VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

Don't Get Lost in the Cornucopia of Inbox Offers

As Black Friday approaches, our inboxes will undoubtedly start to fill with offers from our favorite retailers, reminding us of holiday discounts and promotions we won't want to miss. We've compiled a checklist of basic facets every email should contain to help you get your point across this season. Read the list, and check it twice, to ensure your message won't be lost amongst the cornucopia of inbox offers!

• Refine Your Subject Line - With emails flooding inboxes, creating a quality subject line is more important than ever. You'll want to give your email a subject line that entices an open by including a sense of urgency but avoids sounding spammy. So skip the exclamation marks, but don't be shy when it comes to stating what recipients have to gain by opening your email and how long they have to gain it.

Subject Line Examples:  "5 Days Left to Use Promo Code..." or "Order by Midnight Tonight for ..."

• Include a Preheader - A preheader is a small section of text that is included at the top of your email above the header and main content of your message. Since many email providers display the preheader in the inbox, they are a great way to deliver a compelling summary of your email to engage recipients and get them to continue reading. Since many busy recipients scan content for valuable information, an email that delivers the goods in a preheader can be much more effective than one that buries it in the body. 

Preheader Example -

• Provide a Call to Action - Whether you send an email to inform individuals about your company, to increase customer sign-ups, or to promote a particular product, providing a clear call to action, is essential. A call to action in the form of a button, hyperlinked text, a widget or an image will not only help increase engagement but will also get recipients to quickly take the desired action before they lose interest or become distracted.

Call to Action Examples:

  Check out our website!    

• Follow the 80/20 Rule - If your recipients wanted to read a book, well, they would read a book. To prevent readers from being overwhelmed by too much text or too many images, follow the 80% text to 20% image rule. And, limit the overall amount of text your email contains while varying text size and color.

80/20 Example: Bold important facets of information, break content into digestible chunks and illustrate each content block with an image.

• Hyperlink, hyperlink, hyperlink - Don't forget to link images, mentions of your company name, and any text that states a call to action. As the holidays approach and your recipients' schedules become increasingly busy, you'll want to take advantage of any opportunity to get them to sign up, contact you, make a purchase or visit your website. And, hyperlinks are a great way to make sure those who are interested can easily get the information they're looking for with just one easy click.
  

Hyperlink Examples: Link an employee name to their email or Twitter page, or insert a login link to any mention of your company name or website.

Visit VR's Everything Holiday Site to help you check off these email essentials and stay holiday-relevant this season.

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Posted by Savannah Stewart

Savannah Stewart is the Partner Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things related to marketing and B2B communication. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

How VR Postcards Enhance Email Marketing Success

 
While we spend a lot of time discussing the many advantages of Email Marketing, there is still a time and place for Direct Mail. Did you know  VerticalResponse for AppExchange includes an integrated Postcard tool? Adding Postcards to your outreach efforts can help boost customer engagement and grow your email lists. See our top tips on how postcards can enhance email marketing success:

1. Expand Your Reach
   Not everyone reads their email. Reach a new segment of your contacts who may not see the email messages you send.
2. Cut Through Online Clutter
   Distinguish your brand and message by sending a tangible reminder to your online contacts outside of your normal email conversations.
3. Stay Top-of-Mind with Greetings
   Postcards are a terrific medium for greetings and thank you notes. Send existing customers an annual holiday or birthday card, or send a thank-you card to your newest customers. Both are terrific ways to boost repeat business.
4. Reconnect with Lost Contacts
   Customers' email addresses change more often than their physical addresses. Send a postcard asking bounced or unresponsive email contacts to visit your website and update their contact info online.
5. Grow Your Customer Database
   Unlike email list rules, it's perfectly acceptable to rent or buy Postal mailing lists. Use a reputable list vendor such as D&B or InfoUSA to gain access to a whole new population of contacts. Be sure to ask new postal contacts to opt in to your email lists.

 Download Our Postcard Tips & Tricks

View Our Text Tutorial: "Why Use Postcards"

Email Etiquette Dos and Don'ts

When I was growing up my dad would pull out Emily Post's Etiquette for serious dinner table discussions - like proper manners for formal dinners, introductions, greetings, clothes, thank you notes, weddings and more. He had the first edition from 1922, and a lot has changed since then...a biggie being the internet, and how it has transformed our lives at work and home.

