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For those who missed it, the 2012 Byte Night, an NPower annual event, was awesome: it's one of Indianapolis's premier networking and leadership events for technologists. By the way, you should be sure to attend next year - what a GREAT organization.

Consistent with NPower's mission, Byte Night provides an opportunity to showcase some fantastic not for profit organizations in Indianapolis. In addition, NPower has a long standing tradition called the Tech Angel awards. This year, Delivra has agreed to be a Tech Angel for two sensational organizations in Indianapolis: the Martin Luther King Community Center and the South East Neighborhood Development Inc. Both have amazing mission statements and are out there on the front lines serving our community.

Delivra is excited to offer both organizations a FULL YEAR of professional email marketing. We're going to partner with both organizations to provide a full suite of not just email marketing tools, but every bit of the strategy and consulting they need to create truly effective connections with their stakeholders and donors.

Check out this quick video that provides a great overview of NPower, the Tech Angel awards, and these two, very deserving organizations.

 

When Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook, he probably didn't consider what a tremendous opportunity this social media website would present for corporations all across the country and even across the globe. In conjunction with Twitter, Blogger, LinkedIn, and more recently, Google+, social media platforms are quickly becoming crucial components of any successful Internet marketing strategy. 

Despite the opportunity offered by these social media websites, reports have shown that many email marketing consultants are failing to take full advantage by connecting professional email marketing with social media marketing for ultimate exposure. If you want to enjoy greater exposure and subsequent success for your own company, consider the following tips for leveraging social media in your professional email marketing campaign. 

Provide Easy Sharing Features

If you want your emails to be shared more often, you can start by simply making your emails easier to share. If you're thinking, "But our emails already include a 'forward to a friend' feature," you are part of a surprisingly large group that is missing out on incredible opportunities for brand exposure through social media. According to a 2010 study by eMarketer, 48 percent of marketers allow email recipients to forward the email to a friend, while just 13 percent offer special features for sharing emails on social networks. A study by MarketingSherpa discovered that the simple addition of social media sharing buttons in a managed email marketing campaign led to a 25 percent increase in reader interaction and dramatic surges in Internet traffic to a company's website. With the promising results of this study and the slow pace of the competition, integrating easy sharing could dramatically enhance your company's professional email marketing campaign. 

Cross Promote

Cross promotion is a highly effective strategy for maximizing exposure. If there is an unusual imbalance of subscribers on your accounts, this likely indicates that your company could be doing a better job at cross promoting. For example, if your company has 16,000 Twitter followers and only 2,000 email subscribers, it's likely that not all of your subscribers are aware of the benefits of subscribing to your email newsletters. Encourage your subscribers on each social media outlet to subscribe to receive emails from your company and stay connected through other social networks. Asking nicely may not work every time, which brings me to my next point: 

Offer Incentives

Despite the fact not every company makes it easy for consumers to share emails on social networks, nearly every business in the country has at least one social networking account. This poses a problem for businesses because tougher competition leads to higher selectivity from consumers when choosing which corporations to follow to prevent cluttering news feeds with promotion after promotion. To successfully encourage more email subscriptions, or to follow you on social networks, you need to be able to answer the tacit question of the consumer, namely, "What's in it for me?" Incentives can include discounts, sweepstakes, freebies and other attention-grabbing benefits of this nature. 

Because trends in both email and social media marketing change at a rapid pace, an email marketing agency is the most effective way to maintain momentum and stay ahead of the competition. With a world of opportunities available through social networking, your professional email marketing campaign could generate more attention than ever before. 

Newsletters have been considerably popular vehicles of information for businesses, clubs, societies, and various organizations since before the Internet was even a concept. Although the advancement of technology could have easily caused newsletters to become obsolete, they survived - or rather, successfully adapted to - the digital age for one very simple reason: both subscribers and organizations continue to find them useful. In accurately describing the power f the newsletter, "useful" is actually a mild characterization of the many benefits that come from this medium. Newsletters grant organizations the opportunity to share current promotions and reviews of previous events in a friendly, journalistic tone. 

Why It Works 

While the underlying purpose of the newsletter is to increase subscriber interest and ultimately generate more business, the conversational nature and structure of newsletters gives companies the opportunity to build a more personal and relaxed relationship with consumers and partners. Although newsletters come with several inherently positive qualities, they have even greater potential than the average professional may be able to recognize and uncover. A newsletter is more than just formatting and content - it is an opportunity to expand your business and improve customer outreach. 

Staying Consistent

The potential for greater success is not something that an opportunistic company would or should take lightly. With managed email marketing by a well-trained and highly experienced email marketing agency, crucial marketing tactics and strategies can be applied to your company's newsletter to ensure a consistent message and maximum appeal to the consumer. Effective email marketing requires more than just creative content and an attractive newsletter design, but requires supervision from an educated and experienced email marketing consultant to integrate specific strategies, tactics and various idiosyncrasies involved in professional email marketing. 

