Email service providers are no cake walk either. Many of the most popular ones with large marketing budgets to acquire customers fail to meet best practices when it comes to delivery.

Sending a successful email marketing campaign relies on 3 things:
1. Clean HTML code that renders consistently across the major email clients
2. A reputable email service provider like Campaign Monitor, ExactTarget
3. A solid testing plan cross-browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) and email client (Outlook, Yahoo!, Gmail,Hotmail) Each has its own quirks to deal with.

To help create a successful email campaign, Campaign Monitor published a guide that allows email marketers to see the various elements that affect how emails are rendered across 24 email clients. They learned that support for even simple CSS varies considerably between clients, and even different versions of the same client.

Download your copy and view the comparison table here. It covers 24 different email clients and all the popular applications across desktop, web and mobile email.

Thank you Campaign Monitor!

Note: Outlook (27% of total market share) and iOS Devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) (16% of total market share) are the most popular email clients.

What is the Annotation Feature in Google Analytics?
The annotation feature allows GA users to add notes to a website profiles’ traffic, they can share these with other users of this profile or mark them private. See example below. Notations were made to indicate when internal IP traffic was filtered, when an action to promote the site was performed and when campaigns launched.

What are the benefits of this feature and how can they make a difference for you and your company?
There are many spokes to an organization’s wheel such as PR, marketing, and customer service. In addition, there are the spokes that are not entirely under our control like social media channels. Since there are so many moving parts in an organization it is difficult to keep track of what may be influencing or impacting your daily web traffic.

The annotation feature in GA allows users to tell a story through site statistics. Perhaps major site changes were made, a new campaign was launched or a high profile blogger mentioned your company. These are just a few of the types of items that can be notated in the time-length of your web stats in GA. The possibilities are endless when logging and reviewing quarterly activity within your company – what happened this month, last month, the past 90 days? By allowing all departments to add notes to the site traffic they can provide insight into how their efforts are effecting the overall mission and understand which activities were most successful.

Think of annotations as a shortcut to digging into that spike in traffic or boost in sales. If you can follow traffic on a specific date or length of time when a specific campaign was launched you will be providing yourself and your team with a visual on its performance.

I’ve included a 58 second demo video from Google on their annotation feature below, enjoy and get to posting the notations in your stats regularly for the benefit of your entire team.

Groupon, the popular, online coupon service that launched less than two years ago in Chicago, has become a hit with money conscious consumers. But as it continues to expand to more and more cities including right here in Phoenix, local business owners are discovering the service isn’t without its downsides.

A Local Story

Dana Mule, part owner of Hula’s Modern Tiki at 4700 N. Central Ave., recently participated in a Groupon deal offering $30 of food for $15. The resulting hoard of customers that descended upon Hula’s to take advantage of the 50 percent off deal created havoc for Mule’s restaurant.

“Initially, it was disaster,” said Mule. “Far more people showed than we could accommodate, which made for long wait times … and angry people (which counteracts any benefit you’re supposed to get from this kind of marketing).”

How Groupon Works

The way Groupon works for consumers is relatively simple. Every day, a new local deal is featured on the Groupon homepage, sent to subscribers in a daily email and updated daily on the Groupon iPhone app. If the pre-determined minimum number of people purchases the Groupon within the established time frame, then the deal is active. If the minimum isn’t reached, then the deal is cancelled.

Mule initially decided to take part in Groupon to get additional exposure for his business and to expand his customer base, which are two of the key selling points Groupon uses to attract businesses. But as some experts have pointed out, there can ultimately be a backlash if the discount price ends up taxing a business’s ability to serve its customers, thus eroding their brand.

“The race to the bottom is never the way to get to the top,” said Ellen Malloy in a recent Reuters article regarding the Groupon phenomenon. Malloy promotes high-end restaurants in Chicago and blogs about the topic of discounting for Restaurant Intelligence Agency.

Groupon Threatens Customer Experience

According to Malloy businesses risk a cheapening effect on their brand and that the customer experience can be threatened if an oversubscribed offer ends up producing a short-term spike in demand.

Mule’s own experience with Groupon was uncomfortably akin to Malloy’s cautionary advice.

Groupon provides the business no tools to help manage the number of coupons sold – they up sell you to drive the value of the coupon up (making them more money),” said Mule. “They are not responsive with concerns – the amount of the sell given to the restaurant doesn’t even cover food/liquor cost – and they will not let you put a limit on the total number of Groupons you’d like to sell (we had to beg them to stop it at 1,000).”

