Email Glossary's Archives

posted in 17 Apr, 2009 by Alejandro Catalan

In a Recessionary Market Do Coupons Convert?

Have you experimented with Coupons lately in email marketing programs? I found this article talking about them used in search but it felt like people might react the same in email. Just yesterday I got an email from the GAP Companies for a 30% friends and family deal. Typically I do not go for the coupon, not sure why really when I love a deal, but I went for this one.

So maybe the idea that I would like to lead with for thought is could search lead email? What I mean by this is could we as email marketers or just marketers take the terms and trends we are seeing in organic search and paid search and build campaigns and offers around these terms/results?

It would not be “behaviorally” based but could be quite relevant to take what we hear when we listen to what the customer is looking for and playing it forward.

Coupon search clicks: Sweet sound for Web marketers By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY

Consumers have a recession message for marketers: Will click for coupons.

As consumers troll online to save money, searches that include value words such as “coupons” rose 161% in December vs. 2007 to 19.9 million and “discount” rose 26% to 7.9 million, reports tracker ComScore.

As a result, spending by marketers on such search words is up, too. They bid online to tie their brands to search terms so their website appears as a “sponsored link” above the unpaid results or their text ad is to the right of the results. They generally offer to pay from 4 cents to $1 each time someone clicks on the link or ad.

Google, which controls 60% of the paid search ad market and whose AdWords is the largest auction system, says ad spending on value-related words such as coupons rose 30% in the fourth quarter over the same period a year earlier.

“Search is very much a barometer of the times,” says John Burke, Google director of industry development.

Coupon distribution and redemption had been flat in 2008 until the fourth quarter, when coupon distribution rose 7.5% and redemptions rose 15% vs. a year earlier, the Promotion Marketing Association says.

“That’s when consumers suddenly starting saying this is for real and marketers said we need to react with more coupons to keep our sales up,” says Charles Brown, co-chair of PMA’s coupon council and a vice president for coupon company NCH.

Brown says the Web is the fastest-growing coupon distribution medium for big marketers, up 80% in 2008.

How they are searching for sales:

•Kraft. Last fall it added “cooking on a budget” and “value” to its search roster. Offers include $1 coupons for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

“We are using some different methods of paid search to reach people,” says Basil Maglaris, Kraft spokesman.

•Procter & Gamble. A brand search for Crest Whitening Strips will yield a $7 coupon. “By understanding what search terms to buy we are able to better understand how consumers are searching for our products,” spokeswoman Barbara Hauser says.

•Unilever. A search campaign linking coupon terms with Bertolli’s Oven Bake Meals boosted clicks for a $2 coupon. It’s been “generating a 25% to 30% click-through rate on couponing terms,” says Russel Lilly, senior brand manager. Even better, people buy the meals: The coupon has had a 30% redemption rate.

Popularity: 6%

posted in 16 Apr, 2009 by Alejandro Catalan

The Art of the Sign Up Page

I was sent this article from our Creative Director who manages one of our other blogs We Like It Fresh. It is one of the better in depth analysis of new web 2.0 style sites and the elements that make up a good presence and sign up/opt in page.

I think that we can all learn from this article as many of these new properties are in the business of land grabbing as many new subscribers and users as fast as possible. But wait, isn’t that the same business all of us are in? Getting new customers and leads? I think so.

To me this is one of the better articles I have seen in a long time that many of us can use. Yet some key points that he missed is what do you do after you have them signed up? Thank you Page? Double Opt in? Welcome messaging, preference centers?

Just some things to think about but please do take some time to read this article as you are looking at your own landing pages, lead capture and opt in pages.

Popularity: 5%

posted in 7 Apr, 2009 by Alejandro Catalan

Using Twitter to Extend Your Email Campaigns

Twitter. Yes you might be a user. (I am what many call an addict) If not you have heard it mentioned in articles, the news, in conversations and with others that you have in your circles then you might be living in a cave in the hills. Well it is here and growing at a rate now that is close to insanity. It is not the next thing, it is a thing that drives some additional reach if used right with your email campaigns. The smart email marketer will start to realize how to use it. The smarter email marketer will see how it can be used to drive viral, word or mouth, and even subscriber growth when used right.

@alexcwilliams at @eROI knew this a while back, before many others saw the power of the combination of this tool with email campaigns. Since he wrote his article we have seen the increase by brands to use it as a driver or supplement to their email newsletters and campaigns. IMHO it is pure genius on his part to think about this and see how to test it for our own programs before rolling it out into the mainstream.

A lot is being written lately on email and how social media can work in email, but how about this, how about starting to think outside the inbox and test how social media systems can work in harmony with your email campaigns to drive them back into the inbox from other locations. IMHO this is a better approach to some of the other ESPs that are simply adding Add This or Share This functionality into their emails. Get outside of the narrow view that everything needs to take place in your yard. There are just as many other yards where the conversations might be stronger and the kids have more friends that might want to come play with you on their terms.

And while we are at it did you know that by following eROI on Twitter you can get alerts from all 5 of our blogs when new articles are posted? Novel huh? Like RSS only (s)Tweeter.

Popularity: 6%

posted in 6 Apr, 2009 by Alejandro Catalan

10 Advertising Words to Avoid in 2009

The economy, unemployment, companies folding, people losing their homes–2008 has left consumers wary of businesses. And that lack of consumer confidence requires straightforward, honest advertising messages to regain marketplace security. In 2009, perhaps more than ever, the words you use in your copywriting can determine whether you make a sale or lose a customer.

