Jul 29

How We Communicate

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing, Online Marketing No Comments »

I am writing this from about 33,000 feet over West Virginia.  I am on my way back to Dallas from a great week visiting customers in New York City.  As always seems to be the case these days, my flight was delayed.  We sat on the runway for around 2 hours and 15 minutes before we were finally given the green light to take-off.  I don’t normally get hooked up to the wi-fi on flights.  The times when I am on airplanes are the last times in my life that I am actually disconnected from the world.  I enjoy getting lost in a book or a crossword puzzle and thinking about nothing at all.  Events on this flight inspired me to get connected and get writing.

We’ve become information junkies whether we like it on not.  Television, radio, cell phones, text messages, smart phones, ticker crawls on every channel, and we haven’t even mentioned the internet.  We have email, Facebook, Twitter, ICQ, Foursquare, and about a million other ways to communicate and receive information.  What happens when we’re cut off from that information?  I’ll tell you what happens.  People freak out when they don’t feel like they know what’s happening.

We taxied out from the terminal and took our position.  The pilot was more than forthcoming telling us everything he knew about our situation.  Weather west of NYC was stacking up traffic and causing delays.  He told us the tower would let us know when things cleared up.  He also told us when they released the traffic to the south, we were 3rd in line.  Good enough if you are listening.  Here is the problem, most of us don’t listen anymore because we don’t have to, we have information.

A man in the row behind us started to panic.  He called his buddies on another flight.  He kept looking out the window watching other flights (certainly going another direction) take off and loudly complaining that WE were 3rd in line.  This went on for about an hour and he was counting down the time until the 3 hour rule kicked in and we returned to the terminal.  I’m sure he was disappointed that we took off.

What’s the point of all this?  We expect information at all times today and we’re lost without it.  Our listening skills continue to deteriorate becuase we’ve grown accustomed to not using them.  We need to keep this in mind as we attempt to communicate through whatever channel we might be using.  Clear and concise bits of information are what people like to digest.

Think about the new “attention span” as you are building out a communication plan.  Are there points where your customers will need information and feel left out?  Remember Mr. Impatient on my flight and how freaked out he was.  Kill us with information.  We crave it and need it in today’s world.

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Jul 06

The Perfect Email Marketing Subject Line

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

One could argue the email marketing subject line is the most important part of an email marketing campaign.  That being said, it’s pretty amazing how little time most senders spend creating and testing them.  The subject line is one of only two things (along with from name) a recipient will see that help them determine if they want to interact with a message or not.  So how do we construct the perfect subject line?  Let’s give it a shot.

  • Who Are You? – First and foremost, you should identify yourself.  A recipient should at a single glance know who the message is from.
  • What’s the Purpose of the Message? – A great subject line should tell me what the email is about before I open it up.
  • Anticipation – A subject line should truthfully tease the recipient.
  • Keywords – Not unlike blogging, the subject line should contain relevant keywords just like a title.
  • Length – I like to see subject lines under 60 characters.  There’s no reason to go longer and risk losing an important part of your message.

The reward for a great subject line is increased open and click rates.  Increased open and click rates mean increased engagement.  Increased engagement means better deliverability.  Better deliverability means more revenue.  The best thing is that you can very confidently test the results.

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Jul 01

What Is Email Marketing Strategy?

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

What is email marketing strategy all about?  It’s sometimes a challenge to explain to friends and family exactly what it is that I do.  Honestly, the question sometimes goes beyond friends and family, and is asked by email marketers.  Over the years, I’ve worked out a bit of an “elevator pitch” to answer that question.

“I work with companies to help them design and send out email that their customers enjoy reading.”

That’s my passion in 17 wonderfully descriptive words.  If you can execute on that short sentence, you will be a successful email marketer.  It’s so much fun to work in an industry that has a clearly defined and executable goal.  I love working with a client and watching the light bulb come on when they understand that this business is as the core very simple.  My experience allows me to help senders cut through the noise and get to the business of success, but it can be transferred and learned.  Teaching is what I do.

What is email strategy?  Strategy is assessing the current program and opportunities.  Strategy is working to build a plan of action for the short-term and the long-term.  Strategy is working with senders to craft just the right message to arrive at just the right time.  Strategy is making sure that you are optimized for deliverability.  Strategy is testing the right way.  Strategy is analyzing numbers and working together to make them better.  Strategy is also having someone to bounce ideas off of and come up with the next killer concept.

Let’s talk strategy!

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Jun 09

Timing Is Everything

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

As the old saying goes, timing is everything.  I can’t think of many areas that this is more true than in email marketing.  Great email marketing is all about timing.  Prompt welcome messages, great educational messages, instant confirmation messages, and relevant and timely offers are the basis for good programs.  It’s a good idea to do a periodic “timing tune-up” to make sure things are flowing smoothly.

I believe there are a few key times when you can get your message out and establish a strong relationship with your customers.

