Get the latest news from Godfrey. Godfrey provides full-service, integrated business-to-business branding and marketing communications services.

E-mail Marketing - Tips on Inbox Survival

J. Leigh Brown — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:07:00 -0500

E-mail never takes a vacation. After a week out of the office, I came back to an overflowing inbox. Buried among the angry red urgent flags and endless conversation trails of my co-workers were my opt-in e-newsletters. As I began the battle against my inbox, I considered the plight of every e-mail marketer. What chance did these non-essential, preference-based communications stand among the mountain of the must-do-right-now tasks? What determined, my finger poised above the delete button, which marketer’s messages would be spared, and which ones sentenced to an unopened death?

Here are some ideas on e-marketing tactics to increase your chances of inbox survival.

Break through the clutter.
Make sure your subject line is short and demonstrates a reason to read the e-mail. The shorter and more compelling the subject line, the higher the response rate.
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The Path to Retention

Lynne Marie DeMers-Hunt — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:14:00 -0500

Today’s customers in the B2B market are increasingly savvy and have high expectations. They will not tolerate negative experiences or inconsistencies across channels. Successful B2B marketers need to understand that it's no longer about simply pushing the products they produce, but also outwardly addressing their customer’s needs at the center of the buying experience.

So how do you “pull” instead of “push”? You need to understand and capture the customer’s needs and preferences – valid research and utilizing a hyper-integrated method of marketing throughout the buying cycle is a must. The customer’s experience must be optimized for the specific need at that specific moment, on their progression toward purchase. B2B marketers need to listen, gather feedback, and adjust to each changing phase.
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In search of the holy grail of marcom

Ken Jones — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:24:00 -0500

I’ve been in the B2B marcom business for 3 decades, always working for or with technically oriented companies. Often times I felt I was the lone voice of marketing and marketing communications.

Very early in my career, I heard retailer John Wanamaker’s famous quip -- “I know that half of my advertising dollars are wasted, I just don’t know what half.” If I recall correctly it came from the mouth of a division VP/GM who was a chemist by training. He was a non-believer in the power of marcom.

For me and other members of my generation of marcom professionals the constant mention of this quote and similar ones put us on a mission. I wanted to be able to answer the questions: How much is invested? How much is wasted? I wanted to know what was working and what wasn’t. I wanted to show that the work we do contributes to the success of business.
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E-learning is here to stay.

Glen Bentley — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:49:00 -0500

Keeping pace with the latest technology, to help people do their jobs is one of the great challenges organizations face. That's why E-learning--also known as online learning, Web-based training, computer-based training, and distance learning--is available via the Internet. It's here to stay and business is booming.

Today, E-learning among the business community accounts for about 27% of their training needs. It's a great way to eliminate travel costs. It's also flexible and convenient for users. As long as there is Internet access people can take most classes at any hour of the day, at any pace they choose.

You can find E-learning training for everything from sales and customer service, compliance, management and leadership training, technical certification programs, on-boarding and new hire programs, systems and IT training, professional education programs, channel to a broad audience or partnership training, professional skills training, and performance
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Telling Effective B-to-B Brand Stories - A Strategic Success Factor

Curt Hitchcock — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:34:00 -0500

Every company has brand stories that are unique. Like “the moral to the story” after a tale we heard as children, your brand story works to get to the heart of your company. It breathes life into who you are and what you stand for.

These stories have the power to unite companies in a common purpose and direction. And they can help you build a deeper connection with customers. Brand stories are cumulative and strategic; they build on each other and help define what differentiates your company and why someone should consider buying from you. Brand stories are far more than cute or clever anecdotes, they can be key business drivers. The more coherent and compelling your brand story, the more it will power the success of your company.

B-to-B marketers in this new broadband world have an opportunity to tell bigger and better stories than ever. This is new territory but the potential for enhancing your brand is enormous.
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The end of FTP?

Vince DiStefano — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:21:00 -0500

For IT folks, at the end of the day "strategic marketing communications" really boils down to electronic files. They're the cells that make up the body of work we produce for a client. Hey, it's not a bad analogy, considering that files can become "infected" with "viruses."

When I first started at Godfrey in '96, we used email to exchange Word and Excel files with clients, and then a little bit later PDF versions of layouts. If clients or vendors had slow dial-up connections, tight restrictions on attachments, or unreliable email service, we relied on floppies and Zip disks and overnight delivery. The really big stuff mostly never left the building, until CD burners hit the scene in a big way. Even then, it took a little while for CDR technology to become both affordable and reliable.

Things have changed a great deal since then. Actually, "escalated' is a better word.
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Selling Higher

Lance Baird — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:42:00 -0500

“A sales professional should always try to find the decision-makers in the organization. The decision-makers have the least knowledge of the situation and are therefore more likely to believe whatever the salesperson says.”

