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Email and Facebook: In a Relationship

August 12, 2010 By

“Email – I can’t imagine my life without it – is probably going away,” Sheryl Sandberg Facebook’s COO boldly claimed at the Nielsen’s Consumer 360 conference earlier this summer.

Obviously, We beg to differ!

On the contrary, it seems obvious to us that email is stronger than ever – particularly when used hand-in-hand with social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

In fact, in our recent survey of email marketers, we found that:

  1. 33% reported integrating social media and email marketing has increased their subscriber base.
  2. 30% reported after integrating social media and email marketing they saw an increase in friends/fans/followers.

With email and social working hand-in-hand, how could email possibly go away?

The Allegation

Just as the Wall Street Journal made the claim that 2009 was “the end of the email era,” Sandberg spoke for Facebook, suggesting that the use of social media will bring about the demise of email.

Our Rebuttal

Email is still alive, thriving and only helping social media become an even more powerful tool than it already is.

The Nielsen Company, the same organization that held the conference that brought about the controversial claim, agrees. The results of their 2009 study of email and social media use indicate that “social media use makes people consume email more, not less…particularly for the highest social media users.”

The Nielsen Company

“If you want to know what people like us will do tomorrow, you look at what teenagers are doing today,” Sandberg touted.

So let’s take a look at what they are doing today. In a 2009 survey of people 18-24, the Participatory Marketing Network and Pace University found that the majority of those surveyed would rather abandon social networks long before they stopped using email.

Generation Y spends a large amount of time on social sites. Their average time spent on social networks each month is 33 hours, making them high social media users.

When they were asked which activity they would least like to give up for one week, only 9% said social networks, as compared to 26% for email.

Generation Y Survey Results

Graph from Marketing Charts via WebProNews.

That doesn’t sound to us like email is going anywhere any time soon. In fact, take a look at what positive effects the respondents of our recent survey have had with email and social media:

AWeber Survey

Clearly, there’s a correlation between the two mediums, and there is some truth to Ms. Sandberg’s presentation. As she attests, “Facebook connects people in really extraordinary ways.”

There are 400 million people who use Facebook worldwide. It obliterates communication barriers and can put you in touch with people all over the globe who otherwise would never have come in contact with your business or brand.

Working Together

When it comes down to it, people are people. Whether you are growing your email list or looking for people to “like” your brand on Facebook, any and all eyeballs on your service are welcome.

You have to remember that social networks rely on email in the most basic sense. Facebook requires an email address to log on, and their emails notify you of updates, friend requests and comments.

Rather than deny the importance of email, Facebook should embrace it! The two make a rather powerful pair – both play a significant role in that relationship.

They have the potential to increase awareness of the other and encourage users to participate with both mediums and they cultivate and nurture true brand advocates.

If you use social media and email together, or have ideas of your own for using Facebook or other social media sites along with email to create the biggest buzz, please share them!

Filed Under: autoresponders, Email Marketing, social media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Email Preferences Make Readers Happy

August 10, 2010 By

Email marketing blogs are constantly buzzing with talk of value; they go on and on about all of the different ways you can add it to your campaign.

But how can they possibly know exactly what readers find valuable? As Mark Brownlow attests, “value is defined by the reader and not by you.” It doesn’t matter how valuable you think your messages are. If a reader doesn’t find your content to be of interest, they’re going to stop opening your emails.

In fact, a recent survey found that 85% of consumers prefer that companies ask about their e-mail preferences at sign up. So instead of playing the value guessing game, read on to learn how to use email preferences to let your subscribers decide what they deem to be valuable.

Give Them What They Want

The easiest and least time consuming way to learn what information subscribers want to receive is to simply ask. Hershey’s Chocolate does this exceptionally well on their email subscription page.

They require only the most basic information…

Hershey's Newsletter Sign Up

and then leave the important choices of which emails to sign up for up to the subscriber:

Hershey's Sign Up

You Can Do This With Your Web Form, Too!

Your potential subscribers are accustomed to making choices both on and offline, and they’re used to having things their way. After all, they can customize everything from their cars and coffee drinks down to the sneakers on their feet online with Mini, Volkswagen, Starbucks and NikeiD.

Since they are used to the convention of customizing the things they are most interested in, your prospective readers will be way more likely to fill out your form when you offer preferences because they’ll feel like they are in control.