  • The Welcome Message – A quick thank you message is crucial.  Acknowledge that you have my information.
  • Education Messaging – I love the series of messages after sign-up that do nothing but tell the customer about your site, where to get help, what to expect from the email program, and other great things you offer.  Customers are open to this type of dialogue after they sign-up and appreciate the fact that you aren’t hard selling them right away.
  • Confirmation Messages – These are so critical from a timing perspective.  When we make a purchase, we’re conditioned to look for a confirmation email right away.  If we don’t see it, we start to panic.  Panic leads to a call to customer service, which leads profit right down the drain.
  • Relevant Messaging – Nothing better than a company anticipating what we want before we want it.  It’s impressive to the consumer and keeps you top of mind.
  • Cadence – Do you send too many messages?  Do you not send enough messages?  A thorough statistical analysis of your numbers can help you determine cadence.  Sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is better.

I encourage you to put yourself in the shoes of one of your customers.  Walk through the sign-up process and make a purchase as if you were a new customer.  What do you think?  Do you pass the timing challenge?

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May 20

Keys To Writing Killer Email Subject Lines

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

Writing effective subject lines is one of the most critical pieces of the Email Marketing process.  Visualize your Inbox.  What do you see?  You see a from name and a subject line, that’s all that you’ve got.  Talk about making a first impression, the subject line is basically it.  You want to improve your open rate?  It’s all about the subject line.

Here are some tips for writing great subject lines.

  • I like to Identify Yourself – It shouldn’t overwhelm the recipient, but I believe familiarity is good.
  • Keep it short – 50-60 characters is about right for the subject line.
  • Strong Call-to-Action – Open rates are almost entirely based on the subject line, tell me why I should open your email.
  • Choose Your Words Carefully – Stay away from “spammy” words like FREE, LIMITED TIME, CALL NOW, CREDIT, AMAZING, and other similar words.
  • Tell the Truth – Don’t even think about writing a misleading subject line.
  • Test – This is one of the easiest variables to test, try different things.
  • Adapt – Don’t remain stale.  Familiarity is different from burn-out.

I encourage you to take a new look at your subject lines.  Think about the subject line in the context of a brand-new customer.  Do you recognize the sender?  Are you interested in finding out more?  Do you trust the content?

Happy subjecting!

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May 17

Why Send Email Marketing?

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

If you work with me at all, you’ve heard me ask this question.  Why do you send email? I will usually preface it with something like.   This is going to sound like a an odd question, but… It IS an odd question, but one that almost all of the time, doesn’t get a real answer.  It seems strange that we wouldn’t know the reason we send email, but most of us just do it because that’s what other companies do.

Let’s dig a little deeper into my question.  Here are some reasons why a company or organization would send email marketing messages.

  • Acquisition
  • Transactional messages
  • Traditional Marketing
  • Build Brand Awareness
  • Newsletters
  • Revenue Generation

All of these are very valid uses of the email channel, but they are all very different.  Knowing what you want to accomplish before you actually start trying to execute can make a huge difference in the route you take.  Strategy is something that every email program needs.  Everyone doesn’t need to spend 50 hours per month analyzing each open and click, but you should have some type of plan.  The end-goal dictates what content you will send, how often you will send it , and the construction of the messages.  Your audience can differ greatly based on the types of messages you want to deliver.  Certification requirements can change based on the types of email delivered.  Strategy can mean many different things, but above all it means being prepared with a beginning, middle, and a long-term plan.

You have a budget each month based on how much you make and what you have to spend.  That’s all a basic email strategy needs.  You know how much of what variable you need to produce, and the strategy is a plan (or budget) of how you need to get there.

I hope when I ask the question in the future, I get some snappy responses.  The better prepared we are, the better our email marketing results will be.

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May 14

5 Email Marketing Testing Mistakes

By Kevin Senne Email Delivery, Email Marketing, Online Marketing 1 Comment »

Everybody knows you should be testing your email marketing messages.  A/B testing, split testing, time of day testing,  and day of week testing are just a few of the programs you can choose to run.  For something that seems so basic and mission critical, the email marketing industry as a whole does a pretty awful job with testing.

Today, I wanted to share a list of my top 5 mistakes that I’ve observed email marketers make.

  1. No Testing – For all of the testing mistakes that are out there, it is shocking to find out just how many senders don’t do any testing.  If you aren’t testing your messages today, don’t feel embarrassed, you are not alone.  There is always room for improvement in your marketing programs.  Without testing and benchmarking, you will never know where those areas for improvement (increased loyalty, retention, and possibly revenue) exist.
  2. No Test Plan – If you decide to do testing, congratulations.  The first thing you should build is a test plan.  What do you want to accomplish with your program/campaign?  How long will the test run?  What will you test?  Put it on paper before you begin and don’t get distracted.  Have a plan.
  3. Too Many Variables – You should run testing to answer a specific question.  Answer ONE question at a time.  Testing a call to action in 2 segments with different subject lines doesn’t necessarily tell you much about the call to action, although it might.  Be patient, test, learn and move on.
  4. Sample Size – We tend to want our test results to come very quickly.  I see senders do a single test to a small percentage of their audience and make long-term decisions that shape the future based on those results.  You need to make sure everyone is comfortable with the results.  If you received a bad diagnosis from a doctor, you’d go and get a second opinion.  Give yourself enough data to make an informed decision.
  5. Interpreting Results – You’ve got a plan, sent out the right amount, tested things that make sense, and have reams of data.  Now what?  You need to be sure and look at these results in the context of your own universe.  Some email marketers see a 60% open rate for a mailing and are disappointed, while some campaign owners see a 1% open rate and are ecstatic.  Everything must be relevant to you.  Don’t compare apples to watermelons.

