With "digital" marketing agencies popping up everywhere you look, and new words like inbound marketing or content marketing buzzing around like a bumblee it can be both informative and scary at the same time. They are right - the words are important - but what is critical to continue and what needs to cease immediately can get blurred. Information overload creates headaches and accomplishes only the need for an adult beverage!
So let's talk about one thing at a time. Let's work through what the top internet marketing strategies consist of and see if we can weed through the important and the not-so-important steps for a solid strategy that can be the foundation you need for your company to have a successful presence.
FIRST UP: EMAIL
Email is still alive. Email is still important. In fact, email is no less important than it's ever been. However, it has evolved. Just like the evolution of technology itself, so has email evolved. It feels different, looks different, is sent differently and created differently. Let's dissect it. The following stats are from the Epsilon Q2 2012 Email Trends & Benchmarks Report
- In the 2nd quarter of 2012, email click-through rates dropped 6% from
4.7% to 4.4%. This marks the 3rd consecutive quarter that reflects a drop.
- 59% of new subscribers (who have subscribed within 3 months, and who represent 11% of an email list on average) are not engaged, neither opening nor clicking on emails
- Email open rates decreased in Q2, down slightly from 26.2% to 25.6%, the first quarter-over-quarter drop since Q1-Q2 2011.
Stop - this isn't looking to good is it? This information presented by itself tells a pretty convincing story of why email isn't as important to your internet marketing strategy. Keep reading...
- In Q2 of 2012, triggered email (deployed as a result of an action) represented just 2.6% of total email volume, though it was up 22% from Q1.
- Open rates for triggered emails hit 49.8% in Q2, jumping 8.5% from 45.9% in Q1 -- almost 95% higher than the mass email send rate.
- The average clickthrough rate for triggered emails is more than double the rate for mass emails.
EVOLUTION
So now the story has changed. It's not a woeful tale about the extinction of email communication. It's an exciting thriller about how email is changing and how to make it more effective.
One of the common new words you might hear is "context." It's relevant and applies to every part your strategy - including email. Imagine this:
Your company is John's Service Shop. You service all makes and models of cars. Jane is a single woman who has bought her first car. This her first big purchase and she wants to make sure she takes care of it the best way possible. Winter is fast approaching so she goes online to see if there's anything she needs to do to make sure her car stays in tip top shape. She visits Google, and types in "winterizing your car." Amongst the search results appears an eBook your company has written titled: Top 5 Steps to Prepare Your Auto for Winter. Perfect. Jane clicks on the link that takes her to a landing page on your website. The page shows the cover image of the eBook, a few bullet points that explain the benefits of downloading the book and a form that asks for her name and email address. Jane fills out the form and hits "submit." Immediately she receives a message letting her know that the book is in her email. She goes to her email and learns is delighted to find an easy-to-read reference guide that helps her learn exactly what she needs to do for her car. A few days later, Jane receives another email from your company for which she is grateful. The email says, "Hi Jane! I saw you downloaded our eBook Top 5 Steps to Prepare Your Auto for Winter. I hope you found it helpful. If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to help. Cheers, John
This is a perfect example of a "triggered email." It's an email that was sent based on the behavior of its receiver. Jane will continue to receive another 7 emails over the next three months that provide more tips and help her understand the right way to care for her car. From this point forward, she knows the place to go to answer any questions is her favorite service shop that always has great tips and tricks available online for her to follow. Next time she needs an oil change, she also knows she can depend on John because he has always been so helpful. Jane now has a trusted advisor. John now has a new loyal customer.
Win, Win. Top internet marketing strategies will indeed use triggered emails. Regular email campaigns are still used to re-engage previous clients or to reach out to those who have shown interest in your product. But evolving your overall strategy to include "triggered" emails is going to be vital from this point forward. You might have heard it referred to as lead nurturing. Whether it's a series of emails or a single email sent for a specific reason - triggered emails are a necessary part of your strategy moving forward in 2013.