So, I thought it would be fun to talk about email etiquette for the modern day. Whether it's a personal email, work/company email, or an email marketing message going out to your customers, there are general guidelines to follow that will strike a friendly chord with the person on the receiving end.

Email Etiquette Dos and Don'ts: 

1. Before you get started, ask yourself why you're sending this email. What's the purpose?
2. Do remember there's a person on the other end of the email.
3. Don't send an email out of anger.
   
4. Do ensure the subject line relates to the email content.
5. Don't address the recipient incorrectly (i.e., your personalization should be accurate).
6. Do spell check.
7. Don't send or launch before you edit and proof.
   
8. Do check the tone - how will it be received?
   
9. Don't write a novel.
10. Do communicate clearly and concisely.
    
11. Don't lose your message or point.
    
12. Do use scannable bullet points and short paragraphs.
13. Don't write in ALL CAPS.
14. Do use images.
    
15. Don't use too many images.
    
16. Do have a friendly salutation and a sincere good-bye.
17. Don't hesitate to say thank you.
18. Do make sure you have the correct recipient (i.e., check your mailing list).
19. Don't include incorrect or broken links.
20. Do provide a signature, contact information and company website.
21. And finally: Type unto others as you would have them type unto you (phrase compliments of 101 Email Etiquette Tips). 

There are lots of resources and email etiquette tips across the web. What are your favorites? Do you have a pet peeve?

Related Posts:

• Adding Links in Your Emails - Why, What, and How?
• RELEVANT Content is King
• Top 10 Things to Test to Put Your Email on the Top 10 List!
  

Posted by Amber Ricchetti

Amber Ricchetti is the Lifecycle Marketing Manager at VerticalResponse. She blogs here about all things related to marketing & copywriting. Connect with her on Twitter at @Gldnamby.

Essential Fall Holidays to Recall

What is it about fall that’s so appealing? Is it the crispness in the air, the vibrant oranges and yellows that emerge, football season, or the slight hint of cinnamon in just about everything? Whatever it is, fall is here and we've just hit the tip of the holiday iceberg. So, compiled below is a list of fall holidays and observances for you to warm up to. Send an email with a frighteningly good sale, holiday happenings or turkey tips - all with a little sugar and spice!

October:

• 10/15: National Poetry Day
  
• 10/16: National Boss’ Day
• 10/31: Halloween

November:

• 11/6: Daylight Saving Time Ends
• 11/8: Election Day (US)
• 11/11: Veterans Day (US)
• 11/24: Thanksgiving (US)
• 11/25: Black Friday
• 11/26: Islamic New Year
• 11/26: Small Biz Saturday
• 11/28: Cyber Monday

VerticalResponse Postcards Holiday Submission Deadlines

*Note: Postcards ordered from VerticalResponse must be completed and sent to the printer by October 17 to be delivered by Halloween and November 10 to be delivered for Thanksgiving.

Posted by: Colleen Corkery

Colleen Corkery is the Lifecycle Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse. She writes and reaps about all email-related things. Connect with her on Twitter at @youcollme

Yep, It's Holiday Prep Time Again

As much as we love the holidays for the opportunity to spread cheer, participate in festivities and share warm fuzzy moments of sipping hot cocoa and declaring what we're thankful for, we can't deny the later months are also characterized by holiday-themed marketing chock-full of Christmas, Hanukkah and Turkey Day specials. So the question remains, how do we jump ahead of the curve and seize the opportunity to entice consumer spending with the perfect winter wonderland special? We've got the answer!  

Don't Be a Scrooge: Nothing gets us more into the holiday spending spirit than browsing through our favorite department store to the sound of winter wonderland in a setting of shiny golds, deep reds and forest greens. The same concept applies to browsing bookmarked websites or receiving an email from our favorite senders. Whether it's in emails, on websites, or in your blog, don't be a scrooge when it comes to holiday theming. So get in the spirit and include a festive graphic in your newsletter, craft holiday-themed subject lines, or apply a seasonal color scheme to your homepage to get your customers excited for the next holiday. Their cheery mood will have a positive impact on your brand and overall revenue.

