VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

A Breakdown of the New Features

It’s been a little over a week since our latest VerticalResponse for AppExchange product upgrade and we wanted to take a moment to check in and see how things were going.  Have you had a chance to get familiar with the new features?  What do you think of the new look?  We’d love to hear your feedback so if you’ve got some to share, send it our way!

Today we’ll take a few minutes to highlight some of the key feature enhancements that were part of the latest release.  These upgrades were implemented based on the feedback you provided so thanks for helping us make a better app!  So without further adieu, let’s dive in:

Ladies and Gentlemen, “Account” fields have arrived!

Yes, we know this was a thorn in the side of many users and we’re happy to report that you can now created targeted newsletter lists using the standard and custom fields within the Accounts tab of your salesforce.com account. 

Need a real-world scenario? Let’s say you are a software company and you need to send a newsletter to all your partners and resellers informing them about a special training session next month. Done and done.

1. Start by clicking the VR Email tab, then click New List
2. Choose the first option called: Create a list of Leads & Contacts
3. Create a new query and define your filter criteria such as: Account Type equals Partner/Reseller

You’ll now be able to grab all the Contacts for all the key Accounts in one fell swoop and you can include standard and custom merge fields on your mailing list to personalize each email that you send.

This was by far the most popular feature request and we’re happy to see this one crossed off the list – we hope you are too!

Got a favorite query?  Go ahead, save it!

We know you’re busy, you’ve got a lot on your plate and the last thing you need is to jump through hoops to get your email newsletter out the door.  With the new Saved Queries feature you can create and save all your frequently used queries within your account for quick access. When you need to get an email out in a hurry just refresh your saved query to pull all the Leads and/or Contacts that match your search criteria.

Let’s say your company holds an informational webinar series with a different topic each month. To capture registrants, you have a Web-to-Lead for on your site that marks anyone who signs up with a Lead Source of “Webinar Interest.”  So to make your life simpler, why not use the Saved Queries feature to create and save a custom query once, (i.e. Lead Source equals Webinar Interest) and then re-run this each time you want to send out your webinar invitations each month.

To create a new Saved Query, simply follow the steps for creating a new email list and at the end you’ll have the option to save the query for use in the future.

Track “past the click” with Google Analytics

For those of you out there using Google Analytics to monitor website traffic you already know what a slick application this is and for those of you who aren’t yet using it…go set it up today, it’s free!

Now you can incorporate Google Analytics tracking for the email campaigns you send using VerticalResponse for AppExchange. With this one-two punch you can see who’s clicking on the links in your email (VR tracking) and monitor the website traffic generated by this campaign source (GA tracking).  Calculating your marketing ROI has never been easier!

Here are a few quick tips to help you get up and running. The first thing you’ll need to do is create a Google Analytics account (if you don’t already have one) and make sure the necessary tracking codes are correctly placed on your website. For more information on Google Analytics, click here.

Once your Google Analytics account is enabled and you’re starting to collect site statistics you can simply add the domain(s) that you’re tracking into your VerticalResponse for AppExchange account.  To add domains, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Account Information link (upper right-hand corner of the app)
2. Then click on the Analytics Settings tab to see the Google Analytics feature
3. Simply input the domains where your Google Analytics tracking codes exist

Now when you launch your next email campaign we’ll help you tag your links so the traffic generated from click-throughs can be tracked in your Google Analytics account. For more information on our Google Analytics integration, download the User Guide.

Questions? Comments? Bring 'em on!

-- Chris Carpio, Associate Product Manager

VR Hosted the Salesforce User Group at VR HQ!

We unveiled our new training room and hosted about 40 attendees for a breakfast meeting. If you weren't able to join us or you'd like ideas to bring to your local user group.

Here's a quick review of the event.

It wouldn't be a User Group without lots of great networking, and of course a little shameless plugging from the sponsor...in our case the power of email marketing was theme for a day!

It's always great to see participation across a broad range of industries, edition levels and email vs non-email experience and Jason Stewart of Demandbase does a great job leading this independent group. The content provided is valuable and clear to the local audience. Not surprisingly that's why he chose Tricia Reilly, Bluebird Marketing LLC, to speak about web-to-lead and auto-responding emails.

Topic 1 - Web-to-lead Forms and Workflows

What often seems really basic as a free option across every Salesforce.com edition, web-to-lead is the perfect pairing to a working landing page that supports quality email marketing. The audience received a thorough demonstration on bringing these two basic marketing practices together, presented by Trish.

Topic 2 - Images Affecting Email Deliverability

I get asked this question all the time. "If I use graphics and images in my email will they got stopped by SPAM filters?" The answer is, yes....and no! It's all in your execution. The true part- If Salesforce.com users are creating email in SF templates and not properly resizing images (say you upload your company logo that your marketing department provides) than quite possibly that logo they sent you is print quality high res and too big a file to be sending over images. If you aren't graphic savvy then you could be getting stuck in the SPAM filters.

The final consensus of the day, and the recommendation of VR Marketing team, a healthy mix of images and text that clearly convey your message is the way to go. Put a professional looking email together that supports your message for a winning combination. We heard the audience loud and clear on the questions relating to email deliverability, so look forward to a VR for AppExchange Webinar on the latest feature upgrades in our 2008 Release and Deliverability that Drives Results webinar!

