"Is your email marketing missing the mark?"

Four reasons no one is reading your email newsletter.

"Like almost everyone who uses email, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. It would be funny if it weren't so exciting." - Bill Gates

A continuously growing trend is the use of email marketing--a cost-effective, measurable, adaptable resource to create awareness and brand promotion in the marketplace.

As a marketer, if email marketing is in your toolbox and you've worked hard to establish an email newsletter, you've probably scratched your head in wonder as to why no one is responding. Although there are quite a few assumptions as to why you may be unsuccessful, Sean D'Souza from Copyblogger.com states that "most of the reasons have the same common problem-readers just don't like it."

Here are four possible mistakes that you are making with your email newsletter:

• Too much self-promotion. Readers sign up for newsletters expecting to receive ideas on topics they are interested in. They want to be informed with something fresh, something trendy-but if they receive a whole bunch of promotional stuff, you'll lose them. If you push and promote your product or service via email newsletter, you better have a compelling, one-time offer because it is most likely the last time they will read it. Delete!

• You're boring. Sorry. If you have something of interest to say about your industry or about your market, say it with vigor and energy, and stick to your voice from newsletter to newsletter. Make sure your personality and your tone shines through. Simply stating facts and figures with the hopes of being compelling is not going to cut it. If you believe that your content is hot and relevant, then don't be bashful about it.

• Too much mind-numbing data. Tell stories and make it real. Many think their newsletter has to be a structured article with facts and figures; however, most of us personally relate to stories and experiences. We enjoy learning through others and their experiences, and we engage because we want to relate. Be open to informing your reader about what you've discovered or experienced, and elicit a response. You may be surprised.

• Your call to action is not (a call to action). Most believe that customers will simply know what to do to respond-but usually they don't. This is simple-if you want your customer to respond, ask them to! However, make sure your call to action is clear and obvious. Should they click a link? Hit reply? Pick up the phone? Be specific in how you want them to respond.
  
  For example, if you think this article is helpful and useful, click reply and respond with "BRILLIANT!" (Was my call to action compelling enough? At least it was clear.)

If you feel you are missing the mark, assess your current email campaign or newsletter. Successful email newsletters require a solid strategy and a manageable plan for implementation. Some organizations like to manage their newsletter internally, while others prefer to find an outside partner. At Creatis, we see a growing number of customers reallocating resources to email marketing, and newsletters tend to be a popular way to stay in front of customers with a relevant message.

"Are you measuring marketing effectiveness?"

Marketing--more science than art.

"Half my advertising is wasted; I just don't know which half." - Joseph Wanamaker

If you haven't noticed, marketing is swiftly transforming through the technical advancements in communication mediums. Measurement is continuing to make a major impact in how marketers affirm success, or admit failure. Additionally, marketing departments have been squeezed to defend budgets and establish clarity as to what value they bring to the company--and measurement holds the key to some of the answers to these challenges.

Mark Carr, partner at CMG Partners states in a recent Marketing Management article, "Advancements in measurement techniques, CRM, database systems and marketing analytics, not to mention the advent of the Internet and all of its tracking capabilities--have dramatically improved the ability to measure marketing effectiveness or ROI." All the answers are in the detail, but the volume of information can be overwhelming and cumbersome. So we ask ourselves: what is a marketer to do?

Here are steps marketers are taking to advance with the times, and measure their worth:

• New media tools--tracking your efforts!
  Marketers are reassessing what marketing vehicles they focus their budgets on, and the tools that provide tracking capabilities and marketing analytics are gaining attention.
• Alignment--top to bottom!
  Marketers are aligning marketing activities to the overall business objectives of their company. Mapping strategic objectives down to key marketing performance measures will link marketing activities with business success indicators.
• Alignment--side-to-side! Marketers are aligning performance measurements and results with other functions of the company, including finance, operations, new product development, sales and, of course, customer service.
• Partner up--and take action!
  Marketers are partnering with outside marketing specialists to gain deeper insights into their existing data and results. The goal is to distill and synthesize the information, so marketing activities can be adjusted and budgets reallocated as necessary. As companies partner with outside specialists, they acquire the necessary skills and strategies for enhancing their future marketing strategies.

 As measurement continues to develop as a key component of marketing, companies will continue to enhance and integrate the results with all functions of the business. Companies that measure and adjust to the market will be more responsive and flex to the needs of their customers. As you measure your efforts and state your worth, consider alternative solutions and outside specialists to help you gain knowledge and maintain flexibility.