'Tis the Season of Giving: The holiday season is characterized by higher spending rates and more shopping, but that doesn't mean your customers, clients and prospects aren't looking to save a few dollars in the process. Providing a two-for-one deal, a discount on your annual renewal, a percentage off setup or subscription fees, or a credit to your existing customers' account will go a long way and boost your business' earnings this holiday season.

Give Thanks: It's the time to give thanks, and one of the most effective methods for creating and keeping loyal customers is expressing an appreciation for their business. This can be achieved through something as simple as a sending a thank you email or postcard. Thanking your clients and customers for their patronage without asking for something in return will not only make them feel they are important but it will shed a positive light on your brand and keep you top of mind over your competitors.

 

Get a head start on your holiday marketing and don't be afraid to start early. Extending the season's theme will not only maximize holiday benefits for your business but it will keep you present (pun intended) and set you apart from your lagging competitors. Thanks for reading! We hope these holiday tips help you keep-up the cheer and remain jolly this holiday season.

Savannah Stewart is the Partner Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things related to marketing and B2B communication. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

Events to Grow Your Business

So you're already an email marketing pro, what's next? Events! You may have heard VerticalResponse recently added event marketing to our existing services. Now you can easily market your events. With the event marketing tool you can quickly create, send and track event invitations and promote attendance and sign-ups with social media. Below we've outlined some simple ideas on how events can help you grow your business and provided tips to get started with event marketing!

1. Events = Exclusivity - Events are a great way to get people excited about an idea or a new product. An event invitation to a fundraising dinner or new product launch can be more effective than other methods of promotion because it evokes a sense of exclusivity. Invitees are more likely to contribute to a cause or get behind a new product when they know not everyone has been chosen to attend the event or support the cause.

2. Events Build Loyalty - When our comments are heard and we feel appreciated as customers, we are more likely to remain loyal to a company and recommend a business or refer a service to others. A user seminar or client appreciation dinner will not only build loyalty amongst current customers, but it will also give you an opportunity to gain valuable customer feedback. Give a little back to your customers and your investment will be returned tenfold. 

3. Expand with Events - Host a guest speaker, professional development class or industry seminar. These types of events promote business development, as well as personal and employee growth and education. An industry seminar can provide methods for growing your business, expanding your services and informing yourself on competitors. Putting on an educational event or hosting a guest speaker not only displays a sense of appreciation for your employees, but will also help to promote collaboration and loyalty in the office.

Now that we've given you event ideas, we'll also help you promote them! With the VerticalResponse event tool you can easily share your event through social media and email. You can also quickly create an event webpage, get a link to your event and generate a widget or button to embed on any website. Checkout our event help page for more resources and event how-tos.

We want to hear your ideas!  What creative or successful events have you had? Comment and let us know!

Savannah Stewart is the Partner Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things related to marketing and B2B communication. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

How to Rock a Tradeshow

VR had the pleasure of attending Dreamforce last week. And, we're proud to say it was a   great success thanks to our wonderful staff, friendly neighboring booths and comrades, and of course our fun attendees and AppExchange users like you! Dreamforce was a particularly successful tradeshow because, we quite literally rocked the booth. See below for more on our Dreamforce rock theme and find tips on how to rock the booth at your next event! We've compiled a list of successful tradeshow strategies we hope you'll find useful.

1. Break out of the monotony - In a sea of booths stocked with mini sized candy, branded pens and those all too familiar handouts, it's important to stand out and even more important to avoid boring your visitors. Rather than attempt to bring visitors in with the usual tactics attract them with a game, contest or competition! Spinning the wheel to win or holding a raffle or Twitter competition will help to set you apart from the rest and give you something to offer in exchange for your attendees' attention.

Example: We rocked the booth at Dreamforce with a Metallica Rockband setup and raffled off an Ibanez acoustic/electric guitar (happy winner Brandt Page pictured to the right) to those who Tweeted a pic at our booth using a special hashtag.

