RELEVANCY is Key in Email Marketing Success
Now I wouldn’t consider myself a cynic, but I had to chuckle when I read the “cynic’s take” at the bottom of this article in Direct Magazine. It’s exactly what I was thinking as I read about this email marketing study’s results.
It seems marketers are improving at deliverability and open-rates, but still struggle with relevancy. Isn’t that ironic? The one element that is NOT technology-based – message and offer relevancy –is still the primary hurdle!
You would think that marketers would have this down-pat by now because fine-tuning your message or offer has been a part of successful marketing long before email was a twinkle in your MS-DOS PC’s eye.
Or, maybe it’s just human nature that we fall into the trap of marketing in terms of what we want to offer to our customers INSTEAD of marketing in terms of what’s relevant to customers’ wants, needs and challenges.
The good news is that even in spite of the relevancy issue, email marketing continues to be a successful and low-cost method for increasing sales and stimulating offline purchases (as part of an integrated strategy… yet another one of my favorite soap boxes, but I will refrain myself!).
This study also shows which sectors did a better job in click-through rates. Enjoy… http://directmag.com/email/news/e-mail-delivery-open-click-0709/
ROI-based Search
Filed under: Digital Lead Generation, General Marketing, Lead Management, Marketing Technology Solutions, Search Engine Marketing, integrated marketing, paid search
Here’s a DMNews article about setting-up a paid search budget based on profitability. I found it interesting for two reasons. 1) We just broadcasted a webinar on paid search and discussed budget setup and controls and 2) We just happen to be strategizing on how to expand our own marketing success in paid search from one area of our company to other areas – all, of course, while keeping profitability in mind.
It struck me that the author overlooked some important points to keep in mind when setting-up a profitable paid search budget.
In many cases – including ICS’s – the company has a diverse product / service mix. So when thinking about what to spend on key paid search terms, don’t just look at the price tag of the search term and the profit margin of the product / service you’re marketing. Consider search terms that may provide cross-over sales opportunities as well.
Also, ask yourself if you’re using the best possible search term that would provide the highest quality sales leads at the best price… and if you can get some cross-over marketing into other areas of your products and services, then even better.
Chances are there are some lesser cost (and higher sales value) alternatives to that high price search term that could blow your budget’s profitability.
And don’t forget to keep a close eye on your paid search program. Don’t just set it and forget it.
The great thing is… if your initial keyword selection isn’t giving you the results you thought it would, then you can always adjust your program immediately based on what your response data is telling you.
http://www.dmnews.com/Set-your-search-budget-to-be-based-on-its-profitability/article/139312/
Are you ready for “Cash for Clunkers”?
Filed under: Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, General Marketing, List Management, List Strategy, integrated marketing
According to the Detroit News on July 2, 2009, June auto sales show that consumers are holding-off on purchases until the Cash for Clunkers program gets started.
“Consumers encouraged by promising economic signs headed back to dealer showrooms last month, but sales sputtered in late June as prospective buyers waited for the government to introduce its cash-for-clunkers incentives.”
This was a timely article for me as we were just putting the finishing touches on ICS AutoNet’s new data card for our “Cash for Clunkers” prospect list.
Obviously, it’s in the best interest of these consumers who qualify for this program to wait for the “clunker cash.” As soon as this program starts, they’ll be ready to purchase.
So, hopefully auto marketers and dealers realize that the time to connect with these consumers is right now.
Through ICS AutoNet’s self-reported data, our “Cash for Clunkers” list allows dealers access to auto ownership and leasing information that State DMVs can no longer provide. Plus, we specifically designed this file to target consumers who may qualify for the government program. We can connect dealers to owners of vehicles with targeted makes, models and vehicle years from 2002 and earlier within a specified radius of the dealership.
Our list is derived from a comprehensive master file compiled from multiple Shelby-compliant sources and offers more than 100 million records. Each month, a million fresh records are added to the data file – making it an effective marketing tool for one-time promotions or ongoing campaigns.
ICS AutoNet’s Self-reported data file has been successfully applied in automotive marketing, consumer marketing and service-related programs. Following is an overview of available selects:
- Make and Model
- Vehicle Year 2002 and before
- Odometer
- Postal and telephone; Email available upon request.
- Owner demographics and lifestyle (age, income and geography)
List pricing starts at $115 / M. Please note that we include make, model, vehicle year and geography at no extra charge. A complete data card is available for more information.
