Josh Nason, one of our good friends at SendLabs (check these guys out) recently wrote a post about inbox exhaustion. Josh defined inbox exhaustion as "you send to your list way too much, wearing them out and causing them to unsubscribe or worse, file a spam complaint." If you haven't read their post, check it out!
Why is this whole concept of inbox exhaustion important to understand? One word: TRUST. Especially if you're a small business. These days, people expect to get bombarded by the big box stores with deals and offers. Most customers don't have a personal relationship with these businesses. They (customers) just want the next great discount from a place like Kohl's.
Small businesses, on the other hand, work very hard on a daily basis to build relationships with their customers to gain trust. Once you have a customer's trust, you work even harder to maintain that trust. You nurture that trust like you would nurture your own child. So avoiding inbox exhaustion in your small business email marketing strategy is all about nurturing your subscribers' trust to continue winning their business.
So, how can you tell if you're creating inbox exhaustion? And, more importantly, how can you mount a coordinated effort to stop it? Josh touched on these, but we want to drill them home. Here are 3 signs you've created inbox exhaustion and 3 strategies to combat this "disease".
3 Signs You've Created Inbox Exhaustion
- Steep decline in open rates - Many email marketers would argue that open rates are not a good KPI (key performance indicator) by which to measure email marketing success. Quite the contrary, especially when you're trying to determine if you've created inbox exhaustion. Keep a vigilant watch over your open rates for each campaign you send. If you've built your email marketing list organically (signup box at checkout, website signup, etc.), then it's reasonable, based on our experience working with clients, to expect to see open rates that exceed the "industry standard" of 15-20%. If you notice a steep decline in open rates across 2-3 email campaigns, that should be an immediate red flag that you've started to create inbox exhaustion.
- Steep increase in unsubscribe rates - This is as obvious as the nose on your face. If your subscribers are opting out faster than a cat runs away from water, you need to immediately stop sending campaigns on the "schedule" you've developed.
- Steep increase in spam complaints - Spam complaints are death in email marketing. The more spam complaints you get from subscribers, the quicker you will end up on the ISP (internet service provider) Black List. Once you've hit this list, you have a bigger fight on your hands than you can handle. You'll need to work with your ESP (email software provider) to work with the ISPs to get off the list. But, you can avoid this "near-death sentence" if you exercise good judgment from the start of your email communication efforts.
Ok, now you've identified inbox exhaustion in your email marketing strategy. Now, what can you do to start combating this disease? Here are 3 strategies you can deploy stat.
3 Email Marketing Strategies to Combat Inbox Exhaustion
- Focus on rebuilding your list - As people start to unsubscribe, you start seeing your database decrease in size. You're reaching less people with your email messages. All hands on deck. You need to develop a list building strategy to acquire new subscribers who are interested in your business/products/services. Check out our blog post for 3 easy tips to start collecting email addresses.
- Less IS more - First, stop sending email campaigns for a month. It's crazy, and some would argue it's a waste of time. Use the down time to regroup and create a schedule of when you're going to send your campaigns. We would recommend no more than 2 emails per month, one at the beginning and one at the end of the month.
- Shock & Awe - Finally, do something that will get your unengaged subscribers' attention. We recently did something like this with a client and provided the details of the effort in a blog post. Check it out. Don't be afraid to give something away. Something big. Remember, you're trying to get someone's attention that is ignoring you and immediately deleting every single email campaign you send. Start with the subject line and work from there.
What other signs have you experienced that you're creating inbox exhaustion? What other ideas do you have for combating this dreaded disease in the email channel? We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
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Few movie scenes tickle my fancy quite like the legendary scene from Good Will Hunting that spawned the phrase "how you like them apples." For those of you not familiar with the scene, give it a quick watch! It's only 40 seconds.
Good Will Hunting first hit the big screen in 1997, and even after 13 years of technological evolution, businesses across the country are still struggling to ask the "pretty girl" for her number.
Ok, so times have changed and in 2010 no one would write a girl's number on a bar napkin unless their smart phone was on the fritz. Today it isn't a phone number that businesses want from the "pretty girl," it's their email address. According to a 2009 study, "View from the Inbox", conducted by Merkle, Inc., email is the #1 preferred method of communication from companies among people ages 18-65. And to be honest, it's not even close! Here are the numbers to prove it!
Unfortunately for business owners, customers have been bombarded by countless organizations trying to push their message through to their inbox involuntarily. This has made people extremely hesitant to hand their email address over to just anyone.