Email marketing practices are not something learned overnight, either. Keeping up with popular marketing trends and monitoring the competition are two highly important elements of a successful managed email marketing campaign. Marketing trends aren't always black and white. In other words, what may be an effective strategy for one industry many not be as effective for another. Often, determining the most effective marketing strategy requires a continuous cycle of trial and error to create a solid set of appropriate tactics. With the fast pace of the Internet marketing sphere, these strategy trends change on a weekly, even daily basis. 

Get Results

Since time is money in the world of business, most companies can't afford to sacrifice the time (let along the effort or expertise) necessary to create effective newsletters on a regular basis. The cost of hiring a highly qualified and well-experienced email marketing consultant at Delivra is affordable and logical for businesses of all sizes due to the impressive return on investment (ROI) that comes with this business decision. The Direct Marketing Association reported that ROI for email marketing at $40.56 for every dollar invested in 2011. Although this figure is projected to decrease slightly in the year 2012, it is expected to still remain highly substantial at $39.40 for every dollar invested. With the promise of high returns and effective, competitive strategy integration, the question you should be asking is: Could my company's newsletter generate a more successful response and greater impact with the benefits of professional marketing? 

Since the advent of social media, Internet marketing has evolved at a rapid pace. These dramatic changes have caused many people to question whether professional email marketing is still a profitable component of the marketing campaign. It's true, email marketing has company in the Internet marketing sphere, but those who disregard its marketing potential will miss out on a consistently performing opportunity despite the increasing success of social media outlets. 

Although social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others give users the opportunity to communicate through messaging features, studies have shown email still retains its popularity. During an earnings call in January 2012, Google claimed to have 350 million active Gmail users. In October 2011, Hotmail claimed an identical user base, while Yahoo! reported a figure relatively close at 310 million users -- and this is just coming from the three major hubs. Studies also show most of these users are checking their email every day, which makes this medium a tremendous marketing opportunity for businesses. 

When it comes to the value of email marketing, most companies don't need much convincing. Data has shown they are already willing to invest large sums toward professional email marketing strategies. Forrester Research has projected companies will spend approximately $1.676 billion on managed email marketing in 2012 and approximately $1.649 billion on social media in the same year. These statistics indicate many companies have equally assigned values to both email marketing and social media marketing. Actually, with email marketing leading by $27 million, it appears this component is considered slightly more important than social media marketing alternatives. 

So, we can see email still has a large user base and is still considered highly valuable by American corporations, but does it pass the test of being effective for generating sales? According to Adrian Mullan of WebProNews, email marketing is not only effective for generating online sales, but offline sales as well. A reported 59 percent of email users claim to have made an offline purchase after receiving an email promotion, which indicates that while one email advertisement may not lead to an immediate sale, it certainly leaves an impression on the buyer. Further research reveals that the average shopper comes into contact with an item nine times before making a purchasing decision. This means each marketing technique plays a key role in encouraging a sale. Leaving email marketing out of the equation can cause this exposure to fall short. 

Unlike social media, managed email marketing through an email marketing agency has a unique value because it ensure a personalized and continuous relationship with the consumer. Maintaining the relationship with current customers is highly important, since studies show acquiring a new customer is eight to ten times more expensive than selling to a current customer. New sales are certainly not to be disregarded, but keeping up with current customers through email has proven to generate repeat sales estimated to be four times more profitable than the first purchase. 

To take full advantage of the many benefits that come from managed email marketing, an experienced and educated email marketing consultant is essential. With proper execution, your company can soon begin to see why email marketing truly does matter. 

 

What could be more appropriate in finishing up our series on industries benefiting from email marketing than a spotlight on government? With the upcoming presidential electing approaching rapidly, political interest and publicity is on the rise. Organizations involved in government on multiple levels can all use this heightened interest to their advantage through professional email marketing. In fact, many of them already are. 

It's so easy to see why managed email marketing might be appealing to governmental entities. For one, an email marketing agency can specially tailor an organization's marketing campaign to approach the issues in an effective, personalized manner. For example, say a government-sponsored public housing sector was looking for support in expanding a certain kind of housing into another district. Residents of the affected district would have to be approached from a  more sensitive angle than those in surrounding regions unaffected by this expansion. Under the supervision of an experienced email marketing consultant, candidates can depend on customized messages regarding these types of sensitive political subjects. 

Complementing the personal approach taken through email marketing, government also has the advantage of cost-efficiency when integrating this strategy. In an environment where government funding is increasingly limited, this components especially appealing. In addition to the more obvious reasons why an organization in a governmental entity might find managed email marketing useful, the strategy has already proven to be effective for governments in other less immediately obvious ways. 