2. Dress for Success - We dress our best for tradeshow events, but an even more effective strategy is to coordinate booth staff attire. Wearing shirts with your logo or branding at events is a great way to promote your business and create a sense of solidarity and professionalism in the booth.

Example: At Dreamforce our "I Rock VR" shirts (pictured left) were a hit - and played off our theme. Attendees stopped to ask about them both inside and outside of the booth.

3. Look Around - Don't forget to take the time to look around at other booths to find which strategies work and which don't. Imitation is the strongest form of flattery right? Make a mental note of the most effective data sheets or the most enticing give-aways for your next tradeshow.

Example: Dippin' Dots, flashing sunglasses, earbuds and iPads were some of the most coveted giveaways we noticed at Dreamforce. Who doesn't want flashing sunglasses to accompany their attire at a Metallica concert? (p.s. Metallica was the Dreamforce headlining band).

4. Prepare for Your Arrival - Send an email to your current customers and contacts informing them of your upcoming tradeshow attendance or use geotargeting to let nearby residents know you will be at a tradeshow in their city or state. This will not only help boost visitors but you may even get to meet some of your loyal customers.

Example: We included a Dreamforce blurb in our monthly newsletter letting customers know they could come by our booth to speak to a VR for AppExchange expert. 

5. Strategize - After you've promoted your event and created innovative ways to attract visitors don't forget to come up with strategies to record and remember your attendees. Gathering attendee information is one of the biggest payoffs in tradeshow attendance. It allows for communication with new individuals and can lead to more revenue and new sales for your business.

Example: Use the lead retrieval device at events, collect business cards and create codes to categorize leads, interest levels and customer status.

6. It's All About Timing - Once you've compiled your list of booth visitors you'll want to send a follow-up email. It's important both to be conscious of your attendees' travel schedule and to recognize all of the other tradeshow communications they may receive. You'll want to connect as soon as possible, but not so early you get lost in the post-show inbox clutter.

Example: Follow-up sooner with attendees of local shows but wait a few days for things to settle before connecting with out of state visitors.

We hope these tips will help you rock your next tradeshow and make the most of your attendance. Tell us! Do you have any rockin' strategies you've found effective in your booth?

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Posted by Savannah Stewart

Savannah Stewart is the Partner Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things related to marketing and B2B communication. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

VR for AppExchange Event Marketing Is Here!

  It's truly been a labor of love these past few months behind the scenes at VR for Appexchange, and we're proud to announce that VerticalResponse Event Marketing is now available! With this new product offering comes the ability to easily create event web sites, sell tickets, and promote events through your email and social media networks in a matter of minutes. We hope you'll be surprised and delighted at how quickly you can create and market your events, all through your VR for AppExchange account!

Review Event Marketing pricing and then take advantage of this exciting new product! Event marketing can be found under "Resources and Tools" in the "VR Email" tab of your VerticalResponse for AppEx account.

Related blog posts:

• Event Marketing is Coming to VR for AppEx - Stay Tuned!
• Coming Soon! Sell Tickets and Promote Events through VR
  

Posted by Jason Whittenberg

Jason Whittenberg is a Product Manager at VerticalResponse and blogs about enhancements and new functionality.

Why Your Email Should Resemble A Picture Book

Remember reading picture books as a child and the happy, warm and enjoyable emotions that usually accompanied the process? Whether it's reading a picture book to yourself, to your child, or to a group of eager 2nd graders, it's hard to feel anything but positive emotions while projecting playful sentences or turning the book to display the vibrant images. And it's usually those positive emotions that keep everyone interested, entertained and captivated.

We know what you're thinking...how do picture books relate to email marketing? Well, much like a picture book is designed to gather and keep readers' attention, emails should also be crafted to enthrall their audience. This is not to say that your recipients are equivalent to a group of 2nd graders, but with busy schedules and workdays their attention spans certainly may be. Below are suggestions for designing your email to captivate your audience.

Keep it positive! - No one likes to read a sad story or see unattractive images whether they come from a picture book or an email. Likewise, we certainly don't want any of that negativity associated with our company or brand. To avoid this, insert images that include smiling faces, vibrant colors or appealing scenery to your emails and use positive language wherever possible.