Much like when you were dating, it is easy to strike-up a conversation with a potential companion, the problem lies in knowing how to ask for the crucial contact information. You want to be sure he/she knows you're interested, but you don't want to be the "Stage 4 Clinger" who thought dinner and drinks would lead to a trip down the aisle.
If getting email addresses is as complicated as post-pubescent dating, how can businesses effectively obtain customer email addresses? The answer is simple; ask politely, but don't be pushy. Don't be the guy or girl who calls with nothing to say, be the company who uses customer emails to provide an engaged audience with valuable information. Don't use shady antics to trick your customers into opening an email for a false promotion.
Over 83% of North American email users view false promotional items just as invasive as spam. (Source: Epsilon Global Consumer Email Study) Once you have lost the trust of your audience, whether it is a pretty girl or a list of current customers, regaining that trust is an almost impossible task; and with a single email address being estimated at a $47 value, you can't afford to break customer trust.
When trying to grow your email marketing list, stick to the basics. The more customers feel a personal connection to your brand the more likely they are to give you their email address. You wouldn't walk up to the most beautiful person at the bar and ask for their number right out of the gate, don't do the same thing with email addresses. If you want the pretty girl to give you her number, you have to prove your worth. The same thing can be said for customer email addresses.
The next time you or your organization think about asking for a customer's email address for your small business email marketing, think about Good Will Hunting. Think about how Damon did it. Prove your worth, be polite instead of pushy, and the emails will come to you. Then you can ask the competition; "how you like them apples?"
We work with a variety of clients and provide a big portion of them with email marketing services. One of our clients, a city government in North Central Ohio, has been working with us to send weekly email newsletters to citizens and business owners during the city's Downtown Revitalization Project. The newsletters are designed to keep subscribers informed about the progress of the project.
The most recent email newsletter included information about some damage that was caused to a certain portion of the project, along with a request from the city's Mayor & Service-Safety Director asking citizens to respect the barricades and not enter the work area. A side note about the city's newsletter statistics. They've seen a pretty strong open rate, as we expected, because of the nature of their newsletters and the information they provide.
Here's where it gets interesting. The local newspaper, who's reporters are subscribed to receive the city's newsletters, ran a story with the headline "Damage prompts plea from mayor". In the article, the report not only mentions where the information for the story was found, he also quotes verbatim the content that is in the body of newsletter. The reporter used the email newsletter and its content to create a story for a traditional media outlet.
Moral of the story. Email marketing and email newsletters can be a great tool for customer retention, lead generation AND public relations. If your email newsletter content includes news about your business or your employees, send a personal email (from your email address) to reporters and invite them to signup for your email newsletter campaign. You never know when a story from your newsletter might show up as a front page headline in the next edition of your hometown newspaper!
Now, go forth and email!
Statistics abound when discussing the impact of social media on websites and blogs. The whole premise of inbound marketing is to use social media to drive an increase in visitors to the great content you've created on your website. While inbound marketing methodology is obviously more complex and more involved than the very brief synopsis above, it stands to reason that the impact of social sharing on email marketing could be monumental, especially for small businesses that implement an inbound marketing strategy.
According to the "2010 Email Marketing Trends Survey" from GetResponse, only one of every 4 marketers (25%) was placing links to email campaigns and newsletters on social media pages, or including a "share" option in their online communications. Conversely, 90% of respondents in the same study said they planned to integrate social media into their email campaigns. 2010 is almost half over. There's a big gap between 25% actually implementing some aspect of social media in their email marketing, and 90% just making plans. What in the world are you waiting for? An invitation?
Well, consider this your invitation for 3 simple reasons.
- Social media/networking is growing. Facebook, despite their recent privacy mishaps, has breached the 400 million user threshold. According to comScore, Twitter had 75,000,000 unique visits in January 2010 alone, an increase of 1,105%. LinkedIn currently boasts a community of over 65 million professionals. Why would you not want to give your subscribers an opportunity to share your email with these networks?
- An opportunity to increase sales. Here's a scenario. Sally just received your email and is super excited about the big sale next week at your store. She has 500 friends on Facebook and 300 followers on Twitter. Sally decides she is going to share your email with her social network because she knows her friends & followers like the kind of products your business sells. Sally's social network of 800 people represents 800 potential customers for your business. Why would you not want Sally to share your email with her networks?
