» Marketing

Linkedin’s 2010 Review Email Gets You Clicking

David — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:40:09 +0000

So far, the most interesting piece of email marketing that I’ve receive this week came from Linkedin. If you’re on Linkedin you probably got this email and it probably got you clicking. Here’s what it looked like and why it was so effective.

Linkedin doesn’t get the hype that Facebook and Twitter receive and if your a B2B company that’s unfortunate. Linkedin is for THE social networking site for business people. Unfortunately, many people don’t think of Linkedin except when it is time to find a new job and this is to their detriment. It is also a problem for Linkedin which is why this email marketing campaign is so brilliant.

What linked in has done here that is very effective is to keep the message simple. Use faces of people we know and tell us exactly what to do “Click to view their new titles” thus driving us to their site which is exactly where they want us. The only unfortunate part about the campaign is that once you get to the person’s profile page, it isn’t completely clear what has changed. Certainly in many cases it was not that they had changed jobs. No doubt something had changed, but it may have been an address etc. Nonetheless, the idea is a great one and one which in some fashion you might be able to repeat to drive people from your enewsletter to your site.

FedEx Gets an F for Email Marketing

David — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:41:22 +0000

Here is an example of how not to do email marketing. I recently signed up for a FedEx account. Frankly the experience has been less than stellar. Their user interface for technical resources needs a serious overhaul, they’ve had a service outage for getting a developer key for over 36 hours, or at least they’re telling me that’s what the problem is. When I tried to have an online chat with them Citrix’s GoToAsist never started the session, but just sat in continuous load mode. Needless to say, when they sent me an email asking me to fill out a survey I was ready to jump on the chance to finally get to complain. Then I clicked on the “Survey” link and got the message “This survey is currently closed. Please contact the author of this survey for further assistance.” Don’t feel bad if you’re laughing at my hardships, when I am not pulling my hair out over this I am laughing too. Who shouldn’t be laughing is FedEX. I don’t know how many new customers they get daily but it has to be a large number. How many of these people are having similar experiences? How many of these people will complain on Twitter, LinkedIn their blogs? That number is not so huge, but it doesn’t have to be. UPS, DHL, USPS, people have choice and ultimately they’ll go where not only the cost is right, but where the company makes their life easier not harder.

Here’s how not to do email marketing.

In this e-mail:

•	Tell us what you think. Take our survey.
•	Choose FedEx. Find out why FedEx is the right choice for you.
•	Welcome. Visit the New Customer Center.
•	Get information. Sign up for FedEx e-mail newsletters.
•	Save. Sign up for special savings for new customers.
•	Learn. FedEx online tools can help you ship efficiently.

Welcome to FedEx!

Dear David,

Thank you for opening a FedEx account. Expect your personalized FedEx account card and getting-started package soon.

We are committed to delivering peace of mind with every shipment.


	Help us improve the communications you receive as a new customer. Survey


	Find the support you need Learn about FedEx^® services and shipping tools and download the FedEx Welcome Kit at the New Customer Center. You can also customize FedEx e-mail communications to your preferences at the FedEx E-mail Subscription Center. New Customer Center FedEx E-mail Subscription Center


	Sign up for the FedEx Save Now program to save up to 16% on FedEx Express^® services and 8% on FedEx Ground^® and FedEx Home Delivery^® services when you use FedEx Ship Manager^® at fedex.com or FedEx Ship Manager^® Software.


	Create shipping labels, get rates, find FedEx locations — including more than 2,000 FedEx Office locations — order packaging supplies, and more. Ship Track fedex.com


This e-mail has been sent to:

All future FedEx e-mail communications will be sent to this address.

You can unsubscribe or update your e-mail address preferences at any time.

FedEx, Attn: E-mail Address Update, 3640 Hacks Cross Road, Memphis, TN 38125-7302

© 2010 FedEx. The content of this message is protected by copyright and trademark laws under U.S. and international law. Review our privacy policy. All rights reserved.

Entrepreneur.com Chides Small Business Without Web Sites

David — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:02:05 +0000

Carol Tice, writing in Entrepreneur’s Daily Dose this week takes to task the nearly 50% of small businesses who don’t have web sites. She says,“In the Discover study, 46 percent of respondents said it’s a myth that every company needs a website. And they’re right–companies that don’t want to be successful certainly shouldn’t spend the time and money to develop a company site. So every company doesn’t need one.”

Tice softens the blow a couple of paragraphs later pointing out that many of the companies that don’t have web sites may be intending to start them and that 32% of companies in a VistaPrint Survey said they would work on Web development given more time and money.

Tice may have been a little harsh, but is she wrong? No. The Web is becoming the number one go to place people find businesses. Ask your friends what they do with the phone books that show up on their doorstep each year and you’ll find many if not all pitch them. Ask those who don’t how often they refer to them and you’ll find that most of them sit in a drawer gathering dust all year.

As Tice points out, “a company website is just a basic, must-have marketing tool for the 21st Century.”

Convert Incomplete e-Commerce Transactions

David — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:39:41 +0000

What do you do when a visitor to your e-commerce store begins a purchase but abandons it before paying? If you’re making no attempt to contact those individuals you’re losing a tremendous opportunity to make convert near customers into customers and you’re loosing sales. Try something like this.If you got an email address write them a quick note and perhaps even sweeten the offer. Something like this

Dear David,

We noticed that your order for the XYZ Widget was not completed. If you buy now, you will save 3% of your order by using Discount Code XMLKT. If you’d prefer to speak with a customer representative to complete your transaction please call us at 1-800-888-8888.

Remember, this is an individual who has in all likelihood decided to purchase this product and they already very nearly purchased from you. With a little outreach you may well convert this customer and once converted they’re likely to become a repeat customer, so treat them well and watch your sales grow.

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