3. Contact Information
Howard Flint Local “Expert”
Ghost Partner – Content Creation and Managed Marketing
Howard@GhostPartner.com
404-537-2166 xt. 2
Facebook.com/GhostPartner
LinkedIn.com/in/GhostPartner
@GhostPartner
Insight Provided by KnowHow
3
Visit: www.constantcontact.com/learning-center
4. Introduction
This presentation has three parts…
1 Connecting to build
customer relationships
2 Informing people who
will buy in to your
message
and share it with others
3 Growing your business
with engagement
marketing
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5. Section
1 CONNECT
Email Marketing Basics
Connecting with your customers
Engaging in profitable
customer communications
Using email and social media as
components of an engagement
marketing strategy
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6. Why Engage?
Q. Where will the majority of next
month’s business come from?
A. Existing customers
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7. Why Engage?
Q. What is your best source for
new business?
A. Existing customers
Engagement Marketing is using
technology to make “it” happen
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8. New tools have changed the game
Traditional Engagement
Marketing Marketing
Find FIND
Find
MORE
Convert Convert
Keep Keep
“Flip The Funnel: Retention is the New Acquisition”
- Joe Jaffe (@jaffejuice) 8
11. Five Types of People
Raving Fans Customers Prospects Suspects Disinterested
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12. Acquiring Customers
Time… Money… Energy… Effort
Takes 7 touches, on average, for a sale to occur
Some buy right away
Others research and try
Some show interest but don’t trust you
$
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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14. Why Email?
It’s cost-effective: Direct mail vs. email
For the same response, direct mail costs 20 TIMES
as much as email 1
Email ROI is the highest when compared
to other internet marketing mediums 2
1 Forrester Research, Inc.
2 Direct Marketing Association
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15. Email Marketing Is Not…
Junk email
Unsolicited and unwanted email
SPAM
Email from an unknown sender
Dubious opt-out (if any)
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16. Email Marketing Is…
Delivering professional
email communications
To an interested
audience
Containing information
they find valuable
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17. Basics of Email Marketing
Setting expectations
How many emails sent
When are emails sent
What type of information
Delivering on promises
Matching expectations
Providing relevant content
Abiding by CAN SPAM Act
Gaining permission
Do they know me?
Do they care?
Utilizing professional services
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18. Regular Email vs. Email Service
Provider
Standard email programs
(e.g. Outlook, Hotmail)
Limited # of emails sent at
one time
No formatting control
List break up more
susceptible to filters
No cohesive branding
No tracking and reporting of
email results
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19. Regular Email vs. Email Service
Provider
Email marketing services
automate best practices
Provide easy-to-use templates
Reinforce brand identity
Email addressed to recipient
only
Manage lists – adding new
subscribers, handling bounce-
backs, removing unsubscribers
Improve email delivery, track
results and obey the law
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20. Email Basics Checklist
Ask yourself before you begin email marketing…
Do repeat and referral customers help your business?
Do you have a plan for delivering multiple communications?
Is your audience interested in your message?
Is it valuable to them?
Can you make your emails look professional and reflect
your brand?
Do you have an Email Service Provider to help manage
your strategy?
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21. Section
1 CONNECT
Building a Quality Email List
The benefits of permission-
based marketing
Building a valuable contact list
Keeping your list current
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24. Build Your List Where You
Connect
Incoming or Events Email Place of Business Online
Outgoing Calls and Meetings Signature Guest Book Presence
4
2 3 5
1
57% of consumers will fill out
a card to receive email alerts
when asked to by a clerk at a
local small business.
Customer & Prospect Database
Source: Transact Media Group
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25. Integrate Email Marketing and
Social Media Marketing
Make social media
Make a Join My Mailing buttons a consistent
List available on all part of all emails.
social media platforms.
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26. Make it easy for people to SHARE
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27. Collecting Information and
Permission
Include your logo
and brand identity
Describe your email
content and how
often you’ll be
sending
Ask about your
customers’ interests C o n s i d e r
a s k i n g f o r
to stay relevant y o
a u
u
d
r
i e n c e ’ s
p r e f e r r e d
Ask for additional
s o c i a l
n e t w o r k .
contact information
when necessary
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28. Sending a Welcome Email
Include your logo
and brand identity
Personalize your
message
Reinforce permission
and ability to change
preferences
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30. List Building and Permission
Checklist
Ask yourself as you build your list…
Are you collecting contact information at every customer
touch point, including social media?