- An opportunity for list building. In the last scenario, Sally just shared your email with the 800 people in her social networks. Let's say, conservatively, that only 5% of her friends and followers share her interest in the products you sell. Offer a special discount, or other incentive, to viewers who are seeing the shared version of your email to get them to sign up for emails from your business. If 40 people sign up for your emails, that's a 5% increase in your email marketing list. Now, you'll say, "It's only 5%". Look at it this way. That's 40 new people in your email list. 40 new potential customers. And all you had to do was implement a social sharing feature in your email. Why would you not want to implement social sharing in your emails?
If you need more than 3 reasons to start implementing social sharing in your email marketing, you might need to rethink your overall marketing strategy. When implemented with a purpose, social sharing can have a tremendous impact on your email marketing efforts and your business.
Oh, and if you don't know how to implement social sharing in your current email marketing software, contact us and we'll show you how easy it is to implement with our software. Plus, we might just give you a few more ideas to make social sharing more impactful in your email marketing efforts!
Now, go forth and email social!
Image courtesy of SendLabs
In case you've missed it, people are sharing content like CRAZY on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Facebook recently introduced the "Like" button for websites. Since its introduction, the "Like" button has appeared on over 100,000 websites. Facebook is pushing 500 million worldwide users, and, while they don't release user statistics, Twitter growth rate is just as strong.
Many of the email software providers (Constant Contact, Exact Target, etc.) have introduced social sharing in their platforms. While it's good that they've added the feature, it could be better. Well, better is here. Add SendLabs to the list. And they've built a better mousetrap!
As a SendLabs email marketing agency partner, we're excited to have this new feature in our arsenal for current and prospective clients.
So, the question is: "What are the implications of Social Sharing for Email Marketing?" Simply stated, it gives your subscribers the ability to share your email with people in their social networks. Thus, giving your email the opportunity to be viewed by more eyeballs than just those in your database. Think about it. One of your subscribers is on Facebook and has 500 friends. This subscriber shares your email with her Facebook Friends, and you now have the opportunity for 500 more people to not only see your email, but potentially sign up to receive your emails to their inbox.
This new world in email marketing also presents new challenges. Is your content compelling enough that at least one subscriber will share it? Is your email optimized to allow those viewing the shared version to sign up? Are you using compelling calls-to-action to drive shared viewers to a landing page on your website? These are all topics we're going to cover in future blog posts.
For now, revel in the simplicity of SendLabs' new Social Sharing feature. Simple, and highly effective because it gives subscribers the ability to share it on the most widely used social media platforms.
Conventional wisdom in email marketing dictates that you never want subscribers to opt-out of your email campaign. Pretty sound advice, especially considering that your goal with email marketing is to engage subscribers to take an action. Buy a product from your online store, complete a form to get more targeted information about your service. The list can go on forever.
But, what about those subscribers that haven't opened an email since you started your campaign? You're probably like most and just ignore them. We don't blame you. These subscribers aren't helping to further your cause. But, we recently challenged conventional wisdom and traditional thinking about unengaged subscribers.
One of our full-service email marketing clients, a family entertainment center in Ohio, is pretty progressive in their marketing efforts for their geographic location. They utilize email marketing (of course), a blog, a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter and a pretty stellar website. They are certainly ahead of the game.
The Challenge
This particular client has over 1800 subscribers in their database. Their open statistics have been lagging below the industry standard of 15-20%. We found that their unopened rates were running above 84% on every campaign we sent for them. The client expressed that they wanted to find a way to engage the disengaged.
The Solution
Last month, we recommended a campaign that was unconventional to say the least. The idea was pretty simple.
1. Target subscribers that haven't opened an email since the inception of the program
2. Offer them a chance to win a prize just for opening the email
3. Use the subject line "Unsubscribe Today"
The first two points are really "no-brainers". Target a segment of your list, and make them an offer they can't refuse. The third point is where conventional wisdom goes right out the door. Or does it? The most important part of any email campaign is the subject line. It's the first thing subscribers read to decide if they're going to open your email. If the subject line isn't compelling or doesn't grab the recipient's attention, your great content-filled email is worthless. "Unsubscribe Today" may not be the most compelling subject line, but it was, at the very least, attention grabbing.
The Result
The overall result of the campaign was what we expected for a couple reasons. First, we knew their data was old. They had been sending emails for about a year prior to our involvement, and we saw the statistics from their prior endeavors. Their open rates had been trending lower for the better part of six months, so we didn't set a high expectation for success. Second, we knew their email marketing habits, prior to our involvement, were scattered at best. Prior to engaging us, the client had been deploying email campaigns just to send an email. There was no rhyme or reason for sending the email prior to our involvement.
