Ever wonder what makes an email look great and work successfully? You probably have, we get this question a lot. To help answer that question we’re going to go through an email from head-to-toe and point out components that will give you a successful email.
blog.verticalresponse.com http://blog.verticalresponse.com/ VerticalResponse Email Marketing Blog for Small Business September 19, 2012 How to Create a Successful Email from Head-to-Toe Ever wonder what makes an email look great and work successfully? You probably have, we get this question a lot. To help answer that question we’re going to go through an email from head-to-toe and point out components that will give you a successful email. Let’s start at the top: From Label – This should be your company name, as most people will recognize your company more quickly than say, your personal name, and since you have just a few seconds to get someone to open your email, you want quick recognition. Subject Line - Once your reader understands who sent the email, the subject line is what will entice them to open it. Write something catchy or interesting, but also informative (easier said than done, right?) Check out our free Savvy Subject Line Writing for Success guide for help! Background – Use an email background color or pattern that's easy on the eyes. The colors in the example below aren't too bright, dark or distracting. Using black text (dark gray is good too) on a white background is the easiest to read. Social Sharing – Make it easy on your recipients to share your email socially. These buttons are built into our system so they’re easy to add, plus you can put them anywhere in your email. Pre-header – We can’t talk about this enough! Some email programs (including iPhones) pull the first line of text in the email into the subject line. Take advantage of this feature to get better open rates. Table of Contents – If you have a longer email, include a table of contents to show your readers the great info found further in your email. Links – Give your reader lots of opportunities to get to your website and do what you want them to do. Link your images, text, pre-header, buttons, etc. Plus, link clicks are tracked, so this will give you more insight into your recipient’s interests. Industry News – Including blog posts, third-party articles, statistics, and industry news that's relevant to your business and recipients will keep your email readers engaged. Plus, your readers will look at you as a knowledgeable resource - Just make sure to give appropriate source credit. Keep in Touch – Include several ways to get in touch with your company, including a direct email link. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, also include business hours. And, with the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s a good place to list any special holiday hours. Forward to a Friend – Including this link will allow your readers to share your great content with their friends or colleagues. And anyone who receives an email forwarded this way will have the option to be added to your mailing list - An easy and free way to keep your list growing. Two things I would add to the already great email example above: Call-to-Action Buttons – Buttons are more compelling to click than text links, and easier for mobile readers to touch. Include a couple buttons in your emails and you could see your clickthrough rate go up. We have a free tool to help you create them too! Social Buttons – In addition to the social sharing buttons, include buttons that link to your company's social accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, wherever you have an account for your business. Easy, right? Hopefully the answer is yes. Most of these components can be added to your emails through your VerticalResponse account via the tool bar, in either the Wizard or Canvas editors. Try them out in your next email and see if you get better engagement. Have you tried using any of these tips in your email? What were your results? Posted by Jill Bastian. Jill Bastian is the Training and Education Manager at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter @Jillieb3. September 18, 2012 Make Your Content Pop with Pictures It’s a scientific fact that we all love to look at photos! Okay, so it’s not a fact, but photos are a great way to build engagement on your Facebook page, Twitter feed and even your blog. Why? First and foremost, visuals evoke emotion in the viewer that is quick and direct. When you see a photo, your brain kicks into action and you have a visceral reaction to it. Photos are usually easy to understand. They may be funny, cute, sad or interesting, but all you need to do is look and let your emotions do the rest. In today's world, photos are also very easy to take. Smartphones and inexpensive cameras have enabled almost anyone and everyone to take a picture of nearly anything. In fact, every 2 minutes we snap as many photos as the whole of humanity took in the 1800s. When it comes to social, you don’t have to look any further than the success of Pinterest and Instagram to see how popular photos are. Pinterest is now the 3rd largest social network in the US. And startup darling Instagram was acquired by Facebook for a cool $1 billion in April 2012. So I think we have an understanding that photos are very popular. But how can you leverage photos in the social efforts for your business? Here are some tips: Use photo centric sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram in your social media outreach. Especially if you have visually appealing products and services such as food, clothing or anything beauty related. Intermix photos relating to your business with general items such as scenic shots, local sports teams or animals. Interject humorous photos in the mix. People love to like, comment and share funny photos. This provides an opprtunity to expose your page or board to new people via the photos you are sharing. Post at least one photo a day on your social sites. People may think they'll bombard their followers, but realize the information streams on these sites moves pretty quickly. So only posting once a week for instance will get you lost in the shuffle. At VerticalResponse, in our own social media marketing with