"Great wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data." - Peter Drucker

 

Need an alternative to your agency?

I've recently utilized the following content for an eblast to the Texas market. We continue to hear about how companies are having a hard time with their agencies and the three most prominent themes that we hear about are that they are too expensive, they don't listen/or understand, and those actually working on their account tend to be at a junior level in capabilities/experience.

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Need an alternative to your agency?

Does your agency actually understand your business?

Why is it, when an agency is pitching for your business they send the flashy pitch team, and when the deal is done, they quietly usher in the "B" team to deliver?

The result: you spend a majority of your precious time managing them and in the end, you see the creative and gasp, "they just don't get my business."

There is a different way - an ideal way - to manage creative and marketing initiatives. With Creatis as the alternative to your agency, you will discover creativity in alignment with your business goals - at a fraction of the cost. Seriously.

Ready to manage your business, not your agency?
Call 877.558.3233 or e-mail: info@creatis.com

With Creatis as your creative partner, your ideal day starts today.

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I'm curious to hear your reactions to this approach.

"Have we weathered the storm?"

Is it time to start spending on marketing again?

A February 2010 CMO Survey (www.cmosurvey.org) based on a nationwide poll of 600 top marketers conducted in partnership with the American Marketing Association and the Fuqua School of Business, projects an optimistic future that may put some wind in your sails as we navigate through the rest of this year and into 2011. Finally a forecast that gives us hope and encouragement!

The CMO Survey highlighted:

• Increase in Marketing Spend. Marketing budgets have taken a beating the past few years, and the winds should change and set us back on course. Marketing budgets are anticipated to rise by over 5% within the next year. Of course, the area that will see the largest allocations are expenditures for Internet marketing. Also, branding and customer management will receive significant increases, as well as allocations for social media - even in the B-to-B companies. Social media is going to stick around for awhile as companies continue to refine how it fits into their overall strategy.
• Increase in Hiring. This is what we've been waiting for. Over half the companies polled are planning on hiring new marketers within the next six months, which is an increase of 8% over last year. However, marketing executives will seek marketers that have skills specific to Internet marketing, customer relationship and brand management. B-to-B product companies are projected to lead the pack in hiring, followed by B-to-B service companies.
• Increase in Outsourcing. Currently over 72% of firms outsource components of their marketing programs, and over 40 percent are planning on increasing outsourcing. Companies need to continue to stay flexible and focus on the strategy of their products and services. By engaging with key outsourcing partners, companies can maintain control of brand and strategy while focusing on what is important --the needs of their customer.

 What does this mean?

Even though marketing executives are optimistic about the future, it may not be smooth sailing yet. New standards and accountabilities have been set, and metrics need to be met in order to sustain the increase in spending and hiring.

Marketing executives have been required to be more precise with their planning, discern how to get more impact and leverage with their budgets, and they've been required to establish effective resources for marketing analysis and return-on-investment.

As you experience calmer waters and you are given more resources to deploy, be careful not to fall back into old habits of over-hiring, overspending, or implementing initiatives that lack measurement or accountability. Consider alternative solutions - such as Creatis or other strategic partners - to maintain flexibility and effectiveness to weather the next storm.

"Never in my life before have I experienced such beauty, and fear at the same time. Ten icebergs so far today ..." - Ellen MacArthur

 

Top five influencers when marketers pick a new agency

According to the RSW/US 2010 New Business Report on "A Client's Perspective on Agencies", when marketers are deciding on a new agency, the follow factors are the top five in influencing their choice:

1. Advice or recommendation from a colleague.
2. Timely approach by an agency.
3. Recommendation from a marketer from another company.
4. Quality and content of agency websites.
5. General, unattributable awareness.

So, obviously, creative firms and agencies need to continue to work on their referral programs to find new business. Most people are more open to working with someone they've discovered through a referral, which also reflects on the impact that social media is having on providing real reviews.

Another note, is timing. Call it luck, if you will. If firms can connect with marketers when there is a need, then the chances are much higher that an engagement will occur. So, as I've always believed, in order to be lucky, you have to at least be present to win!

So, how do agencies be "johnny-on-the-spot" and work the referral angles at the same time? Deliberately.

Thinking of hiring? Think again!

Embrace the new economy with a new labor model

There are inklings that the economy is coming back. Stocks are up -- slightly. Consumer spending is up -- a little. And, according to the American Staffing Association's (ASA) Staffing Index, temporary and contract job growth increased 25% from the beginning to the end of 2009. Growth in temporary/contract hiring typically indicates strengthening of the economy as it emerges from a recession, and employers generally begin hiring permanent employees soon thereafter. Which could have you thinking about beefing up your staff this quarter or next.

