Times Square vs. chocolate e-mail marketingWritten by Jesse Stein
Times Square is a marketeer's ego wall. With more billboards than there is coffee at an AA meeting, Times Square is Internet's ground zero for spray-and-pray marketing. Definition of spray and pray: (1) in near panic, spray fresh VC funding on big image advertising; (2) pray in several languages that right people come to your site; (3) tell VCs your dog ate their money. Because our VCs would never believe dog story, we decided to spend our marketing dollars on other, less glamorous, measures. I'd like to tell story of one particular campaign, because it yielded a 36% click-through, added tons of people to our permission database, and exposed a qualified group of people to our brand. 1000 pounds of chocolate It all started with bare essentials of an e-mail campaign: a targeted opt-in e-mail list, an intriguing subject line, a personalized message, and 1000 pounds of chocolate. Okay, let me explain chocolate. We knew we had to come up with a compelling offer that would elicit response and enhance our brand, so we co-marketed with a well-known chocolatier to give away wrapped boxes of truffles. We blasted mass e-mail out with subject line, "mmmm…c h o c o l a t e !" When users opened e-mail, they were told they could give chocolates to a special someone simply by registering on our site. In Pavlovian reaction, respondents flooded site and over 20% of those who visited converted into opt-in registrants. Though it took only a minute, registration process involved answering several demographic questions; giving us your gift recipient's name and e-mail; and filling in five e-mails of people you think would be interested in giving chocolate to a friend. After registrant hit "submit," five people they recommended were instantly e-mailed with a personalized invitation to come to our site and give a gift of chocolates. The gift recipient got an e-mail notifying them they had been gifted by their friend - with giver's personal message embedded in e-mail -- and to claim gift on our site. Over 80% of recipients visited site and claimed their gift. We made sure these people also filled out some demographic information. Within a week, person received a wrapped box of truffles and a gift card telling them who we were.
| | Build Your Brand Name OnlineWritten by Kevin Nunley
Nothing helps you make sales like owning your own established brand name. Many times, when you ask someone why they bought from a particular company, their reply is, "I've heard of them."Work to make your name familiar to people in your industry. If you have a medium to large company, make your company name well known. If you are working solo, you're best bet is to make YOUR name a household word. You don't need millions of advertising dollars to do this. In fact, advertising can run a distant second to simple methods I'm about to tell you. Start by learning all you can about your industry and products and services you sell. More than low price, people like to buy from someone they can trust to lead them toward a good value. You can build your image as a trusted expert by participating in online discussion groups. Check popular sites, e-commerce providers, and newsgroups for discussions on your subject. When someone asks a question, offer an answer along with links to places where they can get more information. You won't reach a great many prospects this way, but you CAN make an impression on other leaders in your business. You will soon find they recommend you as an expert to others. Get a web site that is packed with good information. It is important that your site looks professional. Find sites whose look you like. Find out who designed them. Get their designer to build a graphics template for your site. This can include a logo, a background, and navigation graphics. You can easily add your own copy, even use one of handy online web building systems available (see our acclaimed system at Bizland.com).
|
