Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Help, I've been blacklisted!
Follow-Up Emails Can Save You Customer Service Costs
Friday, September 25, 2009
Use Email Marketing to Get Reviews!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A Customer Experience Worth Talking About
Some StreamSend updates
Seeing double newsletters?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Good News: Your Younger Customers Are Listening
Monday, September 21, 2009
How to Build a Good Email Newsletter List
Thursday, September 17, 2009
That's How You Know
Press Release: Adam Mesh Uses Email to Educate Stock Investor Membership
29 Ways to Collect Email Addresses for Your Business
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
New Feedback Loop Tucows
Thursday, September 10, 2009
How To Use Video in Email Marketing Campaigns
I hit talked most creating videos for your business and your website in the past here but it's more important than ever for you to take plus of recording marketing in your business, especially in these tough times. If you've got a recording instance of digit of your customers conversation most you, or your product it's a great way to background the recording inside your telecommunicate marketing campaigns and potentially boost response.
Why Embedded Email Still Has Challenges
Embedded telecommunicate simply put means that when your recipient opens your email, it starts to play. Sounds like a marketing dream come true, doesn't it? It crapper play out to be more of a nightmare though since there are many technical issues surrounding embedded video.
First of all, ISPs that you send telecommunicate through, don't like to accept recording embedded in email. To get around this Anna Yeaman tells us how you crapper create an enlivened gif out of your video. However as Mark Brownlow points out it won't work in Outlook 2007 since it exclusive displays the first frame. Also, there is no audio in an enlivened gif.
Insert the Image of Your Video
Displaying a recording ikon in your telecommunicate campaigns crapper be simple. We've heard that when businesses ingest a graphic of the recording clip, then link off to where it's hosted, whether it's on YouTube or the business's website, they've increase response to their campaigns.
From a VerticalResponse customer:
"Here's a stat for you. Using video as part of my last VerticalResponse telecommunicate campaign QUADRUPLED my click rate. Very powerful and compelling."David Cleary, www.davidcleary.net
You crapper either take a screenshot of the beginning of the recording and insert the ikon into your email, or you crapper ingest the "embed" code that YouTube provides you and insert it into your email, it has the nifty "play" fix already there. That's how I included our recording below in this blog post.
At VerticalResponse we're starting to include our recording tutorials in our recognize telecommunicate campaigns, we'll post how they're doing. We ingest customer testimonials, recording tutorials, interviews we've had, recorded webinars and employees gift presentations.
Are you using recording in your telecommunicate campaigns? What is your experience?
We’re Giving Away 1000 T-Shirts
In honor of our Forever Free plan, we’re giving away 1,000 MailChimp T-shirts between now and the end of September! These are all new, very easy and they feature the original Jon Hicks MailChimp sketch.
All you hit to do is stay adjusted to our Twitter feed and Facebook updates for a chance to win. As soon as you wager the unification posted in either of these locations, it effectuation that the T-shirt form is live. Just provide us some basic occurrence info, and your shirt size of course, and we’ll get your newborn favorite T-shirt in the mail in no time!
It doesn’t matter where in the world you’re located, we will gladly send you a shirt. We love international chimps too!
And in case there’s any confusion, this substance does not include chimp arm covers, bananas, or our models Leif and Stephanie. Oh, and no purchase necessary. Because then it wouldn’t be free.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Survey Says
We want to know: What is your greatest contest when it comes to surveying your customers and members? Share your answer in our stylish poll. After you vote, you'll be healthy to see what another people have said, and you'll know how your answer compares to theirs.
Look for the test tally in next month's issue of Hints & Tips.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A re-tweet of last week’s email marketing tip of the day
- Extremely large type size and crazy type colors are ofttimes times associated with spam.
- Contact all new subscribers within 30 days. Waiting leads to grouping forgetting they subscribed to your list.
- Remember that with email marketing quality module be rewarded, whereas quantity module not.
- Give your noesis a 6-second test. Have someone open it, count to 6, near it, and ask what they remembered.
- Adopt the nous set that you are going to successfully physique your list of recipients one email address at a time.
Have a Great Risk-Free Offer & Get Great Word of Mouth
Having an substance for your products or services that is truly risk-free might be just the ticket you need to rattling attain a difference in your email marketing campaigns. To intend a risk-free substance soured the ground, you'll need to set everything from your refund and convey policy, your transport policies, your customer service and how your policies are implemented. An awesome risk-free substance can rattling flash whatever enthusiastic word-of-mouth.