According to several studies comparing the efficacy of email marketing among multiple industries, government ranks higher than the majority of measured industries in several components of email marketing. One particular study, conducted in December of 2010, revealed open rate of 25.66 percent for email marketing campaigns of governmental entities. This rate is higher than ecommerce at 14.98 percent, recruitment and staffing at 15.21 percent, sports at 19.54 percent, and even business and finance at 15.47 percent. This high open rate indicates subscribers are both interested in the issues and concerned about what the local, state and federal government agencies have to say about these issues. 

The click-through rate for the government is also comparably stronger at 5.37 percent for all emails received. This statistic might seem low from a general standpoint, but it ranks nearly 2 points higher than the average click-through rate of 3.7 percent. Since click-through rates indicate how compelling the message is to the reader, this puts government at a significant advantage in terms of general public interest regarding government issues. Government also has considerably lower rates for abuse complaints and unsubscribers at 0.04 percent and 0.20 percent, respectively. 

Ensuring the public's awareness and involvement in government issues is an important component of building stronger communities and a stronger country. With managed email marketing, this goal is made easier than ever for organizations in government, while also offering a convenient outlet for the public to receive word and speak their peace as well. 

       

The advancement of technology and Internet marketing has been highly beneficial for the photo and video industry for perhaps fairly obvious reasons. With email and social media marketing, professionals in this industry are able to share their work quicker than ever with greater detail. Having a strong email marketing campaign, in an industry where aesthetic quality has the heaviest influence on whether or not a consumer chooses that particular business, is key to enticing the buyer to take advantage of current promotions, discounts and new techniques or services offered by the company. Although there are a number of reasons that might account for the photo and video industry's email marketing success, consider the following top three contributing factors.

1. More Subscribers Open Their Emails

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the success of many professional email marketing campaigns in the photo and video industry is in part due to the high open rate this industry has overall. Studies indicate a 28.93 percent open rate for all emails sent by companies in the photo and video industry, which proves strong interest among the general public. Even ostensibly more popular industries, such as retail and education, rank considerably lower with just 17.8 percent and 16.64 percent, respectively. Greater interest means greater profit for any business, and for the photo and video industry this certainly holds true.

2. More Subscribers Click the Links in Their Emails

Any experienced email marketing consultant will tell you the click-through rate of an email marketing campaign is one of the most important factors for measuring its success. For the photo and video industry in particular, studies reveal a click-through rate of 5.7 percent. For those who aren't well versed in proper measurement of click-through rates, this figure is exactly 2 percentage points above the average of 3.7 percent. The population used to determine an average click-through rate included several other notable industries, including real estate, insurance and legal industries.

3. Fewer Subscribers Complain or Unsubscribe

An irresponsible or inexperienced use of email can lead to abuse by overwhelming the consumer with excess emails in a manner technically classified as spamming. When email is abused in this way, it often results in customer complaints and a surplus of customers unsubscribing to the company. Although this abuse of strategy, should rightfully only affect the company at fault, it can often have a negative effect on the customer's perception of the entire industry. With the photo and video industry, abuse complaint rates and unsubscribe rates remain significantly low, with a measured 0.07 percent of the former and 0.26 percent for the latter.

Although the nature of the photo and video industry likely helps contribute to its email marketing success, a well-trained and experienced consultant can often have the biggest impact on compelling subscribers to open emails and further encourage them to click the link embedded in the email. In addition to these highly important components, managed email marketing also decreases the likelihood of abuse, which can frequently have a detrimental effect on the campaign overall. Since statistics indicate email marketing favors the photo and video industry's, companies who are currently taking advantage of professional email marketing opportunities can continue to expect positive returns in the future.

                                                                                                      

The construction industry has had a rough few years with a sharp decline of demand resulting from the financial crisis of the late 2000s. Although this crisis posed a substantial setback for the industry, the slow recovery of the economy has led to greater business opportunities and promise for the industry as a whole. The gradual improvement of the economy can take most of the credit for this increased success; however, credit should also partially be attributed to widespread integration of email marketing throughout the construction industry. Compared with other industries- including entertainment, health and fitness, and public relations—the construction industry has generated substantially greater interest and success with their own email marketing campaigns.

A Firm Foundation

Recent studies have reported a 28.7 percent open rate for emails sent by businesses in the construction industry, with an equally impressive click-through rate of 8.01 percent. Put in perspective: the business and finance industry follows far behind with a 15.57 percent open rate and a dismal 2.77 percent click-through rate. The music industry lies even further from this point with a 13.95 percent open rate and a 2.43 percent click-through rate. Based on this information, it's clear the construction industry is benefiting much more from managed email marketing than many other industries.

Understanding What Works

Despite the relatively high open and click-through rates of the construction industry and the general success of email marketing among construction companies, surveys have shown many businesses in this field aren't even aware of how well they are doing in terms of email marketing efficiency. When a group of construction companies were asked what their open rates were for their email campaigns, 51 percent responded they didn't know. An even greater 76 percent reported not to know the company's click-through rates either. This lack of communication and data analysis within the company could be caused by a failure to hire an experienced email marketing consultant to analyze data and manage the campaign in an effective manner. With proper management, the construction industry could potentially generate even more success through the strategy of email marketing.

