Graphics in email and mastheads

I recently wrote a strategy brief for my current organization on recent email marketing trends and issues facing email marketers. In it, I discussed a few of the most prevalent issues and offered up solutions for those vexing problems. I was on a call yesterday with someone in my organization who said that he read my document and that it contradicted itself on whether or not to use images or mastheads within email.

I think what some people fail to realize is that email marketing is both an art and a science and there is no generally acceptable practice or method by which you should engage your users in email marketing. Each piece of email is unique to audience and depending upon your audience and message, will determine whether or not you use images within a particular piece.

However, one of the things that I do caution against is the use of image laden emails with calls to actions embedded in your image or the use of images as a primary driver for your email. I am strictly speaking about B2B email as this might not apply if you are selling toasters online in the B2C area. Often, I run across people who are more hung up on moving the masthead image over a 1/4 of an inch to fit in that last bit of text thinking its going to drive ROI. I also run across people who will wait weeks for a custom image to be made and embedded into the email, but give little thought as to their message content and whether or not its compelling enough to drive actions.

Bottom line: Be smart about the use of images in your email. Worry more about the content and the compelling drivers to action in the email and worry more about nurturing the user and establishing a healthy long term relationship with them as opposed to choosing red or green for that must have background image of the hotel your seminar is at.

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Worst Subject Lines

I receive alot of email. I also receive alot of spam. Here are some of the worst subjects I have received in the recent days. Would love to know yours.

Milkshake Solid Chocolates Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:04:42 +1200 Toilet

Ashamed of your size!

Keep her on it all night..

i êîðïîðàòèâíàÿ èíòåãðèðîâàííàÿ ëîãèñòèêà (my personal favorite)

Re” Your Pharm ccy Invoice # 818

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Software to track video engagement

There was a post by Erick over at TechCrunch today talking about a company called Visible Measures. Visible Measures offers data-collection software to capture every play, pause, rewind, and e-mail-to-a-friend button that viewers click on while watching videos on a given site.

As you know video is a hot thing and for us marketers we are always interested in engagement of our stuff. Let me know your thoughts if you have tried this thing out.

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Getting to know what is inside a Salesperson’s head

I am attending a training session today and tomorrow for one of our sales group on some of our most important products. I think its great for a software marketer to not only understand the products that their company has, but to more importantly hear from the sales folks who are in the trenches selling the stuff. Alot of great ideas can be spawned from these folks about creative ways to market or even message the product for them.

While I don’t have a ton of opportunities to do this sort of thing, I find it refreshing and energizing to sit in the back of the room as the “token marketing guy” to glob ideas from these folks.

If you don’t talk with sales people in your marketing role and try understand their pain or issues in selling as well as the folks that they sell too, you are missing out and I encourage you to get to know “your other customer”

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2008 Email Marketing Trends

ExactTarget has a great white paper out on trends for email marketing in 2008. 2 of the trends that interest me the most are #3 – The birth of the Marketing Gadget (widgets for you Mac Heads) and Trend #8 Rendering (which mostly deals with mobile email marketing)

While my organization is very far from even thinking about Trend #3, Trend #8 is an interesting one and I am about to put things into place in order ensure we are doing the best we can with mobile devices. Since there is no clear cut standard on mobile email marketing as of yet, it will be interesting to see how this will evolve in the coming 18 months.

This white paper is one of the best white papers I have read in the last 6 months or so as it does provide some valuable insight into what professional email marketers can do to increase success in the marketplace. Since organizations rely heavily on email marketing these days, this is a cant miss opportunity for you to at least try to implement some best practices discussed in this paper.

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What is up with Technorati again?

I am blocked again (no feeds and I cannot get to their site), this is the third time in less than a year and the 2nd time in last 30 days. C’mon Technorati, get your act together. I am not a spammer or doing something illegal, I simply have alot of feeds and monitor a bunch of stuff.

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Notes Virtual Conference

As most of you know, I don’t do alot of promotion on my blog, but thought it might be prudent given the fact that this is a really neat event that we have coming up. As most of you know, I work for Quest Software and on February 6th, we are having a Notes to Exchange Migration Virtual Conference. Its completely online and geared to those folks who are interested in moving from Lotus Notes to Exchange and Sharepoint.

I think virtual conferences or trade shows are great since you can do it from the comfort of your desk and really have no “sales” interaction which on some level is a good thing. Anyway if you or someone you know is interested in attending, I would encourage you to register and attend this great event. As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Register here.

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Remember your first time………….

