GraphicMail South Africa - Digital marketing for everyone. Email, mobile, social marketing made easy and affordable! Email marketing tips, mobile and SMS marketing innovations, best practice digital marketing, email case studies and more!
Friday 21 October 2011
Thursday 20 October 2011
Successful Newsletter Marketing with Email Personalisation
You never get a second chance to make a first impression with your email marketing campaigns. You have only a few moments to get someone’s attention and if you don’t make an immediate connection, you may have lost a golden opportunity.
One of the best ways for your business to get the attention it deserves is by personalising your messages.
Subscribers always respond better to emails if the information contained within it is personalised (or tailored) to them. This could be as simple as addressing the email to someone by their name specifically, or it could be as complex as referencing past purchases or comments.
Any field in your subscriber datasets can be incorporated into a newsletter's subject line or body for personalisation. For example, tou can even personalise the "From" field if you are sending an email on someone else’s behalf.
One of the last steps in email sending is personalisation; so firstly you need to load all your contacts into your address book and finish creating a newsletter.
Then, a personalisation tag (which is kind of like a placeholder for data) is inserted into the email. When the emails are sent that tag is then replaced with the personal information that you have saved for that specific subscriber in your account.
With GraphicMail, adding a tag is simple: While you’re editing your newsletter, place your mouse cursor on the location where you want it to appear. Then from the “Insert Personalisation” dropdown menu at the top of the screen, select the personalised information dataset (for example a first name or the recipient's occupation) you would like include on the email. So if you want each email to say “Dear” followed by the person’s first name, select the ‘First name’ dataset.
Select a dataset (which you can find at the "Send to Mailing List" page in the application's "Sending" menu) then choose the field you want to personalise by clicking on 'Copy to clipboard' to the right of it, after which pasting this code in your text where you want it field to be displayed. So it's just a few steps and you're all done!
Remember that you need to have an address book or Contacts Database / Dataset set-up and you need to have imported your subscriber data into your account for this feature to work.
It's quick, simple and effective!
And the best thing is that there are no extra costs involved in sending personalised emails, because it's one of many useful features that come with GraphicMail's Advanced bulk email software account. If you don't have an Advanced accout yet, upgrade now to make use of this awesome tool.
Personalisation is one way to show your subscribers you care about them and a key to your email marketing success. It helps you get people's attention, and once you do, make sure you use that little bit of valuable time to get to the point fast. Since people don’t have the patience for long emails, you have to explain what your opt in email marketing campaign is all about within moments - and personalisation is a great way to open the door.
One of the best ways for your business to get the attention it deserves is by personalising your messages.
Subscribers always respond better to emails if the information contained within it is personalised (or tailored) to them. This could be as simple as addressing the email to someone by their name specifically, or it could be as complex as referencing past purchases or comments.
One of the last steps in email sending is personalisation; so firstly you need to load all your contacts into your address book and finish creating a newsletter.
Then, a personalisation tag (which is kind of like a placeholder for data) is inserted into the email. When the emails are sent that tag is then replaced with the personal information that you have saved for that specific subscriber in your account.
With GraphicMail, adding a tag is simple: While you’re editing your newsletter, place your mouse cursor on the location where you want it to appear. Then from the “Insert Personalisation” dropdown menu at the top of the screen, select the personalised information dataset (for example a first name or the recipient's occupation) you would like include on the email. So if you want each email to say “Dear” followed by the person’s first name, select the ‘First name’ dataset.
Select a dataset (which you can find at the "Send to Mailing List" page in the application's "Sending" menu) then choose the field you want to personalise by clicking on 'Copy to clipboard' to the right of it, after which pasting this code in your text where you want it field to be displayed. So it's just a few steps and you're all done!
Remember that you need to have an address book or Contacts Database / Dataset set-up and you need to have imported your subscriber data into your account for this feature to work.
It's quick, simple and effective!
And the best thing is that there are no extra costs involved in sending personalised emails, because it's one of many useful features that come with GraphicMail's Advanced bulk email software account. If you don't have an Advanced accout yet, upgrade now to make use of this awesome tool.
Personalisation is one way to show your subscribers you care about them and a key to your email marketing success. It helps you get people's attention, and once you do, make sure you use that little bit of valuable time to get to the point fast. Since people don’t have the patience for long emails, you have to explain what your opt in email marketing campaign is all about within moments - and personalisation is a great way to open the door.
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Happy Halloween from GraphicMail
It's a dark month with a moon so bright, a time for ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night.