Building Better ROI

Although the construction industry may need better management to ensure maximum email marketing efficiency, collected data indicates the strategy already comes with a great deal of profit potential for this industry in particular. For construction companies working independently or still struggling to get back on their feet, the prospect of email marketing can be especially appealing due to its high return on investment (ROI). Statistics indicate professional email marketing for the year 2012 is projected to generate an ROI of $39.40 for every dollar spent toward the service. This substantial return is unmatched by any other traditional media or Internet marketing strategy available, which is why it's a preferred choice for various industries.

What sets the construction industry apart from other successful industries is the widespread lack of understanding and appreciation of the tremendous benefits they're receiving from email marketing. This industry may be enjoying a unique success now, but as trends develop and more industries become proficient in managed email marketing tactics and understand the implications of increased ROI that result, the construction industry may get company.

Focusing on email marketing may initially seem obsolete when considering how many different forms of media available to businesses as a means of communicating with consumers in the modern digital age. From social media to mobile applications, the consumer base can be accessed with a wide array of media strategies. So, why choose email marketing? One of the best (and most obvious) reasons to stick with the strategy of hiring an email marketing agency is because it has shown incredible success across a wide range of different industries. As a testament to this fact, consider what the travel industry in particular is gaining from this fruitful marketing strategy.

Reaching Out

It may seem elementary, but just being able to get your foot in the door with your consumer base can be a feat in and of itself. To determine the efficiency of email effectiveness, data is collected and analyzed regularly to ensure all emails have been properly sent without error. Measurement of this data is known as the company's "bounce rate," or "non-bounce rate" if the rate of successful delivery is exceptionally high. A 2011 study shows the travel industry has a non-bounce rate of 98.1 percent, with an open rate of 70.7 percent—the latter of which indicates how many email recipients actually open the email. Since the average open rate across several industries is approximately 20.3 percent, this indicates a significant advantage for the travel industry in particular.

Gaining Attention

The real statistic an experienced email marketing consultant would specifically look for is the company's click-through rate in the email marketing campaign. A click-through rate indicates how often a consumer feels compelled to click the link provided in the email they received. Essentially, this rate indicates the appeal of the product or promotion the company is highlighting in the email. Studies have shown the travel industry has a measured click-through rate of 6.4 percent, which is higher than many other leading industries, including the retail apparel industry at 3.5 percent and the consumer services industry at 4.1 percent.

Generating Profit

Let's face it: the bottom line of any professional email marketing campaign is to make money, which is why this is the most important factor in determining the success of email marketing. According to Ken Magill of the Magill Report, the return on investment (ROI) for email marketing in 2011 was $40.56 for every dollar invested. This exceptionally high figure is predicted to drop slightly for the year 2012, with an estimated ROI of $39.40 for every dollar invested. Overall, email marketing is predicted to generate $67.8 billion in sales for the year 2012, indicating businesses involved in the travel industry can expect big gains for the year 2012 by implementing email marketing into their campaigns.

With excellent consumer response to current email marketing strategies implemented by the travel industry, companies who have yet to adapt to these trends or would like to capitalize on the success of the strategy can benefit greatly by utilizing the services of an experienced and well-trained email marketing agency. Integrating managed email marketing not only ensures maximum appeal and outreach to the consumer, but also ensures a substantial profit considering the projected promise of the industry.

Although email marketing has proven effective across a wide range of different industries, the strategy has recently shown especially notable promise in the restaurant industry in particular. This promise is evidenced partially by a recent study that revealed a 20 percent open rate of all emails sent by restaurants in 2010. This may not sound like an impressive statistic by itself, but when compared with other industries surveyed, it ranks considerably higher. For example, the entertainment industry came in at just a 16 percent open rate, followed even further behind by the medical, dental and healthcare industries, which have a 13 percent open rate.

What Email Offers

Again you might be thinking: What's the big deal if customers are opening more of their emails from restaurant companies? According to Forrester Research, this open rate increase is complemented by a 17 percent revenue increase from each customer in this population. This inference is based on a study conducted by Forrester Research, which revealed that there is a 17 percent increase in purchase value of email subscribers versus non-subscribers. Although opening an email may not necessarily solidify a sale right then and there, it can still have an influence on the customer in the future. A reported 87 percent of consumers in the same Forrester Research study claimed email marketing impacted their future purchasing decisions.

The Proof isn't in the Pudding—it's in the ROI

Investing in managed email marketing is something both small and large restaurants truly can't afford to miss out on because of its proven efficacy in generating more business. According to the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generates ROI of $57.25 for each dollar spent on the service. Compared with alternative options for online marketing, such as social media marketing, the ROI for email marketing is 150 percent greater. Looking at it from a purely objective point of view, it's difficult to argue with an investment generating such a substantial return.

