When you are in the midst of executing an email or social marketing campaign — rushing to meet deadlines, pulling together creative, copy and
getting approvals — it is easy to lose sight of your campaign objectives.
All direct marketing activity can be simply put into two brackets: names or profits.
With acquisition marketing, your objective is to win a maximum number of new customer names within your allowable "cost per name" budget. You can do this through paid search, SEO, co-registration, email sponsorship and social marketing. This is how you build subscribers, fans and followers.
However, acquiring new names is an expensive process. As competition heats up, most online marketers take a loss on that first sale. If the objective is to make or grow profits,
marketers need to see acquisition marketing simply as an
entry point. The challenge is to find ways to make up for
rising acquisition marketing costs by securing repeat sales with existing customers. This is where advanced tactics for retention marketing come in.
Marketing to existing clients is where savvy marketers make all their profits. Retention marketing campaigns are inexpensive because there is no media or advertising cost. These kinds of campaigns can generate tremendous profits because cost is low and response rates are high. The reason this happens is that you are sending campaigns to clients who already know and trust your brand.
Marketers tend to go through three phases:
1) Investing in building their email and social names,
2) Reaping early rewards with basic email and social campaigns and
3) Obtaining higher profits by adopting advanced tactics such as segmentation, personalisation, trigger marketing and split testing. In the past, advanced tactics required investments in people and technology, but unfortunately these expenses often offset the increased profit contribution. However, new generation software companies have now emerged, offering easy to use tools to execute advanced tactics in email, mobile and social marketing at a fraction of the cost.
The last 10 years of online marketing have mainly been about using the Internet to win new names. This has led to heavy investments by most marketers in acquisition marketing. However, there is a significant shift taking place. The years ahead will be more about capitalising on those names and turning them into profits with retention, email, social and mobile marketing.
If you would like to know more about how you can use email as part of an integrated marketing approach please call CFL on 01225 782669 or visit www.cflmarketing.co.uk
Monday 23 May 2011
Friday 20 May 2011
CLIENT CASE STUDY: Somerset Arms, Wiltshire.
Back in the Summer of 2009, The Somerset Arms, based in Semmington Village, Wiltshire, re-launched their public house after an extensive re-fit.
CFL Marketing approached the pub after hearing of the launch and a glowing customer recommendation, to see if they could help with their marketing activity.
After being impressed with the samples CFL provided, Sally Tyler, Landlady instructed them to create an awareness flyer that was dropped to every household in the village, this included a free bottle of wine offer with 2 or more people dining. Not only did this bring in extensive extra trade but the Somerset Arms were able to capture the diners details via a data capture form on the flyer for future marketing use.
There after CFL helped with the promotion of Halloween offers, a well attended beer festival, through to their 1st Birthday party.
CFL's Creative department also aided the re-design of their menus and took over all advert design for the local press and trade magazines.
This year the Pub is organising their 2nd Beer festival, "The weekend of 1000 pints" (being held on the 27th - 30th May) and have created t-shirt designs, branded beer glasses, banners, posters and advert design.
CFL created a toad based design (see below) for the festival, The pub was so taken with it, they approached Ramsbury Brewery to create a special beer for the occasion, call "Toad" - The design will be used on all the glasses as well as a specially made beer pumps.
Phil Martin, Marketing Manager at CFL Marketing said "Our Design Team have worked really hard, producing the artwork and branding for the beer festival. We hope the weekend of 1000 pints is a great success. I am looking forward to sampling a pint of Toad!!"
For more info on the Somerset Arms, log onto http://www.somersetarmssemington.co.uk/
www.cflmarketing.co.uk
CFL Marketing approached the pub after hearing of the launch and a glowing customer recommendation, to see if they could help with their marketing activity.
After being impressed with the samples CFL provided, Sally Tyler, Landlady instructed them to create an awareness flyer that was dropped to every household in the village, this included a free bottle of wine offer with 2 or more people dining. Not only did this bring in extensive extra trade but the Somerset Arms were able to capture the diners details via a data capture form on the flyer for future marketing use.
There after CFL helped with the promotion of Halloween offers, a well attended beer festival, through to their 1st Birthday party.
CFL's Creative department also aided the re-design of their menus and took over all advert design for the local press and trade magazines.
This year the Pub is organising their 2nd Beer festival, "The weekend of 1000 pints" (being held on the 27th - 30th May) and have created t-shirt designs, branded beer glasses, banners, posters and advert design.