Are you asking for permission as well as contact information?
Are you clearly describing your email frequency and content?
Are you sending a welcome email or a confirmation email,
especially to those who have joined your list via social media?
Are you using permission and subscription reminders to
stay current?
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32. Section
2 INFORM
Creating Valuable Email Content
Determining what is valuable
to your audience
Choosing an effective
email format
Deciding what day and
time to send
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33. Content Has to Meet Your
Objectives
“I want to…”
Promote
Motivate purchases
Increase event attendance
Inform
Inform potential customers
Differentiate my business
Relate
Increase loyalty
Encourage more referrals
36
34. Content Has to Have Value
to Your Audience
Promotional Email
Discounts, coupons,
offers, incentives.
Relational Email
Savings Special privileges,
acknowledgement
Knowledge Quality
Informative Email
Advice, research,
facts, opinions, tips
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35. Coming Up With Valuable
Email and Social Content
Share your expertise
Use facts & testimonials
Give guidance & directions
Offer discounts & coupons
Exclusivity & VIP status
Hold contests & giveaways*
Acknowledge your audience
* Check applicable regulations
before deciding to hold a
contest or giveaway
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36. Keeping Email Content Concise
Host large bodies of content… Come with Parker Travel Adventure
On your website Group and meet fellow travel
enthusiasts near you. Join us for our
annual rafting trip August 23 _ 26,
In a PDF document starting at the base of Glen Canyon.
There are still six spaces available for
anyone interested in joining the group.
In a longer archived version Complete package start $399 with flights from New
York and Boston.
Email only essential information
Use bullets or summaries
Link directly to the information
Give instructions if necessary
Repurpose content sound bytes
for Social Media
Drive social content back to
Email Archive or Website
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38. Content is not limited to words.
Your organization has a story to tell.
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39. Content is a critical new skill
you NEED to learn, to thrive in
the new economy.
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40. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
41. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
42. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
43. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
3. Organize ahead of time
44. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
3. Organize ahead of time
4. Keep the post alive all month
45. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
3. Organize ahead of time
4. Keep the post alive all month
5. React appropriately
46. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
3. Organize ahead of time
4. Keep the post alive all month
5. React appropriately
6. Plan to be spontaneous
47. 7 Habits for Consistent Writing
(Email or Social Media)
1. Everything is content
2. Be consistent
3. Organize ahead of time
4. Keep the post alive all month
5. React appropriately
6. Plan to be spontaneous
7. Don’t be afraid
48. The world is ruled by content.
Big or small.
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49. Determine Appropriate Format
Newsletters
Frequency: Regular i.e. monthly / weekly
Lots of educational content (typically non-promotional)
Use bullets, summarize information, be concise
Promotions / Invitations / Surveys
Frequency: Depends on your business and sales cycle
Focus on promotion / limited content
Use content to invite click-through or other action
Announcements
Frequency: Event-driven
Press releases, holiday greetings, thank you cards…
Use content to build deeper relationships
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51. Customer Spotlight: BoardWalk Consulting LLC
List Size: 3,600
Open Rate: 35.5%
Location: Atlanta, GA
Customer Since: April, 2004
Website: www.boardwalkconsulting.com
Sends mostly-monthly newsletter, smorgasBoard, and
special announcements.
Mines campaign reports for topics of most interest, based
on click-through data.
Sees dramatic increase in web site traffic after each
campaign.
Readership and downloading of articles on web site has
more than doubled in past year, and business has grown
71%.
“Whenever we hit „send‟ on a campaign, the phone rings.”
Sam Pettway, founding director
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52. Definition: OPEN RATE
The email open rate is a measure primarily used by marketers as an indication of
how many people "view" or "open" the commercial electronic mail they send out.
Open rates are typically measured using an HTML <img> tag embedded in outgoing
emails, calling for a small, transparent tracking image. When
the client or browser used to display the email requests that image, then an "open"
is recorded for that email by the image's host server.