Facebook, we've seen huge organic and viral traffic increases since we started to make photos an integral part of our social marketing efforts. In fact, we had one photo post that received 396 Likes, 492 Shares and 44 Comments. Not bad for a Facebook Page that only had a little more than 6,200 “Likers” to the page. Most of the photos we use on Facebook are ones that we take ourselves, or that we share from our Facebook feed. On our blog, we approach it differently. We purchase about 98% of the photos, including the one in this post. Why you ask? Back in the good old days, people didn’t really pay attention to attribution or copyright infringement when it came to using photos on their blog. They’d go to Google Images, type in a keyword or phrase that complemented their post, download the photo and slap it up for the entire world to see. Big mistake. Copyright laws are there to protect the author of the image. You’re not only taking money from the originator of the content, but you also run the risk of legal action. If you’re looking to use photos for commercial purposes, you may want to check out these options: iStockphoto (This happens to be the site we use) shutterstock dreamstime fotolia fotolia Bigstock There are tons more out there and it’s always a good idea to mix it up with different commercial photo sites so you get a new look and feel from the photos offered. But, if you're looking to save a buck and put your own spin on your blog or social posts to Facebook and Twitter, use your smartphone or camera to take your own photos. This could be as easy as taking a photo of your blue plate special, or the new dress that came in. You may be surprised by the engagement/reaction you’ll get from a simple photo. It's no coincidence there is a saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Posted by Derek Overbey Derek Overbey is the Senior Social Media Manager at VerticalResponse. Connect with him on Twitter at @doverbey. September 17, 2012 Google & Social: A Cautionary Tale Google's recent acquisition of Wildfire was just the latest in a long series of big moves made by the search giant in their quest for prominence in the social sphere. But it was the first significant one in a while that didn't involve launching a product of their own. True, there have been social-oriented acquisitions in the past (Blogger back in the day comes to mind), but lately Google's most memorable efforts to dabble into the social space came straight out of the labs over in Mountain View and, unfortunately for them, didn't reach the heights they were undoubtedly hoping for. Let's take a look back at some of their efforts and learn some lessons of our own for launching a new product/service. 1. Google Wave: Too Smart for its Own Good? Back in 2009 when Google VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra, and his team first unveiled Google Wave at that year's I/O conference, people believed they had just witnessed the second coming of email. Combining the latter with instant messaging and layering a boatload of functionality on top of the already impressive combo, Wave promised a radical shift in the way we communicated on the web. Expectations couldn't have been higher, and everyone and their mother in the tech/geek world (including yours truly) just couldn't wait to get their golden ticket and grubby hands on the beta (limited to 100,000 users only at first). Initial feedback ranged from mixed to very positive (check out Engadget's and Ars Technica's hands-on reviews at the time for instance), with everyone agreeing that this was a tool with a tremendous amount of potential. But analysts also waved a few red flags, cautioning people to keep their expectations grounded as Wave needed to work out some kinks before being officially anointed the future of the Internet, most notably that it lacked a clear purpose and viable real-life applications. Unfortunately, those hurdles proved too great, adoption never took off, even after removing the invite-only gate, and Google pulled the plug on Wave barely a year after introducing it. But come on, this was pretty cool: 2. Google Buzz: Parlez-vous Privacy? As with Wave, Buzz was greeted with a fair amount of buzz (OK, that was too easy) upon release. Some were already dubbing it the "Twitter killer" as Google was looking to leverage its considerable Gmail user base by integrating the new product directly within their email client. This would allow users to post updates visible to anyone in their Gmail contact list, directly from their Gmail page. In addition to the convenience of not having to change windows/tabs, Google enabled auto-following between a user and all his/her Gmail contacts, public and private sharing (which meant your posts would be indexed and thus Googleable) and a customized recommendation system for access to only the most relevant updates. All in all, it seemed the search giant had finally hit a social home run, and initial numbers posted on the official Gmail blog seemed to confirm it. Within 56 hours Buzz already had over 9 million posts and comments, which represents more than 160,000 comments and posts per hour. Google however, neglected one vital aspect that would eventually bring about the demise of its newborn product: privacy. As soon as Buzz was announced, and even prior to launch, industry experts started pointing out the various breaches of user information that the company's decision to automatically opt in its customer base, had caused. Chief among these complaints and considered the biggest privacy flaw was the public disclosure of the names of all Gmail contacts on a given user's Google profile. After being hit with various lawsuits and settling a few of them, as well as being investigated by the FTC, Google decided to shut down its Buzz service a little over two years after its inception. 