You hear lots of excuses reasons why B2B companies can’t participate in social media. One reason I hear frequently . . . “We’re a B2B company.”
This is code for, “We’re a traditional company,” “We sell widgets,” “Our products don’t lend themselves to social media,” “Our company is run by staid old men who don’t ‘get’ it,” “Social media won’t give us the leads we need,” or “There’s no real ROI.”
True, true.
I recently stumbled across Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett, of Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua, New Hampshire, who is using social media to reach out to busy congregants.
A little bit of back story: as with many organized religions, Jewish congregations struggle to reach people who are very busy with work, kids, etc. Education and learning is the lifeblood of Judaism — but getting people to temple on Saturdays, when kids have their athletic events and other activities, is difficult (even more so when parents of pre-teen kids have to schlep them to Hebrew school on Sunday mornings — who wants to blow off two weekend mornings at temple?).
Instead of making people feel guilty about not attending temple, or banging his head trying to develop “innovative” programming designed to get people in the door, Rabbi Jon has developed a series of weekly blog posts and monthly podcasts to reach people where they congregate — online. Think about what this outreach does:
It helps congregants feel connected to the temple, the Rabbi and the community and instead of a full meal, it gives people “bites” that they can consume in between dealing with kids and work.
It helps those people shopping for a new temple to get to know Rabbi Jon and his philosophies before they even set foot in the door.
Even better, however, it helps draw people back into the temple — for holidays, for events, and for Saturday services. Why is that? Because people feel engaged and connected.
Think about how you can use social media to help prospects and customers feel connected with your company.
Instead of saying, “We’re traditional,” use social media to become a little bit untraditional, the way Infor is doing with its “Big ERP” campaign.
Instead of saying, “Our products don’t lend themselves to social media,” look for ways to educate people about your industry and help solve their challenges / problems through information-rich content.
Instead of worrying about ROI, start engaging your prospects. Use social media to meet people where they congregate — online! — and get to know them. Offer them the content they need to make purchasing decisions, answer their questions, and introduce them to others in your network.
Once they feel engaged and connected with you and your company, they have a much higher chance of becoming long-term customers.
How do you generate awareness for your company when your industry is defined by two Goliaths — namely SAP and Oracle? That’s the question that confronted Infor, a company that develops and sells ERP and other software solutions designed specifically for mid-market companies.
With over 70,000 customers, Infor has a strong mid-market presence — with very low name recognition. (In fact, I had not heard of Infor until I first saw their ad in the Wall Street Journal.)
Although SAP and Oracle have been moving into the mid-market with their own offerings, the market has been very poorly served. Designed for the biggest companies, “Big ERP” — as Infor calls it — was retrofitted for the mid-market, and in the process, has created a great deal of frustration.
“According to market research by analysts such as Forrester, people know of Oracle and SAP, and then you drop way down and a bunch of companies get mentioned, including ours,” says Dave Alampi, Infor’s VP of Marketing Strategy and Services.
“We wanted to move the needle on unaided awareness and preference and wanted people to think ‘Infor’ when they considered a business software solution. We wanted to take the big guys to task and create a campaign that would touch a nerve and connect what people were thinking about the market.”
Here’s how Infor set out to achieve these objectives.
Step #1: Develop a message and test it.
Infor’s Cambridge, Massachusetts agency PJA Marketing + Advertising, developed the campaign, which features the “Big ERP” characters who represent the frustrations mid-market companies have with regard to Big ERP software.
“We gave these characters personality,” says Mike O’Toole, President of PJA. “Our creative staff gave them a fun voice — and this voice worked naturally with the social media elements of the campaign. Infor began testing the “Big ERP” concept message to determine if it resonated with customers and prospects — which it did, in virtually every geography tested.”
Step #2: Get C-suite buy-in.
When asked if they had push back with regard to using social media and the Big ERP characters for the campaign, Alampi and O’Toole both said the top brass at Infor believed the campaign was the right thing to do.
One lesson marketers can learn is that it pays to have marketing strategy that’s based on business objectives and real world research — which is especially helpful when you have a new CMO come in when you’re in the middle of creating the campaign.