A Recipe for Success

If the proven efficiency of hiring an email marketing consultant isn't enough of a motive to take advantage of this highly lucrative service, consider the fact that many other restaurants in the industry are already following this recent trend. According to a study by National Restaurant News, an average of seven out of ten restaurants in the industry are actively pursuing an email marketing agency for their own campaigns. This statistic indicates that restaurants which don't incorporate professional email marketing may lose customers to restaurants which are more accessible, and thus could be left behind by the competition.

Intuition Matters

The success seen in the restaurant industry is likely due to the widespread popularity of using Internet resources to find information about a particular restaurant. Studies show that 89 percent of customers always research information about a restaurant online before dining there. The benefit of email marketing is it can bring this information directly to the customer, which increases the customer's convenience and improves the chances they will choose that particular restaurant over another requiring an active search to acquire the same information.

With the prevalence of Internet usage today, it's increasingly important for all kinds of businesses to maintain a presence in the same spheres consumers frequent. Since email is a primary form of communication among so many people, and because of the proven potential of email marketing, the benefits restaurants can enjoy from following this trend are immense.

With all the Super Bowl craziness going on in Naptown this week, it's a little hard to catch your breath! As an email marketer though, you probably know the feeling. This week's madness is really no different than what you normally deal with on a regular basis at the office while trying to send out immaculate email campaigns to your subscribers. 

Do you feel overwhelmed sending out emails because you alone are the entire email marketing team or because you only have a handful of burned out help? It might be a good idea to look into an email marketing agency to help manage your email marketing program who offers more than just the software. An email marketing company can act more like your email marketing partner and offer services to help ease some of the pressure and stress from your team.  Some of those services at Delivra include: 

Consulting. Who wouldn't appreciate an email marketing pro offering advice on how to make your email marketing program the best it can be and boosts your long-term results? 

Design. We have a design team at Delivra who is dedicated to making client email campaigns look professional and get them results. 

Account Management. Each Delivra customer has a dedicated account manager who is paired with them to answer questions, provide email marketing insight, and assist in long-term goals and objectives. 

To find out what else Delivra can help you with, click here: http://www.delivra.com/managed-email-marketing/.

I read a study by Marketing Sherpa. It said that 4 out of 10 recipients reported emails as spam only because it wasn't relevant. Sherpa also reports that emails which use segments get 50% more clicks. 

Below are a few segmentation ideas to help get you that needed lift. 

1. Geographic: Send invitations to local events or use geographic limitations on service delivery to choose your audience. 

2. Role: For example, a salesperson has different interests than a marketing manager. Segment with targeted content. Industry verticals also may demand a different approach. 

3. Interest: Review the content your recipients have viewed. Re-market based on this information. 

4. Behavior: You can use audience behavior as a filter for your communications. Of course, you need to have analytics set up on your site and you should integrate other purchase behavior into your email marketing system as well. 

5. Brand Advocates: Your brand advocate segment could contain - frequent buyers, social media fans, or customers who have recommended you. 

Segmentation can grow to be a beast, but even the slightest segmentation can increase your email success rates. Start small and expand as you encounter success. 

Need help? Delivra's professional services team is ready to assist. 

Recently Ally posted a blog about an amazing customer service experience she received. She explained how well the situation was handled by the company and how they kept her best interest as a customer in mind. The story I'm about to share is the exact opposite of that.

I have been shopping at a well known nationwide video game retail establishment for years. I have never run into any significant problems until recently. Last year about this time, they implemented power up cards for an annual fee of 15 dollars. These cards consist of a way to earn points by trading in games, buying games, etc... These points can be used to receive discounts when you make purchases as well. I purchased one of the cards.

Towards the end of the year, after my purchase, I started to become inundated with emails on a daily basis from this retailer. At first, I figured it'd just be easy enough to delete them each day and be done with it. A couple weeks later I got tired of dealing with it so I decided to unsubscribe from their mailings. The first thing that should be noted is nowhere in their mailings does it give you the option to unsubscribe. The only option it provides is to change your preferences. Working in e-mail marketing on a daily basis, this immediately threw up a red flag. I clicked on the preferences link but found no option to completely unsubscribe from their mailings. After digging a little deeper into the preferences, I finally found an option to fully unsubscribe. When I selected this option, I received a message stating it will more than likely take up to 2 weeks to fully unsubscribe me. I'm was not happy with this response but at least the mailings would stop.

The time comes when my card expires and I'm asked if I want to renew by the store manager. I decided to go ahead and renew because I think everything is fine until I go to use the renewed card. I'm told by the in store manager my card is not being accepted by their system. They provide me with a customer service number to call and tell me it should be an easy fix and they probably just have some incorrect information in their computers.

