Marketing Insights

We spend a lot of time in B2B marketing talking about email segmentation, but I recently came across a great example of website segmentation that I’d like to share: www.rallydev.com.

The folks at Rally Software help organizations develop software using Agile practices, so they have several possible purchasers at a company all the way from a Developer to a VP. Take a look at this screen shot from their home page:

I really like this guided, personalized approach because it takes the guesswork out of the web experience for the visitor. If I’m a developer, I can listen to another developer describe the benefits of Rally’s solution. Quick and simple. I don’t have to wade through pages of information to get to the heart of what matters to me.

In the demo center, this concept is carried through again with role-based demos:

Yes, there are product-specific demos on this page as well, but you have to scroll down to find them, presumably for people further along in the buying cycle who are willing to spend a bit more time on the site.

Do you use this guided approach on your website? Have you seen another great example of this concept? Please let me know by sharing a comment.

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Now let’s talk copywriting…your email and landing page copy is intended to get the person to convert right? Get them to click through or submit a form…

Everyone is busy, so we need to make sure it’s relevant and compelling, so we don’t get ignored!

So here are your 4 copywriting dos…

1. Get to the point! We’ve all seen the never-ending email…you need to capture attention, so get to the point as quickly as possible…short paragraphs, short sentences…create the urgency with an active voice

2. Be relevant! Use real data to make key points, helps with credibility and proof, make sure your content and your offer is relevant to the audience.

3. Be real! Enough with the corporate speak, get real and have a conversation, using simple and conversational words. Use industry or technical language depending on your audience, but avoid catch phrases, clichés or buzz words

4. Get a response! Don’t make the user scroll, place the primary call-to-action links above the fold

So let’s summarize…Get to the Point, Be Relevant, Be Real, Get a Response.

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According to MarketingSherpa, webinars are “one of the top two lead-generation tactics for B-to-B marketing”. That, with the current economic climate, gives you a great reasons to include webinars in your marketing strategy. So… Where do you start?

• What should your topic be and who should present it?
• When is the best day to host the event?
• Who should you invite?

WHAT
First you need to determine your topic. You may know exactly what your prospects and customers are looking for in an online event, but if you don’t… surveys can help discover content they are seeking. Post a survey on your website or include in your newsletter to help you identify topics your audience finds significant.

Once you have your topic, you need to find speakers. We all know that using a 3rd party expert will add credibility to your event. But in addition to inviting industry experts or analysts to speak, consider inviting your customers as thought leaders – they can share how they’ve been able to drive success, what lessons they’ve learned, as well as discuss where they stand on critical issues.

WHEN
Now, what is the best day to have your online event? In Bulldog Solution’s Marketing Watchdog Journal, Ken Molay, President, Webinar Success, shared results from his survey on Best Webinar Times. When asked, Ken’s typical answer is Tuesday through Thursday, a little before lunch or a little after lunch depending on your time zone. The results of his survey, when people were asked to pick a single day they would most likely attend a webinar, showed that he was right for the most part. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s were clear winners… but Friday came in a surprising third at 18%. Timing may be different for your audience, so test various days and times to determine when is most effective for you.

WHO
Once you’ve determined what and when, you need to figure out who. Who is your target audience? Consider the relevancy of the content as you develop your list. Is it focused on a specific industry, or product, or role within an organization? Is it more relevant to someone who has attended a previous event or downloaded a white paper on the same topic? Does it align to where an individual is in their buying cycle?

In the end, the quality of your list will affect the results of your online event attendance, so don’t BATCH AND BLAST, be relevant!

WHAT’S NEXT
Once you’ve figured out WHAT, WHEN and WHO, you’ll need to focus on driving registration. Check out Steve Wood’s recommendations in his post on Four Practices to Increase Webinar Effectiveness.

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Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Ever heard that saying?  Well, I can’t tell you how many marketers when asked, “What results have you received?” They answer with, I don’t know or I can’t track or report properly.