“We reviewed our goals with Robert Humphrey, our new CMO,” reports Alampi, “as well as the thinking behind the campaign, the details and media strategy, and our research and test results. He became a strong advocate very quickly.”
Adds O’Toole, “Infor isn’t opposed to social media nor do they believe in doing it just because ‘everybody’ else is. To back up our recommendation for social media integration, we used data from IDG Connect which showed that close to 80% of decision makers in the software adoption process use information from social media channels. We were able to prove that prospects and customers in Infor’s industry use social media to make purchasing decisions.”
Step #3: Create external and internal campaign components.
In addition, Infor ran an internal contest for employees on who could develop the best video or submit the funniest photos. To generate excitement, the company created full-sized cut-outs of the Big ERP characters, mouse pads, etc.
“We had lots of employee engagement,” says Alampi, “and over 40 submissions, including three videos, from individuals and groups around the world. Our employees really understand the frustration in the market and are very excited about this campaign.”
Once the campaign went live, Infor and PJA began engaging market influencers by following editors and analysts who write about ERP. “We commented on their Tweets and blog posts and after awhile, they started commenting back. We have over 300 followers now for our Big ERP Twitter feed — and while that sounds like a small number, these are highly influential people,” says O’Toole.
Step #4: Measure results.
Because the goal of the campaign was to raise brand awareness, Infor will be looking at its market awareness every six months and retesting to see how far they’ve moved the needle. The team is also looking at the impact on its sales pipeline and the number of hand raises due to the campaign microsite and traffic to the Infor site plus the 29 country sites.
And, the company will be tracking RFPs and RFIs to see if these numbers increase as well as the impact of social media on the broader conversation. The team is using Radian6 to look at naturally occurring conversation around ERP and the mid-market within the blogosphere, list serves, and social networks.
“We want to know,” says O’Toole, “how much of this conversation includes Infor and how we can increase natural mentions within conversations.”
When asked what other large companies like Infor can learn from the campaign, Alampi said, “You have to follow through. Our CEO, Jim Schaper, wanted to be bold and make a bold statement. As a marketer, you hear this often but once the C-suite sees what ‘bold’ looks like, ideas get watered down or campaigns canceled altogether.”
“Schaper wanted a bold campaign with a sense of humor,” continues Alampi, “and this gave PJA the freedom to develop ‘Big ERP.’ It’s different, it’s getting people’s attention, and people are responding to it. The campaign, which has yet to be launched in Europe and Asia Pacific, is already paying off. In fact, we’ve even received a couple of leads via Twitter, which was completely unexpected!”
The print ad at the right, which ran in today’s Wall Street Journal, caught my eye due to its use of color and the “Boss Tweed”-like graphic.
And, I love the headline. “Don’t Know What Big ERP’s Complicated Technology Can Do For You? Don’t Worry, Neither Does Big ERP.” Ha!
I also like that the ad comes with a targeted URL that relates to the ad copy: DownWithBigERP.com.
When you click on the URL, you get taken to a landing page filled with “we, we, we” jargon. Love it! The landing page then burns away to Infor’s site — the company offering alternative CRM/ERP software.
Of course, I immediately looked for the Twitter icon so that I could follow them, and there it was, right at the top of the page. (Screen name is @infor. I’m now following the company.)
You often hear that social media isn’t for B2B or that traditional marketing methods no longer work. Infor is a great example of how to drive leads to a microsite through an engaging print ad, and then keep them on your site with engaging content. And, if you’re not quite ready to work with Infor, you can follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Brigantine Advisors analyst Colin Gillis is quoted as saying, “LinkedIn is not really a community as much as a collection of names. [LinkedIn is] definitely in danger of losing the business-networking market.”
The article goes on to say that people spend more time on other social networking / social media sites than they do on LinkedIn — and that LinkedIn wants users to participate on its site more often.
Dear Adam Nash and the Powers that Be at LinkedIn, here are some tips for you to help you meet that objective.
