Marketing Success ‘Boyles’ Down to the Basics

(As seen in this week’s E-centric enewsletter) It seems as e-communication evolves and proliferates, becoming more accessible and sophisticated, often marketers react by making their messages more comprehensive and thus complex. Instead, we should look at the growing landscape and plethora of e-media options as an opportunity to get back to the basics.

It’s imperative marketers recognize that customers and prospects get inundated with thousands and thousands of marketing messages each and every day. As such, our brains shift into overload mode and tune out the vast majority of these communications. Customers and prospects are all skeptical because of the sheer volume of marketing to which they are exposed.

So, where do you begin your travels back to the land of the basics? You start by making your messaging more about your audiences (less complicated) and more testable. READ ARTICLE  (by Grant A. Johnson)

To change or not to change your subject line, that is the question.

As an eMarketer, I’ll admit I am a bit addicted to testing subject lines in an effort to boost open rates. One client consistently receives 35 to 40+% open rates from its opt-in prospects (non-customers) for its quarterly enewsletters, while its customer open rates remain stagnant at 25 to 30+%. Rather than continuing to create very issue topic-specific subject lines, we’re now going to test more generic “Name of eNewsletter – Spring 2009) subject lines to uncover a possible change in open rates.

 

When moving forward with a subject line test, I am reminded that while there are published reports by reputable research firms that very straightforward, even “boring,” subject lines consistently and significantly beat “salesy” subject lines (e.g., MailChimp Study), there are, however, just as many reports and best practice studies (e.g., Lyris Tips) that warn eMarketers to focus their subject lines to avoid the “generic and boring.” Some marketers may fear that a more specific subject line will not resonate with all readers, but this should not be the case because your emails should be created and versioned for your targeted segments.

 

For email data junkies, testing and tracking subject lines (and a lot of other metrics) is really the only way you can move the needle in the right direction. But as much as it is addicting, it is hard work and requires open-mindedness, persistence and flexibility when looking at the data and making decisions moving forward.

 

The question: Do YOU change or choose not to change your subject lines? I’d love to know … email me at denise.hearden@johnsondirect.com.

 

Denise B. Hearden, eMarketing Director, Johnson Direct

More on the Power of the Internet and Globalization

If you had any doubts about the power of the Internet after viewing Grant’s post on Ms. Boyle’s performance, check out the some of the stats in another video: Shift Happens. It certainly got me thinking when it was shown as part of the program at a local Business Marketing Association meeting.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

Lisa L. Robbins, Vice President, Client Services, Johnson Direct
lisa.robbins@johnsondirect.com

 

Internet, Viral Marketing, New Unlikely Star

If anyone wants to question the power of the internet, site Bon Iver to start. But trumping him is a 47-year-old Scottish virgin who will likely become a very big vocal star thanks, completely, to the power of the internet and viral marketing. Over 15 million video views in less than a week, international TV coverage, an invite from Oprah and that’s in less than 7 days!

You HAVE to watch this video. Pay close attention to the reaction before, during and after Ms. Boyle’s performance.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. The proof is in the video.

Here is an article about her.

All I can say is WOW!

Grant A. Johnson

Baseball, The Bird and Marketing

I attended opening day at Miller Park to watch The Milwaukee Brewers win in the bottom of the ninth. My wife has gone to opening day 27 years in a row. Getting there was a pain, but I had the chance to spend the day with my best friend, my wife.

At the game we were talking about players and I mentioned the memorable Mark Fidrych. I even had the chance to see him pitch when I was younger, less gray and more worry-free. Imagine my disbelief when a few days later I am reading the paper and find out “The Bird” had died.

Personalities are what makes sports entertainment, dare I say, marketable. At least more marketable. Look at the Packers and Brett Favre, Payton and Eli, Muhammad, Jordan, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt. Who in baseball today can match Fidrych? People would pay simply to see him pitch. He was cheered at opposing stadiums and there was the desire to see him live.

For the record, I used to be a HUGE baseball fan. Two player strikes as a youth turned me toward football and I never looked back. But, I confess, thinking about watching Mark “The Bird” Fidrych brings me back to simpler times. He was outlandish but not controversial. He was just weird and likable and a good pitcher (at least his rookie season).

Today baseball has Bonds and A-Rod, but they don’t have a Fidrych. If they did, baseball would be more fun, more intriguing and even more marketable.

Grant A. Johnson

You are what you measure

I just read an interview with Goddess of PR Katie Delahaye Paine posted by TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog. I love this question and Paine’s answer.

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Q: Building a business case for PR and influence based digital marketing can be a challenge in a down economy. What practical advice do you have on how analytics and measurement play in that effort?

A: Be very clear about your goals. Goals drive the type of measurements you are going to use. So once you get everyone clear about the goals, then you can develop a meaningful measurement system. Are you trying to spend less money, then you need to measure cost savings, not “HITS”  if you want to change your image in the marketplace you can’t measure that with hits either, you need to look at positioning and messaging. Remember that you become what you measure, so you need to make sure your metrics line up with what you were hired to do. 

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This last sentence, “…you become what you measure, so you need to make sure your metrics line up with what you were hired to do,” gets me right here (I’m pointing to my heart). How true it is, whether you are on the agency side, or you’re the go-to marketing resource for your employer.

Even for an agency like Johnson Direct, whose motto is literally “Marketing that’s Measurable,” it is sometimes difficult to persuade our clients to step back and really think about exactly what they want out of their marketing initiatives/investments. Whether we’re developing a website, creating an email campaign, producing a direct mail program or preparing for a public relations launch, we always strive to guide our clients to identify one or more quantifiable objectives. I’m always surprised when more than seldomly, a client will say “we just want to meet our deadline,” or “we need to get the word out there,” or “we need to boost sales (but we don’t have any data to indicate the $s or %s we need to meet or exceed).”

I assume that if we were the typical design firm, ad agency or marcom firm, this wouldn’t really be such an issue. But for us, it is a true conundrum. We really, really care, and we want our marketing efforts to be strategic, measurable and successful.

Denise B. Hearden, eMarketing Director, Johnson Direct

The Creative Conundrum

Recently we were in a final pitch and lost. Losing hurts, but it also allows you to look back and find ways to improve. First there were 12; then 4; and finally just JD and another firm.

Some takeaways from the experience:

• Despite the critical importance of relevancy, better-looking creative still wins out. We can talk until our faces turn the same color as a Minnesota Viking uniform, but most marketing communication professionals put aside the results that win and gravitate toward “prettier”, “sexier”, usually less relevant creative work.  Facts can’t seem to win this argument.

• Clients say they want measurement in their marketing, but seem to prefer work that’s eye candy and get mesmerized away from the measurement equation and spellbound by the WOW. Measurement loses.
• PR is considered less important than gorgeous ads. PR is far more effective and can be measured if done correctly.
• A process that incorporates testing is dismissed and the “mass media” mindset takes ahold and refuses to let go. Process wins over gut instincts almost every time, but, again, it’s hard to “sell”.
• Brutal, and I do mean cut-to-the-core –honesty –  loses to a better presentation. I refuse to lie or stretch the truth to win business.

I am still fighting, however. At the end of the day, the C-suite still needs results, not pretty pictures. CMO tenures’ south of  18 months, why? Because they refuse to understand that great creative is the stuff that sells, not the kind that wins awards. I will continue to try and convince our clients and prospects alike about finding the critical balance between pretty and effective. The goal remains to help them grow.

If you both need and WANT measurable marketing that will drive revenue for you, I hope to hear from you soon.

Grant A. Johnson