Of the 1300 emails sent, 11% were opened. Not a great open rate by any means. But, that 11% represents a group of subscribers that hadn't previously engaged with the client's email marketing efforts. What was more revealing, and more important, was the unsubscribe rate. Only 14% of the subscribers that opened the email actually unsubscribed. We expected this number to be much higher given the subject line of the email. We were pleased to say the least. But, you probably think that's an unacceptable rate. But, that's about 20 people who opened an email that hadn't previously opened an email. At the very least, they opened the email, read it, and decided they didn't want to get emails from the client.
Take Home
Don't be afraid to break conventional wisdom to engage the disengaged. At the very least, you can scrub your database and find out who really reads and engages with your emails. After all, the more subscribers who engage with your email, the more money you should make! Right?
So, you've started using email as a channel to market and promote your business or organization! Outstanding! You're starting to build a relationship with your current customers or clients that can be very profitable for your business. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that email marketing generated a return on investment (ROI) of $43.52 for every dollar spent on the channel in 2009. For many small businesses, email marketing can be a tremendously successful channel to drive revenue growth. However, to achieve even a small percentage of this success, you must overcome several challenges when using email as a marketing channel for your business.
One of these challenges is growing your subscriber database. We're asked daily, "How can we grow our list?" Growing your email subscriber database is very similar to growing your business. You have to be patient and set realistic goals. One piece of "low hanging fruit" that you can capitalize on, and one of the strongest attributes of email marketing, is email's ability to be a great referral source. The problem is that the majority of small business email marketing campaigns don't ask for the referral. Why not? One of the biggest reasons we hear is that clients are scared that they might lose something. And that something is usually money. Understandable, especially as consumers continue to guard their personal information more closely.
What do you have to lose? What's worse? Not asking for the referral and not growing your database, or putting the carrot out there to get your current subscribers to forward your email to their friends and growing your database 5%? Look at it this way. You never know until you ask. Run a contest for free products or services. Or better yet, and we've had great success with this one, run a contest for free CASH! But, make sure you incentivize both the subscriber and their friend. "Forward this email to your friends, and when your friends sign up, you and your friends are entered for a chance to win." Your current customers are the ones who have helped you succeed. Give them the opportunity to be a spokesperson, a champion if you will, for your business. Many small businesses say word of mouth is the best marketing and sales tool. We couldn't agree more. So why not let your customers use your email to market and sell your business through word of mouth online?
What do you have to lose? Ask for the referral!
Now, go forth and email!
Want more beginners tips for email marketing? Download "Email Marketing 101: 5 Tips for the Beginner" to help you get started!
2010. Twenty-Ten. 010. Whatever you call it, 2010 is a new year and new decade. 2009 was a great first year for Rock Solid Media in the business world. Our growth was completely unexpected, but very welcome! Ok, 2009 is history.
2010 has started with a BANG for Rock Solid Media. Last week, we launched a completely new website that more accurately conveys the services and capabilities of the company. We’ve certainly grown from a single offering of full-service email marketing! With our expansion into working with public schools, we now have the capabilities of larger public relations and marketing firms. Plus, we’ve added video production services to our quiver! The new website also features links to connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Vimeo. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t invite you to join our email list when you visit the website!
Along with launching the new website, we’ve also launched a new self-service email marketing platform: RSMeMarketer! This new platform offers businesses of any size the ability to manage their email marketing efforts from contact lists to reporting. Our software is different in many ways, the biggest of which is the pricing. Rather than paying a monthly fee for the service, you purchase email credit bundles. This pricing structure is much more cost-effective for small businesses because the outlay of capital can be a one-time expenditure if estimated properly. Contact Us to find out more about RSMeMarketer! Keep an eye on our blog as we’ll be sharing tips, tactics, and best practices for self-service email marketing!
What’s next for Rock Solid Media? Well, let’s just say that the future is bright!
Well, it’s been over 3 months since we’ve posted to the blog, and my what a trip it’s been! There are many new things happening at Rock Solid Media. Where to start?!?!?
The company is transforming as I write! We’ve moved from providing strictly permission-based email marketing services to providing marketing consultation services. One of our first clients, Fowler State Bank, engaged us to provide marketing consulting services. Fowler is a community bank based in the Heartland of Western Indiana. So far, so good! We’re in the starting phase of a campaign to increase their subscriber database for their monthly E-News campaigns. We’ve also brought them into the 21st century with online video. Plus, we’re helping them develop their new website. Are we building it? Nope! There are companies out there that can do it better. Our job is to help them with content development, as well as website maintenance once the new site is launched. Overall, I’m thrilled to be working with Fowler in this expanded capacity, and I really think we have an opportunity for growth in this market space.