1. Don’t become a Facebook wannabe.
Despite its astounding growth, Facebook isn’t for everyone. I listen to many people who admit they don’t have a Facebook account or that they have one but use it only for personal reasons — versus using it for business.
LinkedIn serves a real purpose — it’s a business networking site. Don’t lose sight of that objective. You do fill a real need in the marketplace.
2. Build more unlocked gates in your wall.
In the same way that you allow people to post public profiles with “vanity” URLs, also allow Group leaders to develop vanity URLs for their Groups. This way they can then promote their Groups on Twitter, blogs, e-newsletters, etc.
I have had many situations where I want to get people to my Group for a terrific discussion, but have to post a URL that is open to Group members only. Non-Group members should be able to read discussions and if they want to post, they then must become members.
3. Promote Groups based on high-value activity, not number of members.
Based on the feedback I hear from my own Group members, many Group owners don’t take an active role in moderating discussions or removing spam posts. Many Groups have thousands of members but little in the way of real high-value discussion activity.
Instead of promoting Groups based on sheer numbers of members (which really means nothing), promote those Groups whose owners and members actively participate. Perhaps you could feature ten well-moderated Groups every week — and those Groups who have been featured could receive a special badge.
4. Give Group Owners a special badge.
You let LinkedIn members promote their various Group affiliations on their profile pages, but you don’t give any method for Group Owners to display that they’re in charge of a Group. Help Group Owners better promote their Groups with a special badge that they can add to their LinkedIn profile page, Twitter page, and blog / Website.
And while I’m on the subject of Groups, add an Events tab to the Group function. That way people can feature the events relevant to their specific Group.
5. Use video to show LinkedIn newbies how to better use LinkedIn.
When I recommend to my clients who don’t use LinkedIn that they use the platform for business purposes (outside of job hunting), they usually ask why. Unfortunately, LinkedIn has a reputation of being that place where you “post your resume.” Of course, nothing is further from the truth.
One way you can get around this is by posting video of real LinkedIn members who are using the platform to network and conduct business. You could also post video of how to set up an effective profile — again, using real members.
6. Ask people how they’re using LinkedIn, make it easier for them to do more of it — and then promote the hell out of it.
At the last presentation I gave, I learned that many people use LinkedIn’s TripIt feature to let their network know when and where they’re traveling. Apparently, TripIt makes it easier to book appointments with people in their network. I did not know this and found it fascinating.
And, while mucking about in LinkedIn just this week, I realized that people can follow the book list I’m building. Amazing.
LinkedIn, you definitely need to better communicate the features you’re offering people. For example, I just read on your blog that the iPhone App 3.0 was just released.
However, the link to your blog is located at the footer of your Website. If you’re going to announce news this way, perhaps your blog should be more prominent?
I find your platform to be quite robust but sometimes have no clue why you offer certain things — i.e. how does the whole “following” thing work? I still have not figured that one out.
7. Allow business owners to edit their Company profiles.
Like many companies, I have a Company profile but I have no way of correcting erroneous information. Because you rely on bots to fill out Corporate profiles, mine shows that I have six employees — five more than who actually work at my one-person company.
Perhaps you could offer a “validation” notice the way Twitter does for high-profile Twitter users.
LinkedIn, I am one of your more dedicated users. Due to being a Group leader, I spend about 10 – 15 minutes on the site almost every day. I post status updates, the books I’m reading, and I check out what others in my network are doing. I moderate my Group and work to keep discussions going.
I’m also forever promoting your platform in my blog, to my clients, and in articles I write for other blogs. Quite frankly, I love LinkedIn, but I do think you could do things better to help people like me use your platform more effectively.
I really have no interest in LinkedIn becoming a Facebook wannabe, and if you polled your members, you would most likely find that many people agree with me. If someone wants the Facebook experience, they’ll join Facebook.
You have an awesome platform, so I hope you’ll take these suggestions — and others you’ve received — and continue to offer features that benefit your users.
B2B sales lead expert Mac McIntosh recently interviewed me for his Sales Lead Insights blog. He asked lots of great questions, a few of which were cut due to the length. One of these questions was:
“You mentioned more companies are asking you about social media marketing. Is it something B2B marketers need to pay attention to? Why? And what should B2B marketers be doing about it right now?”
