(Part 2 of "Best Practices For Advertiser Driven Email Blasts")
First,
I would advise that when you acquire an email address, you add them to 2
lists, one for editorial and one for sales. You can do this by stating
this clearly when the user signs up. For example, "By subscribing to the
above e-Newsletter, the publisher may periodically send you offers that
are related to the topics covered in our magazine. Your email will be
protected by our observance of a dual list sending system allowing you
to remove yourself from sales offers at any time and still receive our
editorial e-Newsletter."
There have been several things I have observed from my publishing
clients that have caused subscriber revolt from advertising driven
e-Newsletters.
1. The offer being sent is not in line with the
topic of your publication. Many times the sales team will make a leap
from what is acceptable to a reader. For example, I had a B2B client
that was in the business news space. The ad based email sent was for
personal medial insurance. While this does "apply" to business owners,
it is too far from the core topic of the publication so the removal rate
was almost 7%.
2. The subject line states the offer and looks
like spam. As I said earlier in this thread be careful to be clever, but
do not include words like "special offer" or "free".
3. Charge more for stand-alone emails knowing you will lose people.
4. Use your ESP technology to offer the e-News readers the ability to be removed from sales email and not editorial.
5.
Keep all offers to text. Graphical emails have a higher unsubscribe in
almost all offers I have seen. Try a logo and text or a picture and text
rather than a large image.
6. Start off the email with a clear
statement that declares why they are getting the offer and state how
often you will or will not send these types of offers. Also state, that
by unsubscribing they are unsubscribing from your main list. You can
also see if your ESP has a re-direct page that says: "Are you sure you
want to unsub? If you do, you will be removed form our main
eNews...(etc.)" BUT, be aware of CAN-SPAM laws at this point.
BIG
POINT...if the offer is in line with the core topics you deliver in
editorial, you will be ok. You will get un-subs, but I think you can
minimize the effect on your total list.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Banner Rotation, Simple Explanation For Advertisers
I am often asked by my clients how to explain to an advertiser about banner ad rotation. In the most common scenario, an advertiser will call and will say that they have refreshed your web page and do not see their ad running. Or, they have to refresh every 20 times to see their ad and their competitor is getting more ad views.
In a nutshell, the advertiser just does not understand how basic banner ad rotation works. I have created a very simple video to explain this to advertisers. Please note that this video is non-technical and is designed to be shown to advertisers. So, feel free to share this video as a tool when this question arises.
In a nutshell, the advertiser just does not understand how basic banner ad rotation works. I have created a very simple video to explain this to advertisers. Please note that this video is non-technical and is designed to be shown to advertisers. So, feel free to share this video as a tool when this question arises.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Customer Retention, Critical To Online Success
Online customer retention marketing is a tactically-driven process
based on a user’s need, behavior or desire. The 365x24x7 marketing cycle
means we need to approach customer retention in new ways. What are you
doing to retain clients, online users and readers?
Using surveys and industry knowledge is the first line of action in this process. You need to learn more. Create a ten question survey and offer a reward to those that complete the survey. Without this information you are dead in the water. Then, consider these retention projects for this year. Keep in mind, the perfect scenario would be a project that covers customer attainment and retainment in one project; basically, the old “killing two birds with one stone” concept.
Top 5 Projects to consider:
1. Unique promotional partnerships that offer your users more than a single buying proposition.
2. Perfect SEO. Creating detailed article syndication deals that will give you more online exposure and this more unique backlinks than your nearest competition.
3. Premium user e-newsletters that drive retention through the creation of personalized marketing, like birthday promo offers or behavior offers like tax time offers.
4. Top of mind Facebook programs that use the humor to drive more views of your brand.
5. Detailed usability studies of your site to increase conversion and retention. This piece alone can account for hundreds of new and retained users.
With data in hand, now look at your web analytics. What are your current clients doing on your website and what can you learn from it? Retention expert Jim Novo said, “Past and Current customer behavior is the best predictor of Future customer behavior. Think about it. In general, it is more often true than not true, and when it comes to action-oriented activities like making purchases and visiting web sites, the concept really shines through.”
With survey data, web use data and a project that you feel will give you the best results… execute. Schedule some time to meet with your team and get rolling. Half the battle is just showing up!