So if you execute marketing programs and do not know what to expect, but keep executing, are you insane?  No, not necessarily.  Before marketing automation, my day-to-day professional life was the definition of insanity.  Every day I repeated the same actions and expected a different result…or at least hoped for a different result.   I expected my funnel to improve, but had no ability to measure the results.

Once I implemented marketing automation I had the ability to measure results. From there I was able to make sure I didn’t spend my time executing programs that didn’t make sense.  We figured out what worked and what didn’t work based on lead source tracking from inquiry to opportunity close.  We created personas and marketed to them based on tracking activities and behavioral criteria.  We did more of the things that worked and less of what didn’t…therefore we were more efficient and effective.

Insanity no more!

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We all know that email marketing success is dependent on many factors, but one of the most critical elements is your subject line.  What’s interesting is that many companies still spend little time thinking about and testing the subject line ,as compared to the time they devote on developing the email design and call to action. In the end… the reality is that MORE people will see the subject line than they will your email copy and beautiful images.

Subject line length is often talked about as an important factor to consider. We’ve been hearing for a few years “shorter is better,” that the subject line needs to be 5 to 6 words and/or no more than 30 characters. But is LENGTH really the deciding factor for someone opening an email? Or even more important does subject line length drive response?

Almost every one quickly scans his or her inbox, perhaps through a preview pane, and looks for messages they actually care about.  Then they’ll decide to keep reading based on the two things they see: 

• – their relationship with you (the sender)
• – the first 35-50 characters of the subject line

After this brief glance, they’ll determine if the email is worth opening or not. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple ‘subject line formula’ like  (Value Proposition + (2 * Timeliness)) + Relevancy ?

While there have been studies that clearly state ‘shorter subject lines performed better than longer ones’, there are others that show while shorter subject lines optimize open rates, longer subject lines optimize click throughs.  Studies however fail to take into account relevancy, creativity, humor, timeliness, creating a sense of urgency, piquing curiosity, using action words, ensuring the subject line is relevant to the call-to-action – elements used to create a strong subject line. And it’s strong subject lines that will increase response to your emails.

As you plan your next email campaign be sure to take time in developing your subject line. Consider the following:

1. What is the purpose of the email? Who is the audience? What is the response your are trying to achieve?
2. Does the email answer the recipients question “Is this email worth looking at now… or later… or not at all?”
3. If the recipient opens the email… does the copy meet the expectations set by the subject line?
4. LENGTH – what does the recipient see, how much of it does she actually read?
   – Generally, shorter is better. Many email clients & all mobile devices limit the number of characters that display in the subject line field. So keep the subject line as short as possible but make sure that it still conveys the value of your message.
   – Use longer subject lines when there is a compelling reason – remembering to ‘front load’ the most important information.
5. Finally… Test. Test. Test. Shorter may work better for a single offer promotion, while an informational email offering industry updates may need a longer subject line to convey the value. Keep in mind, only 25 percent of marketers are testing subject lines on a regular basis. Be the marketer who knows which subject lines maximize both opens and conversions.

Email subject line success is based on many factors. Although length should be considered, don’t make it your top priority at the risk of compromising other elements that will drive response. At the end of the day, there is no ‘magic subject line length’.

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You’re probably familiar with the little text at the top of email messages directing people to “Click here to view this email as a web page”. Here are common phrases that I’ve seen lately:

• Trouble viewing this message? Click here to see it as a web page.
• If you’re having trouble reading this message, read the online version.
• Are you having difficulty viewing our HTML email? View the online version.
• (Many of them add “Do not reply to this message”, which I find to be rather unfriendly.)

Do you notice a theme with all of the above? They start out with a negative: trouble, difficulty, do not.

This is your first impression, especially on a Blackberry or similar device, why not use this tiny little text to put your best foot forward? Today I received a wonderfully different option in my personal email from KnitPicks: “Can’t see our gorgeous images? Click here.” 

What a great tone! And guess what… it worked!

So here’s your Friday Quick Tip: Why not take a little time today and update your current email headers or create some new ones with an intriguing, welcoming, fun tone? These headers are often your very first impression to recipients, so get creative and use this valuable real estate wisely.

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