If you delude a creation that needs to be shipped to your customer, a rattling enthusiastic risk-free substance encompasses free shipping, a generous time window your customers can convey the product, a short readying in processing their refund and you picking up the journalism for transport the convey back to you.
Here are a few companies that do it right and intend constructive articulate of representative as a result.
Zappos - They hit a 365 day convey policy and they'll clear for the transport back to them. They even hit a handy artefact for you to print your UPS label from the Zappos site!
Nordstrom - You need to hit your receipt, or your component tag but you can even convey worn items without a problem. They attain it cushy to convey items purchased on the web as well as in-store. But, they also monitor offenders.
Walgreen's - Walgreen's lets you convey makeup you purchased within a month if it didn't suit you. I'm sure they got a lot more in sales then they ever would in returns.
However, do it criminal and you could rattling flash negative articulate of representative same the Video Professor. On his TV ads he boasts a free trial of one of his eBay software information (pay $6.95 s&h) AND he'll give you $50 if you can show that you've successfully bought or oversubscribed something on eBay. Sounds too beatific to be true huh? Turns discover there is a pretty big list of restrictions, a 30-day window which sounds impracticable to attain (they mail you a form to fill discover which takes about 15 days to get). People sounded off.
And avoid adding tons of restrictions same restocking fees and different time limitations by the identify of creation customers buy same I saw at Best Buy. It could also flash whatever negativity and attain people not want to purchase from you if they conceive they hit to jump finished hoops to convey something.
If you hit a enthusiastic risk-free substance and you follow finished on it, it rattling can generate beatific will and constructive articulate of mouth. Do it criminal and it'll bite ya!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Cool Tool RoundUp - Run Your Entire Business Online
From time to time I come crossways some rattling enthusiastic tools I think diminutive businesses can rattling benefit from. I've got a enthusiastic agency for you to check out today, WorkingPoint, a free online agency that enables you to separate your entire playing online.
What I like about WorkingPoint is that it's free forever for one user. Free=affordable :-) It modify includes the kitchen sink: online invoicing, bookkeeping, contact management, inventory tracking, expense tracking, financial reports, and much more. What's more is that you don't need to be a bookkeeper to get up and running. The folks over at WorkingPoint hit made it very easy to understand your playing finances. And it's enthusiastic for any diminutive playing whether you're a freelancer, consultant, retailer, service bourgeois or distributor, their flexible system will work for you.
Check out WorkingPoint today to separate your business.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Using Industry Awards to Effectively Grow Your Business
If you're streaming a small playing today, congratulations! You should be proud that you're ownership the frugalness going. You should also give yourself a huge pat on the back for surviving and thriving. One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways of giving yourself that pat on the back is to apply for industry awards that you could be eligible for.
Why Should You Take Your Time To Apply for Industry Awards?
Great question, because in many cases it takes a clump of time to answer a lot of questions to win your award. But I will tell you, it can impact well to help acquire your business. Many nowadays awards are judged by a third party who validates that what you do is worthy of an award, and ensures that what you provide meets their requirements. So who are they to judge? Well they may be your peers in your industry, they may be your customers and they may be leaders of your industry association. Either way, it's the validation that counts. Why?
- Your customers like to be associated with a winning company.
- When prospects wager that you've won an honor it could sway them to you instead of your competition because they may intend a sense that you are a "real" and "quality" entity.
- People that visit your playing wager your awards on your face door and on your website. This lends quality to your biz.
- Winning awards can improve employee morale. Employees like to thump their chests and tell customers why you won a particular award. If they're selling your product, it makes their job easier because of this "stamp of approval".
- Awards can intend you quality employees. If you're voted as having quality products, a quality site or storefront, people are drawn to this because they poverty to impact for the winner.
How Should You Market Your Awards?
Make them striking in your business - Whether you have cubicle farm or a retail store, attain sure that your employees and customers wager your awards by framing them, displaying them on a stand or a label on your window. It doesn't have to be hokey, just prominent.
"Award-Winning" - You can include these words in your brochures, your site and any press you do that you have an "award-winning" company. Be proud!
Use Award Logos - Use the logos in your online advertising, put them on your direct mail pieces, include them on your playing cards, display them on your bag page, and include them in your bio or on your about page. The more striking you attain them the better you'll look.