After his initial experience with Groupon, Mule said he wouldn’t participate in the service again. He also advised businesses that require appointments, such as salons, to avoid Groupon altogether.

“We’ve talked to other businesses where they had sold so many Groupons that those were to only appointments they could accommodate for months, allowing them to take no additional new clients who would more likely become repeat customers,” he said.

So what do you think?

The leaders of the pack with robust and highly-integrated solutions were ExactTarget and Responsys. Liberty Interactive Marketing has been a long-time user and advocate for ExactTarget given a customers complex needs with regard to segmentation, dynamic content, and integrating with other marketing channels like social and mobile.

While clearly the 70+ points of criteria knocked out a lot of smaller solutions like Campaign Monitor and Blue Sky Factory, it doesn’t mean medium-sized businesses should discount these. Before selecting an appropriate email service provider, sit down and determine what your needs are, from customer database integration to segmentation. What assets are you working with and what shape are they in?

And if you thought email was a passe marketing tactic for 2010 and beyond, you’ll be surprised to know that 68% of those surveyed by Forrester said that they anticipate that email marketing’s effectiveness will increase in the next three years.

The main focus for marketers will be to understand who their customers are and how to market to them personally and with relevance.

To stay ahead of the pack or just catch up I highly recommend downloading this email marketing report from Forrester compliments of ExactTarget.

Catch up with me at 10:15a on November 12, 2009 for a panel on Shoestring Marketing, where we’ll be discussing ideas on how to market effectively on a small budget, marketing processes and approaches for startups, and upcoming online trends.

My fellow panelists are:

Chris Johnson, CEO for Terralever (Moderator)
Eva Voorhees, Owner, Tiny Advertising,
Ed Tankersley, Owner, Eight Trails

We hope to see you there.

Email marketing ties in well with eCommerce, and is a popular online marketing channel used to drive sales. However, eCommerce companies need to be aware that gaining and retaining a loyal customer base is a key component to the bottom line, and if you’re customers aren’t happy, expect to see that bottom line plummet.

Here is my experience with one eCommerce company and their email marketing campaign. I was less than pleased with the over-all experience, and will share the pros and cons as they relate to both email marketing best practices and overall customer experience.

The Good

• This company did well in quickly shipping the item I purchased. I had the package in my hands in about two days.
• They were also helpful in recommending what size I should choose, the item of clothing fit just right.

Email Marketing: Room for Improvement

• A promotional email was sent to me for 20% off but never stated when the promotion expired. Tip: Always present the user with all offer details – from promo code to expiration date to any hidden terms.
• I received an error when I went to make my purchase saying the code was invalid. I had to contact the company in order for them to temporarily reactivate the code. Tip: Make sure that Marketing is communicating with Operations. Most customers don’t have the patience to pick up the phone. Online chat is an optional tool to handle these types of requests, but make sure they are trained appropriately.

Web site Usability: Room for Improvement

• Product information was incomplete on the site. They did not have photos showing the complete product I wanted to order. I had to contact them and ask them to add an additional picture to the website. Tip: Always ensure you have photos of every item you are selling on your website. Consumers don’t have the luxury of tangibility online so providing as much information about the product is imperative. Angles shots, videos, and customer reviews are all optimal content assets when selling a product online.
• Part of the fun of ordering online is the anticipation of the package being delivered. Tip: Tie your email marketing in with shipping/operations to create a lifecycle campaign that keeps the customer excited to receive their shipment and notifies them of tracking and delivery.
• Further disappointment came when my package arrived and I discovered I was sent the wrong piece of clothing. I sent it back to the company and received the correct order less than one week later. Tip: Always double-check that you are sending the specific product that the customer ordered. Include easy instructions on how to return the item. Tip: Don’t overlook the details of providing a simple thank you on receipts and shipping invoices. A coupon for their next purchase is also a great way to encourage repeat visits.

While I do love what I ordered, my over-all experience with the eCommerce site left me less-than impressed and I will not be making purchases from them in the future. I hope this first-hand customer experience has given useful insight to new eCommerce businesses looking to engage in email marketing and provide users with a great customer experience. Paying attention to all the details and making sure all departments are working together will ensure you a loyal customer base and an increase in your bottom line.

If you’re thinking about implementing email into your marketing plan, or if you’re simply looking for ways to improve upon your current newsletters, I’ve compiled the key factors of email marketing best practices for quick reference.

The Basics:

• Build a permission based list of recipients.
• Manage the list.
• Define relevant content in the proper format.
• Deliver the message.
• Evaluate the results.

