In her article on iMediaConnection, which I strongly recommend reading, she makes it very clear how and why businesses need to re-evaluate their approach to data.

The new email list-building rules – iMediaConnection.com.

It’s never nice to think that after a lot of hard work to acquire new email addresses, a company should offer customers a chance to simply opt-out. But that is exactly what they will do if you start sending them emails. Worse, if they don’t un-subscribe as they should and keep getting more, they actually start to resent the business.

It’s always better to bite the bullet sooner rather than later and get a quality database, rather than just a quantity one.

Newsletters are a method of advertising your company, but they should also include some personality to help your audience warm to you. The same continuous news stories arriving in your reader’s mailbox each period can eventually grow stale and even produce negative impact on the brand. Therefore, it could be time for a rethink…

Firstly, evaluate your reader response, i.e. click-through rate, most popular content, how many readers the newsletter actually reaches. Without knowing how your readership perceives your newsletter, you will struggle to identify requirements needed to improve your existing content.

One way to quickly improve your newsletter to your reader’s desires is by including a new area within the newsletter asking for feedback and comments. By requesting feedback from your readers, you are indicating your willingness for change and that your audience matters.

Content can be varied. Include current news stories, but also with additional twist such as opinion and top tips. Encourage your reader to become involved in the discussion. The best way for this is to either drive your readers through to a company blog or company forum. Increasing interaction on your website will not only improve the credibility of your brand, but seo performance too.
Give your newsletter a facelift. Readers enjoy visual change as it shows that the content is moving with time. Be carefully not to completely transform the newsletter however, as this could also disturb the reader’s normal routine.

Hopefully we have given you a starting point for your newsletter. If you require a full spring clean on your newsletter and ensure that you have it brightened up in time for summer, contact The Media Cube and see how we can revamp the appearance and content of your existing newsletter.

The Media Cube is an advertising and marketing agency based in Kent and thrives on the prospect of challenging projects. Shoudl you require any additional advice on how your brand can shape up their marketing campaign, please get in touch!

With this in mind, ensure that your company installs an effective marketing campaign to remain one step ahead of competitors when customers go spending. Building an effective strategy demands detailed research into revealing customer expectations and helps identify areas your company needs to invest in.

Online marketing is the most desired and constructive way to promote your organisation. Companies are prioritising online marketing over any other, as it is the most efficient way to reach consumers.

Below are a few areas to consider and help get you started.

Revamp your website…

The post-recession world is set to introduce a more cautious consumer base. People will be hunting bargains instead of thoughtlessly spending, which means they’re more likely to look online rather than on the high street, as it is much easier for price comparison.

Assess your website and identify areas for improvement and methods to boost your pages’ positions in the search engine results. If you’re the first port of call under related keywords in the search engines, you dramatically increase the possibility of attracting customers.

Quick yet effective advertising solutions…

One exceptional way to put your company in front of potential customers immediately is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Indulge in Google applications such as Analytics and Adwords to make sure you get the best results from your advertising campaigns.

If you are not confident in using online marketing tools, plan out a budget to outsource the work to an agency and remain confident that you have the best marketing model suited to your industry.

Introduce new promotions…

Customers love cheap prices, but make sure you don’t undersell yourself. Look at areas of your business that maybe aren’t performing too well and use promotional offers to encourage an increase in sells on struggling areas.

The continued rise of social networks has proved a great source for immediately exposing your promotions on the web and towards a mass audience. Social media is rapidly becoming a productive strategy for increasing brand awareness.

Email marketing is also a fast and simple method to get your company news in the world. Identify a unique target recipient list and attract consumers that are going to be interested in what you have to say. Not every customer stumbles across your services, you have to actively be seen to promoting in-house too.

However, make sure low cost prices have no bearing on your services. The web makes it easy to damage brand reputation, so be sure that you deliver what you promise.

If you need some advice on how to efficiently maximise your online advertising spend, give us a call on 020 8306 3198.

Online spending grew by 4.6% to £1.752bn in the first half of this year, while spending on TV shrank 16.1% to £1.639bn.

The study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers also says that overall advertising fell 16% compared with the same period in 2008.

The report states that as the recession has grown it has accelerated the migration of advertising spending to digital technology from the more traditional media such as press, radio and television.

However, Thinkbox, the marketing body for the main UK commercial television broadcasters, said the figures did not comparelike with like.

“Online marketing spend is made up of many things including e-mail, classified ads, display ads and, overwhelmingly, search marketing. They should be judged individually,” said Lindsey Clay, Thinkbox’s marketing director.

Despite this it’s a huge gain for the importance of the Internet as an advertising medium and with Google’s dominance of the browser market makes them the largest advertising company in the UK currently.

We shall see how things develop, but it goes to show how now more than ever, having a strong online presence is essential for every business.

Not only can you communicate your messages quickly and cheaply, but also tailor them to specific types of customer more cost-effectively than with paper-based marketing.

However, ensure you plan your email marketing carefully to make it relevant and interesting to recipients. You also need to be aware that you must always obtain their consent before sending them marketing emails.

Be wary that just because a person is open to your brand, it doesn’t mean that they are going to pay attention to your message, or buy your product. People use the information for different purposes, but you can never be too sure when they may eventually be interested in using your services further.

Even if someone cares about your brand and has an interest in hearing about updates and products, that doesn’t mean their patience is unlimited.

The obvious advice would be to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Concentrate on creating a flourishing design that will alert the readers attention. Attracting the attention of your audience will then be followed up by the actual text on display.

Make the copy concise and straight to the point to avoid losing the reader’s attention in the opening paragraph. If you are offering tips or advice, present the information in a simple structure that gives consumers an easy way to learn more.

So remember that just because you are not guaranteed a dramatic response, or the fact that it’s cheap to produce, should not reflect on the quality of the campaign. If you would like further help on developing a successful campaign you can speak to us, or alternatively you are interested in receiving our monthly newsletter sign up now.

Having the right systems in place can ensure all departments within a company know what has happened to a customer and means they can more effectively help them. CRM is really about communication. Ensuring everyone is kept well informed and that your customers get the right information when it’s needed. This means that even if a member of staff suddenly decides to leave, the next person will know exactly where to pick up from, with no more guessing.

CRM and marketing
This communication can pay dividends when it’s linked to your marketing. Not everybody pays attention to upgrades or new releases. You can send new information to clients and keep them updated of your most recent releases or activities. CRM systems help you do this by integrating email communications with call log tracking, so you know what’s been said or sent to your customers and when. They can also classify incoming emails and put them into the corresponding customers profile, helping you to group customers by previous purchases, or areas of interest for potential new sales.

I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters how grouping your database of customers and clients is crucial to improving your effectiveness with email marketing. So if your existing methods of storing customer records aren’t user friendly, perhaps you should look at a new CRM package and importing your existing data into it.

Through our own research we’ve sourced a company that has a huge track record in this industry, with over 51% market share. However, that doesn’t mean they’re also incredibly expensive. They offer a range of packages to suit all companies and can start from as little as £5 a month. We’ve included a link here to our website, where you can find out more about them.