The Keys to Sending Email Promotions People LOVE to get

Last month, we sent out an email promo for a local fine arts photographer – tonycasper.com. This promo got a 45% open rate, with 37% click-through to his website.  Pretty fine stats for any promotion, let alone an email one!

Tony Casper Email Promo

He’s a talented guy with a great product…but so are a lot of people. So what made his email promotion get such a great response?

1. It builds a relationship. We tend to think people are pretty savvy, and with a higher-dollar product like his, his customers don’t want to be hit over the head with big ugly “sale” signs and messaging.
2. It’s pretty. With his sophisticated clientele, the design of the email reflects the quality of his work. It’s why people would rather visit a high-end gallery than buy artwork off the back of a pick-up truck.
3. It tells a story. Who doesn’t love a good travelogue? The email tells the story of how the featured photo was created, giving you a taste of European travel.
4. It promises more. By providing an easy link to more beautiful photos, it invites clients to easily engage and explore the company website.
5. It goes to his fans. He’s spent time developing his list of customers and fans who’ve visited him at art shows.  The list of addresses is up to date and opt-in only.

Great email marketing isn’t just about design, volume, or technology.  It should be part of a well-thought-out marketing strategy that meshes with your business goals.  Want to learn more? Visit us at www.mktondemand.com.

Quick Tips for Getting Social Media off the Ground at your School District

This weekend I was chatting with a friend who said, “No one emails me anymore, they’re all on _____(insert social media site here).  In her personal experience, people have opted for social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)  instead of sending an email or picking up the phone as their primary means of communication.

As a school district, do you know how your stakeholders are communicating with each other, and with your district?  Do parents and volunteers rely on email? Are they Twittering? Commenting on blogs? Or are they still looking forward to receiving a printed newsletter in their mailbox? How can you find out more?

The first step in is to listen and learn: understand the uses of social media tools. Find out what tools your audiences use, and what are they communicating about online. This will help develop a social media strategy that is in alignment with overall district goals and communications strategies.

Get started by monitoring online conversations. At first, it might feel a little like stalking, but it will provide clues to where your district is being talked about. Set up searches for key terms, such as:

• district name
• key personnel (superintendent, principals, media spokesperson)
• initiative name
• hot topics or controversial trends (such as budget)

Over time, you will see where your district pops up most often.

Some of the most popular (and free!) monitoring tools are:

• Google Alerts: www.google.com/alerts
• Technorati: www.technorati.com
• Filtrbox: www.filtrbox.com
• Bloglines: www.bloglines.com
• Twitter Search: www.search.twitter.com

In our experience, many public school districts face similar communication challenges when trying to engage parents, the community and other key constituents. Communication is an ongoing and evolving process, and social media can be one cost-effective tool in your communications tool box.  Improve your chances of success by taking the time to meet your audience where they are at online.

kate@mktondemand.com

Buckle your seatbelt – the way we market in 2010 will be changing fast

The end of the year is always a good time to take a look in the rearview mirror, to see where our efforts have taken us over course of the year. For marketers, the shift from traditional advertising and marketing methods to the cheaper, faster, trendier social media and online methods was in full swing in 2009.  We don’t expect that to slow down in 2010.

I came across two good articles and a video that explain these trends better than I ever could, so hopefully this will provide food for thought as you plan 2010’s marketing strategy:

First, if your business is just getting started with social media, Willa Plank at the WSJ writes the “Three Best Ways to Use Social Media” for small business. Practical and low-cost advice.

If you have some time on your hands, refill your coffee and enjoy Augie Ray’s apocalyptic post, “2010: The Year Marketing Dies.“  Ray’s premise is marketing as we know it will fade away and be reborn better and stronger. And hopefully more measurable.

Finally, this video does a great job of telling a story of a ski resort that cut its print budget entirely (in favor of online tactics)  after taking a careful look at their customer behavior. Which reminds us again that marketing can’t operate in a vacuum; include all parts of your business in the marketing strategy.

At MOD this year we will be delving deeper into the worlds of email marketing and the effective and strategic use of social media, for both our business and for our clients. And we’ll be keeping a close eye on Wisconsin school funding issues as districts continue to struggle with rising costs and diminishing revenues.  It’s an exciting time to be in the ever-changing PR and marketing business. A new decade, new challenges!

What’s your prediction for 2010? Gaze into that crystal ball and leave us a comment.