We’ve also been engaged by the Bucyrus Area Community Foundation and the Crawford County Veterans Hall of Fame to provide public relations and marketing consulting services. Non-profit is another space where tremendous growth potential exists!
Finally, the biggest news! The Bucyrus City Schools engaged Rock Solid Media at the beginning of September to provide full-service public relations and marketing services on an annual basis. Education is near and dear to our hearts, as we have family members that have dedicated significant portions of their personal and professional lives to educating young people. Small school districts do not have the resources to employ a full-time communications professional. However, we’re finding that districts are extremely receptive to the idea of working with a consultant to provide the much needed services and functions. To date, we’ve conducted community and parent surveys, assisted in the dedication ceremonies of their new buildings, and written many press releases, feature stories and Facebook Fan Page and Twitter updates.
So, what’s in the future? One word…GROWTH! We’re very excited and pleased with the growth we’ve experienced in 2009. Are we satisfied? Never. Our goal is to continue working with our clients that have engaged us for full service email marketing. Our growth will come in the areas mentioned above. Plus, we’ll have some more BIG news to announce at the start of 2010!
Stay alert as we stay in the weeds to help our clients achieve success…One Rock at a Time!
Eat your heart out David Letterman! We’ve developed our Top 5 Benefits of Email Marketing. For many of our clients, they’ve realized many of these benefits in their bottom-lines. Which, at the end of the day, is the ultimate goal for any business that markets its products and services. Ladies & Gentlemen, the Rock Solid Media Top 5 Benefits of Email Marketing.
5. Increased Personal Relationships with Clients – Think about it. Your clients are giving you their email address and asking you to keep in contact with them. They want to hear from you. This is your opportunity to relate to your clients on a personal level.
4. Targeting with Pin-Point Accuracy – You’ve probably, at some point, spent money on traditional advertising mediums. And you should, but not for the reasons you probably think. Traditional advertising mediums (radio, TV, print, billboards) are great at driving traffic and building name awareness and brand recognition. Used properly, these venues can support a effective email marketing strategy. Drive people to your website, invite them sign up for your free e-newsletter. And for God’s sake, give them something FREE for signing up. Give them a certificate good for a $10 store credit to use with their next purchase. A free bottle of carpet stain spot remover. Something to get them in the store, or something to get them engaged with you. Once they’re signed up, you can target them specifically based on their interest, which you asked them about on the sign up form on your website.
3. Trackability – We now live in a world where everything is tracked. You log on to your favorite website, your IP address is being recorded. Email marketing gives you the ability to see who is opening your email, how many times they’ve opened the email, which links they’ve clicked on, and most importantly, bounces. If you get a bounced email from a subscriber, you can use that as an opportunity to reach out and have a conversation with that client/customer. Again, building a stronger personal relationship.
2. Stronger Online Presence – If you don’t have a website, get one. Everyone is turning to the internet to find products, services, phone numbers. The days of opening the phonebook, especially for the younger generation, are slowing diminishing. You need to have a website, and if you have a website, you NEED email marketing. Again, it comes back to trackability. You can see who’s visiting your website when they sign up for your e-newsletter.
And, the Number 1 Benefit of Email Marketing is…
1. Cost Effective – I want to bring the traditional advertising back into focus for a minute. Picture a funnel. When you put a bunch of “stuff” in the funnel, the result is a slow stream coming out the bottom of the funnel. Marketing, especially with traditional advertising, is much like a funnel. You’ve got to put a ton of money in the top of the funnel before you start to see a return on your investment. Remember what I said though. You need to have traditional advertising as a part of your marketing mix, with the specific purpose of driving traffic to your website and your e-newsletter. Now, turn the funnel upside down. What happens? You put a little bit of money into the top of the funnel (the narrow end), and what comes out at the bottom…an overflow of business. That’s email marketing’s cost effectiveness at work for you. Email marketing, when compared to other forms of marketing and advertising, is more cost effective and can bring you a greater return on investment.
So, you’re here. At the bottom of the post. Are you ready? Ready to take control of your marketing future? Ready to implement email marketing? Contact us today and let us show you how email marketing can help your bottom line!