The open rate for an email sent to multiple recipients is then most often calculated
as the total number of "opened" emails, expressed as a percentage of the total
number of emails sent or -- more usually -- delivered. The number delivered is itself
measured as the number of emails sent out minus the number
of bounces generated by those emails.
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53. Branding Emails Consistently
Use different formats and
similar designs…
Include your logo
Use consistent colors
Use meaningful
graphics
Avoid drastic changes
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54. Calling Your Audience to Action
Calls to Action include…
Links to click on
Information to print out
Phone numbers to call
Instructions for reading the email
Instructions for saving the email
Describe the immediate
benefits…
What’s in it for your audience?
Why should they do it now?
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55. Frequency & Delivery Time
How often to send
Create a master schedule – be consistent!
Include frequency in online sign-up “Monthly Newsletter”
Keep content concise and relevant to planned frequency
Invest time to repurpose content on social channels
When to send
When is your audience most likely to read it?
Day of week (Tuesday & Wednesday)
Get the maximum
Time of day (10am to 3pm)
Impact with
Test for timing Minimum intrusion.
Divide your list into equal parts
Send at different times and compare results
Re-stimulate social conversations: repost, retweet
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56. Email Content Checklist
Ask yourself as you create content…
Are you trying to promote, inform, or relate?
What is your audience interested in?
Is your email format branded and supportive of your message?
Is your email concise and does it include a strong call to action?
Does your content match your frequency and timing?
Are you consistently repurposing valuable content on social
channels and investing time to engage and respond?
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57. Getting Email Opened
The “From” line – Do I know you?
Use a name your audience
recognizes
Include your organization Matt Long
Lynn.Mann@AOL.com
name or brand
Joe Hahn
Nancy Feldman
Refer to your business in the
same way your audience does
Be consistent
60% of consumers say
the "from" line most often
determines whether they
open an email or delete it.
Source: DoubleClick
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58. Create a Great Subject Line
The “Subject” line – do I care?
Keep it short and simple
30-40 characters including
spaces (5-8 words)
Incorporate the immediate benefit Matt Long
of opening the email Lynn.Mann@AOL.com
Joe Hahn
Capitalize and punctuate carefully Nancy Feldman
Avoid copying the techniques
inherent in spam emails
X
Email messages that mention 30% of consumers say the Emails with shorter
Facebook in the Subject Line “subject" line most often subject lines significantly
will have a 32% higher open determines whether they outperformed emails with
rate than those that don’t. open an email or delete it. longer subject lines.
-Worldata, 2011 Source: DoubleClick - MailerMailer
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59. Create a Great Subject Line
The longer the length (in characters) of a B2C
email subject line, the higher its open, click, and
click-to-open rates, finds Adestra in a July 2012
study of 932 million emails from more than
40,000 campaigns across 6 sectors, sent over a
6-month period.
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60. Avoiding “Spam-speak”
The words: free, guarantee, spam, credit card etc.
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
Excessive punctuation !!!, ???
Excessive use of “click here”
$$, and other symbols
No “From:” address
SPAM
Misleading subject lines
Example: Typical spam “From” and “Subject” lines
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61. Measuring Effectiveness:
The Swinery
The Swinery is a
specialty butcher shop in
Seattle
They sent an email
newsletter to 3,765
subscribers
Received 816 opens
(22%)
But it was viewed an
additional 485 times &
”liked” by 181 readers
Represents a 60%
increase in reach
66. Measure Increases in Overall
Reach
Social Stats shows “Shares” and “Likes” for Shared Email Campaigns
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67. Deal with Bounced &
Blocked Email
Non-existent address
Check for obvious misspellings
Bounce Management
Try to obtain a new address
Undeliverable/mailbox full/
email blocked
Try re-sending later
Correct temporary issues
Obtain a new address if a
recurring issue is present
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70. Understand Unsubscribe Requests
An unsubscribe request
happens when your
subscriber no longer
wants to receive your
emails
Offer your subscribers
permanent list removal
Best practice is automatic
removal with an
unsubscribe link
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71. Reduce Unsubscribe Requests
Why do people unsubscribe?
Over-communication
Irrelevant content
Poor targeting
Enable your audience
to leave comments
when unsubscribing
from your list
Take action on feedback
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72. Email Tracking and Response
Checklist
Ask yourself after you send…
Are there any bounced or blocked emails that require attention?