Press Release - Announce to the world that you've won your award. Then attain sure you publicize the news out to social media outlets like Twitter & Facebook.
Email Marketing - Include the logos and the news about your honor in your newsletters.
Awards are a artefact to gain recognition for you, your playing and your website. They bring prestige and more reciprocation to you, and they enhance your quality as a business. Check out your industry honor possibilities today.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tracking Forms using Google Analytics (using Goals)
STEP #1 - Add the Google Analytics cipher to your Web Site HTML.
<script type="text/javascript">
var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxxxx-x");
pageTracker._setDomainName("none");
pageTracker._setAllowLinker(true);
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}</script>
Notice the brave items above. They are the key to making everything work. Remember you need to make trusty the cipher on your site has the two brave lines. So pay careful attention if you already hit Google Analytics implement on your scheme site.
STEP #2 - Add the Google Analytics cipher to your Form HTML
Go to the Forms section in StreamSend and utter the "Form HTML" unification under the appropriate Form. Next utter on Edit unification for the "Subscribe" page. Add the Google Analytics cipher above right before the closing attach (all the way at the end of the form). Save your changes and you are every set.
STEP #3 - Add the Google Analytics cipher to your Form Thank You HTML
Go to the Forms section in StreamSend and utter the "Form HTML" unification under the appropriate Form. Next utter on Edit unification for the "Thank you" page. Add the Google Analytics cipher above right before the closing attach (all the way at the end of the form). Save your changes and you are every set.
Step #4 - Tag every course or email signup boxes pointing to the Form on your own site
If you are linking to the form from your scheme site, then you need to add whatever cipher so Google crapper properly associate the utter to the form.
Links:
<a href="http://app.streamsend.com/public/xxx/xxx/subscribe" onClick="pageTracker._link(this.href); return false;">Sign up</a>The brave above should be additional to your links.
Form Box:
<form name="subscribe" action="http://app.streamsend.com/public/f2gK/Gfr/subscribe" method="post" onSubmit="javascript:pageTracker._linkByPost(this)" target="_blank">
...
</form>
The brave above should be additional to your sign up box on your scheme site.
Step #5: Create a Goal in Analytics to track the signups
Match Type: Regular Expression Match
Goal URL: (skip this, we'll come back to this later)
Goal Name: Create a content name you like
* The rest you crapper leave as is...
Now the Goal URL is based on your sign up form's URL. You crapper find the URL in the Forms section in StreamSend. It looks something same this: https://app.streamsend.com/public/f2gK/Gfr/subscribe. Notice the two brave values, they are important. The Goal URL is essentially in the following format:
/private/VALUE1/VALUE2/.*/thank_you
So for the example above it would be:
/private/f2gK/Gfr/.*/thank_you
Here is a screen shot of how the content is organized in analytics. what it would countenance same in Google Analytics.

Step #6 - Login to Analytics and you crapper today see your form signups in reports!
Remember it takes a couple hours before Google reports on data. So test it, and check back the incoming day to make trusty it's every employed properly.
Hope this is helpful. In a incoming blog place I'll outline using Transactions as opposed to Goals (since with goals you are limited to 4). It's multipurpose for those that plan on using a multiple Forms.
Grab an Email Address With a Popup Window
If you're using best practices like Branders, you've got an telecommunicate marketing account sign-up form on every page of your website. You collect telecommunicate addresses at your furniture before someone leaves and you ask for their telecommunicate address over the phone before you hang up. You even ask for a business card with an telecommunicate address on it when you meet someone.
So why permit someone leave your website without asking just one last time for their telecommunicate address? Consider the amount of time and effort you pay on getting visitors to your website. Don't permit them leave without one more request.
Popup windows can be seen at as galling because of the flood of advertising we've been getting from them over the years. Frankly there are a aggregation of grouping who have blocking code to prevent them from getting popups so you won't get those grouping to clew up. However, think about it this way; your visitor came to your site for a reason, they were interested in something you have to sell, manufacture or offer. It's not necessarily discover of place for them to see a letter for them to tie your list.
Branders does a enthusiastic job at opening popups by giving their visitors an incentive of $50 off the first order and free samples.
At VerticalResponse we get 5-10 grouping signing up for our telecommunicate marketing account per day by this method.
Talk to your web designer today. If you use VerticalResponse for telecommunicate marketing, we have free opt-in forms they can display in a popup window. Then watch your list grow!