I call the customer service line and after waiting almost 45 minutes, I get through to a representative and tell him what is going on. He proceeds to put me on hold for another 15 minutes and then comes back to tell me he realizes what happened. He tells me I chose to unsubscribe from all of their mailings which in turn apparently cancelled my card...a card which I paid for and has absolutely nothing to do with the mailings they send me. I don't agree with the situation but tell him to opt me back in so my card can be reactivated. He says that's not an option and the only way I can activate my card is to purchase a new one. WHAT?! I ask nicely to speak with a manager and he lets me know none are available at this time so I was sent to a voicemail where I left my number...no call back.

After all this has taken place, I decide to go to the retail store and talk to the manager who I've known for many years. He is shocked by what I've been told and is kind of enough to give me a card for free and also took the time to call customer service while I was in the store(they have a direct line with no wait time.) The customer service rep relays the same information to the manager and informs him that even though they have activated a new card for me, I've lost ALL my points I have earned over the years, and they had no way of getting them back. The manager assured me he will be emailing their district manager about my situation, but I have no faith anything positive will come out of it.

I am extremely grateful for the extra steps the store manager took. He went above and beyond his responsibilities to assist me in any way possible. From a corporate standpoint however, never in my life have I felt so insignificant or helpless as a customer. I will never purchase anything from this company again. Had they just handled this situation in a professional manner, I wouldn't be writing this blog and they wouldn't be losing business from a faithful customer who has been purchasing from them for years.

At Delivra we strive to provide the best customer service possible to our clients. We will always take into account the issues you are experiencing and will do our best to go above and beyond to satisfy your needs and provide you with a prompt and satisfactory resolution. And if you're looking for help with issues such as setting the right expectations, monitoring engagement/complaints for burn-out, or providing recipients with an easy and friendly method of controlling their email preferences, just let us know. We're glad to help.

When I left the search marketing world a few weeks ago to join the Delivra team as their Director of Marketing, I got a lot of advice. One in particular that's stuck with me is:

Choosing an ESP is like car shopping. There's a make and model to fit everyone's demands.

Boy, isn't that the truth. As I continue to look under the hood (pun intended) at this new space I'm in, I'm simply amazed at the variety and scope that each service provider offers. And, it's not a coincidence that the same values you place on your personal purchases (automobiles, homes, etc.) absolutely roll over into professional purchases as software and other crucial vendors.

One thing, among many, that really sold me on Delivra was the intense focus the company has on its customers. You see this in the company's messaging platform: We are answerable only to our customers. As the first statement among our Vision and Values: We exist to serve our customers. And, through our action, Rachel, an Account Manager is on the road no less than five days a week meeting and strategizing with clients.

As I continue to put the pedal to the metal (I know, stop with the corny puns already!) at Delivra, I look forward to learning from our clients and prospective clients. I'm eager to hear, in their own words, what type of make and model we are to them, and how we can continue to assist in building successful email programs that mirror their own values.

Megan Glover | Director of Marketing

This past weekend, I had to take my car in for an oil change.  Unfortunately, my car maintenance knowledge is limited and creates a serious hindrance when faced with the auto repair shops myriad of suggested recommendations. Determining what is necessary and what is an "add-on" becomes a challenge. Although I do not have professional training in regards to up-selling, I do have a personal opinion on what motivates me to add-on.

3 Tips for the Classy Up-Sell

1. Value. When trying to entice a customer to add-on, explain the value of the item or service. Customer are more likely to take advantage of an upgrade if they can understand the added value they will receive.

2. Patience. My lack of car knowledge leaves me weary when adding on services. I like to receive the information, think on it, and then return after discussing with others. Although it takes time and can be frustrating for a representative who is trying to sell a product or service, allowing me to have some time may encourage me to come back and make a purchase.

3. Be Nice. I realize that up-sell adds to the bottom line and I don't mind receiving these recommendations.  In fact, I appreciate it because I plan to fix those things...eventually; however, it may not be realistic for me to take advantage right now. Still - my recommendation is to be nice even if I say no. Chances are, if you are polite, I'll come back to your company when it is time for another visit.

Although this meeting was face-to-face, these guidelines absolutely apply to email communication as well -- possibly even more so! If you are trying to up-sell to a customer via email explain the value to them up front so they understand the advantages. People usually have many emails they are responding to, so patience is key when waiting for a reply. However, make sure you follow up at the appropriate time so you don't lose their attention. Lastly, I believe polite emails receive much better feedback!

Keep it classy, Up-sellers.

Lavon Temple | Marketing

The welcome message is an imperative part to an email marketing campaign. It's the first impression to your subscriber, the 'Hello', the starting point of your email marketing campaign - so you don't want to mess it up! A first impression is a lasting impression: good or bad.

The goal for welcome messages is to make it informative - so subscribers know what is going on, but intriguing - so subscribers are motivated to keep reading your future emails. Below are some welcome email tips that will invite people to take part and look forward to the rest of your email marketing campaign.