Do you remember your first time at learning something new. Perhaps there was confusion or elation. For example, I will never forget my first time I learned what email was. My father explained it to me with something like this. “Yes. There is thing called electronic email. You type out your message and then send it off and people. It goes around the world and then people get it in their mailbox and read it” I was like whoa….that is cool. I remember asking something to this effect “What if I wanted to send something to everyone who had a mailbox? Man…that would be cool” (early email marketing opportunity)

What is my point you ask. My point is this….sometimes a new concept or idea can be overwhelming or frustrating to some. To others, they see it as an opportunity. However someone sees a new idea, be patient and be sure you explain it fully. Don’t be afraid to try new things and try something new. Often the path of resistance is a opportunity to win and win big.

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Things to Avoid in Your Email Newsletters

Although a bit basic for experienced email marketers, those of you just starting out or wanting a refresher in some of the basics, EMMA has a good post of things to not do in email marketing.

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Little things make a big difference

Last night I attended a dinner with my wifes company and something strange happened. We used valet to park our car which was great because it was like 15 degrees outside, windy and kinda snowy….basically bitterly cold and miserable. At the end of the night we went outside to shiver and wait for the valet to bring us our car. When we got in, the car was warm and the heated seats were on. Even though we didn’t have a long way to go home, it was a surprise.

The valet went out of his way to ensure we were warm from the moment we got in the car and it was in my opinion above the call of duty.

When was the last time you went out of your way to understand your customers and give them something that would surprise them?

Instead of spewing your message from the inside out, when was the last time you marketed from the outside in?

Little things go along way with people. Customers or potential customers notice things that you might not have thought of.

Do this right now. Stop. Look around and listen. Find one thing different to do today that your customers would not expect….

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AHHHH…..the good ol days

I saw a post on Digg today about old computer ad’s. It was quite funny, but I decided to look for a site with a few more ad’s than that post. Here is a great site which has some really old but good computer ad’s. I love the Radio Shack ones with Isaac Asimov.

Enjoy.

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Use of ALT Tags in email

I receive between 250-300 emails a day at work. About 40% of them are mailing lists that I subscribe too. As a rule, I block out all of the images from the emails just to see how email marketers structure their emails. (I even block my own orgs email images for testing) and I am amazed at how many (in fact alot) of people do not use ALT Tags with their images.

I get the standard “right click here to download pictures…..” which blows because if they use ALT Tags, I would be able to at least see teaser copy since my images dont render……oh well…one can only hope people will correct it.

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Liars Liars….marketing pants on fire!!!

There was a an article today in Daily Mail about lying. It says that everyone tells an average of 4 little lies a day or 88,000 over a lifetime. So without further adieu, I bring you the top 10 enterprise software marketing lies overheard at recent meetings.

10. No.I really think that storyboard where that pygmy is drinking carrot juice totally represents comprehensive dynamic reduction on the server level

9. The customer is completely happy with the recent patch and will be easy to get a reference out of.

8. Version 8.0 is way better than 7.5

7. Pop up banner ads really work

6. I don’t think scrolling down 15 times on our newsletter with 37 links is too much information for people to read.

5. Dude….viral campaigns are easy..we can bust one out by the end of the week!!!

4. No one ever told me I need to create a tactical plan to run a campaign.

3. I think a great way to gain awareness is to create a community….no a discussion group….wait….how about a Community Discussion Group with a blog where we have people talk about the product? Yea..thats great…will totally build awareness man!!

2. Don’t worry we have the budget.

1. We kicked a*s on ROI on that last campaign

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Telecommuting not so great for those left in office

Kristina Cooke over at Reuters has an article about how those that telecommute have less stress and a higher morale compared to those that are left to come into an office everyday. She mentions that “their co-workers tend to find the workplace less enjoyable, have fewer emotional ties to co-workers and generally feel less obligated to the organization”

I have to agree and disagree with a few things in this article. I for one have been telecommuting for 6 years with my current organization. While I do tend to have less stress and enjoy a very good work/life balance, I sometimes do miss having face time with other people in the office. Sometimes I look forward to traveling to other offices merely for the social interaction, but also enjoy the solace and comfort of my home office. There are days where I am grateful to have my situation and others where I wish I could balance going in more with home office time.

However, I do feel that one challenge in particular hurts us as telecommuters. Since I don’t have that regular face time with executives or upper management, I often find having to either reinvent myself or do something over and above for people to get to know me as a manager and as a person. When you are in an office and can have that interaction with others, people notice and sometimes I believe can lead to accelerated promotions. Since telecommuting often portrays you as that “online guy that works from home” often your true talents and personality does not come through to those that need to see it most. You are not looked at as that “strategic person” or “go to person” sometimes, because you are not given that chance to be strategic. In addition, you don’t become a “top of mind” person because you are not around.

