Bronto Blog

I recently attended a session at Internet Retailer 2008 Conference which focused on Social Networking. I was wary that the session would once again focus on why Social Media is growing and that it is a great marketing opportunity – which I have heard over and over for the past 24 months.

I really wanted the discussion to pivot around real life examples where marketers are utilizing these viral sites to sell their product and promote their brand. Heather Dougherty, Director of Research at Hitwise, gave me exactly what I was craving – a compelling and thought provoking session packed with great examples that I could internalize and run with.

I was inspired to re-think my overall concept on how marketers can empower consumers to become their “brand’s fans.”

As we all know, or at least have been told, Social Networks can build brand awareness and brand loyalty virally. Consumers of all ages are continually creating and updating their MySpace or Facebook pages with creative pulled from here, there and everywhere. Savvy marketers should be enabling their “brand’s fans” by giving consumers digital content that can simply be pulled down from your corporate site. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are like me, you wear more than just one hat. In addition to email marketing, you may also manage PPC, SEO, online advertising, or print. Some may even manage projects outside the scope of marketing. So how do you get everything done, but still have time to create relevant, timely email campaigns? Think trigger-based email messages.

A trigger-based email program puts the ease in email marketing. While creating workflow rules and implementation may seem tricky at first, the end result can be a truly relevant email campaign to customers and prospects that yields a greater ROI.

A few things to consider when creating a trigger-based email program:

1. Think customer first. What frequency of trigger-based campaigns will not bombard your customer or prospect leaving them fatigued from over-sending? What promotional opportunities make sense: cross-sell, up-sell, discounts, free shipping? The possibilities are limitless for how you will use trigger-based email campaigns, but always be cognizant of the impact on the customer. You want it to be a positive experience that reinforces trust. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently waxed philosophically about the wonder of Automated Messages - definitely the focal point of our Spring 2008 Release. Today I wanted to talk a bit about the process of fine tuning Automated Messages and the rules that control them to boost ROI.

Start at the beginning

No matter what your goal, you will be best served if you stop and think things through before you start. Understanding who you are communicating with and why you are communicating with them is critical to crafting an effective Automated Message. If you have planned thoroughly then the creation of your Automated Messages and Rules should be just a matter of selecting the right options & settings (which is why we created our easy to use Automated Message Rule Wizard).

Once your Automated Messages have been mailing for a little while, you will have some baseline metrics. With these metrics in hand you can start to make some changes. Because Automated Messages are continually being sent, you have the ability to easily carry out tests. With each test, change one thing, such as the subject line, intro copy, offer, or creative. Then watch your metrics to see if they go up or down. Through analyzing these results and optimizing the automated campaigns, you will be continually improving your metrics and ROI.

Read the rest of this entry »

Remarketing isn’t a new concept, but it is a seemingly underutilized resource.

Remarketing is the use of trigger-based campaigns to offset abandonment rates and win respondents back with a compelling and engaging offer, while creating new revenue out of previously missed opportunities.

In the past few years, however, remarketing has emerged as a successful technique for behaviorally targeting and messaging prospects and customers for those who choose to embrace the remarketing strategy. Think about the customer who comes to your website, adds several products to their shopping cart, but abandons the purchase. A well-defined remarketing strategy allows you a “second chance” at converting that respondent to an acquisition.

Most perceive remarketing as a non-necessity, but as you review your acquisition costs and acquisition rates, it’s important to pay attention to the number of respondents left on the table. Remarketing enables you to easily deploy a follow up strategy that targets that low hanging fruit.

Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve crafted a dynamic, relevant landing experience for your prospects based on their search criteria, now what? As you drive them to convert, regardless of acquisition model, the question remains…”How do you keep them engaged post-click?” Email marketing is an excellent way to communicate to your search engine marketing prospects with a highly relevant, engaging campaign. Consider the following:

• Including an email opt-in throughout the conversion cycle. Adding this small piece to a form, or through banner presence, will allow you multiple opportunities in the future to connect. Allowing preference management will also ensure that you deliver the most relevant email campaigns.

• Adding a transactional message post acquisition that includes cross-sell and up-sell opportunities as well as introduces new content or product, while reinforcing your brand. Read the rest of this entry »