A Little "Welcome" Goes A Long Way

A ‘Welcome’ email is a prime marketing opportunity many are missing. Your audience found you and is interested in hearing from you. The small effort of sending an appropriate welcome email can have a huge impact.

Jordan Ayan of MediaPost recently wrote an article detailing the results of two studies which showed that few companies take advantage of the welcome message opportunity. The article, “Missing The Chance To Say ‘You’re Welcome’”, stated that a ReturnPath study found that 60% of brands surveyed failed to send welcome messages. A MediaPost study surveyed email marketers, “40% of whom readily admitted to not sending a welcome message when a new subscriber signed up for their email program.” These are astonishing numbers considering the simplicity of the act.

“Missing The Chance” goes on to say that of those who do send welcome messages, many are not well written and are often too brief. Some aspects that make for a good welcome message, according to the article, include:

• It should thank the recipient for providing the required information. It should also reinforce the value of your emails, reminding them what to expect in terms of frequency and any other information that reinforces relevancy to the recipient.

• It should include the information recipients need to add you to their white or "favorites" list, including the "from" address for your message.

• It should reinforce the value you place on the relationship and reinforce your privacy commitment, including a link to your privacy statement. If you don't plan to share their email address - restate that fact clearly.

• A little something special. The subscriber has expressed a high-level of interest, so this is the time to offer something extra as a thank-you: a coupon, a percentage off, free shipping, a bonus download of a white paper or a free webinar. Just let subscribers know that you appreciate the fact that they supplied their email address, and the trust they are placing in you by signing up for your message. You can test offers to see which ones are most effective.

• If you use a double opt-in process, you have an opportunity to double-dip. The initial confirmation message can include a promotional message. This should be muted from whatever you would send in your welcome message once they confirm.

• The issue of timeliness: A welcome message should appear in the subscriber's inbox within minutes of when they sign up. Wait too long, and recipients may forget who you are or why they subscribed.

A separate, independent study done by Linda Bustos evaluated the welcome emails she received after signing up for a number of various accounts. Of 89 accounts registered, she received 33 welcome emails within 24 hours. Listed below are some of the recurring aspects of these emails.

• 88% used branding in the headline
• 66% used the words “Thank You” in the headline or body
• 61% used the word “Welcome” in the headline or body
• 52% included multiple links back to the site
• 52% included login details
• 42% used HTML layout
• 33% provided link to privacy statement
• 9% provided unsubscribe options

These guidelines and statistics are the tip of the iceberg, but the major point is that a simple welcome message can go a long way and is a crucial opportunity to reach out to your audience.

Cultural Cues to Effective E-mail Marketing

How does culture play a role in Internet Marketing? Since the Internet has a global scope and people from any country can access immeasurable amounts of information from other countries, does culturally formatted marketing apply online?

Six International E-Mail Marketing Challenges, an article by Derek Harding on Clickz.com says you can bet your money on it! In fact, when it comes to email marketing, marketers must have an elevated awareness of cultural factors in order to truly target the user that goes way beyond language translation.

According to the article, here are key points to keep in mind when engaging in effective international email marketing:

Message form. The amount of content that works well in messages varies from country to country. In the United States, when we send newsletters, it's common to only include article overviews with links to the full articles online. However, in some countries the expectation is the full content will appear in the message.

Personalization and salutations. In some countries, use of personalization and salutations (e.g., Dear Derek) can improve results. In others, it's seen as hackneyed or even a privacy invasion.

Send time. When to send is also a regional and cultural question. Clearly, the local time zone must be taken into account. So should variations in when people work. Which days constitute the weekend vary across the globe. Holidays vary from country to country, as does when people commonly take vacations.

Local norms. There are many local norms that can be entirely unexpected if you don't have local knowledge. For example, in the U.S. it's quite common to post prices exclusive of tax. In some other countries, this is simply not done and may even be disallowed by local law. In France, it's common to ask recipients to print out a form and fax it back, whereas in many other countries this would be considered absurd.

Local laws. While anti-spam requirements are the most obvious laws that apply to international e-mail, some countries may have additional laws and requirements for doing business electronically, especially related to privacy and use of personal information.

