Maxmail Product Support Blog

Vote for the most effective marketing channel

In my previous post I presented you with the results of a result in-depth discussion regarding the effectiveness of commonly used marketing channels in context of the global business economy.

From the interesting responses I have received so far, I think it is fair to make your opinion public.

So here’s a public poll where you can decide and see what others think is the most efective marketing channel today.

[polldaddy poll=1025002]

In search of the most effective marketing channel

How effective is a marketing channel - Copyright Genesis Interactive

Effectiveness of a marketing channel was measured using the following 8 criterion.

• · Is the channel Low Cost
• · Does the channel have a broad reach
• · Does the channel allow personalisation (1 to 1)
• · Does the channel deliver targeted messages
• · Does the channel offer any viral features?
• · Can the results be tracked?
• · Is the channel easy to access?
• · What is the longevity of a channel

Each criterion was scored out of a total value of 100. The scores are plotted on the line graph from left to right (highest to lowest). So, the highest socre has highest effectiveness.

Questions around cost were normalised using comparative value proposition offered by each channel.

We considered advanced targeting abilities as a measure for the “target-ability” property of a channel

Reach – Global = Maximum, Local/Regional = Minimum

Tracking: We consider a campaign trackable if you can quantitatively define the number of responses and conversions.

What do you think? Any comments?

Viral Email Marketing - Tap into your customers’ social network

For most readers of this blog, you already know the importance of making your marketing campaigns viral.

The real question is how do you make your campaigns viral in such a way that your message starst spreading like wildfire.

Well, here is a solution recipe that talks about how to create a viral email marketing campaign with guaranteed results.

Ingredients:

• A great special offer
• A competition give away
• List of opt-in email subscriobers (with first names)
• A Maxmail user account (get a Free trial account here)

Preperation:

Make sure your mailing list of subscribers is clean and has first names recorded for every single subscriber along with a valid email address.

Create an HTML newsletter (doesnt have to be fancy - keep it simple) with your special offer inside. The body of the newsletter should have a 600 x 200 graphic (well designed) that talks about an automatic entry for anyone who forwards this email to a friend. Each forward counts for one entry.

Mention the giveaway prize.

Forward this email to your friends to automatically into a draw to win one of 5 42inch Panasonic PLasma TVs. Forward as many times as you like, each forward counts for one entry. Increase your chances, get forwarding now.

Make sure you have the subscribers first name in the subject line (for higher uptake) and also in the greeting line (e.g. Hello John instead of Hi there)

Send the email.

Watch it cook

John receives your email and decides to forward the email to Sally, Bod, Sue and Ryan. Because John opted Sally, Bob, Sue and Ryan into your original mailing list, when any one of them forward this email, you have an exponential growth in the virality of your email.

Consider this

How Viral Marketing Works

You sent an email to John and it has been forwarded around to (in this example) a total of 29 new subscribers. You have also accumulated several competition entries. Your mailing list has grown and now you have greater interest from your customers.

Best of all, Maxmail’s viral marketing feature allowed you to tap into a list of subscribers that you didnt have access to prior to sending this email.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

13 steps to creating a killer email marketing newsletter

1. Define Success– Ask yourself “ What is the purpose of your newsletter?” An Email Newsletter is a substantial investment of company resources in terms of time and energy, and you need to define in as tangible terms as possible the purpose of your Email Newsletter.
2. Voice – Establish a voice or editorial personality – whether newsy, serious, gossipy or funny – that is synergistic with the image you want to portray and connects with your audience.
3. From Line– Whether a person’s name, name of the newsletter or company name – determine what will resonate best with your readers and stay with it.
4. Subject Line– “Vol. 1, Issue #4” or “Company X News” are not enticing subject lines. They are certainly consistent and simple, but they don’t tell your readers anything that will motivate them to open your email. Your subject line is your calling card - entice your readers with the most interesting or intriguing information in your Email Newsletter.
5. Style/Format– Establish a format and layout of your Email Newsletter that is clean and simple, with elements of the Email Newsletter (table of contents; “Tips”, subscription information, etc. located in the same spot each issue).
6. Content – Figure out what your readers want and give it to them. Seek continuous improvement by obtaining reader feedback and monitoring click-through rates to determine what types of articles are most popular.
7. Frequency– Determine how frequently your readers want to hear from you/receive your Email Newsletter – and what you can commit to. Don’t launch a weekly newsletter if you are not absolutely certain that you can distribute a quality Email Newsletter every Tuesday at 10:00 am.
8. Timing– Test and pick a day and time that works best …and stick to it. Readers should almost be able to set their watches by the receipt time of your Email Newsletter.
9. Viral– Provide information readers can act on or that stimulates reaction – forwarding it to friends and peers, stimulating purchases or requests for additional information. Make it easy for readers to forward articles and information to peers and friends. Provide a “Forward to a Friend” link that enables readers to forward the Email Newsletter with a personalized note.
10. Search– Make it easy to find articles of interest and back issues. Provide a table of contents and links to articles within the newsletter and to resources and past articles on your site.
11. Printing – Consider providing “printer-friendly formats” on your Web site.
12. Personalize– At minimum address the reader by name. The most successful newsletters have a human being associated with them…and a personality. If possible, your Email Newsletter should be “written by a person” at your company…not the company.
13. Test– Test the Email Newsletter on few email addresses to check for errors and other issues – before sending to the entire distribution list.