Decide What Messages You Want to Send

This might be as simple as breaking up your content into a monthly newsletter, a weekly special and a daily deal. Or, your content could be entirely different for each choice, but that will depend on your business offering.

Regardless, you have to commit to sending these messages, so don’t give yourself an impossible workload. Choose a manageable number of messages that you can easily keep up with without becoming overwhelmed.

Create a Web Form with Checkboxes for Each Message

Each field on your form will represent a different email. This way, when the selection comes in with a new email sign up, their preferences are saved in your account and you know exactly which emails they want to receive from you.

Save a Segment for Each Email

With the choices saved as fields in your account, you’ll then create segments that automatically update whenever someone is added to your list.

Screen shot 2010-06-11 at 10.59.15 AM

When searching for fields that were added via checkbox, you must enter “yes” to indicate that the box was checked.

Send Specific Messages

As sign-ups start rolling in, you’ll send your separate messages only to those subscribers who checked certain boxes when signing up.

Send to Segment

This way, readers will get what they asked for, and your content will be right on target and true to what they requested from you.

Will You Try This Tactic?

By offering a few simple preferences, your email campaign will be more professional and customizable and your website visitors will be happy to subscribe to it because they can control what they’ll be receiving.

Let us know if you’ve tried this before, or what kind of response you get when testing it out!

Filed Under: autoresponders, Email Marketing, list building, segmentation, web forms Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Testimonials: The Ultimate Social Proof

July 15, 2010 By

Your email marketing relies on that one decisive moment when someone cruising around the internet ends up on your landing page and signs up for email updates from your company.

Once visitors click around and develop interest in your product, it’s natural for there to be some hesitation. People are very protective of their inboxes, but one surefire way to combat that tension is to use testimonials.

It’s a tactic that stems from the logic of social proof. As Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, explains, “we view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.”

Let’s explore how you can use testimonials to encourage interested individuals to complete their requests for information and help you close sales with your email campaign.

Tactic #1: Influence at Sign Up

On their web form, Unique Fitness Group includes two testimonials from satisfied customers that are meant to positively influence website visitors who are on the fence about signing up.

Testimonial

The specific social proof that these women achieved real results with their product is a testament to their service and quells concerns from wary, but interested, visitors.

Regardless of what type of business you own, using a stats-driven testimonial will validate your product and show prospects tangible results that they can aspire to.

But when you’re collecting testimonials, avoid generalization and vague praise. Your service is stellar and you know that, but if someone simply says, “Hey, you’re the best!” that won’t be enough to inspire people to immediately sign up.

Remember that today’s consumers are savvy – they can detect fabricated stories in seconds so your testimonials must be sincere and authentic.

Web Form Testimonial Placement Ideas

  1. In the Header:

    When a visitor considers signing up for your email list, the header of your web form is the first thing they see prior to forking over their contact information. Using this space to highlight a particularly strong testimonial can be enough to compel an apprehensive person to go through with their request for information.

  2. In the Footer:

    You could also add a testimonial to the footer of your form as one final good word before the big subscription commitment. This way, the additional praise from an existing subscriber will ease new recruits’ minds and make them feel good about their choice to sign up.

  3. On the Page Next to the Form:

    If your product lends itself to visible and tangible results, you might not have enough room in your sign up form to do a testimonial justice. Simply use the remaining page space to exhibit pictures, graphs, charts and any other data from happy customers that would convince new visitors that they can also profit from your emails.

Tactic #2: Persuade Via Email

You can also use the social influence of testimonials as a sales tactic with subscribers who are already on your email list, just like Shape FX does with their product.

Shape FX

According to Cialdini, “when people are uncertain, they are more likely to use others’ actions to decide how they themselves should act.” The personal experiences that others have with your service give you credibility and situate your product favorably in the eyes of the subscriber.

Your testimonials have to be relevant and address “what-ifs” and hesitations. If you are selling a specific product, using a customer testimonial about a different product is a big no-no.

And don’t use a testimonial just for the sake of using one. Make sure that the kind words you use about your company really reflect how your service can help prospects.

Think about the questions that potential customers might have, and review your positive customer feedback to see if anyone addresses those issues. Prospects might be wondering what makes you different from your competition, or how your service will really benefit them – your testimonials should help them overcome that initial hesitation.