Example: Use conversational language within your emails or include a joke! It will not only make your messages more digestible but it may even give your customers a reason to smile.

Appeal to aesthetics - Much like a picture book appeals to its audience with a healthy balance of pictures to text, an email should include about 20% images and 80% text. Rather than overwhelm readers with an all text email, include images to draw-in your recipients' attention and encourage them to read the accompanying text.

Example: Include a complimentary image for each headline, title or section of your monthly newsletter.

A picture still tells 1,000 words - A reader's eyes will usually be drawn to an image first and then look to your text for an explanation. Make sure the pictures in your emails are relevant to your text in order to keep your message consistent. Similarly, relevant images can help to quickly convey the purpose of your email to recipients.

Example: Include a coupon or image that displays the total savings in promotional emails.

Credit the Author - After doing the work to create aesthetically appealing, positive and relevant messages you'll certainly want to your company to reap the benefits! Make sure the from label in your messages clearly references your company name or company owner and include a company logo in the header of each email message.

Example: To avoid entering the information in "Set Up" each time you create an email, you can save your company name, logo and address under the "Account Information" link in upper right hand corner of the "VR Email" tab.

Want more?  Check out the Image Library section of our help site for more information on how to easily find, edit and add images or attend our weekly VR for Salesforce live demonstration.

Posted by Savannah Stewart

Savannah Stewart is the Partner Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse and blogs here about all things related to marketing and B2B communication. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

Event Marketing is Coming to VR for AppEx - Stay Tuned!

Back in June we announced we're adding event marketing and ticket sales to our product offerings, and we're delighted that VerticalResponse for AppExchange Event Marketing will be released very soon! This new tool will enable you to quickly create event websites, sell online tickets, accept sponsorships and donations, and send emails to promote your events − all through your VR for Salesforce account.

After the launch, users of VR for AppExchange will notice a new “Events” section under the "Resources and Tools" portion of the VR Email tab in your account.

Getting Started & Selling Tickets

To get started you'll simply complete a quick sign-up page. After that, you’ll be creating and marketing your event in no time!

With VR for AppExchange Event Marketing there are several ways to "sell" event tickets:

• Create an online box office on the event website where customers can buy tickets to your events.
• Use the Shopping Cart feature to sell tickets at various price points (or free of charge) that your customers can purchase, and then print a receipt to gain entrance to your event. 
• Embed the ticket widget on your web site, or even your Facebook page, within minutes!

Collecting Funds

If you're selling tickets, the funds can be deposited directly in your PayPal account. Ticket purchases and revenue figures can be accessed for your event at any time, allowing you to quickly gauge how your promotions are performing and whether you need to expand your mailing lists or exposure to social networks.

Get Social with Your Event Marketing

Speaking of social networks, have you taken advantage of our recent Social Media Updates for getting the word out about your email campaigns and events? Well, now’s your chance! Your event marketing programs can also benefit from our social media update to track the popularity of your events among your customers and their social networks. Simply turn on our social sharing features in your email invitations and announcements, and then your customers and their connections can promote your events for the widest reach possible. The number of posts, tweets, and Forward to a Friend actions are all tracked through your VerticalResponse email reports dashboard.

Event Marketing Email Templates

Currently in your VR for AppEx account there are new email templates that can be tailored for a variety of invitations and campaigns. If you've already created emails for events you don't have to worry about redoing all the great work you already have, since invitations can be sent through your VerticalResponse account.

Non-Profit Discount

We're proud to offer our non-profit customers discounts on the service we provide, and with Event Marketing we continue our commitment to those of you who do so much for your communities. Along with selling tickets and collecting payments you can also accept donations or sell sponsorships for your events. Event sponsors can then be recognized in your invitations and event website to showcase those who donate to your cause.

Feedback

As you can see there's a lot to be excited about, and we hope you are as excited about these new features as we are to provide them! To foster your input we added “Event Marketing” in the Feedback tab of the application, since we're very interested to hear your impressions while working with VR for AppExchange Event Marketing. We ask that you continue to provide feedback and suggestions to improve and maximize your experience, and we'll strive to bring more of these great features to you!