This is a question I’m frequently asked by B2B marketers and small business owners. Many people mistakenly believe social media is for consumer companies — or for their teenage kids!
I know it can be hard to wrap your head around social media, so I give the following simple strategies for B2B marketers and business owners who want to want to get their feet wet. 1. Claim your company name on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
By this I mean, even if you don’t use Twitter, open a profile under your company name so that someone doesn’t hijack it.
If you’re a one-person business or the CEO of a small business, claim your name on the main social media platforms (i.e. LinkedIn and Facebook) and claim your Google profile as well.
2. Join a LinkedIn Group and participate regularly.
Since starting my own B2B Social Media LinkedIn Group, I have come to really appreciate the Group within LinkedIn. I’ve met people ranging from Ben Hanna (@B2BOnlineMktg) at Business.com and Steve Woods (@stevewoods) at Eloqua to all kinds of consultants and corporate marketers.
It’s been a wonderful experience and a very easy way to keep my ear on the ground of social media marketing as it relates to B2B.
I recommend that B2B marketers or business owners join one or two Groups where your customers hang out (this is key) and then answer and/or post discussion questions. It helps if you find a Group that is well moderated (for example, I do not tolerate spam posts on my Group and I try to keep the conversations moving).
3. Read blogs and leave comments.
Business owners frequently ask me if they need a blog. Actually, you don’t need a blog to take advantage of the blogosphere. Instead of starting a blog, read other people’s blogs and leave insightful comments that add to the discussion – and when you do, be sure your comment includes your real name and website URL.
When your comment goes “live,” your name is now a clickable link – which people do click on. How do I know this? When people subscribe to my newsletter, I ask how they found me. Fifty percent of my new subscribers find me via comments I leave on other people’s blogs.
In fact, I got a speaking gig from an association manager who found me via a comment I left on a blog. She followed it back to my blog, then my Website and then started following me on Twitter. A few months down the road, she hired me. That’s how social media works.
Be sure to read my interview on Mac’s blog as well as the interviews he’s done with a number of B2B marketers. I especially like the one with B2B Marketing By Phone Expert Michael Brown.
My top ten posts include social media, which I expected, since it’s a hot topic (post anything about social media on Twitter and it’s bound to get retweeted multiple times). But I was more interested to see that one of the top five posts wasn’t a post at all, but a category: Free B2B E-books.
E-books are becoming more popular — which is one reason I started my new E-Book Central where I’ll be posting the new B2B marketing e-books and reports released each week.
Of the 70 posts I wrote in 2009, here are the top posts covering B2B Marketing and Social Media.
2. What Should be Included In a MarCom Manager’s Job Description? — I’ve noticed for a while now that this has been one of my top posts. In it I discuss why companies need to revamp their marcom job descriptions, which typically call for people who know how to juggle projects and write well — versus being held accountable for a whole lot more, including working with sales.
3. Category: Free B2B E-Books — Here you’ll find B2B marketing e-books written by myself and other marketers.
(Hint: When an organization asks if you can address a certain topic, say “Yes.” That’s how I fell into social media.)
9. Why Facebook is Like Attending a BBQ at Your Boss’ House — I had been using the BBQ analogy for months while giving presentations and finally wrote a blog post. This is my favorite blog post of the year because I love the comments people left.
When Grasshopper became a Mashable Open Web Awards finalist in the Online Voting Round One for their Chocolate Grasshopper social media campaign (see Marcom Writer posts about the campaign here and here), the team began brainstorming ways to engage people and get them to vote for Grasshopper.
“The Mashable Awards voting is very clever,” says Jonathan Kay (@GrasshopperBuzz), Ambassador of Buzz at Grasshopper, “because you can vote once per 24 hours versus one vote, one person. When you vote, a Tweet is sent out. So the question for us was, ‘How do we engage people and get them to vote?’”
The most obvious step included monitoring Tweets — and ensuring they could personally respond to each person who voted for the Grasshopper campaign.
