Since 1914, the San Antonio Manufacturers Association (SAMA) has been protecting and promoting the interests of its members in the San Antonio area.
Mercury Direct had the opportunity to share our thoughts about online marketing best practices to the SAMA Sales & Marketing Special Interest Group recently. The range of topics included website design, email marketing, blogging, social networks and a review of two manufacturing case studies.
Questions from the group focused on email marketing best practices and website design. Most members of the group had familiarity with all of the topics, allowing for an informed conversation throughout the meeting.
To learn more about SAMA, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Email Rental: Is It In Your Acquisition Toolkit?
I attended an Email Service Provider (ESP) seminar today and a small business owner asked if it was possible to rent and use email address lists the way businesses currently rent mailing lists. The speaker answered "not using our application."
And it's true - most ESPs won't allow you to deliver 3rd party email lists using their software. Their email policies imply that it is akin to spamming.
Well, it's not spamming - it's legal and it's ethical, as long as you follow some basic rules.
Many individuals will allow their email address to be shared with 3rd parties. Sometimes they do it to collect rewards points, other times it is because they are interested in everything related to a particular subject.
When selecting a vendor for your 3rd party email addresses, you need to confirm that their list was gathered using "confirmed opt-in" or "double-opt in" methods. You should look at the website(s) the list was compiled from to ensure that it reflects your target audience. There are other things to evaluate, but it's not a difficult process.
Once you have selected a list, how can you distribute it if your ESP won't let you use their software? It's easy - most legitimate email list providers won't let you use an outside email service - they create the email with you and send it on your behalf.
The real question isn't whether you should rent 3rd party emails. As a marketer, your responsibility is to test email list rental against other customer acquisition alternatives to determine which approach provides you the most favorable ROI.
And it's true - most ESPs won't allow you to deliver 3rd party email lists using their software. Their email policies imply that it is akin to spamming.
Well, it's not spamming - it's legal and it's ethical, as long as you follow some basic rules.
Many individuals will allow their email address to be shared with 3rd parties. Sometimes they do it to collect rewards points, other times it is because they are interested in everything related to a particular subject.
When selecting a vendor for your 3rd party email addresses, you need to confirm that their list was gathered using "confirmed opt-in" or "double-opt in" methods. You should look at the website(s) the list was compiled from to ensure that it reflects your target audience. There are other things to evaluate, but it's not a difficult process.
Once you have selected a list, how can you distribute it if your ESP won't let you use their software? It's easy - most legitimate email list providers won't let you use an outside email service - they create the email with you and send it on your behalf.
The real question isn't whether you should rent 3rd party emails. As a marketer, your responsibility is to test email list rental against other customer acquisition alternatives to determine which approach provides you the most favorable ROI.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Permission-based Mail?
With the establishment of the national Do Not Call registry in 2003, consumers were given a mechanism to opt-out of telemarketing sales pitches. This legislation was followed quickly by the CAN-SPAM Act (requiring email opt-out mechanisms) and more recent Do Not Email registries in Utah and Michigan.
Is the same fate in store for direct mail? As of March 2008, 11 states were considering Do Not Mail registries to stem the tide of unsolicted consumer direct mail. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) expects more to come.
In an effort to preempt Do Not Mail legislation, the DMA launched a Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) initiative, giving consumers more "choice over the types and volume of mail they receive."
What does the future hold? Here's what we think...
- expect some sort of legislation
- unsolicited direct mail is wasteful - an easy target in today's environmentally-conscious world
- what's good enough for phone and email will be good enough for mail
- legislation will drive innovative new forms of customer acquisition
- marketers adopting permission-based communications, regardless of delivery channel, will come out ahead...
We will know soon enough.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Personalized Marketing - Alive & Well
Dear Reader,
Okay - bad salutation. But personalized marketing communications remain a powerful tool for marketers today. The CMO Council recently reported the following personalization techniques among marketers:
- 66.1% send personalized emails and letters
- 43.5% utilize database marketing to leverage personal profiles
- 40.1% personalize email promotions based on timing of sign-up and regular intervals thereafter
- 31.6 % print using variable data
- 30.5% print personalized on-demand collateral
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