Happy New Year,

Kate

kate@mktondemand.com

Small businesses (1-20 employees) are moving fast with new media

Full article: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007367

eMarketer published a overview of a recent study conducted by Hurwitz & Associates (source check – they were hired by Campaigner, an email service provider).  The shift we’ve seen among our own clients is reflected in the study results, namely:

“Small businesses are rapidly shifting their marketing initiatives from traditional media to digital marketing media tools, including social media such as blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook, etc., email marketing, search engine marketing and webinars and podcasts (Figure 1). While traditional media, such as direct mail, tradeshows and newspaper advertising still have a part in many small businesses’ marketing playbook, they are being overshadowed by digital and social marketing alternatives.”

Radio/TV, business journal/magazine and trade magazine advertising round out the bottom three marketing tools used by small businesses.

What’s your new media strategy?

Kate Winckler
kate@mktondemand.com

 

How to build your email subscriber list

Came across this interesting tidbit on ClickZ, for those of you who are trying to grow your in-house email list. It’s worth taking the time to do it the right way.

A JupiterResearch/ClickZ executive survey last year asked 286 e-mail marketers, what had been their most effective forms of e-mail address acquisition in terms of quality and quantity. A total of 81 percent said their own Web site, while 24 percent said in-person/in-store events. List purchase wasn’t even a method of choice. (click to enlarge)

- Approaches to building an email list

The bottom line?  Push customers and prospects to your web site with integrated marketing tactics, such as traditional advertising, SEO, and social media. Once they are there, make it easy for them to start a dialog with you, and show them the value you offer in exchange for their email address.

kate@mktondemand.com

A new social media strategy for Ohio school district

Another great idea for public school districts! (I love Google Alerts.)

This blog post came out today about a new social media campaign. This Ohio school district is integrating a micro-site, Facebook page, Flickr postings and video into their social media strategy. Their goal is to use  social media in a full-scale marketing campaign to engage and recruit students and engage and communicate with parents. Ten students have been recruited to take video with Flip Cams and blog about their experiences.

Is YOUR district ready to dive into social media?

Read all about it here!

http://socialavenue.blogspot.com/2009/09/hi-point-journeys-look-at-high-school.html

Kate Winckler

kate@mktondemand.com

Marketing On Demand LLC

“Truly absurd?” The case for marketing in public education

Public schools have intense budget pressures right now, and every penny has about ten different places it could be spent. So why should schools spend money on marketing, advertising and public relations?

Teach your old marketing dog new tricks with social media

Thanks to Erica Conway at C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions in Milwaukee for her wise insight on social media strategy:

Embrace New Technology While Staying Grounded in Strategy

Twitter, Facebook, Social Media, YouTube, LinkedIn, Meetups, Tweetups and all the other new media channels can be tantalizing….! Embrace the new channels as appropriate to your needs, but also hold on to your initial strategies. Keep all decisions about new media channels rooted in the strategic approach that guides your marketing, advertising and media buying decisions already.

Regional thought leaders in social media have emerged, offering training, advice, case study material, guidance and consulting, to help you integrate these new channels into your marketing mix.

A few thought leaders to watch:

Cd Vann, www.sohobiztube.com

Steve Glynn, www.spreenkler.com

Trivera owners Tom & Marjie Snyder, http://www.socialmediamilwaukee.com/recap.php

Kate Winckler
kate@mktondemand.com

Marketing On Demand LLC

Know what 80% of marketing success is?

Woody Allen once said “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”  While he was probably talking about his career in movies, his statement has a lot of marketing wisdom to it, as well.

 

Being at the top of someone’s mind when they’re ready to make a buying decision is what volumes of marketing textbooks are devoted to.  And, for the most part, you can boil it all down into “showing up.”  Maybe your business shows up as a postcard – a TV ad – a email newsletter – a phone call – or by attending a chamber event. 

 

The world of Search Engine Optimization is all about showing up, online.  It’s not plastering your business name everywhere where no one cares — it’s about providing the content your customers want to read, and showing up when your customers are ready to make a decision.  If you attract customers via the web, this is an area you need to know about.  It’s hands-down the most cost-effective web marketing strategy available. 

No-brainer marketing: email newsletters and promotions

You have every intention of sending out an email newsletter.  You know it’s an amazingly inexpensive way to communicate.  You intend to do SOMETHING with all of those customer email addresses, but the process of getting it all together is more than a little overwhelming.

 

If you have a small marketing department, or are a business owner who “does it all,” you may quickly find that any newsletter demands a significant amount of your time and attention.  You have to manage your list, learn a new software program, come up with a design, test it, write articles…and too often, the whole process falls to the bottom of the list.

 

What would it be like to have all that off your plate?  Now, you can find out.  We’ve developed two great new email newsletter programs especially for busy marketing managers that include professional layout, design and editing, along with automatic list management.  All you have to provide is your articles and a file of your email addresses.  We’ll polish it up, edit it, make it look pretty, test it and send the whole thing out for you. Check it out!    http://www.mktondemand.com/services.htm#email