Where To Try Testimonials in an Email

  1. In the Header:

    A quick quote from a satisfied consumer makes a great slogan or tag-line for your business. Incorporate a particularly persuasive testimonial in your email header and readers will be compelled to read on.

  2. In the Body:

    If you are out of ideas for what to include in your emails, highlighting a particular customer’s story and documenting their experience with your product can provide you with relevant and inspiring content to include somewhere in your email before the call to action. The testimonial will build the reader’s confidence and reduce their apprehension before making your request.You can also include a testimonial next to, above or below the call to action. As we mentioned earlier in regard to web forms, some testimonials require more proof than just words. The best way to exhibit that proof in email is to place images, charts and other visuals in close proximity to the quote.

  3. In the Footer:

    Similarly to the header, you can use testimonials to close out your message. An account of how your company has impacted the life of a real customer will end your message on a strong note and encourage readers to consider your product.

Not Convinced Testimonials are Right for You?

As with all marketing techniques, the only way to truly know whether or not testimonials are right for your campaign is to test them.

  • If you place a testimonial in the headline of your form, split test web forms on your sign up page to see how the social proof performs.
  • Including testimonials in your broadcast messages? Split test the emails to find out which ones have better response rates.

Do You Use Social Proof Tactics?

How have they helped your campaign?

Do you find that they encourage prospects and customers alike? Share your thoughts on the blog!

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Filed Under: autoresponders, Email Marketing, web forms Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Permission Could Save This Viral Marketing Tactic

July 8, 2010 By

My favorite author just announced me as his co-author! Okay, he didn’t really mean it and he’ll say the same about you, but what a brilliant way to earn a subscription to your emails – assuming, of course, you keep permission in mind.

Donald Miller’s co-author game gives the email marketing sign-up process a creative twist. Its format is likely to attract a flood of participants. And yes, it indicates my interest in his brand.

But it never once hints that I’m opting into his campaign. So although I like his emails and am pleased to have found them, I am annoyed that I wasn’t offered a choice.

The steps of the sign-up game are laid out below. Scroll down to marvel at how brilliantly it attracts subscribers. Then note how to improve this process in your own campaign by adding the most critical element of all: permission.

Step 1: Tweet the Bait

A few keystrokes in exchange for fame and glory – who can resist this offer? It’s fun, it lets people celebrate themselves and it’s sharable by nature.

It’s brilliantly attractive to fans of Donald Miller, which is ideal, since they’re the most likely audience to enjoy and engage with his email campaign.

Step 2: A Creative Sign-Up…Wait…a What?

This form invites participants into a fantasy role that they can show off to their contacts. It’s fun, but there’s no indication that this is an email sign-up form.

All that’s needed is a note that tells me I’ll now be receiving emails from Donald Miller. Then I can make an informed choice of whether or not to continue.

Step 3: Not Your Average Thank – You Page

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a thank-you page. It’s a very creative use of a tool every opt-in campaign has, and it’s likely to get a high response. Talk about incentive! Participants are now on the lookout for this email.

But this thank-you page only tells me to expect one email. That’s not what I ended up with…

Step 4: Is This a Confirmation Message?

I know to expect this email, so I’m glad to see it. It links me to the final part of the game, which motivates me to click the link.

In permission-based campaigns, though, this would be known as a confirmation email. Clicking the link would confirm my interest in receiving further emails. If that’s what happened here, I would have liked to have been told.

Step 5: Fantastic Engagement, No Confirmation

This is a nice delivery of the page I originally signed up for. I’m pleased with Donald Miller and pleased with this process – that is, until…

Step 6: The Promotional Emails Begin

I know I played the Donald Miller game, but I also know I never signed up for emails, so I’m a little surprised to find this in my inbox the next day.

I’m displeased that I was emailed without permission. I’m also interested in these tour dates. For me, the benefit of the email’s content outweighs my chagrin that my personal boundaries were crossed – at least for now – but others may not feel the same.

The Lesson

Someone who is pleased to get these emails may not unsubscribe now. But they also probably would have checked a box to opt in in the first place, especially if Donald Miller’s emails bring this same playful voice and level of fun.

Someone who wouldn’t have checked that box in the first place probably still doesn’t want these emails, especially since they arrived without any sort of request for permission. These people are likely to unsubscribe or remain as disengaged dead weight.

Even worse, some people who might have knowingly opted in to these emails may now be annoyed enough to mark them as spam or unsubscribe anyway.

