One of the most expensive aspects of creating quality television advertising can be the production cost. Having said that, it is well worth spending the extra money to ensure that your brand is conveyed professionally. One thing we try to do for our clients is maximize production time when you shoot a spot. Why create just one commercial when, with some extra planning and strategy, you can create a series? That’s just what we did for Hummel’s Nissan with their Anniversary Sales Event. (more…)

Last week I had the privilege of attending MarketingProfs’ Digital Mixer in Chicago. For two solid days I enjoyed sessions and keynotes from some of the brightest stars in the digital marketing universe. Just Google the conference and you can quickly see that there’s been no shortage of excellent summary posts. For mine, I’d like to add a take from our unique perspective. First, we are an advertising agency as opposed to an in-house marketer. Plus, while we work with businesses of all sizes, we counsel several small businesses that are very interested in how new media can grow their business. Thus my post will look at some of the best conference takeaways by area (social media, search, blogging, email marketing) through the prism of agency and small business. (more…)

It started out seemingly harmless. I was sitting outside on our deck, unwinding over the Memorial Day weekend with the new, re-designed Newsweek (BTW — cool content and layout changes – props to Meacham and co). As I leisurely thumbed through the pages, an article on the Webby awards caught my eye. In the short article, journalist Barrett Sheridan  admonishes the ever-growing field of competition in these online awards and in doing so quickly and parenthetically dismisses all email marketing as spam un-deserving of Webby consideration.

I don’t write this in deference to the Webby’s but rather in defense of one of the more powerful marketing channels in an ever-changing marketplace. With over 90% of online users between the ages of 18–72 using email, it is the top online activity beating out search. A staggering 25% of us check email upon waking. Recently 79% of marketers polled count email among their marketing mix versus 75% for the medium’s elder cousin, direct mail. A high profile case study? Much praise is given to the new-media savvy of the Obama campaign. However social media glitz and buzz aside, the campaign’s real new-media secret weapon was its 13.5 million strong permission-based email marketing database which solicited a lion’s share of online donations.

Furthermore, email marketing  certainly can be a well-executed art, meritous of award consideration. But like any other message medium, much depends on the skill of the craftspersons charged with its execution. As TBWA Wordwide Creative Chief Lee Clow said, “When advertising’s done well, it can become part of our culture. When it’s done badly, it becomes visual pollution.”

For Mr. Sheridan’s edification, here is a quick primer on how to tell if your email marketing is NOT SPAM  …

• If the message is sent to a customer or contact who has given permission to communicate with them via email, then it’s NOT SPAM
• If it is relavant to the audience then it’s NOT SPAM
• If the sender has been careful not to over-mail and abuse the customers’ permission, then it’s NOT SPAM
• If it is compliant with CAN-SPAM guidelines, then (duh!) it’s NOT SPAM
• For a more detail, please read Permission Marketing by Seth Godin.

This is not to say that there’s not email marketing that is spam. My inbox looks just like yours with an occasionally unhealthy quota of … pharmaceutical supplements. But to be truly fair, there is spam in all media. That junky fire sale postcard I get every other day from a revolving door of senders? Spam. That billboard obstructing my view as I drive along the countryside? Spam. Most unwanted TV, radio, and online ads? Spam. I am not diminishing any of the media channels noted above — we work with all when the time is right for each. Rather, I am pointing out that it quickly becomes a slippery slope. Spam is not something that can be confined to any singular media as it represents a philosophy. And it’s a harsh label that is too often applied to this effective channel that can deliver considerable ROI when executed carefully.

Thus email marketing — real email marketing to cusomters who asked to hear from you — is not spam.

Photo credit: freezelight via Flickr

Today Business Week had a great article on the success of the tried and true email newsletter. While definitely not the sexiest form of new media (nor the newest), many of our clients see continued success with email newsletters. Here are our 8 reasons why email marketing is an effective way for getting your brand in front of your customers.

Email Marketing Is …

1. Personal — Email newsletters are delivered directly to customers’ inboxes. When they sign up for your email program, they demonstrate their willingness as a consumer to enter into a very personal relationship with you.
2. Permission-based — As the Business Week article points out, it is much more personal to grant a company permission to send regular email updates than it is to click through and passively read a blog or fan a business on Facebook.
3. Relevant — The best commercial emails touch on timely issues that are relevant to customers. There is no bigger predictor of email success than relevance to the reader.
4. Targeted — You can be even more relevant to your readers by segmenting your list and delivering targeted messages.
5. Regular — After you set a scheduled pattern and provided you pay close attention to items 3 and 4, your emails will become an anticipated part of your customers’ routines. It’s the first Wednesday of the month, so I get my e-newsletter from …
6. Trust-Building — Because of its personal nature, email marketing provides you with an opportunity to build trust. If this trust is abused you risk damaging the relationship — both online and off. There are many ways of losing a customer’s trust via email such as mailing too much, using too hard a sell, not delivering relevant, targeted messages and more. Be careful.
7. Cost Effective — A less touchy-feely reason but it’s true. Email can be as effective as direct mail without the cost of printing and postage.
8. Measurable — Again, a dollars-and-cents reason but few other forms of media can compete with email marketing on its level of insight and accountability. As a business, you get real-time results on opens, clicks, bounces, and opt-outs.

Finally, I’d like to say a quick note on sending permission-based email rather than blasting. I dislike this dated phrase mostly because it flies in the face of email marketing’s elder cousin, direct mail. You don’t blast something at some general population and hope for a response. You send a targeted message directly to a relevant audience. Oh, and you can measure it. Heck, that’s direct marketing in a nutshell. Blasting uses junk mailer tactics to attack users’ inboxes. In the end, that’s where you end up when you abuse this special relationship — in spam folders wondering why you have more customers opting out of your program than you have opting in.

In times of economic hardship, many companies’ sole direct marketing expenditure is email. Email is modern direct marketing. When used wisely, email is an incredibly effective tool for keeping your brand in front of customers on a consistent basis. When cultivated and maintained, your email list will become an invaluable asset to your business as your customers will eagerly await seeing your brand in their inboxes.

Photo credit: husin.sani via Flickr

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