22 Imperatives for Email Marketing Success

“Load and Send?” “Batch and Blast?” Those two marketing concepts are ancient history in the modern email environment. Now, you have to navigate your way through a complicated landscape of customer expectations, challenging technology, government regulations and other issues old-school direct marketers never had to face.

Maxmail has identified a set of principles we call “The 22 Imperatives for Email Marketing Success.” Don’t let that number intimidate you, though, as most marketers are already deploying many of these imperatives. Increasingly, though, companies that fail to follow all of these principles will find their email marketing programs underperforming their competitors and not achieving maximum ROI. Read the rest of this entry »

Effective SMS Marketing using Maxmail

The use of mobiles has become rampant. Most people in the developed and the developing regions of the globe own the latest handsets that they use for connecting and communicating on the move. These high-end gadgets have become a part of life- a fact that is having impact on other areas as well. Many companies are using this trend to their advantage; they are making the most a feature called SMS marketing to make their presence felt among a target group of users.

As is evident from the name, SMS marketing is a procedure wherein specific messages from a particular company are sent to certain mobile numbers. As of now, there are many guidelines in place and the marketing through such messages do not fall in the realm of spam. Most often than not, the service providers take care of the fact that the subscribers to their services are not at the receiving end of spam messages. Read the rest of this entry »

Taking a strategic look at SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is one of the newest forms of advertising used today by big and small companies throughout the world. Although this form of marketing is becoming more and more popular with each passing year, there are always pros and cons to each successful business and strategy.

There have been many failures and successes in regards to new theories and techniques. These pros and cons are important to remember and take into consideration before you and your company test out SMS marketing for higher levels of success in your business. Read the rest of this entry »

How to build a permission based mailing list for effective email marketing

Developing a cost-effective email list poses a challenge for all email marketers. Because email addresses change at a rate of 30 percent or more on most lists, marketers must adopt an aggressive approach to expand their list and yield a significant return on investment.

As you browse the list below please keep these helpful tips in mind:

• Consider All Touch Points: Use every point of contact with customers and prospects.
• Obtain Permission:Always obtain permission with the confirmed (double) opt-in method for online contacts. For offline contacts, update your database with when, where and how the contact was initiated. Confirm their permission in the first email.
• Required Information: Obtain email address, name, format preference and logical interests/preferences.
• Focus Equal Attention on Existing Lists: Implement strategies and incentives to transform inactive subscribers into active ones.
• Provide Valuable Benefits: Convince potential subscribers of the valuable benefits they’ll receive.
• Convey Trust: Clearly state your privacy/email policies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Email Marketing the cost effective client engagement tool

It never ceases to amaze us that in the world of business so much time, energy and money is spent on the acquiring new clients yet very little thought or energy goes into maintaining and growing those already hard won clients.

Most businesses know the math - It can cost up to 10 times more to win a new customer than to engage those you already have. So it is a little incomprehensible to try and fathom out why so many businesses continue to ignore this goldmine sitting on their server somewhere.

With a simple email marketing strategy and the right email marketing software, businesses can begin to mine this vein of gold and re-engage customers that have already purchased from them. The great news is that email marketing is by far the most cost effective marketing medium available to any business today. And because your customers have supplied you freely with their email addresses your message is not considered spam (more on this later). Read the rest of this entry »

How to run a competition using Maxmail’s two-way SMS marketing system

We all know that worldwide (developed western countries, OECD) mobile phone saturation rates are nearing 100%. Also, we are living in a culture and economy that is driven by fancy gadgets and instant gratification. Customers are only interested in your product or service if you have the answer to their “Right Now” problem.

The old adage of being at the “right place at the right time” has never been more of a reality.

But let me take this old wisdom one step further. The times we live in, for marketeers it is no longer about being in the right place at the right time but delivering the right message, at the right time, through the right channel.

Your customers typically have 2 email addresses, 1 mobile phone, check their emails at least once a day, carry their mobile phones with them, are avid texters and also love free stuff.

So let me show you how using Maxmail you can run a powerful two-way messaging campaign to increase your conversion rates in a matter of seconds and engage buyer interest by inviting them to participate in a competition.

In my example I will use a pseudo PC sales company that speciailses in selling low price computer hardware. John is the store manager and is an avid Maxmail user. Read the rest of this entry »