GraphicMail wishes all our clients and readers a scary October with bountiful trick-or-treating, and of course, emailing!
So, when black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween.
Insights form South Africa's Top 10 Email Marketing Industries
At GraphicMail we've recently delved into our database to see which industries using our email marketing software have been the most active and have performed the best during the course of 2011 so far.
What we came up with were some definitive figures about the shape of the South African emailing landscape:
The Top 10 Emailing Industries for the SA:
1. Advertising and Marketing
2. Travel & Leisure
3. Retail / Ecommerce
4. Professional / Business Services
5. Non-Profit
6. Arts & Entertainment
7. Media & Publishing
8. Miscellaneous
9. Computer / Software
10. Restaurant & Hospitality
The average delivery rate for these leading industries is at 91.53%, which is impressive when we consider how the major internet spam filters have tightened their nets this year. The average open rate for the Top 10 is 12.56% - which is over 1% higher than the 2010 international average (according to MarketingProfs).
Keep in mind that this 1% increase represents all mails sent for the most active email marketing industries. This becomes a huge number when you calculate the relative increase in everyone’s ROI!
Some other interesting facts that we’ve seen for 2011's bulk email marketing include:
Best 3 Click-Through Rates for Top 10 Industries:
1. Retail / Ecommerce
2. Non-Profit
3. Media & Publishing
Best Click-Through Rate for All Industries:
1. Healthcare
Highest South African Email Send Volumes per Industry:
1. Advertising and Marketing
2. Arts & Entertainment
3. Media & Publishing
4. Travel & Leisure
5. Professional / Business Services
6. Retail / Ecommerce
7. Miscellaneous
8. Non-Profit
9. Education
10. Computer / Software
What we came up with were some definitive figures about the shape of the South African emailing landscape:
The Top 10 Emailing Industries for the SA:
1. Advertising and Marketing
2. Travel & Leisure
3. Retail / Ecommerce
4. Professional / Business Services
5. Non-Profit
6. Arts & Entertainment
7. Media & Publishing
8. Miscellaneous
9. Computer / Software
10. Restaurant & Hospitality
The average delivery rate for these leading industries is at 91.53%, which is impressive when we consider how the major internet spam filters have tightened their nets this year. The average open rate for the Top 10 is 12.56% - which is over 1% higher than the 2010 international average (according to MarketingProfs).
Keep in mind that this 1% increase represents all mails sent for the most active email marketing industries. This becomes a huge number when you calculate the relative increase in everyone’s ROI!
Some other interesting facts that we’ve seen for 2011's bulk email marketing include:
Best 3 Click-Through Rates for Top 10 Industries:
1. Retail / Ecommerce
2. Non-Profit
3. Media & Publishing
Best Click-Through Rate for All Industries:
1. Healthcare
Highest South African Email Send Volumes per Industry:
1. Advertising and Marketing
2. Arts & Entertainment
3. Media & Publishing
4. Travel & Leisure
5. Professional / Business Services
6. Retail / Ecommerce
7. Miscellaneous
8. Non-Profit
9. Education
10. Computer / Software
Monday 17 October 2011
Lead Generation through Email Marketing
Direct digital marketers are always under constant pressure to generate sales leads. Lead generation tactics have evolved over time and become more sophisticated, and marketers have been able to take advantage of the latest tools and platforms for cultivating leads. Regardless, generating high quality, sales-ready leads is a difficult objective. The great news is that good old email marketing, if done right, is still one of the most effective ways to generate, nurture and qualify leads.
Today, rather than sitting at a trade show table for hours on end, or setting up a display in hopes that targeted consumers will complete a form, you can generate many leads by using the internet alone. In a bulk email marketing campaign one seeks to provide the right message to the right people at the right time, so there is a great deal of value behind and possibility in leveraging email marketing for new client acquisition and retention.
Leveraging email marketing as a lead generation tool, however, requires strategy. And as with most growth strategies, it is easier said than done.
There are no magic bullets in today’s direct lead generation game. You need to do lots of little things right to nurture a lead from prospect to client.
Key processes for Using Email as a Lead Generation Tool
Introduce yourself: Send welcome emails to prospective clients who have recently subscribed to your newsletter. This is your opportunity to start earning trust and building a positive reputation with new subscribers. Keep the emails short and simple, while including just enough information to lure the customer to your products and services, and tell them why they need it.
