Email Effectiveness Increases From 20.8% to 35.2%

In our recently completed ad campaign for the Baxter Auto Parts Portland Historic Races, we increased our e-mail readership from 20.8% to 35.2% by Re-mailing.

With the volume of e-mail that most people receive, sending one blast to your opt-in list simply doesn't get the job done. There are too many recipients who, for whatever reason, don't open it. How many times have you deleted something you might have had some interest in reading if your weren't so busy, distracted by something, or simply in an impatient state of mind?

We sent the first e-mail out to a rather small list of 833 and within a few days achieved 173 reads, or 20.8%. We waited a week and sent the same e-mail out again to those who didn't open it. We got another 120 reads for an 18.2% opening rate. Together, we had 293 reads for a total percentage of 35.2%.

The second e-mail was identical to the first. It just illustrates that even highly targeted audiences see things somewhat randomly. Re-Mailing is a great way to increase your ROI for only the cost of sending it out.

The Most Important Marketing Strategy During a Recession

If you're in a position where you have a handful of key customers or accounts, your most critical marketing strategy right now should be enhancing personal relationships. The strength of customer loyalty is tested during bad economic times. So it's important to make sure you work to make it harder for current customers to tell you goodbye.

In a recessionary economy, savvy business people know that building market share is the key to success. They also know that many customers are more apt to make a change because they are open to any suggestion that a different solution might benefit them somehow. So, they are on the prowl for your customers, just as you should be on the prowl for theirs.

Obviously, you need to continue to deliver a quality product at a competitive price. And these days, even include some added value however possible. But, the intangible advantage of having a close relationship with your customer adds an extra level of security to your business. This doesn't mean you should run out and start layering on gifts or inviting them to dinner. If you're over-zealous you'll look desperate and insecure. It might take no more than an extra phone call or two every month just to check in. Or, depending upon your current relationship, it could include a trip to the golf course or some other activity you can share.

It is times such as these when deals get renegotiated and alliances get realigned. You need to use every trick in the book to keep your customers close to you. Strengthening your personal relationships is one of the best ways to do that.

Take this Mission Statement Test

Quick! Right now! Grab a piece of paper and write down your company's mission statement. Can you do it? Can your employees do it?

If you don't do another thing after reading this, at least try this test. Gather your management team, staff, or whomever you feel is important in your company to help carry out your mission, and hand each one a piece of paper.

Then, ask them to write down your company's mission statement.

Give them a few minutes, then ask each one to read what he or she wrote. If your group got it right, you are in an extreme minority of companies.

We marketers are always going on about how businesses need to clearly define their identity and communicate it consistently. But, we often forget to start where it has the greatest impact of all: inside the company itself.

A well articulated mission statement answers the question of why the company exists. It describes the overall need that it fills and guides the company in its big-picture actions.

Google the phrase "mission statement" and read as many as you can, and then start studying what makes a good one. There are lots of resources for learning how to write a mission statement. But first you need to recognize the importance of having one that people not only know, but understand and live by. Interestingly, most companies have one. It's written the day they go into business, then is forgotten forever.

There is unbelievable power in having a group of talented, hard working people all pursuing the same goal for the same reason. A mission statement is the foundation of that great place to be. And, dragging it out and making sure everyone knows what it is isn't that hard to do.

How to Keep Poor Customer Service from Killing your Advertising Campaign

It’s been said that nothing kills a bad product faster than a good advertising campaign. If you are in the business of selling products, you can often recognize the dogs and eliminate them from your product mix before too much damage is done. But, if we define your “product” as not just the item you sell, but the entire customer experience you create, there are many other things to consider.

After more than 20 years of creating and managing advertising campaigns for businesses, I can say that customer service is one of the most important elements of any marketing effort. You may have the best product at the best time and the best price. But, if you’re sales staff isn’t up to making the customer feel genuinely valued it’s all for nothing.

I worked with a retail chain that was having problems with sales in a couple of their stores. We tried everything. Some efforts provided some anemic results and others created a short sales spike that quickly disappeared. One day we found a scathing review on one of the review sites on the web. It detailed the quintessential bad service experience that we all love to pass on to others. A follow-up mystery shopping exercise quickly revealed a sales person who should have never been a sales person.

The problem was fixed, but the damage lingered for some time. This kind of problem can be hard to find quickly if there are just one or two people in a branch store or office most of the time. So, it is valuable to have an on-going service evaluation program such as a mystery shopper in place along with on-going training and coaching for your employees.

You can lose a sale because of price. You can lose a sale because a customer returns an item. But, you will lose a customer if your pre sale or more importantly, your post sale service is bad.