Is your open rate trending upward or downward?
Are you measuring your increase in overall reach, including social networks?
Did your audience take action on your email by clicking through or forwarding
your email? What were they interested in? Are you encouraging online reviews
by these customers?
Did anyone unsubscribe from your list? Did they give you actionable
feedback?
Did you identify any areas for improvement so your next email is more targeted
and more effective?
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73. Use NutshellMail to Engage,
on Your Time
Track your Page Insights
Sign up for a Free
NutshellMail Account.
www.nutshellmail.com
Read Fan comments
Reply from your Inbox
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74. Constant Contact® - A Complete Offering!
Social
Campaigns
GhostPartner.com 87
75. The Next Opportunity…
Are you “Local”?
Local Internet
Marketing
Local Directories | Reputation Management | Online Reviews | MORE…
Thursday November 15th
9am-11:00am
@
Aurora Cineplex
GhostPartner.com
80. Thank You for attending!
Howard Flint Local “Expert”
Ghost Partner – Content Creation and Managed Marketing
Howard@GhostPartner.com
404-537-2166 xt. 2
Facebook.com/GhostPartner
LinkedIn.com/in/GhostPartner
@GhostPartner
Insight Provided by KnowHow
94
Visit: www.constantcontact.com/learning-center
81. The Next Opportunity…
Are you “Local”?
Local Internet
Marketing
Local Directories | Reputation Management | Online Reviews | MORE…
Thursday November 15th
9am-11:00am
@
Aurora Cineplex
GhostPartner.com
Notas do Editor
Why is engagement marketing critical to your success? Your best source of new business are your existing customers
Engagement Marketing is using technology to make this happen. Email marketing is a critical component of an Engagement Marketing strategy.
Email marketing allows you to build trusting relationships and nurture early relationships, while acquiring some new customers from your passionate customersSocial media marketing uses your raving fans to acquire new customers, connect with prospects and begin nurturing deeper relationshipsEmail marketing should encourage broader relationships through social media marketingSocial media marketing should encourage deeper relationships through email marketing
There are 5 stages in a relationship, or 5 types of people:(Click) Raving Fans: Customers with a high level of loyalty, trust, & engagement. They willingly refer others to you and your business.(Click) Customers: Those buying from you already. These are people who have engaged as a customer at some point in the past. May be willing to try alternatives if encountered.(Click) Prospects – those that have a connection to you via a person, product, or service, but may not know of you yet. A connection exists for you either directly or indirectly through a Raving Fan or a Prospect. Is likely to need the services you provide in the future.(Click) Suspects – These folks are inclined to do business with you someday, but no connection exists. No direct or indirect connections exist. Is likely to want or need the services you provide in the future.(Click) Disinterested – those that have no interest and who will never buy a product or service from you. It’s better to build credibility here and direct them to what they’re interested inIt makes sense to use your marketing resources wisely… with the people who count!Now you can resourcefully apply new tools to acquire, connect, engage, and grow new customer relationships. (Click) Social media marketing uses your Raving Fans to acquire and engage new customers, [Click] connect with prospects, and begin fostering deeper relationships
Easily integrate your Email Marketing efforts with your social media marketing efforts in order to capture contacts wherever your audience is. Make a Join My Mailing List box or link available on all your social media sites and website Include social media icons in a consistent and prominent place in your Emails, so folks will have an easy way to connect with you on your social presences, too.
I want to spend the next 30 minutes talking to you about content, how to generate it and how to use it. You probably already know that you should be using it, you just may not know HOW to get it done. I hope to give you some tools to help.First off, how many of you HAVE a newsletter or blog? Ok, keep your hands up IF you publish content on regular basis? How many of you have that as a 2012 goal: Start a Newsletter/Social Media/Blog?
I want to spend the next 30 minutes talking to you about content, how to generate it and how to use it. You probably already know that you should be using it, you just may not know HOW to get it done. I hope to give you some tools to help.First off, how many of you HAVE a newsletter or blog? Ok, keep your hands up IF you publish content on regular basis? How many of you have that as a 2012 goal: Start a Newsletter/Social Media/Blog?
Content is the Killer App.Your business is the ‘platform’.