“We began responding to people on Twitter,” said Jonathan, “and here is the wonderful thing about social media. A family-owned ice-cream store, Shorty’s Ice Cream, in Kingston, MA voted for us. They don’t have a huge following on Twitter (@ShortysIceCream), but the fact that they are on Twitter is awesome.
“I personally responded to the owner, Sheila Libby, via Twitter and thanked her for her vote. I later learned that Sheila is a second cousin to one of our IT people. She was very happy that we responded to her tweet and now she knows who I am — hence, a new relationship.”
According to Jonathan, the company uses social media tools like Twitter to listen and respond to people. (One look at Jonathan’s timeline and you’ll see he carries on conversations with people versus posting product pitches).
Using social media to engage customers
As a former sales guy, Jonathan figured he should track the people he met and talked with on Twitter to see if they signed up for the company’s virtual phone system. His boss, however, disagreed with this tactic.
“David [Hauser, the CEO] said, ‘It doesn’t matter whether they signed up due to Twitter or other social media — because they *are* signing up. What we’re doing is engaging people one-on-one and over the years we’ll build a loyal fan base — which will result in sales.’”
This approach to engaging people — both prospects and customers — is the cornerstone of Grasshopper’s goal of becoming the global brand for entrepreneurship.
“When people think of entrepreneurs,” says Jonathan, “we want them to think of Grasshopper.”
Grasshopper = Entrepreneurial thinking
To meet this goal, the company is committed to helping entrepreneurs. Actions include starting The Grasslands Blog, which according to Jonathan, has been a success.
Instead of being written by one person in marketing (i.e. Jonathan), the blog has multiple authors and includes inspirational posts from the CEO to how-to tips, such as how to dial a vanity number on your BlackBerry.
. . . a trend I’ve recognized lately is that podcasts are slowly becoming the most popular and convenient source of information. Unlike blogs, you can take them anywhere and listen to them anytime. So, being the insanely curious person I am (and going back to my opening statement), can you guess what I did? I Googled “Top Entrepreneur Podcasts.
After finding only one site which reviews podcasts for entrepreneurs, Jonathan put together a list of the top 10 podcasts for entrepreneurs — again cementing the company’s commitment to being a resource for entrepreneurs. The post was retweeted dozens of times and is now one of the top results for the search phrase.
“Tell us your story” campaign
The media find entrepreneurs interesting, says Jonathan, because entrepreneurs are different. To take advantage of this, Grasshopper has started a new “Tell Us Your Story” forum where Grasshopper customers can tell their stories. The company then tries to get press for its customers.
“This campaign is a win-win,” says Jonathan. “Our customers win with increased exposure. We win because we get to know our customers on a very detailed level. We’re learning how our customers develop new products and services, how they think, and the challenges they face as entrepreneurs.”
Grasshopper builds on these relationships by sponsoring dinners whenever team members travel. For example, David, the CEO, recently had dinner with 25 Grasshopper customers in Kansas City.
“How many people can say they had dinner with the CEO of the company they do business with?” asks Jonathan. “Not many. This type of engagement is really important to David — he definitely lives what he preaches.”
Company Facts
Founded: 2003 — Started out as GotVMail Communications after identifying the need for an easy-to-use virtual phone system for entrepreneurs that wouldn’t break the bank.
Brand: Changed name to Grasshopper in May 2009
Number of employees: 45
Physical location: Needham, MA
Product: Virtual phone system designed for entrepreneurs
One thing I’ve realized in the last year is that online networking does not replace face-to-face networking. In fact, offline and online networking actually go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Rather than try and explain how it works, I’ll show you how it does with three examples: Jill Whalen, SEO goddess — I first learned of Jill back in 2001 or 2002. I found her Website, High Rankings, and subscribed to her newsletter. I would catch glimpses of her at Search Engine Strategies conferences but was always too shy to introduce myself.
When she started SEMNE, I joined, and when I opened a Twitter profile, she was one of the first people I followed. We exchanged emails here and there and then met for the first time last year. We’ve since gotten to know each other more — in fact, I even follow her daughter, Corie Whalen, on Twitter.
