, 2007
Don't you think that if you were going to ask someone to buy the rest of the matching set, you would know what they bought to begin with? This is the classic example of a missed opportunity. We work with many online retailers and one of our basic principals is "target those customers that have bought from you in the past and leverage what they have already bought from you as an up-sell opportunity."
With an email like the one I received from Faucets.com, you would think that since I have bought from them before, I would have received a customized image and PURL or at least one of those, but nothing. The email is even titled "Find your perfect matching faucet" and the email simply points to the homepage.
Take a little bit of time to download your customer database for the last year, include the most recently purchased faucet and personalize the message with an image of the faucet purchase, the line, or even the brand, something that lets me know that you know me and love me, especially during a holiday that says "I love you"
Comments (0) | Posted by Jeff at 10:04 PM | Permalink
Report: Identity fraud declines
February 26, 2007
Javelin Strategy and Research - Identity fraud declines, study finds
Saw this on the wire today...interesting read.
ID fraud is dropping because consumers, financial institutions and the government are improving in their efforts to fight fraud,” said James Van Dyke, president and founder of Javelin Strategy & Research, San Francisco. Several years of data now exist from which to learn about criminal patterns, and “resources are much stronger as measured by systems, staff and sophistication. More and more consumers are changing their behavior to effectively protect their personal information, and institutions and the government are helping to provide further education for fraud prevention and detection as well as greater assistance in resolving fraud cases.” The survey, done via 5,000 telephone interviews with consumers in October, is co-sponsored by CheckFree, Visa and Wells Fargo & Co. It is considered the nation’s largest, most up-to-date benchmark on identity fraud. About 500,000 fewer U.S. adults fell victim to identity fraud in 2006 than in 2005. Of the nation’s adult population, 3.7 percent were victims, down from 4.0 percent in 2005. This shows a continued year- over-year decrease since data were first collected in 2003, when 4.7 percent of the adult population was victimized.
Read the rest of the article at http://www.javelinstrategy.com/2007/02/13/identity-fraud-declines-study-finds/
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 2:30 PM | Permalink
Just a Few Days Left to Get Our Creativity Journal
February 26, 2007
Our Creativity Journal Contest is nearing an end on February 28th. If you are still interested in getting your creative into the mix, send it on to create AT eroi.com.
This past holiday season, we put together a creative journal and send it out to some of our select customers. These journals were a hit, finding their way into the hearts of all who received them. Thank you emails rolled into our inboxes, many asking, "Can I get one more for a co-worker?" Well due to the love of these Creativity Journals, and the fact that we have a few boxes of them left, we wanted to hold a contest with our subscribers to send us their BEST email campaign creative. Now this is open to eROI customers and subscribers alike, so no pressure as everyone has a chance to get a journal. The only requisite: the creative must ROCK.
To enter, simply send us your email creative in HTML, JPG, or PDF format by February 21st, 2007 and we will hold an internal review by our entire team to choose 10 winners. These winners will have their work featured on ReturnOnSubscriber once they are chosen and our comments will follow on this blog. Please make sure to attach your name, company, email address and 100 - 250 words describing what the campaign was for, the target audience and what time of year it was sent. Also important is the Subject Line, or lines if you did an A/B list split by Subject Line.
We look forward to your submissions and if you have any questions, reach out and touch us at "create AT eROI.com"
Submit Your Campaign By Feb 28th
Comments (0) | Posted by dylan at 5:00 AM | Permalink
Podcasting Webinar : A How-To Guide - Thursday the 22nd
February 21, 2007
This Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:00am PST (2:00pm EST) - Podcasting: A How-To Guide:
Unless you have living under a rock, you have probably heard the term "Podcast."
This Thursday, join eROI's Alex Williams is going to lift up that rock and introduce you to the exciting world of Podcasting.
You will learn what Podcasting is, why it is creating buzz, and what topics and strategies you could use to start a Podcast. Discover this hot new technology for creating community and reaching consumers.
Also joining us will be Frank Rinaldi of Cascade Media. Frank will be on hand to show you what tools you need to get started, from recording to editing to the finsihed product.
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 2:33 PM | Permalink
If you are wondering how often to send email....