CFL created a toad based design (see below) for the festival, The pub was so taken with it, they approached Ramsbury Brewery to create a special beer for the occasion, call "Toad" - The design will be used on all the glasses as well as a specially made beer pumps.
Phil Martin, Marketing Manager at CFL Marketing said "Our Design Team have worked really hard, producing the artwork and branding for the beer festival. We hope the weekend of 1000 pints is a great success. I am looking forward to sampling a pint of Toad!!"
For more info on the Somerset Arms, log onto http://www.somersetarmssemington.co.uk/
www.cflmarketing.co.uk
Three tips for delivering best-in-class email campaigns
As the direct marketing industry increases its use of email marketing within ther integrated campaigns, marketers should heed the following advice in order to deliver powerful campaigns.
1. Use compelling subject lines.
An email subject line that is clear and compelling gives your email better visibility in a crowded inbox. Incite your recipients to open your message with a call to action in the subject line. Just be sure you don't use words like “free,” “limited time offer,” or “amazing” in your subject line. These are red flags for spam and will cause your unopened email to go directly into the trash folder.
2. Campaigns are more compelling when graphics visually promote messages.
A good email service will include tools that allow you to search, resize, crop and rotate photos and images without leaving your email. The tool should also allow you to select, preview, and purchase royalty-free images if what you have isn't on-hand. Don't forget to include a clickable call to action with your image so you can see how your readers respond to each graphic. Data about who clicks on a photo's hyperlink will give direction to future interactions. If the report shows traffic, use it in a future email. Also include a text click-through for recipients who may have turned off the graphic display option. A good rule of thumb to prevent image overload is have at least 70% of your message be in text format and 30% or less in image format.
3. Be mobile-friendly.
The adoption and usage of smart phones is changing the way we interact with email marketing. The use of smart phone is increasing hugley month on month. While most smart phones do a fairly good job displaying emails, marketers can look into adding an online/mobile version link at the very top of the email because Web browsers are generally more capable of showing HTML content than email clients. Subject lines should be front-loaded because smartphones only display four to six words in the subject line and a preview of the first few words in the email. Remember to test your emails on a smart phone.
To see how CFL can aid you in implementing HTML email campaigns as part of an integrated marketing approach - give us a call on 01225 782669 or log onto www.cflmarketing.co.uk
1. Use compelling subject lines.
An email subject line that is clear and compelling gives your email better visibility in a crowded inbox. Incite your recipients to open your message with a call to action in the subject line. Just be sure you don't use words like “free,” “limited time offer,” or “amazing” in your subject line. These are red flags for spam and will cause your unopened email to go directly into the trash folder.
2. Campaigns are more compelling when graphics visually promote messages.
A good email service will include tools that allow you to search, resize, crop and rotate photos and images without leaving your email. The tool should also allow you to select, preview, and purchase royalty-free images if what you have isn't on-hand. Don't forget to include a clickable call to action with your image so you can see how your readers respond to each graphic. Data about who clicks on a photo's hyperlink will give direction to future interactions. If the report shows traffic, use it in a future email. Also include a text click-through for recipients who may have turned off the graphic display option. A good rule of thumb to prevent image overload is have at least 70% of your message be in text format and 30% or less in image format.
3. Be mobile-friendly.
The adoption and usage of smart phones is changing the way we interact with email marketing. The use of smart phone is increasing hugley month on month. While most smart phones do a fairly good job displaying emails, marketers can look into adding an online/mobile version link at the very top of the email because Web browsers are generally more capable of showing HTML content than email clients. Subject lines should be front-loaded because smartphones only display four to six words in the subject line and a preview of the first few words in the email. Remember to test your emails on a smart phone.
To see how CFL can aid you in implementing HTML email campaigns as part of an integrated marketing approach - give us a call on 01225 782669 or log onto www.cflmarketing.co.uk
Thursday 19 May 2011
Top 10 tips for door drop marketers
Whether you are a local authority, charitable organisation or consumer-focused business, a Door Drop campaign (or Door to Door Distribution as it is sometimes called) has the potential to be an extremely effective and impactful method of reaching and communicating with your target audience.
How effective the medium is for you can depend on a large number of factors.
Whilst not a comprehensive guide, these top ten tips from the Direct Marketing Association provide basic pointers to help you get the most from your Door Drops.