What all of this networking online and off has resulted in is 1) a rewarding relationship with someone who is smart, out-spoken, and a personal inspiration to me and 2) a paying gig as Jill introduced me to someone at a company (that I’ve been trying to get into for a while now) at her last SEMNE meeting. Wow! I was rather blown away by this, to be honest, as it all happened so effortlessly.
Lois Geller, Direct marketing expert — I have “known” Lois since I started my business in 1998, although she never knew me. I used to read her Target Marketing column every month. Smart, funny and insightful, Lois always presented information I could use immediately.
I don’t remember how I found out about it, but I knew Lois had published a book, SOLD! Direct Marketing for the Real Estate Pro, and when I needed someone to interview for an article about direct marketing and real estate, she was the person I called.
Of course, she graciously gave of her time and expertise, and I ended up with a meaty article that pleased my client.
As with Jill, once I learned Lois was on Twitter, I started following her, and since then, she and I have traded DMs back and forth — and she’s even sent me brownies simply because . . . she’s a fabulous person. I’m sure I’ll meet her face-to-face one day and really look forward to it.
Matthew Nelson, Web Designer — I met Matthew while giving a presentation at the VT-NH Marketing Group meeting a few months ago. He started following me on Twitter (and I him) and just the other day left a comment on this blog as “Matthew Nelson.” Because I know him by his Twitter name, “nhwebdesign,” I didn’t “connect the dots” until I clicked through to his site.
Even better, I learned via a Tweet by Lois this morning that she had given him a scholarship years ago. On top of that, Lois and Matthew have connected on Google Wave and have invited me to connect with them. Is that cool or what? Not only do I now have a new connection with Matthew, but he also knows Lois!
Do you see how this works? It’s about building relationships and trust over time, not posting “hit and run” Tweets or posts on LinkedIn Groups that say, “Hire me! I’m for sale!”
It’s about getting to know people, being genuinely interested in them and when possible, giving back in the form of quoting them in articles, books, or blog posts.
It’s about sending cookies just because (which is something I actually do myself), hand-writing thank you notes, meeting for lunch even when you’re swamped, and remembering to ask about spouses, kids and pets.
And yes, it all does take time, but trust me, it comes back to you in spades.
Why? Because people do business with people they trust.
For months now I’ve been struggling with social media. No, not how to use it or how to derive value from it but how to measure it.
Simply gunning for more followers or page views or click-throughs wasn’t cutting it for me as this type of measurement is based on the old rules of passive viewing of traditional media (reading print ads, watching TV, listening to the radio).
I’ve been asking myself, “how do I measure the value of social media and how do I show this value to my clients dynamically as opposed to presenting meaningless numbers in flat reports?”
I mean, really, just what does “one thousand Twitter followers” mean to anyone and are these 1,000 followers any better than 100 followers?
Some days it seems that social media, with its emphasis on numbers of followers and friends and RTs and page views, is just high school all over again.
Hecht, however, nails it. In the same conversation in which he’s quoted, he talks about the Web as a platform where people can tell their own stories. He goes on to say:
If we can move someone so they love this character, and they’re moved through a story, and they’re playing a game, and they’re collecting objects in that, and at the end of this experience they have created their own video of this experience, we’ll have moved them into a different type of storytelling.
Brilliant.
Throughout the Googled book, the point is hammered home repeatedly that we, the people, are now in control of the story. As David Meerman Scott has repeatedly said, companies no longer control their stories (i.e. messages), we the people are doing for them via social media.
What does this mean for marketers?
It means that instead of coming up with new stories and devising campaigns around them, marketers (myself included) need to figure out how to compel people to interact with our companies / products / services and then tell their stories about this interaction.
Engagement versus page views is a new way of thinking about marketing, one that requires a complete mind shift. But I really believe that if you want to bring value to your clients or your company, it’s a shift you have to make — like now.
B2B email marketing seems to be a hot topic these days judging by the number of articles and reports I’ve been reading.