Testing email campaigns can be tricky business.  Don’t let the learning curve intimidate you.  I think you will feel that the more effort you spend in testing, the more reward you will see from your email program.

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May 12

Email Marketing Conversation

By Kevin Senne Email Marketing No Comments »

Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Kevin Senne, and I am a Senior Strategic Consultant here at Datran Media.   I am focused on the Email Marketing side of our business with StormPost.  I have been with Datran since February, but I have been around the Email Marketing business for over a decade.  I am looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with all of you.  I wanted to start today, by telling you a little bit about me and the things that make me tick.

I live in Fort Worth, Texas with my wonderful wife of twelve years, and our two children ages 7 and 4.  I have worked in the technology/internet industry since 1995.  My first internet gig was doing support for the original version of MSN.  I also worked for GTE Internetworking and did a stint as a developer focusing on Cold Fusion.

My email career started in 2000, when I was hired to start an Email Marketing team at Travelocity.com.  Travelocity was a great place to work and l arrived at a time when email was on the verge of explosion.  When I started, we had a single L-Soft (remember list digests?) machine that I could feed about 3,000 messages at a time.  If you dropped too many messages, it would take hours to “unspool.”  I was tasked with sending campaigns of 10+ million messages just like this. The drops would take 30+ hours.  Everyone would leave the building except me, and when they came back, I was still there.  It was great fun!  That is the email definition of “kickin’ it old skool.”  Sleeping on the floor under the desk was an adventure, but also a wake-up call to the future.  I began building a system that would exceed the demands of highly targeted messaging to a massive audience.  I stayed with Travelocity for 7+ years, and in that time we built one of the most advanced email programs around.

I left Travelocity in 2007 to run Deliverability for Premiere Global Services on the ESP side of the business.  Premiere was also a great learning experience for me.  Coming from the client side, it gave me a unique perspective on the email world.  While at Premiere, I worked on Strategy, Deliverability, Social Media, SMS, and sales support.  I learned that most companies who send email have a great opportunity for growth.

I arrived here at Datran Media this February.  My focus is on Strategy, Deliverability, and Social Media.  I am a Email Marketing geek.  I have 300+ social media profiles, and subscribe to more email marketing programs than I care to admit.  I am looking forward to sharing some of the tricks and tips that I have picked up over the last several billion messages delivered.  Our world is all about conversations, and I can’t wait to begin this one.

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Apr 21

2010: The Year of Engagement?

By Kevin Senne Email Delivery, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Online Marketing No Comments »

What does it take to be a great email marketer? We’ve asked you to have and maintain a great reputation. We’ve asked you to be honest with your recipients. You have to be exactly who you say you are and send what you say you’re going to deliver. You can’t pretend to be something cool like a doctor or stuntman to impress potential recipients. As if all those requirements aren’t tough enough, we’re now going to ask you to make one final commitment: engagement.

We only just met. Now we’re talking engagement? I know the mere thought of commitment makes some of you break out in a rash. Understandably, engagement can be a pretty scary prospect. But take it from me, there’s nothing to fear. Now is the time to embrace engagement in a big way because engagement is the new black, the way of the jungle, the bee’s knees, and the cat’s meow all rolled into one. Engagement will be the single most important buzzword you hear in email marketing this year.

Here’s the skinny on engagement. Every day, the path to your customer’s inbox gets more and more narrow. ISPs are now not only looking at your reputation, mailing history and content before deciding to deliver to the inbox or the bulk folder, they now want your recipients to actually engage with your messages. Engagement in its simplest form means that when an email arrives in an inbox, it is actually opened and clicked. If messages aren’t engaging to their recipients, ISPs have started to help recipients out with inbox maintenance. You read that right. Messages that don’t generate clicks and opens will be filtered to the bulk or spam folders.

So what does this mean for senders? It means we’ve got to make ourselves presentable very quickly. Our reputation still matters. Our identity and infrastructure still matter. But, now we also have to be charming. You can put your best foot forward in email by following some of these best practices:

  • Only send messages with a clear purpose and message — all email should have a clear and identifiable call to action
  • Email templates should resemble your Web site to help with visual identification
  • “From” names should clearly identify your company and not change
  • Subject lines should clearly explain what your message is about

Commitment is good once you take the first step to building a long lasting relationship with your customers. Go out and get engaged!

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