To read the Top 10 tips in full, click HERE>>
How effective the medium is for you can depend on a large number of factors.
Whilst not a comprehensive guide, these top ten tips from the Direct Marketing Association provide basic pointers to help you get the most from your Door Drops.
To read the Top 10 tips in full, click HERE>>
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Why companies need to use print to improve their marketing success
Written by Matthew Parker, Independent Print Procurement Expert.
Can you imagine apple pie without custard?
Can you imagine Laurel without Hardy?
Gin without tonic?
A computer without a screen?
Can you imagine communication without print?
For some years print has been an unloved form of communication. E-communication has been all the rage. Marketing and sales teams dream ofcommunicating with all customers purely by e-mail and web advertising. But now the tide is turning.
Print is back in fashion
There has been a shift is the way that agencies and marketing teams think about print communication. Sure, electronic communication will still retain a vital role in connect with customers and prospects. But there is a growing realisation that not everyone wants to connect via e-mail. There are still a sizeable proportion of people who connect with print communication.
There are some areas where e-communications can’t be used
Think of all the areas where print is still essential. Packaging, labels, exhibition stands and most signs all require print. E-communications won’t help if you want to connect with people through these mediums: you need print.
What will happen to your company if you don’t engage with print?
If you don’t use print you will fail to create a relationship with at least part of your potential audience. Therefore you will fail to achieve as much with your marketing budget. And you will feel helpless as you fail to achieve your business targets.
Print is an extra channel that will help you achieve your business goals. Using print will help you create new customer relationships. Using print will enable you to have better control over your marketing, branding and communication.
How can you prove that people still want print?
Have a look at this recent study by DM News and Pitney Bowes . The study shows that print has a very strong attraction to consumers. And this recent report shows many major companies see that e-mail marketing is failing to attract consumers. These companies are turning back to print and direct mail.
Isn’t print just for an older audience?
A 2010 study conducted by ICOM showed a preference for receiving offline (i.e. print) communication. ICOM say the preference for print was two to three times greater than online communication. The ICOM study focussed a large part of their survey on 18-34 year olds. ICOM went so far as to say:
“A key takeaway from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience.”
But print is more expensive than e-communication
On a unit cost, e-mails are of course cheaper than print. But imagine that you sent out e-mails to the part of your audience that wanted print. The e-mails would get a near-zero conversion rate. But if you sent that same audience a printed item, you would achieve conversions. Suddenly e-mail looks expensive, and print is creating you more profit.
Make sure that print is still a part of your branding and marketing plans
Here are three things that you can do to ensure that you produce engaging print:
- Make sure you have finalised your branding
- Understand your target audience
- Contact a printer or a print consultant to help you create a print strategy to engage your audience
After all, you wouldn’t serve apple pie without custard so don’t create marketing without print.
To contact Mathew please email: print@printandprocurement.com or log onto http://www.printandprocurement.com/
Download Mathew's free e-book "Ten common print buying errors and what to do about them" - http://printandprocurement.co.uk/e-book/
To maximise your marketing effort, including print, within an integrated campaign contact CFL Marketing - www.cflmarketing.co.uk or call 01225 782669
Can you imagine apple pie without custard?
Can you imagine Laurel without Hardy?
Gin without tonic?
A computer without a screen?
Can you imagine communication without print?
For some years print has been an unloved form of communication. E-communication has been all the rage. Marketing and sales teams dream ofcommunicating with all customers purely by e-mail and web advertising. But now the tide is turning.
Print is back in fashion
There has been a shift is the way that agencies and marketing teams think about print communication. Sure, electronic communication will still retain a vital role in connect with customers and prospects. But there is a growing realisation that not everyone wants to connect via e-mail. There are still a sizeable proportion of people who connect with print communication.
There are some areas where e-communications can’t be used
Think of all the areas where print is still essential. Packaging, labels, exhibition stands and most signs all require print. E-communications won’t help if you want to connect with people through these mediums: you need print.
What will happen to your company if you don’t engage with print?
If you don’t use print you will fail to create a relationship with at least part of your potential audience. Therefore you will fail to achieve as much with your marketing budget. And you will feel helpless as you fail to achieve your business targets.
Print is an extra channel that will help you achieve your business goals. Using print will help you create new customer relationships. Using print will enable you to have better control over your marketing, branding and communication.
How can you prove that people still want print?