--Erin Jacobs, Director of Marketing

New Features & New UI for VerticalResponse for AppExchange

VerticalResponse has some exciting news for all of you VR for AppExchange users. When you click on the VR Email tab in salesforce.com, you'll immediately notice the user interface changes in the application.

In addition to the new bright, streamlined interface, you are now able to:

• Save your most commonly used queries when creating mass emails

• Build a targeted list of Contacts using any Account fields

• Utilize Google Analytics right from your VR for AppExchange account

• Breeze through commonly used tasks via the new Email Menu Page

Login to your account and watch the new demos to see all of these exciting changes in action.

If you ever get stuck, or are seeking inspiration, consult with the Salesforce community in the VR Lounge, or you can always take advantage of your VIP customer support package.

Thanks for being a valued user of VR for AppExchange! Let us know what you think!

Your Marketing Checklist for 2008

It's that time of year again when we all list our New Years resolutions. Lose 10 lbs, get to work early, call your Mom every week, we know, we all have them. Well we hope this one actually sticks since so many of them don't. It's a list of resolutions all businesses should focus on in the New Year if you're not already ahead of the game. If you are, consider yourself a pro and do everything 20% better!

1. Use a Calendar - iGoogle has a great one where you can use alerts to remind you to write your copy and send your communications. Bonus? You can also share it with others so that they know exactly when you're planning to launch. Double bonus? It's free. You can also use the Salesforce calendar but it's more for making meetings with your leads & contacts imo.

2. Publish a Blog - Yes, even if you already have a website you should also host a blog. It's another way the search engines can pick you up, you establish yourself as an expert in your industry, you give a "voice" to your business and you can get your reader's insight into how they feel about you or your company through comments they make.  It's not an overnight success, however when it starts to take off it can be incredibly beneficial. Make sure you flag categories on your posts or tag them for the search engines. Make sure you backlink to your own site from your most popular keywords in your posts. Check out TypePad or WordPress, two great blogging platforms that are very cost-effective and easy to set up.

3. Get 5 Testimonials - Get your best customers to give you quotes and use them everywhere you can. Include them on any outbound communications, in your email newsletters, on your site and in your store. Used often, they can be one of the most powerful forms of marketing you have. We have a store near us that prints off huge posters of their customers wearing their clothing and hangs them in the window along with their history of being a customer. Benefit? The customers tell all their friends to go check out their big picture and shop at the store. These people are your influencers, use them wisely. To track what people are saying about you online, check out Andiamo Systems, then contact your talkers and ask if you can use what they say.

4. Get People Talking - Have a "wow" factor. Give free samples, throw a free gift into the customer shipment, call your customers to see how they liked their service, send a birthday greeting. Whatever it is, get your word of mouth campaign going!

• Send your best customers a "thank you for being a customer" gift. Expedia send me a great bright yellow Expedia travel wallet for my passport. It's easy to pick out in my bag and it's branding for them.
• Call your webinar attendees to ask if the information was helpful, thank them for joining.
• Retailers throw something fun into your online shipment orders or shopping bags.
• Consultants give your first 2 hours of time free.
• Offer coffee at your offline location.
  

5. Shake it Up - Pick one customer-facing thing you do and change it drastically. Change your entire look of your website, repaint your store, start a monthly club, change your advertising message, change your uniforms, heck even change your "hold" music. Just do something different in the coming year that you've always wanted to do. 2008 is your year.

6. Host an Event - If you've got a retail location host an after-hours sale or an event to celebrate your best customers, the new year or your anniversary party. Make sure you do enough marketing in store and outside your location to get the number of people you want there.

If you are an expert in your field host a "lunch and learn" or a networking event. Again, make sure you do marketing to your own list as well as potentially renting a list for a postal mailing in the area to get people there. If you're work is online, host a webinar. Note: most of these have a 40-50% attendee rate.

7. Advertise - Make a list of 5 of your competitors OR 5 other businesses in your local area and look at where they advertise. Then finally answer that pesky ad sales person and choose somewhere you've never advertised before. Then roll the dice! Caveat: don't only do it once and make the call that it doesn't work work, if it's in your budget, advertise 4-6 times before you decide to stop it or better yet, continue it.

8. Do a Customer Survey - Send an email and ask 10 questions about your customer's experience with you with a 5 point rating: Excellent, Good, Neutral, Poor, Very Bad.  Be ready for the good, bad and the ugly, you'll learn what your customers like and what they don't, then you can make changes. Make sure you send a statistically valid sample and get a good sampling back. You don't want to make changes based on just 1-2 remarks. Make sure you announce your changes to all of your customers in an email campaign. Everyone wins! Check out our friends at Clicktools on the AppExchange.

9. Collect Email Addresses - Put an opt-in form on every page of your site or blog or link to it on every page with a link "Newsletter Sign Up". Put an exit pop-up window with the opt in form when someone leaves your domain. Put a sign up form on your blog. Ask for your customer's information at your counter, input it daily into a spreadsheet or better yet a contact management system. However you collect email addresses send a welcome email to them with a thank-you offer. Use the Salesforce web-to-lead form or VerticalResponse to collect email addresses for free!

10. Analyze - Use Google Analytics to track your website visits. Get to know where your traffic is coming from and how good it is. Then make changes to your site, or your marketing materials.

Hopefully you're doing some of these already. It's tough to run a business and constantly come up with new ideas to market. Hopefully this list sparks some new ideas. Happy 2008!