The Specifics:

• The message content should be created according to the results you wish to achieve. What is your ultimate goal? Is it to gain sales? Branding? To increase web site traffic?

• Once you’ve determined what your goals are, consider what format your message will be sent in. Do you plan to build it in html or MIME/Multipart? If you decide to build an html newsletter, format the code so that it’s clean and easy to navigate. This will save you a lot of time in the long run because it will help to prevent formatting errors.

• Avoid spam filters by checking your newsletter for content that could be seen as spam. Most email service providers can automatically check your newsletter for any content that could cause it to be placed in the recipients spam folder.

• Having an intriguing subject line is one of the most important elements of email marketing. Lack of an interesting subject line can cause your message to be left unopened completely and most likely deleted. Successful subject lines include an action phrase plus an incentive for the recipient. An example of a weaker subject line is – SFGate Newsletters: Great news and information. This offers no action phrase or incentive for the recipient. An example of a better-crafted subject line is – Save Big on New Arrivals at The Nest Baby Shop. It entices the recipient to open the message in order to discover what the new arrivals are and how much exactly they can expect to save on these products.

• Include relevant links within your email to accomplish your goal. If you want to drive more site traffic, include links to your web site in the copy of the newsletter. Promoting a sale? Give recipients a link to the special offers and sales page of your company web site. Keeping links relevant helps ensure people take action when they click on it.

• Always implement opt-in and opt-out. This means offering an unsubscribe button within your email so that people can decide to stop receiving messages from your company at any time. It also means offering a newsletter sign-up option on your site. To encourage web site visitors to sign up for your newsletter, offer them something they would not otherwise receive without being a subscriber such as discounts and coupons.

• Spell Check! And that doesn’t just mean running spell check on a computer. Actually take the time to sit down and read the copy slowly to yourself. Then have a colleague do the same to double check. Having a misspelled word in your company newsletter comes off as extremely unprofessional.

• Mind the length of your email. Most people don’t have the time to read a long newsletter, so be cautious of how much content you are including. Having a balance of images and copy makes your message more appealing to the eye and easier to read.

• Be aware of the frequency of your emails. Depending on the industry you’re in, set up a schedule that won’t irritate your recipients but will still keep your company in top-of-mind. For example, don’t send 3 emails a week about real estate market updates when once a month will suffice. This is a quick way to lose a lot of subscribers.

• Make sure your company name is clearly identified in the domain name that appears in the sender line.

• Clearly display your contact info in your newsletter.

photo credit: tamaleaver

While commonplace, the “monthly newsletter” still remains highly popular and organizations are still continuing to move onto a more sophisticated email platform (e.g. they are stopping sending bulk email through Outlook) and looking to understanding how to manage their “lists.” If you are still struggling with making that first step of signing up with a professional email service provider I suggest making the decision quickly and moving quickly.

Your competition most likely has already taken this step and is looking now towards changing up their program and staying current with trends, best practices, and coming up with innovative ways to stay current, relevant and valuable.

If your budget doesn’t afford you with the luxury of hiring a Internet Marketing firm to manage your email:

• Hire an Internet Marketing consultant to help you with your email marketing strategy and get your email marketing program set up so that you can manage it internally.
• Have your Internet marketing consultant help you put a plan in place for managing your company’s reputation both with email recipients and ISPs to ensure your message is getting delivered.
• Your consultant should ask you what available resources you have in-house and determine the best program and available options to achieve your desired outcome / goals.
• Request a plan for testing and optimizing your email campaigns, from template layout to frequency of send. Understanding your audience and how they react to the content they are receiving, how they are receiving it and when they are receiving it can help you develop a set of best practices for your company’s email marketing program.
• Schedule either monthly or quarterly meeting with your Internet marketing consultant to audit your campaigns and progress. Often times they will be able to help you with new ideas to refresh your campaigns with regard to content, segmentation, and building your list.
• Don’t be afraid to ask your email recipients how they want to receive communication, what type of content they would like and how often. You may find that you have two or more distinct groups within your audience and that different messages will encourage further engagement as well as show your recipients that you respect them by providing them with the information they want to receive.