I love telecommuting but I can can say with almost certainty that it has hurt my career in terms of advancement within my organization. I see others around me being elevated into positions not only because they have talent, but that they are in that office and interact with people that can elevate them. So one needs to ask themselves if the work/life, less stress and balance thing is more important or is the need for new challenges and opportunity for advancement more important.

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What IT Marketers Can Learn from Guitar Hero

Barry Harrigan over at Accelerating IT Sales has an interesting post about what IT Marketing folks can learn from the personalization feature of Guitar Hero. While his logic seems simple enough, getting web folks into a development cycle to produce something like this is hard, especially in a large organization. Tell me what you think

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Microsoft Marketing: The Children’s Book

As a computer dork, I find this absolutely hilarious.

Mommy, Why is there a Server in the House?

Apparently this is really from Microsoft

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Change

I dropped my son off at school this morning like any other morning. However, instead of taking the same route back to my home office I decided to branch out and take a scenic route. Sure I went totally out of my way and burned more gas than usual, but it was refreshing. I was able to crank some music, chill, feel the road and enter a different but relaxed state of mind. It was a change and it was great.

If you are a software marketer or just a marketer in general and have taken the same path home with your prospects or customers each and every time, a change can sometimes be refreshing. It could backfire and people will get freaked out, but sometimes branching out and doing something different even if its minuscule can make a world of difference. So change your newsletter up a bit. Market that white paper using non traditional media. Make a vidcast or a podcast series to reinforce brand. Do something goofy to get the sales folks engaged with marketing.

Think about this….can you imagine the person over at ad agency that introduced the whopperfreakout? At first pass you would think that is stupid…pretend you are not having your biggest product anymore and secretly tape peoples reactions. How would that ever push brand and Burger King? Sometimes new ideas and change work and sometimes they don’t. I would rather try and fail than not try at all.

So go ahead….take a different road today…let me know how it goes.

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The Future of the Web: What to Expect in 2008

Brian Suda over at Sitepoint has a great article on the future of the web and what we can expect in 2008. He goes on to list 10 things and I think the thing that excites me the most is #3 in which he states that Pull is dead and that Push is the new king. You will have to read all about it, but Brian gives some great insight into the future.

Here is my prediction for the web in the next 4-6 years. A microchip or tiny PC which you will be able to embed in your head which you can switch on and off via brainwaves and surf the net in your head. Basically you have the abilityy to be the internet and view things but just staring off in space. Ok, I know is sounds a bit nutty, but how cool would it be to wake up at 2 am, turn on the net in your head and see if their are any breaking news stories or check overseas markets without turning on a light or even using electricity to power anything.

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Yahoo and Spamhaus

It appears the Yahoo is changing the game a bit on deliverability issues. In this post from Word to the Wise, it explains the new method that Yahoo will use to block connections from listed IP address.

Good to see that Yahoo is taking some measures to really block spam, and although its a hurdle for legitimate email marketers, I view it as an opportunity for those of us who live in the email marketing world to boost deliverability rates to yahoo. If done right, a legitimate email marketer can capitalize.

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Blockbusters Site is down

According to Marketing Shift in a post, it appears that blockbuster has been down for well over 14 hours as of now. Wow!! How much money and respect do you think they are losing? When its about selling a brand and service this does not bode well for blockbuster at all. Yes, they are in financial trouble, but you think they would have some sort of disaster plan in place to not be down for so long.

Someone will lose their job over this and marketing will need to go into damage control quickly. Sucks to be them tonight.

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Personalization – A Little Effort Goes a Long Way

Tom Gray over at The Evolving Internet Marketer has a great post on email personalization.

In short, its all about creating a connection with your audience and every little bit helps. Thanks Tom for that reminder that we all need.

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Career Coach

Software marketing is hard enough without having to worry about things such as having a mentor or career coach. If you don’t have one or feel as if your manager does not act as a career coach or have your best interest in mind, then you have 2 choices: Find one or find another manager.

You cannot scrape your way through the software marketing jungle without one.

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The top 10 wireless trends for 2008

***This Article was from CNN Money/Fortune and the original post can be found here*** ***It was written by Michal Lev-Ram***

A lot happened in wireless this past year, from the debut of the iPhone to Verizon Wireless’ move to open its network. But 2008 promises to be just as eventful, starting with the Federal Communication Commission’s spectrum auction in January. Here’s a look at the 10 most significant events and trends in the coming year.

