E-mail Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Shar VanBoskirk - Social computing
Shift in the way corps and users interact

Online users:
34% watch other video
next popular is buying from other consumers
29% read blogs
11% write blogs

Trust source:
83% believe friend
75% reading review somewhere
69% actual website

Open e-mail
#1. Recognize sender, agreed to get e-mail from, about service I'm interested in, something friends or family might like, subject line is personalize (that one's low)

Shift to social computing is a shift in mindset.
Use e-mail to learn about your customers -- what are they saying about your brand? How are they saying it? What are they saying to you?
Don't just push info to them.

E-mail us. E-mail a friend.
Include social activities in your e-mails: polls, surveys, voting
-let's you know which social capabilities you should take large scale
Choose either email or RSS or IM or mobile alerts
Include video or audio casts in e-mail.
E-mail as mini-blog or community site -- Reader's corner.
Format emails for mobile access
Email to confirm stuff
Email can perpetuate cross-channel customer conversation... like you go to the website, then leave stuff on the page, e-mail follows up on it

Eamon O'Neill
Bluestreak
My Maps -- TripTik -- share with others. Consumer pulling vs. marketer pushing information
Rss Feeds can be personalized with Web 2.0 -- (possibly subscribe just to certain categories of blog?)
Follow-up e-mails include the personalized RSS feeds that the user created -- instead of checking on certain boxes when signing up
Instead of refer-a-friend, more of an involve-a-friend. You decorate a room then show it to your friends...
Also, person on site searches with keyword. You can follow up with e-mail regarding that keyword search

Increasing responses:
1. Providing exclusive content -- only if e-mail user
2. Providing a utililty -- like stock tips, weather alert via e-mail
3. Humor - joke, cartoon -- must be regular part of program

Start with slow introduction when you subscribe -- say how to get off spam filter, that you'll be sending video, etc etc
Separate prospects from regular customers
Also keep track of people who don't respond (maybe ditch them from mailing list?)

Automated e-mail marketing

Send offers for non-responders, very cost-effective.

Basic dynamic content --

Audience segmentation

Simple automation -- takes them to the next step

Inbound management -- handling bounces better

Multiuser support -- with your e-mail marketing platform

Personalized Landing Pages -- designed for each customer

Form-based data collection on landing page

Added immediately to database

Complex dynamic content -- influenced by customer history, increases sales by 900 percent

Customer Preference Pages -- says what they are most interested in receiving

Trigger-based automation -- Send one-off messages based on their activities with no humans involved

Look at return from the customer level. Build offers around their specific needs.

Employ life-cycle automation -- Like it's spring, time to clean up your mailing list!

Distributed enterprise email services... for departmented companies

Kathleen Gage – “Secrets to Making Money with the Internet”

On Shared Vision Network call...

You must join a network of people to create infrastructure. It does take time.
Have a good web designer. Have a good SEO person.
If people aren't buying, you haven't identified yourself, created trust and credibility.

Marketing 101 -- You must know your market. Find your niche market.
Must be able to keep in touch with your market.
People must be willing to spend money on what you offer.
Must have quality products and services.
Put systems in place -- solid database, PayPal account. Must have responsive database and mailing list.
Must connect the dots
Must be able to drive people to the site. Plan of action on how to get people to the site.
Must know what they do once they're there.
Must know how to build credibility in your market.
Must know how to introduce product/services.
Must know how to keep in contact with customers.

Making good site:
Make navigable
Give them a benefit/value for giving you name and e-mail address.
Monetize your site -- for example monetizing your articles... linking to something you can buy.

Build solid relationships with people who already make money.
Book called "Law of Achievement" -- got marketing partners...

Getting the right people to your site
1. Use your blog as a tool to drive them back to your site. A lot of content related to your site
2. Social networks -- like MySpace, helps to establish credibility and visibility
3. Yahoo groups
4. Forum groups - establish yourself as an expert or build relationships
5. Joint venture partnerships
6. E-mail signature file -- link to site with slogan, etc... "For free report, go here!"
7. Media releases
8. Craigslist
9. Announcement groups - search for subject plus announcement group
10. Own Ezine, or others that your write for
11. Classified ads
12. Article distribution -- put in resource box all sorts of info like free report that drives them back to site -- best source
13. Talk shows or radio shows or teleseminar

How to convert them to paying customers
1. Create extreme amount of value
2. Write greeeeat sales copy
3. Give offers that are irresistable to that market
4. Give people an easy point of entry -- have them spend $20-50 item

How to set up strategic alliances
Start with one or two alliances -- don't compare with others
Build one solid, well thought-through win/win relationship. Have a vision for long-term relationship. Then build another :)
110 is too many partners lol

How to find partners
Notice other campaigns are going on, and see who's participating in those. Contact those who might be a good match.
If you see an article that they wrote, e-mail them about what you liked.
Go to forum groups for your market/expertise. Start posting, respond well. Soon you will be considered a resource. Then others will come to you about partnerships.

How do you increase value, position themselves as experts
Post articles -- in yahoo groups, forums, article directories specific to market (search: market + article directories)
Article is information, not trying to sell anything.
Always put resource box which drives back to website.
E-book - combine articles you've written. Free software for e-book covers. Format for ease of read, with bio at the end that drives them back to website. Offer it all over.
Real book -- esp. bestseller -- even self-published -- if it's not done professionally or poorly marketed, then hurts you
Forum groups -- best way to build credibility
takes time! takes infrastructure! takes commitment!

Press releases
PRweb.com -
locally -- newspapers, radios, tv, etc... always on the look out for it
1-page document, double-spaced. Focus on award, how she was selected.

Swapping newsletter ads
If the newsletter is good for your market, then go for it! Can also swap products.
Joint venture campaigns, link exchanges -- make sure link is in good position on internet, or it'll backfire on you
Free advertising sites -- will end up with lots of spam
Links to free offers
Teleconferences -- must establish credibility first
Host your own teleconference
Live free seminars online

Also can have one day only giveaways/discounts...