Be informative. Make sure that your emails include all of the information the subscriber may need. For example, if the subscriber needs a login and password provide that to them in the initial email.

Set Expectations. A welcome message is a great way to set expectations for your subscribers. Let them know what information they will likely see in the future, how often they can expect to receive your emails, and what they will look like.

Offers. For some companies sending a welcome message may be an appropriate opportunity to offer a first time buyer offer.  Sending a coupon or a discount to a subscriber right away is a way to thank them for subscribing and is an incentive to encourage them to keep looking for the emails from your company.

Consistency. The welcome message should look and sound similar to the rest of your email marketing campaigns as far as colors, branding, tone, etc. You don't want to set certain expectations with the welcome message and then confuse subscribers when the rest of your emails aren't the same.

A welcome message is essentially the first hello to your new subscribers. Therefore, you want it to be a great looking, professional message that acts as a helpful resource as well. Make your subscribers feel confident and excited to receive future emails.

What are your thoughts? What else makes a great welcome message?

Lavon Temple | Marketing

Like many people, I was surprised when Cisco announced the discontinuation of its popular Flip camera. The tiny size and the ease of use made this digital video camera a favorite gift for holidays and graduations last year.

The reason for shuttering the business unit came down to the camera losing its uniqueness. Cell phones now have  the ability to take video, so who needs to carry two devices?

This turn of events made me wonder if email service providers (ESPs) have fallen into the same rut of being hard to distinguish among their competition in the marketing universe. In other words, are we losing our uniqueness?

To some degree, I think the answer is "yes." As email marketing becomes commoditized, ESPs somehow have fallen into the rut of being order-takers and not problem-solvers. Yet when ESPs get involved with customers to solve their challenges, it can be a beautiful thing.

For example, we recently had a customer in a highly regulated industry mention their requirement to keep a copy of every email sent to a customer. While the customer felt this was an added burden to their already busy job, an easy solution was apparent to us: create a way for customers to copy themselves on every email sent. A new feature -- the BCC -- was born.

We rely on trained professionals to provide advice nearly every day, whether a doctor, hair stylist or mixed martial arts instructor. The same should be true when it comes to your email marketing program. Marketers who are accustomed to telling their ESP what they need, and ESPs that function only as order takers, would benefit from taking the following approach.

To read more of the MediaPost article, click here.

We have talked about the Email Experience Council a number of times here on eMailChatr, but I have to say they are ONE of my favorite go to resources when I need objective third party email marketing information.  If you have not checked it out already, they are definitely one to add to your favorites list.  There are resources for:

• Blogs
• Email Marketing Stats
• Best Practices
• Industry Research
• Articles from thought leaders in the industry
• Reading lists focused on Email Marketing
• Glossary for Email terminology

The eec, the email marketing arm of the Direct Marketing Association, is a global professional organization that strives to enhance the image of email marketing and communications, while celebrating and actively advocating its critical importance in business, and its ROI value.  Check it out today!

Carissa Newton | Marketing

According to the eMarketer.com, as a percentage of all Internet users, people who listen to podcasts will grow to 17% by 2013, and 50% of primarily online buyers already listen to podcasts. If you're not including podcasts as part of your marketing strategy, you might want to reconsider.

Here's why: Recently, a software company was looking to nurture credibility and trust with prospective buyers, and extend brand loyalty with existing customers. We produced an eight-part podcast series that featured clients telling their success stories in their own words. Each was available as streaming audio as well as an MP3 download. The series was produced with an NPR-like feel. It was promoted via an email marketing campaign, the company's website, social media, and iTunes. The series was heard more than a thousand times. The largest audience segment was contacts that hadn't interacted with the brand in three-months or more.

If you endeavor to produce a podcast series, here are six tips that will maximize your success:

1. Keep it short. Unless your podcast strategy is to sponsor entertainment programs, keep each episode in the 2-3 minute range; 10-minutes at the outside. Keeping the listener's attention for more than five minutes is challenging. My own observations reveal that an average person will listen to five three-minute audio clips in a row, but rarely sits through a single 15-minute clip.

2. Write compelling content. There are a lot of people doing 30- and 60-minute talk-show webcasts. With few exceptions, these tend to pack five-minutes of real content into a 30-minute bag; too much fluff. Instead, write a conversational script of 500 words - the length of this article. Provide actionable advice, insights, or inspiration.

3. Partner with other subject-matter experts. If you find it a challenge to create your own content, share the work with others who provide complementary products and services. In return, these partners get exposure and a chance to build their own brand.

4. Produce a professional sound. Make it a great listening experience - use a quality microphone, eliminate background noises, clicks, throat clearing, mispronunciations, tinny voices and monotones. Add music to accentuate the enthusiasm.