3. Google+: Is This Thing On? By launching its own social network, pitting itself in direct competition with Facebook and its already built-in user base of 500 million-plus (at time of launch), Google knew it was taking a big gamble. So, when they officially announced the launch of Google+, it was immediately met with skepticism, fueled undoubtedly by the company's recent history with failed social products. Features such as Circles (a fancy term for lists) or Hangouts (a glorified chat) didn't do much to help the matter. When asked whether he felt threatened on the Charlie Rose show, Mark Zuckerberg said Google was just "trying to build their own little version of Facebook" (even though he eventually got on it too). Fast-forward to over a year later, and the jury is still out as to whether Google+ is a success. Some still believe in its potential, believing it's only a matter of time before the social network truly takes off. But when faced with the hard, cold truth, we can only note that there just isn't much going on there right now. People from within the company itself seem to have lost faith as well, as illustrated by Steve Yegge's infamous rant. Instead of a list of raw numbers, here's a nice little infographic (courtesy of Umpf) to prove my point: So as you can see, even one of the largest and most innovative companies in the world has had its own share of hiccups when launching new products/services. Google prides itself in letting its teams run independently to pursue their own projects, with the firm belief that it breeds innovation. But we can see in the 3 cases mentioned above that some coordinated homework and research wouldn't have hurt. The good news is the lessons learned are applicable to businesses of all sizes: Make sure your product has legs: Wave was considered a genius idea with the potential to revolutionize the way we interacted online, but didn't live up to its lofty promise by failing to explain exactly what it was for or to promote its benefits clearly. Buzz was a good idea to begin with, but its utter disregard (blissful ignorance?) for privacy laws pretty much crippled it from the start. So do some research on your target audience and gauge potential interest, and identify any risks/opportunities that may arise during your product's lifecycle before moving forward with any development. A beta is a great way to get an initial read and make tweaks before exposing your new product/service to the masses. Be wary of the state of the competitive market: Google+ hasn't offered enough difference-making features to make it a viable alternative to Facebook yet. If you are going after a market with firmly established leaders, identify some of the pain points that users are facing (using SWOT analysis, BCG or McKinsey matrices ) and launch a product that serves unmet needs in order to carve out unique market share. And most importantly, make sure your product is ready for consumption: Wave was available to only a limited number of people, in part due to the lack of technical resources to support heavier use. By the time Google was ready to accommodate everyone, the hype was over, and even the most fervent supporters had lost interest. At time of launch, your product/service needs to be robust enough for your consumers to, well, consume and enjoy. Beta testing is a great way to battle- proof it prior to general availability, but make sure to gather feedback from your testers and adjust accordingly in quick fashion. Have you had issues launching a product or service of your own, and if so, what have you been able to take away from the experience? Share away in the comments! Posted by My Truong My Truong is the Marketing Programs Manager at VerticalResponse. Connect with him on Twitter @PtitMy. September 14, 2012 Become a Rock Star on Social Media: 4 Ways This article by VerticalResponse CEO and founder Janine Popick originally appeared on Inc.com. At VerticalResponse, we truly believe that email and social media go together hand in hand. Why? Because your messages need to be where your prospects and customers are reading them, no matter what channel they like to pay attention to. And, if the stats are right, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn alone will reach over 1.5 billion consumers in 2012. So I came up with four little tidbits you can do with your email marketing campaign to get more friends, followers, fans and fervor: 1. Be Proactive Send a "like me" or "recommend me" email campaign to drive people to your Facebook page. Use a template like the one you see below. (This is just one of more than 700 free email templates that VerticalResponse offers.) It's important to have a presence on Facebook since it's the No. 1 social media network that your customers and prospects are using on a daily basis. Give your followers and fans a reason to "Like" you by giving them a coupon or special offer. A few other ideas to get people to visit your page: Ask a question. You'll show up in the feeds of anyone who responds. Run a contest. We ran the Next Teen Tycoon video contest and had really amazing results. You might want to use a third-party app like Wildfire Interactive to help you manage it. Post photos. Research suggests that people comment on and like photos the most. Post your blog content to your Facebook page. You spend a lot of time creating the content, so why not publish it in as many places as possible. 2. Incentivize Your Twitter Followers Similarly, send a "follow me on Twitter" email campaign with one solo message: Get special deals if you follow us. Using a template like this one here makes designing it a snap. 3. Button Up In every email campaign you send, include "follow me" buttons that link to your social media profiles. It has become as common as including your phone number, URL and address. Side note: Include the buttons in your customer service emails that you send out when a customer has a question. 