So the lesson is this: fun and games can attract hordes of potential subscribers to your sign-up form. Once they get there, though, they’ll appreciate being told exactly what is happening – whether they want your emails or not.

And in the end, asking people to knowingly subscribe to your emails is the best way to build an engaged, long-term, appreciative list.

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Filed Under: autoresponders, Email Marketing, list building, web forms Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Businesses Investing More in Email Marketing, Look to Integrate Social Media

June 23, 2010 By

Recently, we surveyed AWeber customers to see what small businesses are doing in their email marketing today, and what you’re planning to do in the future.

Turns out you’re doing a lot of really cool stuff (no surprise to us ;) )!

Here are some findings and analysis from the survey:

  • Almost 70% of small businesses are employing some sort of social media tactics.
  • Small businesses find email marketing’s ROI more measurable, more quickly realized and greater than social media’s ROI.
  • Over 71% of small businesses plan to increase their focus on behavioral targeting in the coming year.

For more on this, see this article at eMarketer discussing some of the results, and the press release below. (The release is also available here.)

Small Businesses Investing More in Email Marketing, Look to Integrate Social Media

Huntingdon Valley, Pa. (June 23, 2010) - AWeber Communications, a leading provider of web-based email marketing software for small businesses, today announced results from a survey of more than 2,500 small businesses regarding email marketing and social media marketing efforts. Email marketing continues to bring significant value to businesses with more than 82 percent of respondents planning to increase their email marketing efforts over the next year.

The survey, generated by AWeber and initially reported by eMarketer, indicates that the more social media grows in popularity among consumers, the more attention it will receive from marketers. While it may not be entirely clear how marketers are incorporating social media into their existing digital marketing efforts such as email marketing, almost 70 percent of small business marketers are employing some sort of social media tactics and a majority (77 percent) indicate that integrating email marketing and social media is either “very important” or “moderately important.”

The most popular tactics at the moment involve spreading content onto additional mediums such as sharing email newsletters on Twitter (36 percent) and delivering blog posts via email (35 percent). Small business marketers seem to recognize the value in driving social media followers and fans to their email lists and vice versa – allowing subscribers to access information from the medium they are most comfortable with.

“As the survey results indicate, email marketing continues to be a measurable, effective tool that brings significant value to small businesses, regardless of the nature of their business,” said Tom Kulzer, CEO and founder of AWeber. “It is also evident that marketers are continuing to realize the importance of integrating their email marketing campaigns with social media activities as a way to reach a broader audience, but are still learning how to do this effectively. We continue to provide our users with educational resources, including our blog and webinars to help them better understand how to engage with their customers.”

Another interesting finding from the survey centered on behavioral targeting, a method considered help deliver superior results. By specifically targeting email campaigns toward subscribers who have taken an action (opened a particular email, clicked on a link), nearly 50 percent of respondents indicated that behavioral targeting increases their conversion rates either significantly or moderately.

These responses also highlight a divide between email marketers who are testing behavioral targeting and those who are not. Nearly a quarter (24.8 percent) of respondents state that they have not tested behavioral targeting in their email marketing campaigns, while another 23 percent are not sure whether behavioral targeting increases conversion rates – a number which suggests that marketers may not be testing this thoroughly, if at all.

However, this divide may be shrinking, as an overwhelming majority of respondents (71.4 percent) plan to increase their focus on behavioral targeting in their email campaigns over the next year.

As the ongoing battle for subscribers’ attention escalates, relevance and value are at a premium making analytical date more valuable than ever. Nearly 70 percent of respondents indicate that analytical reports either significantly or moderately impact their email marketing strategies. Of the marketers who do not currently use these reports, more than one quarter are interested in using them.

Other key findings from the AWeber survey include:

  • More than 66 percent of respondents indicate they intend to use behavioral targeting as well as sales tracking in their campaigns over the next 12 months.
  • 54 percent of respondents indicate they intend to use Facebook as a tool to help build their email lists
  • Nearly 20 percent of respondents indicate that integrating email marketing and social media increased customer loyalty
  • Almost 12 times as many respondents said that email marketing ROI is more easily measured than social media ROI (61.46 percent versus 5.28 percent)

Methodology
The AWeber survey was conducted over a five-day period from May 20-24. Responses were entered anonymously by 2,579 AWeber customers. Based on the population size and the number of respondents, responses can be reported with a 99% confidence level with a margin of error of +/- three percent.