1. Wireless networks will remain the domain of wireless operators: There’s been talk that the upcoming 700-MHz spectrum auction could present an opportunity for a new carrier to emerge, given that companies like Google (GOOG) and even oil giant Chevron (CVX) have registered to bid. But most analysts agree it’s unlikely anyone but the current big mobile operators will win the showdown. “AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless (VZ) will be the most aggressive bidders,” says Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin. But regardless of who wins, the wireless world will change given an FCC requirement that the 700-MHz spectrum be open to any device.

2. The first Android phones hit the market: Taiwanese phonemaker HTC has said it expects to launch the first cell phone based on Google’s Android mobile platform by midyear, and other phonemakers are expected to follow. (Android is a wireless operating standard that aims to make the mobile data experience more Internet-like.)

3. Cameraphones will get even fancier: Have you checked out Nokia’s (NOK) N95 – a picture-taking machine that comes with a five-megapixel camera and still fits in your pocket? That’s the future of multimedia phones. “For the first time, in 2007 cameraphones became the majority,” says Mark Donovan, an analyst with research firm M:Metrics. “In 2008 we’ll see the technology continue to improve.” In the United States, 61 percent of phones already have built-in cameras, and there’s a growing range of uses for them. In addition to uploading and sharing photos directly over cellular networks, people will be able to take pictures of ads to get coupons sent to them via SMS or get product information by taking a shot of a barcode.

4. Mobile ads will come to a cell phone screen near you: Sure, estimates of mobile advertising revenues have often turned out to be overblown, but that doesn’t mean the industry isn’t making headway. In 2007, many of the big players – Google, Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) – made mobile ad-related acquisitions. Expect to see the fruits of that shopping spree start to appear later in 2008. It will be a while before subscription-based models lose ground to ad-based ones, much like what happened on the Internet, but the wireless industry is slowly opening up to ads.

5. WiMax will become available: This is the year Sprint (S) will launch its Xohm mobile broadband service in select markets like Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. By end of 2008, Sprint expects to reach 100 million customers with its new ultra-fast mobile data service. While Nokia’s Internet tablet will be one of the first compatible devices available on Sprint’s new network, analysts don’t expect to see affordable WiMax-enabled phones anytime soon.

6. Openness will continue to dominate the wireless lexicon: You can thank Google for this one – ever since the Internet search giant began lobbying the FCC to open up the 700-MHz spectrum, “open” has become the latest buzzword in the cellular world. At first the big mobile operators tried to fight it, but once they realized they couldn’t beat Google they joined in. Look for holdout AT&T to become more open to the possibilities of open in 2008.

7. Nokia will become a major mobile software player: With its new chief technology officer based in the Silicon Valley, a reorganization that will make software and services one of the company’s main business groups and the upcoming launch of its Ovi web portal, expect the Finnish phonemaker to become much more than a hardware player in 2008. The company’s buying streak (it’s already snapped up startups like photo-sharing service Twango and digital mapmaker Navteq) is likely to continue.

8. Getting lost will get harder: What, you don’t have a GPS-enabled phone? Don’t worry, you will soon. That’s because the FCC’s “Enhanced 911″ rules is slowly forcing U.S. carriers to make their handsets GPS-capable. That in turn will drive more and more location-based services (think social networking and advertising) in 2008.

9. More touchscreens: The iPhone wasn’t the only touchy-feely phone to come out in 2007. There was also the HTC Touch and Verizon’s Voyager and Venus devices, which launched in time for the holiday season. But expect to see even more all-touch devices in 2008. According to ABI Research, over 100 million handsets with touchscreens will be shipped in the new year By 2012, that number is expected to reach 500 million.

10. Silicon Valley will become a wireless industry hot spot: The Valley is home to iPhone-maker Apple (AAPL), Android creator Google, Nokia’s new CTO and countless mobile startups. With the increasing focus on software and services – not just phone manufacturing – Silicon Valley will become even more prominent on the wireless map.

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New Year…New Marketing

Is 2008 going to be more of the same for you in marketing?

Is the lure of communities and new media marketing speaking to you in a special way?

Are you going to continue down the same path as you have for the last several years of rinse and repeat marketing?

As the new year has come and you begin to solidify your 08 marketing plans, try to think a little bit outside the box and talk to those folks who can bring in a fresh perspective to perhaps your stale ways. Don’t get caught in a marketing rut and don’t think for a moment that what you did in 2007 or 2006 will work again in 2008.

Branch out and fly young one….don’t be afraid.

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