Feel like you are still lost in the process? Get some advice and seek out some professional help.
Ryan
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandohrn
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Using surveys and industry knowledge is the first line of action in this process. You need to learn more. Create a ten question survey and offer a reward to those that complete the survey. Without this information you are dead in the water. Then, consider these retention projects for this year. Keep in mind, the perfect scenario would be a project that covers customer attainment and retainment in one project; basically, the old “killing two birds with one stone” concept.
Top 5 Projects to consider:
1. Unique promotional partnerships that offer your users more than a single buying proposition.
2. Perfect SEO. Creating detailed article syndication deals that will give you more online exposure and this more unique backlinks than your nearest competition.
3. Premium user e-newsletters that drive retention through the creation of personalized marketing, like birthday promo offers or behavior offers like tax time offers.
4. Top of mind Facebook programs that use the humor to drive more views of your brand.
5. Detailed usability studies of your site to increase conversion and retention. This piece alone can account for hundreds of new and retained users.
With data in hand, now look at your web analytics. What are your current clients doing on your website and what can you learn from it? Retention expert Jim Novo said, “Past and Current customer behavior is the best predictor of Future customer behavior. Think about it. In general, it is more often true than not true, and when it comes to action-oriented activities like making purchases and visiting web sites, the concept really shines through.”
With survey data, web use data and a project that you feel will give you the best results… execute. Schedule some time to meet with your team and get rolling. Half the battle is just showing up!
Feel like you are still lost in the process? Get some advice and seek out some professional help.
Ryan
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandohrn
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Is Your Sales Team Making Enough Calls To Make Budget?
Sure, relationships rule in the world of sales. But when push comes
to shove, it is almost always about the number of calls you make each
day. As I work with sales people in companies large and small, there
seems to be a common theme these days…sales people “think” they are
making the appropriate number of phone calls to make goal and they are
not. So, how do you know? First, as a sales person, stop lying to
yourself. It is easy to track and determine the number of outbound
phone calls you made today. Next, as a sales manager, listen and track.
Sales people, determine your call to close ratio. How many phone calls does it take for you to get that phone call to a meeting and then the meeting to a proposal and then the proposal to a sale? You make 20 calls and get one meeting. Ok. Not bad. 1 in 10 meetings close to a sale. Ok. If your goal each month requires that you close 20 sales, you will need to make 400 calls and have 200 meetings. Yikes! So, what are your next steps? Making 20 calls to get to one meeting is not horrible, but you need to tighten up that gap. Increase your quality of call. (More on quality below.) Share success stories; offer the prospect a reason or incentive to let you in the door. Next, you need to have great meetings. Know your prospect. Now, what you can do to make their life/job better. Go in with a goal in mind. Listen with intent to learn the clients’ needs. Do not pitch! Great media sales people talk 20% of the sales call and listen and ask questions during the rest.
Now, before we go any further, lets answer the question about quality vs. quantity. Every call needs to be of good quality. Quality is another piece of the puzzle. What to say? How to say it? Are you meeting a need? Leaving a voice mail that offers a solution? Etc, etc. But, BUT... very often sales people will say, I would rather make 10 quality calls than 20 bad calls. Dah. Don't make 20 bad calls. Make 20 great calls! If your "get to a meeting ratio" is 1 in 20, leave 19 great voice mails too.
Sales Managers, if you can hear a pin drop in your office, you have an issue. Unless all the sales people have doors of steel that are sound proof, you have an issue. Outbound call volume might be your single greatest issue. With that said, a call is not a call. Great sales calls require skills and those skills come from training. Instead, most sales people simply pitch features, advantages and benefits. As Stephen Pia once said, your sales people need to become meeting maniacs. They need to get those calls to a meeting. Sales is a numbers game and the more meetings, the more chances of closing. Are you tracking their calls? Are you listening to their calls? Are they asking the 10 critical sales questions? (Ask me for more on the 10.) Do you review their calls? Do you make them use your CRM system?
All in all, when sales fail, it comes down to what I like to call the 5 P’s of successful sales: Product, People, Process, Pitch and Price. When any of these are in “off”, sales can be off as well.
So, get under the hood and figure out why the engine is not running smoothly.