February 19, 2007
Please don't follow Kmart's lead. Here is what I received shortly after opting in:
Wow. Of course, when I went to manage my preferences, I was given 2 options: unsub from "Kmart" email or unsub from "Promotional" email. I am not even sure what this means? Is Kmart selling my address? Are these different types of lists?
In 1 month I was sent 12 emails asking me to buy everything in the entire store. Tv's, diamond rings, baby strollers, toasters, etc....Am I really just going to buy $34 grand worth of product in the first 30 days on the list?
Some times I wonder who is driving this channel at some of these companies, and If they even subscribe to email lists. Is this not common sense? Do you like getting an email every other day from a department store?
Please put yourself in the shoes of the subscriber, and try to be smart about your frequency and messaging.
It's companies like Kmart that give email a bad name.
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 8:16 PM | Permalink
I can't stress this enough...
February 15, 2007
Email marketers....you are missing the point if you don't allow a person to manage preferences!!
I mentioned in a previous post how I was trying to convert some newsletter subscriptions from Gmail to Yahoo. The culprite this time is the newsletter from Wolfgang's Vault, a music memorabilia company (who is being sued by the Led Zeppelin, the Doors, the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana for posting live recordings they purchased from the estate of legendary promoter Bill Graham).
I scrolled to the bottom to look for a "Manage Preferences" type of link.
Here is what I was greeted with:
After clicking on the link I came to this:
View larger image
So, what does a subscriber do? Unsubscribe, that's what they do. You have left them no choice.
Our platform at eROI, emailROI, features a preferences link in each email. If your current ESP doesn't offer this or a work around, all of that hard work you put in to get this subscriber on your email list was futile.
People change thier email addresses all the time. I know we want to make the unsubscribe option clear, but you have to make it easy for them to update their address from your newsletter. You have to.
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 6:42 AM | Permalink
$.02: Survey Says....!!!!
February 14, 2007
2 questions to ask yourself before doing online surveys:
1. Are you prepared to use the answers from this survey to implement change in your product/brand/service?
2. If you ask an open-ended question with a comment box, are you going to read every answer and respond to the surveyee with how you will use the input they have provided?
I don't know too many people who like taking surveys. ("I took an awesome survey yesterday from my vendor!") Make sure that this survey is going to mean something, and before you create the question, think about what you are going to do with the answer.
You are asking a lot of the subscriber, respect their time and energy by having a plan...and don't forget to thank them for taking the survey. Twice.
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 9:50 PM | Permalink
Improvisation and Email Marketing
February 11, 2007
Watched a great Miles Davis DVD this weekend (Electric Miles) and afterwards started thinking....
How does improvisation relate to marketing?
In a jazz composition, there is a basic melody and chord structure, after the melody is played the rest is mainly improvised. Much of the excitement in seeing live jazz is watching the players taking chances within the context of the song. Sometimes it fails, but sometimes it is perfect and magical. Taking a risk can be scary and may not work, but it can also be very exciting and lead to great things.
My question to you is...Are you taking chances?
Are you sending the same content month-to-month? Are the graphics the same? Do you send out the same special discounts or contests a few times a year?
Try to take more chances this year. The best thing about email is that it's the most trackable marketing channel there is. It is also fluid and current, not to mention inexpensive in relation to other channels.
The changes might not generate huge buzz or conversion right away...but there is a good chance they might. Your subscribers will also appreciate the effort and will be more receptive to future campaigns because they know there might be something new and exciting inside that email. Get your marketing team together and improvise together to create an idea, launch it, and then look at the tracking. All of the feedback you need will be there in your analytics. Who knows, you may come up with the campaign of the year.
Here is a clip of some of my heroes improvising over a classic song you might recognize.
- Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, and Jack Dejohnette playing "Cantaloupe Island"
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 6:44 PM | Permalink
Even Apple screws up every once in awhile
February 1, 2007
Came to my inbox this morning to find the Apple February newsletter....all code, no images, and a total mess.
We all mess email marketing up once in awhile, no one is perfect. A typo here, a broken link there, and un-targeted offer, etc... Hopefully your brand and campaigns have generated enough goodwill that your subscribers will let it slide - just don't make a habit of it!
Here is Apple Feb. Newsletter in gMail
Comments (0) | Posted by alex at 9:29 AM | Permalink