-- Scott Adams, The Dilbert Principle

Have you ever submitted such a well-groomed proposal and/or delivered such a smashing presentation that you were sure your customer would move forward?

A few days go by... no big deal.
A week goes by... maybe they’re traveling.
A few weeks go by... maybe they’re on vacation.
A month goes by... they’ve selected somebody else.

Where did you go wrong?

One concept that has always helped me throughout my career is the notion of selling higher – selling your proposition to those higher in the organizational food
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What have you learned?

Chuck Manners — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:43:00 -0500

About a year ago we started using the term “Convergent PR” to describe the blend of traditional PR techniques and the new, 2.0/social media PR techniques. I was thinking recently about what I’ve learned since then. Most significantly, it’s that PR and search can – and in most cases should – be integrated in a way that delivers impressive results – results like I’ve never seen before or even imagined possible. We’re seeing that play out for a number of clients.

I also asked some other members of our PR team what they’ve learned about the so-called “new PR.” A sampling of their answers follows, and may provide some things to consider for your own PR program.

Matt Gaffney, PR copy director: Social media/2.0 has evolved as a direct, parallel response to the way our lives and businesses have evolved
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SEO Keyword Cannibalization: Too much of a good thing?

Jim Everhart — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:41:00 -0500

It’s generally true that the more keywords you put on your site, the better it does in organic search. But not always.

In fact, many business-to-business sites suffer from keyword confusion to the point of keyword cannibalization.

When search engines spider your site, they are looking for more than just a jumble of words. They are looking for logic and consistency about how those words are used.

Say, for instance, that your main product, widgets, is used as a keyword throughout your site. That’s a good thing.

But what if the titles, descriptions, keywords and page content for several different pages all use widgets? And links, inside and outside your site, point to different pages? The simple answer is that the search engines get confused.

And the result is keyword cannibalization, with your pages actually competing against each other for search ranking.
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Are you Twittering?

Stacy Whisel — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:16:00 -0500

A few weeks ago, I presented a new technology to a group here at Godfrey. I started off by asking if any of them were twittering? A few (mostly under the age of 30) were, but the majority of those in the room had not heard of Twitter.

So what is Twitter? It is designed as a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent "updates".

Text based posts or “tweets” are limited to 140 characters and can be sent to the Twitter web site, SMS, to your mobile phone, instant messaging or a third-party application such as Facebook.

USA Today recently ran a good article summarizing the history and craze of Twitter. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-07-20-twitter-tweet-social-network_N.htm

Sounds like another way to stay
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Back to basics

Melissa Zane — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:46:00 -0500

Go back to basics when working on ideas--remember the pencil? Should be a no-brainer. When brainstorming ideas, start by using your pencil. The computer is a tool, not the way of coming up with ideas.

For pencil facts visit:
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/pencil.asp

What is creativity?

Melissa Zane — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:54:00 -0500

What is creativity? I would love to hear everyone's opinions on creativity and what you feel is creative from a B-to-B perspective?

Wikipedia's definition:
"Creativity (or "creativeness") is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts."

I believe that what is highly creative starts with a big idea--which encompasses a simple powerful message, well written, a powerful image (if applicable), is memorable, has a strong call to action, and allows the end user to complete a thought effortlessly.

The big idea -- when integrated across the traditional and 2.0 landscape, with the ability to attract attention, interact, and engage an audience where they live, in a program -- is so exciting.
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Web Site as Trade Show?

Russ Green — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:05:00 -0500

I attended a major semiconductor industry trade show last week. It’s always great to see the creativity and passion that B-to-B marketers pour into creating a positive trade show experience for their customers and prospects. Cool displays, working demo’s, educational seminars, even the hospitality functions. They are all part of the experience.

We are big believers in the personal selling power of trade shows. Unfortunately, many of these marketers miss a big opportunity by failing to put the same amount of effort and investment into creating a great web site experience for their customers and prospects. After all, a major industry trade show typically takes place once a year and lasts just a few days. The web, however, is 24/7/365. It deserves to be as creative, functional, educational and engaging as any trade show booth.

We go through an exercise with marketers where we walk through all of the elements of a successful trade show, and then apply
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Do B-to-B marketers really need a blog?

J. Leigh Brown — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:59:00 -0500

BtoB Magazine reported that the popularity of B-to-B corporate blogging is waning, drawing on new information from Forrester Research’s report "How to Derive Value from B2B Blogging.”

Among those marketers surveyed, 53% said blogs were irrelevant or marginal in their current marketing strategy. The firm attributed this to a misalignment between the investment required and the expected returns.