For more information, including full survey results and the executive summary, contact Justin Premick, Director of Education Marketing at justinpremick@aweber.com.

About AWeber Communications
AWeber Communications helps businesses increase sales and profits through its suite of web-based email marketing software. The privately held, debt-free company was founded in 1998. For more information, visit http://www.aweber.com.

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Thanks To Everyone Who Participated In The Survey!

To all of you who took a few minutes out of your day to answer our survey last month, thanks so much!

Hopefully it’s useful and motivating to see how your email marketing efforts and usage compare to those of other small businesses.

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Filed Under: autoresponders, Email Marketing, social media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11 Email Marketing Ideas for Wineries

June 10, 2010 By

Idyllic days in the sunshine. Ruby liquid in sparkling glasses. Merry picnickers and live music.

It’s these moments – drinking your wines and visiting your vineyards – that your customers remember. But even the best memories can fade.

Email marketing can remind your customers what they’re missing. It can invite your visitors back. It can inspire your fans to go buy that favorite bottle again.

Once you build up a solid list of subscribers, you’ll need some creative ideas to spark your customers’ memories and bring them back for more.

Pairings and Recipes

If your chardonnay sparkles with scallops, let your customers know. Pair your wines with complementary dishes and share the recipes.

If your Burgundy is excellent in beef stew, share that, too. Original recipes for dishes cooked with your wines are even more valuable. If you have an online store, make sure to link up the wines.

Seasonal Gifts

People are always searching for unique gifts. Show them what you have to offer, whether it’s festively wrapped wines for the holidays, wine and chocolate sets for Valentine’s Day or picnic baskets for Mothers’ Day.

Fun Facts

Identify wine myths vs. facts. Quote some trivia your readers will want to quote themselves. Feature a rotating glossary of wine-making terms.

Your customers may not know why racking wine does not mean putting bottles into wine racks. Tell them why. Give them more than just discounts – give them an education. With insider information, they’ll feel good about themselves and grateful to you.

New Merchandise

Giddy tasters and frequent visitors alike bring home the winery experience with glass charms, drunken olives and other goodies. If you add a new must-have item, email your list – they’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it next time they visit.

Video Footage

Videos show off your winery even when your doors are closed. They also let you share more content than the typical email can hold.

Use video for educational demonstrations, “meet our team” introductions and sweeping panoramas of your estate that call visitors back. Post them to YouTube and link to them with a clickable screenshots in your emails.)

New Releases

Stir up some excitement! Introduce new vintages with fanfare. Tell your subscribers where they can find the new wine, and let them know that you can’t wait for their reaction!

Special Discounts

As faithful readers of your content and proclaimed fans of your winery, your subscribers might deserve a little extra once in awhile. Reward subscribers (and keep them coming in) with email-exclusive discounts and offers.

Events

Live music performances, tastings, tours of your production area, grape stomping festivals, wine education classes with guest speakers – if you host these, get the word out!

Send an invitation to your subscribers early enough for them to plan ahead, but not so early that they forget!

Rate Your Wines

Your wines may win regional awards, but aside from recognizing this as a mark of quality, customers may not have much reaction. Instead of telling them someone else’s opinion, ask theirs.

Have visitors to your tasting room rate your wines. Periodically invite your readers to send ratings to your “from” address. Announce the winners in an email that subscribers will check to see – Did their favorite win?

Classes

If you offer wine education classes on-site, make sure to invite your local subscribers (try segmenting by location). Summarize the best points from the class afterward so the rest of your list can benefit as well.

Images

Don’t forget pictures! Ambiance is an important part of the wine lifestyle, so extend yours to your newsletter.

Show the grapes being crushed, the wine being bottled. Feature your winemakers, bartenders and grape pickers – give your readers faces to recognize when they visit.

Don’t forget to watch out for minors! Make age a required field on your sign-up form. Marketing to those under-age could result in fines.

Your Award Winning Ideas

As a winery, what content do you send your subscribers? Do they respond? Do they mention your messages when they visit?

These ideas can easily translate to other businesses. Hotels and restaurants can use images for ambiance. Fitness bloggers can highlight fun facts. Galleries can announce new shows.

What kinds of content can you create from these ideas?

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Filed Under: autoresponders, content ideas, Email Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,