Thursday, July 18, 2013

For E-mail Success, Focus on Content, Segmentation

Compelling content and list segmentation are rated by both B2B and B2C marketers as the most effective tactics for e-mail success, according to a June research report from Ascend 2 and Research Underwriters. Creating relevant and compelling content was ranked as key by most B2B (71%) and B2C marketers (65%). Segmenting the e-mail database was cited as an effective tactic by the second greatest percentage of B2B marketers. For B2C marketers, segmentation ranked as the No. 3 tactic for achieving e-mail marketing objectives, after testing and optimizing the e-mail campaign. But guess what? Creating relevant content and list segmentation are also listed as the most difficult to successfully execute by those same e-mail marketers, along with testing and optimizing messaging. Tactics that are the focus of many articles -- optimizing e-mail for smartphones and engaging with social media -- fell to the bottom of the list of successful e-mail tactics cited by B2B and B2C marketers. For more detail, see the emarketer.com report at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Which-Tactics-Work-Best-Email-Marketers/1010020

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Make QR Codes More Visual to Boost Reponse

Why don't more people scan those increasingly ubiquitous QR codes? Mobile phone subscribers may be set to outnumber the Earth's population by next year, but many marketers are disappointed by their QR code usage. A recent MarketingProfs.com article by Uriel Peled points out some reasons. Most QR codes are not eye-catching or placed in a prominent location in the offline creative. They don't give the customer a reason to make even the minimal effort to scan. He provides some interesting examples of how to create better QR code engagement. Incorporating the QR code prominently in the design and as part of the call to action can boost scans by 25% in his experience. Also, you can combine your logo with the visual QR code to both empower the brand and create more engagement. You can also build a social media following through your offline community with QR codes; by adding QR capabilities to static Facebook and Twitter icons, Peled predicts you can increase social engagement by 25%, too. For visual examples, see the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11151/how-to-use-visual-qr-codes-to-increase-customer-engagement-25