Feel free to give us a call, we are happy to get you started.

image credit: piccadilly

We’re offering up some basic tips on how to market smarter online and in-house:

• Fix the weaknesses. Invest time internally to understanding your weaknesses. Most of the time, when business is good we are too busy to fix those thorns in our sides that often reduce productivity, efficiency and creativity. A great place to start is your Web site. Review Web site statistics to see how people are getting to your site and review your conversion (sales) process online to see if it can be improved with regard to ease-of-use for the user. Understand your Web site’s visibility online, could you be getting streamlining your online efforts to get more targeted traffic and less riffraff?
• Become great at what you are now good at. Don’t change who you are, don’t try to be everything to everyone but focus on your specialty. We always jump at the chance to work with business that have a niche. Niche businesses thrive online because the Internet is the quickest and best way to find a specialty service or unique product. Folks looking for these niche products or services are more likely to engage with you, thus making it more likely to convert them into a sale or customer. The right mix of online marketing strategies coupled with a good online user experience creates a recipe for success.
• Find a way to change your messaging that still coincides with your brand without jeopardizing what you stand for AND find a way to change your messaging that demonstrates to clients the value of your product or service. A niche client of ours was toiling with the idea of adding a less expensive line to her product offering to accommodate for the down economy. Until now she only focused on offering boutique high-end products. In the end she decided this was not best for her company because this was not representative of her brand. She found a way to reach consumers by changing her messaging and providing reasons for why consumers should purchase this type of quality product in a down economy. Sales have continued to increase since November 2008.
• Work with smaller companies who specialize in specific areas like online marketing, specifically PPC management strategies. You’ll find that often times you will get better service, better results, and overall more value from your investment. Understand, especially with PPC management, that this is a “managed media” and not “placed media.” If you are spending less than $100k/month on PPC and your Internet Marketing agency or current service provider is taking a percentage of ad spend then consider that your first red flag. With smaller specialized Internet marketing companies you have a better chance of stretching your dollar and spending less to get more.
• Focus on relationship marketing. First focus on how much you know about your current and past customers. What are their needs and preferences? How can you adjust your product or service to meet their needs now? If you are suffering from a loss of staff, look to initiatives like email marketing, trigger emails and personalized (yet automated) customer service strategies to make a one-to-one connection with your customers. Invest in reviewing your site statistics to gain a basic understanding of what is and isn’t working so that you can make adjustments that will capture the right customer.
• Be innovative. “Why did so many great companies and products come from the Great Depression? While there’s no question that a bad economy makes it tougher to raise capital and launch new products, the reality is that good ideas executed well always have room to succeed. A different way to look at it, a shrinking wallet means that more attention is given to every purchase, and therefore the best customer value equation have a better chance of success during a downturn.” – Idris Mootee, FutureLab Read the post by FutureLab here.

While some small part of me has a bit of angst that a down economy (or recession) is what is causing more companies to move marketing dollars online, I also find this revelation among companies as a shining star in my future and in theirs. As a passionate Internet Marketer I have always thoroughly believed in the power of online marketing – if the strategy, management, and execution are all done well.

We have been fortunate to add new business and continue to grow our small yet powerful Internet Marketing company. In Q4 and into the first month of 2009 we have noticed several significant trends in the ways companies are doing business and shifting their marketing strategies which has made us successful in garnering new business.

Over the past six months we have seen the following:

• Companies are scrutinizing their budgets and their service providers. No surprise on the budget part, but the scrutinizing of service providers is. Companies are realizing that their service providers, with regard to online marketing, are saying they do it all but are falling short of providing results let alone showing any type of progress. They are realizing that online cannot be treated as traditional marketing – there are more mediums and channels to market online and each must be handled differently so it is important to have a service provider that understands the strengths and weaknesses of these disciplines.
• Many medium to large sized businesses are looking to smaller firms who specialize in online marketing, such as PPC strategy and management, SEO, and online media planning even email marketing strategies to focus on relationship marketing. Often times you’ll receive more intimate customer service and find that smaller specialty agencies provide better value and have a deeper understanding of your business resulting in a partnership and extension of your company versus “you are the client, we are the agency” mentality.
• Companies are realizing that Internet is playing a more significant role in their business and are taking more time to educate themselves on these tactics, whereas before companies would trust non-specialty agencies to run their online campaigns with no regard for measurement.
• Companies are making changes to their messaging that appeals to consumers needs today,, in a down economy versus delivering the same messaging and throwing more advertising dollars towards it. The right Internet Marketing firm can help uncover new trends with regard to keywords, visitor trends in searches, and behavior that will help guide this new messaging.

If you’re looking to get started or make a shift in online marketing service providers my first word of advice would be to outline your goals and objectives, know your budget, then understand what type of service provider you are looking for. Pick up the phone and contact a few local Phoenix internet marketing companies and start an initial conversation about your challenges, your objectives, and what you are looking to achieve.