7 steps to writing a great story
Identify your audienceWhom are you targeting? Potential clients, existing customers, your employees, your peers? Write as if you’re talking to them.
2. Get organizedDefine your purpose. What do you want to accomplish in this particular piece? Write it down at the top of your file/paper and keep it on top of your brain.
3. Incorporate your passionYou do what you do well. Others could learn a thing or two from you. When you speak/write passionately, you are more memorable and that is key in getting people to read your content.
4. Use storiesReports transfer information; stories convey emotion, which is more memorable? Just because you’re writing about your business experience doesn’t mean it can’t have emotion (and passion) attached. Audiences can’t stand overly clinical, mechanical or robotic material. I always recommend case studies from your own business if possible.
5. “Save string” Collect quotes, insight, anecdotes and research that underpin your points. Keep a notebook or computer file and fill it up. Evernote anyone?
6. Prioritize – this is close to “Get Organized” What’s the most important part of the message? Hone in on that and don’t meander. Stay on point.
7. Create a knowledge gapTell the audience something they don’t know. Create curiosity... an “intellectual itch” they’ve just gotta scratch.
The world is ruled by content. Some big and some small. If you are consistent and sound informed, it can really GROW you business.
Let’s look at a case study of how one small business measures the overall effectiveness of their social media efforts. The Swinery, a specialty butcher shop in Seattle, measures effectiveness by “Reach”. They:Sent an email newsletter to 3,765 subscribersReceived 816 opens (22%)BUT it was viewed an additional 485 times, and Liked by 181 readers, representing a 60% increase in reach compared to normal email marketing efforts. This was due to the inclusion of a share bar in the header of their email campaign.
Email Service Providers can help you track lots of positive and negative results even if your audience doesn’t directly respond, and you can track direct responses back to specific individuals. Here how it works.When you send an email, your Email Service Provider automatically adds special code that enables the tracking of certain responses. It’s possible to trackWhich emails bounced and why they bouncedWhich emails received spam complaintsWho opted out of receiving future emailsWho enabled the images to display in their emailWho clicked the links in your emailWho forwarded your email to someone elseLet’s look at what you should be keeping track of and what you can do with this information.
In addition to Email Report Tracking, use tools which measure increases in overall “reach” which includes comprehensive tracking on social networks, including: Likes, Follows, Shares, etc.
When your bounce report tells you that an email address is non-existent, or no longer valid:You can check for obvious misspellings. For example, an email address that ends in ‘@hotmail.comm’ can be easily corrected. If it isn’t obvious, don’t guess. Email addresses can be odd and you don’t want to mistakenly send someone an email they didn’t ask for. You can contact the subscriber for new or corrected information or delete him or her from your list if you aren’t able to determine whether the email is misspelled. It’s a good idea to collect alternative contact information from your customers in case they change email addresses without notifying you.When your bounce report tells you that the server was down, the mailbox was full, or the email was blocked:You can try to send the email later and watch for trends.If the emails get through after trying again or making alterations (i.e. sending a text-only version of your email), make note of the changes or start a separate list for email addresses with known issues. If the emails repeatedly bounce, you’ll probably have to obtain a new address if practical.
When you repurpose your great email content on your social channels, you can use NutshellMail to quickly engage and respond in in real-time, in minutes a day.NutshellMail from Constant Contact is an easy, free way to monitor all your social media activity in minutes a day. NutshellMail is a free monitoring tool that brings a summary of your social network updates to your inbox in a single email on your schedule.Constant Contact's NutshellMail supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp, Foursquare, Citysearch, and MySpace.
Constant Contact provides you with a complete offering of online marketing tools to help you succeed in staying in touch with your customers and growing your business.
If you have trouble in any of these areas, I would love to talk with you. Ghost can help you with
Content creation and strategy for newsletter or Blog. We can get “just about anything” written. Social Media branding and strategy Custom Email Templates Press Releases and Distribution SEO and Website work And something brand new…
Whether we do it for you, or help you do it yourself, we want to start using “The Killer App”. THX for your time. Can I answer any questions? I will be out front at the Ghost Booth. I would love to speak with you.
Good morning, my name is Howard Flint with Ghost Partner. We are a full service marketing firm specializing in CONTENT. To simplify that:“We write it. You publish it”