Here are 10 words to avoid in your 2009 copywriting.

1. Free
Ads that include messages about a free product or service promotions can work well during an economic downturn, but consumers need to see the products perform well. E-mail spam filters are tough on messages that include “free” in the subject line. While it might be tempting to use a subject line that says, “Open now to get your free widget,” that’s an e-mail spam filter red flag that will send your message to most recipients’ spam boxes. When the economy is tough, you can’t risk having your e-mails not make it to the intended recipients. Replace “free” with “complimentary” or “gratis” to sneak by spam filters without compromising the effectiveness of your message.

2. Guarantee
Few people believe in guarantees these days. Unless you can prove your guarantee is real, use the valuable real estate space in your ad for a more effective message that consumers are likely to believe and act on.

3. Really
If you want to waste space in your ads, include “really” in your copy. This word does nothing to help your messages. Instead, it slows consumers down, and they are not likely to wait around for the complete message. Don’t risk losing them by loading your copy with useless filler words. Make sure every word in your copy is there for a reason.

4. Very
Does a message sound more compelling with “very” in it? Is “When you need very fresh flowers, call ABC Florist,” more effective than “When you need fresh flowers, call ABC Florist”? If you answered, yes, reread the last paragraph.

5. That
Once you finish writing copy for your ad or marketing piece, reread it and make note of every time you use “that” in your copy. Chances are, you can delete 90 percent of them because “that” is a filler word that doesn’t advance the consumer through the message. Instead, it slows down time-strapped consumers. Deliver the messages your audience is likely to respond to, and deliver them quickly.

6. A Lot
Don’t use vague copy with words like “a lot” that do nothing to differentiate your business from your competitors. Instead, quantify your messages. If you offer 20 varieties of roses in your flower shop, say so. If you respond to customer service calls within five minutes, tell people. Which is more compelling: “You can choose from a lot of shoe styles at Sally’s Shoe Boutique” or “You can choose from more than 100 shoe styles at Sally’s Shoe Boutique”? No doubt, “100 shoe styles” is more intriguing than “a lot of shoe styles.” A lot can mean different things to different people. Don’t leave room for guesswork in your copy. Make your messages extremely clear with no room for confusion.

7. Opportunity
You’re not helping anyone when you offer “opportunities” in your copy. Consumers don’t want opportunities. They want to feel confident handing over their hard-earned money. They want to know they’ll get the results they want and need, not the opportunity to perhaps get those results. Don’t let them wonder what they’ll get when they pull out their wallets. Tell them.

8. To Be (or Not To Be, For That Matter)
Write your advertising and marketing messages in the active voice, not the passive voice. If any form of “to be,” “has been” or anything similar appears in your copy, rewrite it. Writing in the passive voice doesn’t command action. Writing in the active voice does.

9. Synergy
This overused piece of jargon has had a long life, but it’s time to move on. Leave jargon and 10-dollar words out of your advertising messages. There’s no room in copywriting for buzz words and words that consumers need a dictionary to understand. Consumers don’t care about your “unique value proposition.” They care that when they pay for your product or service, it will deliver the results they expect. Naturally, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as B2B copywriting, where jargon might be expected. In most copywriting, however, keep it simple.

10. Drinkability
Budweiser is already using “drinkability” in its ads. Seriously though, the point is valid–don’t copy your competition. Instead, differentiate your product and business with unique copy and messages that your target audience is likely to respond to.

The rules of successful copywriting don’t change from one year to the next, but as the marketplace and environment change, so must your messages. Use the list above as a guideline to writing great advertising copy in 2009.

Susan Gunelius has more than 15 years of marketing and copywriting experience working for some of the largest companies in the world. Gunelius is the president and CEO of KeySplash Creative Inc., a marketing communications company offering writing and copywriting services, and marketing and branding consulting. She is also a published author, and her latest book, Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, is now available from Entrepreneur Press.

Popularity: 9%

posted in 11 Feb, 2009 by Alejandro Catalan

You Can’t Have it All

In Advertising, specifically production of TV Ads, Radio Ads, and also Design work including Newspaper Ads there is a delicate balance between good quality work, deadlines, and cost.
There are three components that make up a job. They govern the process and the output.
The three elements are: QUALITY TIME COST
It would be great to be able to access ultra high quality work, with one day’s turnaround, for very low prices, but each element is inversely proportional to the other two. For example: if you would like a high quality job completed in 2 days it will cost a lot. Alternatively you can access a low cost job, completed in 2 days, but it will be of lower quality. The third option is a low cost job, where you demand high quality which will therefore take longer to produce.
There are a lot of companies out there, who are all competing for the same work. Many offering lower cost and decent turnaround, but look closely and you will see that this simple principle is in play. Where a company offers and highly promotes themselves as TWO of the three components they will most likely lack the final of the three components.
Ad Agencies need to be mindful of this rule as it applies to both our clients AND our suppliers. We also need to weigh up elements and define the most important aspects of a job that we may need to buy in, for example a print job, the filming of a TV commercial, or distribution of flyers.
Just like the 80/20 rule, this rule applies to almost any situation where you are primarily buying a service. It is far less applicable to products alone.
The rule of thumb is that of the three components, you can pick two.

Popularity: 3%