4. Pin Your Emails If you're on Pinterest (like we are!), post the hosted version link of your email to a board. Choose the offer or article you want to show, and in the pin description make sure you use your keywords so that if someone is searching Pinterest for your products just like they'd search Google, they'll find your products or business. Integrating your email marketing and your social media efforts is the smartest and easiest thing to do to maximize the time you spend setting up your marketing. Do you have any ideas to share? Love to hear them! Posted by Janine Popick Janine Popick is the CEO and founder of VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @janinepopick, and check out more of her Inc.com columns. Posted in Email Marketing, Social Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | | | | | | September 12, 2012 How to Make Trade Show Planning Easy Breezy I love making lists and enjoy crossing things off lists even more! I create lists in both my personal and professional life. So when it comes to planning tradeshows (almost 30 a year for VerticalResponse), needless to say, I have a lot of lists. When attending a trade show, which is an excellent opportunity for all small businesses, there are two lists that everyone should use: One for event deliverables and deadlines and the second with assets that are needed for each tradeshow. Follow and create lists like these, and your tradeshow planning will be easy breezy: Deadlines & Deets Event deadlines always vary and it’s important to keep track. For most tradeshows, there are a lot of things that need to be ordered in advance like furniture, electrical and internet access, as well as shipping arrivals. You usually get “early bird” discounts if you order before a certain date. I don’t know about you, but I love discounts (another pastime of mine), so keep an eye out for early bird dates and order everything, not only in advance, but also at a cheaper rate! Here's an example of an exhibitor checklist from NYXPO, a tradeshow I’m currently coordinating. Most tradeshows don’t provide checklists so you can always use samples like this to make your own: The Goods The second list you want to create is pretty standard for all tradeshows, and it’s all the items you'll need to bring. Below is my mega-list of supplies I know I need. Keep this list up-to- date and add things you may have forgotten in the past. Your packing checklist should look a little something like this: Business cards Your product (if it's tangible) Laptop/charger (for demos of your products/services) Data sheets (brochures) Data sheet stands Extension cords Fishbowl to collect business cards Email signup form [...]... everything is taken care of well before each tradeshow will undoubtedly make it seamless for everyone There will always be last minute changes or things to do, but when everything's crossed off your lists, your tradeshow will also be less stressful Win-win! Bonus tip: Looking for tradeshows to attend for your small business? Check with your local Chamber of Commerce for any tradeshows they're hosting,... see how competitive a keyword search is by performing an Exact Phrase search (put quotes around the keyword when searching for it in Google) to see how many files have been indexed with the keyword in content (i.e "email marketing" ); or an AllinTitle Search (search for the keyword in quotes with the phrase allintitle preceding it, i.e., allintitle: "email marketing" ) to give you the number of HTML page... experiments to monitor your changes If you're yearning for more on search engine marketing, we've got a great webinar for that: Get the Most Bang for Your Pay Per Click Buck Posted by Savannah Stewart Savannah Stewart is a Lifecycle Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart Posted in Blogs, Content Marketing, Websites | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack... said it before and we'll say it again, you must deliver relevant, value add content to your subscribers to keep them engaged and coming back for more We even did a webinar about it You can get a good feel for how engaged your readers are by keeping an eye on the open and click through rates (CTRs) of your emails You can even segment your list (we've got a webinar for that too) on this information and... Posted by Kim Stiglitz Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1 Posted in Email Marketing | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0) || | | | | August 31, 2012 Oops! What to Do When Email Mistakes Happen Everyone makes mistakes every now and then When it comes to email marketing everyone's done it, even the big guys make a gaffe sometimes... your audience, you may want to wait Sending too many emails at once, even for a mistake, can send your unsubscribe rate skyrocketing Here are 4 steps to take if you've made a mistake in an email: 1 Assess - Before you do anything take a moment to see what the impact is of the mistake Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you act: What is the email list size? What is the open/clickthrough rate?... into their list Deliver What You Promise It's that simple If, when someone signed up for your email list, you promised you would send them tips on home repair once a month, do that If you start sending emails every week with offers for 50% off paint and wood flooring, you break your promise When someone provides you their email address, they're saying they trust you to do the right thing with it (i.e not... something of value from you There has to be something in it for them And, usually that's what you promised them that caused them to sign up in the first place That's why your opt-in form and page are vitally important It is there that you vow that you're a good, upstanding person/company and that you will use the power of email marketing for good, not evil Capisce? You Get Old & Boring Of all the consumers... momentum will help accelerate your SEO efforts and drive more traffic to your site If you're going to make extensive changes to your site's content or layout, it's a good idea to perform a split test to see which page performs the best before completely turning one off You can monitor overall visits and keyword conversions in Google Analytics or Optimizely, and perform A/B split tests or multivariate experiments... you 47% of subscribers unsub because they get too many emails We're all suffering from message overload, so the messages we allow in our inbox and engage with better deliver Check out this unsubscribe infographic from our friends over at Litmus to learn more What value are your messages adding for your subscribers? Share how you use email marketing for good, not evil, in the comments Stats sourced via . blog. verticalresponse. com http:/ /blog. verticalresponse. com/ VerticalResponse Email Marketing Blog for Small Business September 19,. year for VerticalResponse) , needless to say, I have a lot of lists. When attending a trade show, which is an excellent opportunity for all small businesses,