Have a look at this recent study by DM News and Pitney Bowes . The study shows that print has a very strong attraction to consumers. And this recent report shows many major companies see that e-mail marketing is failing to attract consumers. These companies are turning back to print and direct mail.
Isn’t print just for an older audience?
A 2010 study conducted by ICOM showed a preference for receiving offline (i.e. print) communication. ICOM say the preference for print was two to three times greater than online communication. The ICOM study focussed a large part of their survey on 18-34 year olds. ICOM went so far as to say:
“A key takeaway from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience.”
But print is more expensive than e-communication
On a unit cost, e-mails are of course cheaper than print. But imagine that you sent out e-mails to the part of your audience that wanted print. The e-mails would get a near-zero conversion rate. But if you sent that same audience a printed item, you would achieve conversions. Suddenly e-mail looks expensive, and print is creating you more profit.
Make sure that print is still a part of your branding and marketing plans
Here are three things that you can do to ensure that you produce engaging print:
- Make sure you have finalised your branding
- Understand your target audience
- Contact a printer or a print consultant to help you create a print strategy to engage your audience
After all, you wouldn’t serve apple pie without custard so don’t create marketing without print.
To contact Mathew please email: print@printandprocurement.com or log onto http://www.printandprocurement.com/
Download Mathew's free e-book "Ten common print buying errors and what to do about them" - http://printandprocurement.co.uk/e-book/
To maximise your marketing effort, including print, within an integrated campaign contact CFL Marketing - www.cflmarketing.co.uk or call 01225 782669
Monday 16 May 2011
Timing is critical for Email Marketing success!
The timing of email marketing campaigns is an age-old debate for those in the industry. Everyone wants to optimise the timing to improve open rates and sales. It's not necessarily the best day, but when can you stand out in the inbox.
Ideal timing varies dramatically by company, for example, A pizza company might realize that Friday at 4 pm is the best time to tempt its customer base with a pizza special. Or a motorcycle gear company might send emails on Saturdays when its customers think about motorcycle rides
The best way for companies to get ahead is to try to understand their target market and how their product meets those customers' needs.
The timing of email campaigns definitely impacts campaign results,. One Digital based company settled into sending its 50,000 weekly emails late morning on Tuesdays after experimenting with each of the seven days and different times. As a result, increased its open rates 200%, as well as tripled its conversion and click-through rates. having looked at their sales patterns and Web traffic as well to see when customers are ready to place an order Customers are far more likely to open an email if they are already online.
A Nonprofit organisation in the UK, relies on email marketing to gather volunteers and donations. This social enterprise sends 7,000 to 10,000 emails one to two times a month to its database to inform them of current projects and ways to get involved. After testing various times that fit its target market, the nonprofit realized that 9 am and 1 pm produced the best response. It achieved a 30% to 40% response from emails over a month-long period. When it sent emails at 4 pm or after, it might have received eight or nine responses out of thousands.
Here at CFL, we don't just build and send emails -we will work with you to to optimise the best time to send, as well as helping you to use email as part of a integrated marketing approach.
www.cflmarketing.co.uk - 01225 782 669
Ideal timing varies dramatically by company, for example, A pizza company might realize that Friday at 4 pm is the best time to tempt its customer base with a pizza special. Or a motorcycle gear company might send emails on Saturdays when its customers think about motorcycle rides
The best way for companies to get ahead is to try to understand their target market and how their product meets those customers' needs.
The timing of email campaigns definitely impacts campaign results,. One Digital based company settled into sending its 50,000 weekly emails late morning on Tuesdays after experimenting with each of the seven days and different times. As a result, increased its open rates 200%, as well as tripled its conversion and click-through rates. having looked at their sales patterns and Web traffic as well to see when customers are ready to place an order Customers are far more likely to open an email if they are already online.
A Nonprofit organisation in the UK, relies on email marketing to gather volunteers and donations. This social enterprise sends 7,000 to 10,000 emails one to two times a month to its database to inform them of current projects and ways to get involved. After testing various times that fit its target market, the nonprofit realized that 9 am and 1 pm produced the best response. It achieved a 30% to 40% response from emails over a month-long period. When it sent emails at 4 pm or after, it might have received eight or nine responses out of thousands.
Here at CFL, we don't just build and send emails -we will work with you to to optimise the best time to send, as well as helping you to use email as part of a integrated marketing approach.
www.cflmarketing.co.uk - 01225 782 669
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