This B-to-B marketing research report has generated a lot of press—enough with information gaps—that Forrester posted a clarification about the methodology.
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Hyperintegration: Moving beyond reach and frequency

Jim Everhart — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:04:00 -0500

The revolution in how people use media has ignited the upheaval in marketing communications strategy we are calling hyperintegration. It begins with media, but doesn’t end there.

Time was, the job of media professionals was to make the best purchase among a limited number of advertising media. In the consumer world, that meant TV, magazines, newspapers, and radio. Maybe outdoor.

In business-to-business, the range was even tighter: which trade journals fit the best and were the most cost-effective?

The explosive growth not only in the number of options, but in their essential nature has changed the situation dramatically. A podcast offers informal, but personal, contact. A video shows rather than tells. A webcast demonstrates expertise. And it’s hard to beat search – paid or organic – for generating leads.

The point is, it’s not just about reach and frequency any more.
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Where ideas come from.

Melissa Zane — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:48:00 -0500

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and the spark of an idea can come from anyone.

Not long ago, I was part of a team that needed to come up with a positioning ad campaign for one of our clients.

Our account manager reviewed the situation with our creative team. Towards the end of his review, I remember him saying, "OK, and here are a few of my stupid thoughts and ideas...." Then he continued to rattle-off several things.

One of his so-called "stupid ideas" really stuck in my head. So much so, I spent hours one weekend working on taking that idea—and several others—to the next level, showing how they could work in a series.

During our next team meeting, the creative folks and I presented the ideas, and then built upon those ideas, making them stronger and stronger. There is nothing I find worse than a so-so idea that looks good.
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Are your employees on board?

Erin Michalak — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:50:00 -0500

There is no doubt that your brand is your most valuable asset. Brands build loyalty. But, if your employees can’t deliver that brand promise at each and every touch point with your customers, then your brand will begin losing value—quickly. Getting your employees on board before you role out your brand to the marketplace is essential.

Although it is essential, many marketers often skip the crucial step of internal branding. Selling your brand to your employees should come way before you try to sell your brand to your customers and/or prospects. If your employees don’t believe in what you are selling or don’t understand it, then it is likely all you will deliver to your customers are empty promises.

Your first step, after you’ve determined what your brand positioning and messaging should be, is to infuse the brand personality into all aspects of the company. Support from upper management is key.
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Strategy, Branding and Leadership

Chuck Manners — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:45:00 -0500

I’ve never been a “GE glorifier”, but I have been paying a little more attention to GE lately, as a student of business. Specifically, the strategic leadership of CEO Jeffrey Immelt. In my opinion, he's finally stepped out of the giant shadow of his predecessor and mentor, Jack Welch. Since December 2002, Immelt has sold off more than $75 billion in GE businesses such as its plastics and insurance units, and most recently, appliances (a business once synonymous with its brand name) while spending more than $50 billion on acquisitions in faster-growing sectors including wind power and aviation. Strategy in action.

Mr. Immelt has a very good sense of what he wants the GE brand to stand for going forward - innovation in emerging businesses in the 21st century (for now, that means big investments in health-care and energy.) Much of the growth in GE’s strategy will come
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Stop obsessing about your home page

J. Leigh Brown — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:39:00 -0500

In every B-to-B web site redesign project, the home page always gets a lot of attention. Not only does everyone have an opinion, every area of the company usually feels that they need to be included in the process. Often a committee is created, usually with some acronym as a name to inspire action or teamwork. (WACS, WAT, WEBA) And then, the battle begins. Company divisions start clamoring for heavy exposure on the home page. Upper management wants a lengthy Flash intro splash screen. (No, this isn’t dead yet, and yes, it’s still a bad idea. See note below.) The IR team insists its messages should trump marketing’s. There are months of meetings, rounds of designs, and the end product reflects the company’s internal strife. The final design is often a clunky compromise, a concession to meet the political needs of the company—not the needs of the customer.

Oh, well. They won’t ever see your home page anyway.
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Hyperintegration: It's not about technology

Jim Everhart — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:54:00 -0500

We recently had a discussion with a vendor who, in the process of extolling his web analytics product, said his company’s technology went beyond clicks and conversions. That ended up being troublesome for two reasons:

First, we’d be happy with reliable information on clicks and conversions, thank you. We’re not convinced we’re getting it from some of our existing resources. So we weren’t about to let a sales guy get away with changing the subject because he didn’t want to address our concerns.

And second, he offered a solution that was even worse. His company’s megabucks solution, engagement mapping, would track the activity of individual site visitors and try to give appropriate “credit” to other media, like online ads that a visitor may have seen, instead of just the last click.

That’s trying way too hard. It’s building a technology solution to a marketing question.
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