Qualify leads: Next you want to see who reads the emails and then visits your site. Email marketing software can be used to qualify potential leads by tracking how your would-be customers are interacting with your email newsletters. By doing a little homework, you can identify the warm leads in need of nurturing by examining what links people are clicking on and what they are reading about.
Maintain interest: Some individuals may be interested in your product or service but are not ready to buy yet. Keep these people interested by continuing to send informative emails, offering free resources; such as white papers and eBooks or invitations to webinars. As they continue to see valuable content consistently originating from your company, they will feel more confident to buy from you when the time is right. And in the long run, consistently sharing valuable, useful content will likely result in satisfied customers who continue to read your email newsletters and engage with your brand regularly. Here are some of the best resources you can choose from to feed your prospects with:
Segment, Segment, Segment: Targeting the right people is a large part of good lead generation. For example, an email sent to a buyer holds a different value than one sent to an influencer. The buyer, after all, is the one who ultimately makes the decision. It’s important to be aware of who you are reaching when trying to sell your product. What will appeal to the CFO may be different from what will appeal to the COO; therefore a great tactic is to tailor messages to different types of decision-makers and test which works best for each.
Make the Offer: When the time has come to bring home the bacon, this will be the offer you’ve decided to provide to your prospect in the hopes of converting him or her to a paying client. To make it impactful, the offer email should be incredibly relevant and advantageous to the recipient. Don’t sell yourself short.
Follow up: Follow up emails are vital to the success of your email lead generation strategy. Keep following up with prospects and try to stay connected, you never know what opportunities it can bring you later. Also, a quick “are you satisfied with your recent purchase?” email for new clients is an excellent way to show you care and keep earning trust.
The secrets to success in nurturing your leads until they are qualified as being sales-ready are relevancy and frequency in email communications. Just imagine the letter that would make you buy something, and then go create that email.
Article originally published on Memeburn.
Today, rather than sitting at a trade show table for hours on end, or setting up a display in hopes that targeted consumers will complete a form, you can generate many leads by using the internet alone. In a bulk email marketing campaign one seeks to provide the right message to the right people at the right time, so there is a great deal of value behind and possibility in leveraging email marketing for new client acquisition and retention.
Leveraging email marketing as a lead generation tool, however, requires strategy. And as with most growth strategies, it is easier said than done.
There are no magic bullets in today’s direct lead generation game. You need to do lots of little things right to nurture a lead from prospect to client.
Introduce yourself: Send welcome emails to prospective clients who have recently subscribed to your newsletter. This is your opportunity to start earning trust and building a positive reputation with new subscribers. Keep the emails short and simple, while including just enough information to lure the customer to your products and services, and tell them why they need it.
Qualify leads: Next you want to see who reads the emails and then visits your site. Email marketing software can be used to qualify potential leads by tracking how your would-be customers are interacting with your email newsletters. By doing a little homework, you can identify the warm leads in need of nurturing by examining what links people are clicking on and what they are reading about.
Maintain interest: Some individuals may be interested in your product or service but are not ready to buy yet. Keep these people interested by continuing to send informative emails, offering free resources; such as white papers and eBooks or invitations to webinars. As they continue to see valuable content consistently originating from your company, they will feel more confident to buy from you when the time is right. And in the long run, consistently sharing valuable, useful content will likely result in satisfied customers who continue to read your email newsletters and engage with your brand regularly. Here are some of the best resources you can choose from to feed your prospects with:
Segment, Segment, Segment: Targeting the right people is a large part of good lead generation. For example, an email sent to a buyer holds a different value than one sent to an influencer. The buyer, after all, is the one who ultimately makes the decision. It’s important to be aware of who you are reaching when trying to sell your product. What will appeal to the CFO may be different from what will appeal to the COO; therefore a great tactic is to tailor messages to different types of decision-makers and test which works best for each.
Make the Offer: When the time has come to bring home the bacon, this will be the offer you’ve decided to provide to your prospect in the hopes of converting him or her to a paying client. To make it impactful, the offer email should be incredibly relevant and advantageous to the recipient. Don’t sell yourself short.
Follow up: Follow up emails are vital to the success of your email lead generation strategy. Keep following up with prospects and try to stay connected, you never know what opportunities it can bring you later. Also, a quick “are you satisfied with your recent purchase?” email for new clients is an excellent way to show you care and keep earning trust.
The secrets to success in nurturing your leads until they are qualified as being sales-ready are relevancy and frequency in email communications. Just imagine the letter that would make you buy something, and then go create that email.
Article originally published on Memeburn.
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