But wait! Before heading down that beaten path, you may want to consider how the business world has changed -- and how best to navigate hiring today.


Workforce flexibility is a success marker

In an article from Current Issues in Economics and Finance, two Federal Reserve Bank of New York economists noted, "Use of temporary or contract employees to smooth out labor needs has grown substantially ... Firms increasingly hire temporary help when they are busiest and then cut back when demand falls." This corresponds with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' projection that "Employment Services" (primarily staffing) will be the country's second-largest growth industry through 2016.

Looking deeper into the trend, a study published by Decision Sciences Journal back in 2001 (in the midst of our first recession this decade) found that companies that embrace workforce flexibility perform better. The study concluded, "Increased reliance on contingent (i.e., temporary and part-time) labor ... is associated with superior subsequent performance..."

But the good news is that flexibility benefits everyone: employees, employers and the economy at large. In a 2006 survey of staffing employees, the ASA found that a flexible work schedule was important to two thirds of respondents, and 88% would refer friends to work as temporary or contract employees. Below is a list of benefits the ASA has attributed to a flexible workforce:

 

Flexible Workforce Benefits

• Flexible work schedule
• Hiring flexibility
• Labor market flexibility
• Variety of employment opportunities
• Access to specialized talent
• Lower unemployment
• Training; new skills development
• Opportunity to try out a variety of candidates
• Worker training
• Bridge to permanent employment
• Reduced trauma of layoffs
• Enhanced productivity

The advantages of flexibility came home to me in particular last year. A client had converted a number of Creatis employees to full-time employees for their in-house agency -- when the economy was strong. When the recession hit, they laid-off most of them. If the client had kept the employees as contractors through Creatis, they would not have had to go through the pain and expense of layoffs, and Creatis would have had the opportunity to redeploy them to other clients.

 

So, as the economy gains traction in 2010, don't hire -- keep your workforce flexible and your staffing resources ready.

Agency Headaches and Heartbreaks

The breakdown in agency-client relationships


Agencies will pull out all the stops when pitching to win your business -- from marvelous rich-media presentations to charming meet-and-greets with senior management. But once the hoopla is over and the agency is settled in as an extension of your business, what happens when there is a breakdown in the relationship? Is it a minor headache or an intense heartache?

Addressed in an article from BNET Editorial from BNET.com, agency-client relationship expectations need to be discussed both during the selection process and as the relationship matures -- for better or for worse. It is important to set clear expectations up front.

Following is a list of typical comments clients offer in frustration, as well as reasons why agency-client relationships break down:

1. "I don't think the agency 'gets' our business." The agency does not have a solid grasp or understanding of the client's business.
2. "I explained the budget up front. Why are we so far off?" Expectations like budgets, deliverables and quality are not met by the agency.
3. "Why do I have to push them to get things done? Shouldn't they be able to manage my needs?" The agency is devoting too little time or resources to the account.
4. "I don't feel they are bringing new ideas to me anymore." The agency is losing enthusiasm for the account or the relationship becomes stale.
5. "I brought them in to help me with my challenges, and it has backfired on me." The agency feels that poor results are caused by problems on the client side.
6. "Why do I have to tell them the same thing three times? Are they listening?" A communication breakdown prevents the agency from understanding or responding to the client's real needs.

These areas of frustration can quickly change from headaches to heartaches if they are not resolved quickly. However, the first step is to be proactive and set expectations right away. Both parties need to level-set to understand the needs and wants of both sides. From there forward, setting structured review meetings to discuss the relationship and expectations is very important in developing a strong long-term partnership. Expect there to be headaches, and be prepared to swiftly resolve them.

At Creatis, we frequently have companies approach us due to frustrations with their agencies. Either the agency has told them that they are a full-service agency but have failed to deliver on their promises, or the list of headaches have mounted to the point that they need to make a change. Although Creatis is not impervious to the issues that can arise from a breakdown in the relationship, we are driven to understand expectations up front, and to manage the headaches with open communication and forward-looking problem-solving.


Consider the alternatives

BNET mentions, "Many agencies claim to be good at all types of marketing and call themselves 'full-service agencies'. However, a single agency may not always be able to meet your requirements in all areas." Take note. Some of the headaches may be coming from agencies' struggles to live up to full-service expectations. Consider appointing alternative or specialty firms, such as Creatis, to handle specific services such as marketing planning, creative development, media buying, social media or product development.