Bronto Blog

When I say Viget Rocks, I’m not talking about their 2007 Holiday Project (although that was pretty cool). Instead, what I’m referring to is Viget’s July 2008 newsletter. Overall, I’d give it an A-. I’ll use Lisa Harmon’s recent post on the 7 Message Components as my guide as we step through Viget’s email. In order to follow along with the components below, please click on the image to the right.  In Firefox, you may have to zoom in to see the full image.

1. Preheader: Viget misses the boat on this one. You could (maybe) argue that the forward link is part of the preheader, but that would be a stretch. Not a huge deal, especially as this newsletter was more informational vs. promotional, but certainly on the list of talking points for the next Viget call.

2. Header and Navigation: Creative, witty, and warm - Love to see the word “Thanks” and the phrase, “We think you’re the coolest” in the header. Also really like the Web 2.0 “July 2008″ - highlighted, ripped off piece of notebook paper. Hip. Cool. 2.0.

3. Primary Message: The above-the-fold, primary message, was clear and concise. It was an invitation to read the Viget Happenings; a recap of the goings on. But…lots of links. More on that below.

4.Table of Contents (TOC): I’m not a huge fan of TOCs (as noted in the comments section of Lisa’s post), and Viget’s newsletter doesn’t include one.  However, the message is short enough that a TOC is not necessary. A good thing. So, no points off for a missing TOC.

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Permission based list rental can be an effective email acquisition tactic if done properly. There are several definitions of list rental that exist out there and depending on which strategy you utilize, each can produce a different outcome. Determining factors can be practices used by the party you are renting from to the way you manage the acquisition post-click. The key to effective list rental is to ensure that it is indeed permission-based and utilize best practices when including as an acquisition tool.

So what does this mean to email marketers using list rental as an acquisition strategy?  First and foremost, it means that you need to be sure that the list members have explicitly opted in for third-party email from your list provider. Secondly, that you should not choose lists and list providers where you are given direct access to the recipients for the initial send.  Only after they respond to your email campaign should you receive contact client data. You should make certain that the permission-based list isn’t sent by you, but the party to which the subscriber originally opted in to receive third party emails. Sounds easy, but it isn’t. Many companies stray from this standard subscriber-based list rental practice and may even allow you to send to these names directly. Keep in mind that if this is allowed, you may cause yourself a world of deliverability and SPAM issues.

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The power to persuade a consumer to click within your message is only heightened with a Preheader.

During this episode of BrontoFire, we explore the effectiveness of this email marketing element by focusing on four major online retail campaigns: Bed Bath & Beyond, Brooks Brothers, Expedia and Orvis. We review and debate the strength and execution of each Preheader in an effort to find the strongest example to follow.

Can’t watch the video? Try viewing it on YouTube.

Listen and learn by watching our video now and plan to utilize a Preheader in your next campaign.

Tune in next month, when we analyze how online retail messages render with Images Off and On.

Kimberly Snyder and DJ Waldow
Account Managers at Bronto

A few years back at Bronto, I spent my days “closing deals” as a member of the sales team. While I certainly don’t remember every single prospect/client I spoke with, I do recall quite a few. One in particular stuck out in my mind because of their interesting name (OrangeCoat), in vogue philosophy (open source), and memorable names of the co-founders (Adam and Evan).

I first spoke with Adam and Evan in early 2006. To make a long story short, the timing was not right for them to invest time/money into Bronto. Fast forward 2 1/2 years (not a typo…I wrote years) and this email arrived in my Bronto inbox.

From: Adam Gautsch
Subject: What’s Cooking at OrangeCoat?

Creative copy. Catchy subject line. I marked it as junk. Why? While my memory is fairly good, I did not immediately recall who Adam Gautsch was nor did I recognize the company name OrangeCoat. Spam. Wait…spam is unsolicited email, right? I gave OrangeCoat permission to email me 2 years ago. That’s explicit permission, right?

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As I was sitting at the Online Marketing Summit Milwaukee Regional, Aaron Kahlow, began to discuss the state of online marketing today. His message was really that we need to become relevant for our customers and prospects online. With the emergence of social media and the transition of more customers shifting online, why does it feel as though we as marketers are merely hitting the snooze button, and not acting on what we already know to be the case….our prospects and customers are engaging online.

When was the last time your website had any major attention including embracing new web 2.0 technologies, or your email campaigns got a much needed facelift? Are you engaging your prospects and customers through social media? These are critical questions we as marketers need to ask ourselves as marketing has shifted from a mass “buy me” audience to a personalized one to one “buy me”.

So what does this all mean? If you haven’t considered your website function as your corporate brand, you should. Your website is your central headquarter for all marketing activities. Everything flows through your website: search engines, catalogs, direct mail, trade shows, magazines, newspapers, blog & community sites, banner advertisements, email marketing, and more. It has become the calling card for your company. So as a marketer, think about the experience and how it responds to your customer and prospect’s expectations. Users want control and they want to engage with your brand. Do you offer that on your current site?

The same can be said for your email marketing, your prospects and customers want the messages to be relevant, engaging and allow them to control the experience. Are you offering subscribers the option to set their preferences or are you creating interactive ways to keep your subscribers engaged in your email campaigns?
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