5. Promote it through multiple channels. Distribute this great content through a campaign of email tactics, social media, website, and iTunes. Provide a written transcript on the landing page of each episode. This serves two purposes. First, some people want the written word. Second, the copy does wonders for your organic search marketing.

6. Measure the results. In the campaign brief that you write at the beginning of this, you'll establish goals and objectives. Among them, you'll want to track listenership. Depending on the audio platform you use, you can track the number of listens of each podcast as well as the average length of time spent listening. This can provide input into future subject matter.

Add podcasts to your marketing toolkit. An effective podcast series will invigorate your brand to re-engage dormant contacts, nurture active leads, and build brand loyalty with existing customers.

Guest Blogger | Richard Cunningham

Richard Cunningham is a veteran of corporate marketing with business-to-business companies ranging from start-ups to Global 100. His passion is developing demand generation programs that produce measurable results. Hear him at Rich Cunningham Voice Over.

I recently listened to a webinar conducted by Dan Zarrella of Hubspot about “The Science of Email Marketing.” While he presented a variety of interesting statistics, the one that grabbed my attention was also the simplest statistic: 88% of people do not have separate inboxes for their personal and professional emails. As someone who does have separate inboxes for work and play, I find this to be shocking.

Let’s think back to the 1950s household where the wife was at home, while the husband was at work. The man worked from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and work was separated from his home life. This is definitely not the world that we live in today. There is no such thing as the “8 to 5” lifestyle anymore, we do not separate work from our personal life, and women are working just as hard (if not harder) as men to make a name for themselves.

As expected, this means that marketing has to change as well to adapt to people’s needs and expectations. Apparently, 88% of people are receiving both personal and business emails in the same inbox, which means that promotional items are included in this mix. As a marketer, how do you get your email marketing to stand out when your message is shuffled in an inbox with client or family emails?

Honestly, it's simple. Here’s some quick tips on getting your email marketing noticed:

1. Send in the early morning during the weekends.

Dan mentions in the webinar that you should send on Saturday or Sundays between 6 and 7 a.m. Why? People have more time to sit down and read what you have to say. Their inbox isn’t overflowing with work emails, and they are more likely to go to your business on a weekend (retailer). Therefore, sending at this time will result in higher click through rates and less chance of your email to get deleted right away.

2. Have a catchy subject line.

If an email has a clever subject line, I will most likely open it (even if I know it is from a business trying to sell me something). Be descriptive, get to the point, and tell people what they should expect by opening their email that is not “overly promotional.” As a marketer, you should be able to do this in a creative way to grab people’s attention.

3. Make the email simple for the subscriber to navigate.

Guide the subscriber to do what you want them to do. Provide clear and noticeable call-to-actions in the email, while providing them with a reason to visit your site.  Why would I want to go to your site if you’re going to make it hard for me? I’m much more willing to simply check out your site if it’s “one click shopping.”

All in all, it’s getting harder to marketers to get past the subscriber’s “auto delete” list. If you don’t want to get on this list, then make it appealing and easy for subscribers to read your emails.

Guest Blogger | Jenn Lisak

Jenn Lisak, Project Manager at Fusework Studios, is a recent graduate of Butler University, where she majored in Marketing and Business Development. She currently resides in Broad Ripple with her new kitten, Delilah.

Jenn's role at Fusework consists of client management, social media marketing, and creative development of the company. She loves helping clients reach their marketing objectives and she acts as an in-house social media consultant.

In the future, she plans to publish a novel and eventually own her own business.

Implementing an email marketing campaign is not easy.  There are several things to consider when starting an email campaign and then, of course, several more added when you decide to take the necessary steps to improve your email marketing efforts.

With so many things to remember when it comes to email marketing, here are a few reminders to keep top of mind when making the most of using email marketing.

A. Always Get Permission. It is no longer acceptable to buy a list of email addresses and send a "blast email" to numerous amounts of people that didn't sign up to receive your emails.  It's so much more effective to send to a smaller, more targeted list of subscribers that actually want to receive your information and are engaged with your emails. Delivra prides itself on being a permission - based email marketing software provider.

B. Basics, Basics, Basics. People have been telling marketers to get back to email marketing basics for a while, but the truth is some haven't even started to use them yet. It is so important to start using the email best practices that are available.  You want to make sure that you are using them because if done properly - it really does have an impact on your marketing efforts. You may find that your click through rate is increased, readers are more engaged with your emails, or that the amount of people sharing your email has substantially increased.

C. Content is King. Still. People want to read emails and forward emails to others that have content that is intriguing and informative. A new focus has been placed on content marketing and making sure that the information is educating customers.

D. Design. It's so important that you plan the design of your emails.  As marketing that is being presented to your subscribers, you want to make sure that it looks professional and will render well in email providers. Delivra has a Design Team that writes blog posts in order to share information about email design best practices.

Have other ideas that could be used for these letters?  Add them in the comments section.

Lavon Temple | Marketing