--Ryan
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet coaching and consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandohrn
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Sales people, determine your call to close ratio. How many phone calls does it take for you to get that phone call to a meeting and then the meeting to a proposal and then the proposal to a sale? You make 20 calls and get one meeting. Ok. Not bad. 1 in 10 meetings close to a sale. Ok. If your goal each month requires that you close 20 sales, you will need to make 400 calls and have 200 meetings. Yikes! So, what are your next steps? Making 20 calls to get to one meeting is not horrible, but you need to tighten up that gap. Increase your quality of call. (More on quality below.) Share success stories; offer the prospect a reason or incentive to let you in the door. Next, you need to have great meetings. Know your prospect. Now, what you can do to make their life/job better. Go in with a goal in mind. Listen with intent to learn the clients’ needs. Do not pitch! Great media sales people talk 20% of the sales call and listen and ask questions during the rest.
Now, before we go any further, lets answer the question about quality vs. quantity. Every call needs to be of good quality. Quality is another piece of the puzzle. What to say? How to say it? Are you meeting a need? Leaving a voice mail that offers a solution? Etc, etc. But, BUT... very often sales people will say, I would rather make 10 quality calls than 20 bad calls. Dah. Don't make 20 bad calls. Make 20 great calls! If your "get to a meeting ratio" is 1 in 20, leave 19 great voice mails too.
Sales Managers, if you can hear a pin drop in your office, you have an issue. Unless all the sales people have doors of steel that are sound proof, you have an issue. Outbound call volume might be your single greatest issue. With that said, a call is not a call. Great sales calls require skills and those skills come from training. Instead, most sales people simply pitch features, advantages and benefits. As Stephen Pia once said, your sales people need to become meeting maniacs. They need to get those calls to a meeting. Sales is a numbers game and the more meetings, the more chances of closing. Are you tracking their calls? Are you listening to their calls? Are they asking the 10 critical sales questions? (Ask me for more on the 10.) Do you review their calls? Do you make them use your CRM system?
All in all, when sales fail, it comes down to what I like to call the 5 P’s of successful sales: Product, People, Process, Pitch and Price. When any of these are in “off”, sales can be off as well.
So, get under the hood and figure out why the engine is not running smoothly.
--Ryan
About this blogger: Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, an internet coaching and consulting firm that helps business owners and publishers make money online. http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandohrn
Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, search engine optimization (SEO), video production and online sales training. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Left To Right, Web Design For Magazine Online Success
When reviewing a web site I like to ask, “Ok…. so I am here on your site… where does the publisher want me to go?” I really ask myself, “Ok site designer...guide me. Do you have a path you want a user to follow? This is so important to your ability to keep a user longer on the website. Why is time on the site important? If the national average is 1.5 minutes and you are 4.5 minutes, that is a sell-able piece of data that your sales team can use to generate revenue. To determine this path, perhaps you want to print out your website and draw a path with a marker. Or, even better, ask a reader to use a marker and draw a line based on where their eyes go on the page. This natural eye path is often destructive to your ability to create a great web site that makes money.
Our eyes are naturally drawn to movement and color right? So, where are these located? Do you use color and movement to keep the users eye on a path to success? If you want them to engage your editorial what do you do to draw them to the editorial? “Well,” you might say, “we have a navigation button on top that says 'articles'. Come on…really? You can do better than that! I know you can.
When laying out your site start with the basic premise of left to right. Ask yourself, what are the 4 main things I want the user to see and then make a decision. Then use left to right, color and movement to keep them on the path to doing what it is that you want them to do! Now, they click…ok, good. Now what? The interior pages of your site are often worse than the main page. What are you doing on that page to drive them deeper into the site? Where do you want them to go? Use left to right, color and movement to keep them on the path to doing what it is that you want them to do next.
When it comes to the web, people like guidance. Tell me more. Show me more. Ask me to engage with you. Show me the way!
This can be a fun exercise for you and your team. Have fun with it, but remember that this is serious business. Publishers that get this simple concept down will not only drive up time spent on site, they will also often triple their page views.
Ready to make your website a revenue-centric money making machine? We can help. Brain Swell Media offers you a complete website review in less than 30 minutes at no cost to you. We will then present you a plan to fix, grow and make money from your website. Contact us today.
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