In its cover story for November 2009, E-Mail Marketing’s Future . . . Right Now, Website Magazine editor-in-chief Peter Prestipino and Senior Editor Mike Phillips report that:
“According to a June 2009 Marketing Trends Survey by StrongMail Systems, 42% of nearly 1,000 global business leaders polled plan to increase their marketing budgets in 2009. Of those, 81% intend to increase their e-mail marketing spend.
“Spending on email marketing . . . shows no signs of slowing down, even as social networks and search engines continue to dominate the marketing headlines.”
Exact Target, in its new white paper, Is Email Marketing Endangered?, reports that according to Forrester Research, investments in email marketing will grow from $1.2 billion in 2009 to $2 billion billion by 2014.
In the same report, Exact Target also notes that the DMA reports that email marketing’s return on investment is greater than $43 for every dollar spent.
Wow! That’s some ROI!
Reasons why email usage is growing
You would think that due to social media, texting, and email inbox overload, people would use email less. I certainly find it easier to connect with people quickly through Twitter, for example. And my son, who has multiple email accounts and a phone, texts me versus calling or emailing me.
I also find texting much easier now that I have an iPhone.
However, it is precisely due to smart phones and social media that email use is up.
Exact Target reports that those who own a smart phone “are significantly more likely to increase email usage than those who don’t,” with 43% of BlackBerry owners using email more often and 41% of iPhone users increasing their email usage.
This is mostly likely because it’s so dang easy to get email on your smart phone versus having to log into a computer.
And all types of organizations and businesses are using email more. Based on my own personal experience, I now get email from my bank, my temple, my gym, and my son’s school. Plus, I get all my regular business email.
On top of that, improved email technology is adding to email’s increased use. Exact Target reports that due to Gmail’s rapid innovations, Gmail users are increasing their use of email by a ratio of 6:1 — versus 2:1 for Yahoo, which has innovated at a much slower rate.
Thanks to Gmail’s integration of its Task application, for example, I can now create a task based on something I receive via email — and connect that email to the task. This means I can clean out my email box faster and not have a bunch of “pending” emails hanging around.
Even better, I added Google’s Task app to my iPhone, making it super easy to keep track of things at literally the press of a button. (No more paper sticky notes!)
Relevant messages still king
Although email appears in our inboxes and we read it, email is not a passive medium — or at least it shouldn’t be.
To be effective, email must engage readers . . . and to this end, it’s really important that email marketers think long and hard about their opt-in policies, campaign frequency, and content.
I realized this truth last week when I spent over three hours cleaning out my Gmail inbox — and unsubscribing from tons of email marketing messages that I’m not sure I ever asked to receive and that I had been simply deleting without reading for months.
Email marketing is so *not* about developing massive email lists (to which many of the people on the list didn’t exactly opt-in) and then sending out *stuff* and hoping something sticks.
Email marketing should be about giving people content they need to positively interact with your brand company and its employees (yes, real people).
And, given that many people like me are on total email overwhelm, ensuring that your messages get read is going take much more effort and strategic thinking than developing some lukewarm content and hitting “send.”
What do you think? Do you agree that email is still a “killer app”? Do you have a case study or story you’d like to share about how you’ve used email marketing to connect with customers? If so, please leave a comment below or send me email at “info@dhcommunications.com” with “email marketing” in the subject line.
Chris: Except… bloggers like me linked to pages on your blog, and the old pages don’t seem to redirect, which has broken all our links. OK, well, let’s update the links (although...
Dianna: Michele, Thank you again. You were such a big help; I could not have done it without you! And likewise, I’m glad we got to know each other better. Rachel (and Stephen, too) —...
Dianna Huff: Ed, Wow, thank you so much! I have to give Michele all the credit for the “Why I’m Different” page. I would have never written something like it — she helped...
Michele Linn: Dianna, Thank you for the warm shout out. You did a fantastic job with the site, and I’m thrilled to have been able to help. You have SUCH great ideas and credentials, so the...
Ed Gandia: Dianna, I absolutely LOVE the new site — the design, usability, content AND your new messaging. It’s so clear and relevant. Your “Why I’m Different” page is...
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