Language. The language selected does matter for international communications. However, the choice of language isn't necessarily clear-cut. Many countries use more than one language, and which languages you support can be very important. For some cultural groups, using their language may be essential; for others, it may have little effect. Some audiences may even prefer to receive communications in English rather than their native tongue. This is often the case for more technical audiences.

In today’s globalized business world, it is so important to truly have a keen awareness of our audiences when it comes to online marketing. With such diversity, standardized marketing may not always make the cut. These tactics can reduce costs, improve consistency; and since it’s easier to target online than any other form of media, the matter of true importance is to remember that people are looking for relevancy.

Three Secrets for Executive E-Newsletter Engagement

Corporate E-Newsletters are becoming an increasingly popular method to reach out to corporate employees and keep them up-to-date and engaged in company updates, events and business decisions. Karen Gedney recently published the article, Three Secrets for Executive E-Newsletter Engagement on Clickz.com, and it focuses on author Michael J. Katz’s three simple secrets to effective e-newsletter communication. The link to the article can be found below for additional information.

Secret 1: Focus on the Content
In an e-mail-fatigued world in which business people scan their in-boxes, ready to press the "delete" key, your e-newsletter must be engaging, relevant, and a must-read.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is to write about the questions your customers and prospects ask you about most. Keep a notepad by your phone and when people call you, jot down a list of their most common inquiries. Your answers are your e-newsletter content.
These frequently asked questions should be answered in the same friendly, practical manner you would use over the phone. While we all want to be considered thought leaders, that doesn't mean articles have to be lengthy, academic treatises. If you talk from your own experience about what works in your business, people will immediately get that you're an expert. Once your expertise is established, you're on your way to forging a productive, professional relationship.

That leads us to the second secret...

Secret 2: Focus on the Relationships
As Katz says, "The primary reason that e-newsletters are so powerful is because they provide a systematic means for growing and maintaining relationships. It's not because they're cheap or trackable or clickable or forwardable, although they certainly are all those things."

Your e-newsletter gives you a vehicle for connecting with your customers or potential customers month after month.

He goes on to say, "If you write your company newsletter with a focus on enhancing the relationship between you and your readers, you will stand head and shoulders over your competition, most of whom are missing this point entirely and who (whether they say it out loud or not) view their e-newsletter as an inexpensive way to send direct mail to their house list."

Secret 3: Be Genuine
Your e-newsletter should sound like it's written by you.

If you are a Fortune 500, your e-newsletter should either sound like it's written by your CEO or reflect your corporate culture and brand. It should speak to your customers and prospects just as if you were sitting across from them at a conference room table or, better yet, a restaurant table.

Katz says, "Your newsletter should give potential customers a sense of what you're like, who you are, what you believe in, what you know about your industry, and what doing business with you is all about. For existing customers, it's an ongoing reminder of all things."

From my own experience publishing an e-newsletter and writing this column for ClickZ, I see the principle of "like attracts like" works in e-newsletter writing.

People who like what I say tend to contact me after each column is published. When we get on the phone or chat by e-mail, it's like we're old friends -- and, of course, many of these warm, collegial contacts quickly turn into enduring client relationships.

What's beautiful about this approach is that it also weeds out the clients who would have been a bad fit. I guess they read the e-newsletters that coincide more with their own point of view!
Katz reminds us, "Relationships happen between people (not between organizations) and the more you can write in a genuine, spoken manner, the more it will feel to readers like somebody (i.e., you) is really on the other end. Turn out something that breaks down walls between your company and your customers, and you will be just fine.""

The article concludes with three key questions that you should ask yourself to see if your newsletter is ready to be made over.

"1.) Am I answering the questions my clients and prospects typically ask?

2.) Am I building relationships between me and the people I want to do business with (rather than pushing out information to their organizations)?

3.) Am I writing the way I talk so people can get a sense of what it will be like to actually work with me?

If you answer "no" to any of these questions, perhaps it's time for a spring e-newsletter makeover."

If you continue to be interested in optimizing your newsletter capabilities, keep checking back for the latest information.


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