VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

Need to Generate Some Extra Revenue?

The end of a quarter is quickly approaching and you're just under target for your expected revenue. Many of us find ourselves in this situation and out of ideas for generating that extra bit of revenue. We've found a great solution and it comes in the form of flash promos! Flash promotions are a great way to provide customers an unexpected discount or special offer they will find difficult to pass up. Below are some suggestions to get you started and help you make the most out of your flash promotion. 

• Include an approaching expiration date for your offer- it's called a flash promotion for a reason! Customers will be less likely to procrastinate when they have limited time to take advantage of the offer.
• Require a promotion code- promo codes create a sense of exclusivity; only those with the unique code have access to an offer. They give the idea that a particular customer has special privileges, since not just anyone can redeem the discount. 
• Theme your offer- theming your offer after an upcoming holiday or to reflect a particular season (after tax day sale or spring special) not only makes your offer more interesting and engaging for customers but reveals the fact that your promotion is current and not offered all year long.
• Make the promo unique- if the goal is to generate revenue on a time-line, you need your customers to purchase now. Offer a unique discount or promotion so customers get the idea that this is a one-time offer. Most customers are aware of the fact that you offer a 25% off discount all year long. So make the offer special and customers will be more apt to take advantage.

Whether it's offering a bogo (buy one get one free), tax-free sale, or a discount percentage to customers, flash promos are an easy way to gain customer's attention and generate that extra bit of revenue. Everyone likes to save, especially when the savings are one-time or unexpected. So send your next email campaign with a one-time bogo code or an expiring virtual coupon. It will raise not only your customer's spirits but your bottom line.

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Increase Customer Engagement With LESS Content?

Most of us send emails with the intent to spark interest and promote recipients to take a   particular action. It's not enough to have users simply read our content and delete the message from their inbox with no further consequence. So ever wonder why recipients open emails but fail to click, convert, purchase, or sign-up?

We've found the answer may be with your content. I bet you're expecting us to say you need more content in your emails right? Nope, too much content may actually be  the issue. Like in a movie preview, you don't want to give away the whole plot, climax and resolution for free. After all, no one wants to pay $11 to s  ee a rerun. When writing content in your emails keep it simple. Spark interest, create questions, and leave something to be desired.

Customers, clients and leads are busy and don't have time to read large blocks of content. An email full of words (even interesting and relevant words) can be particularly overwhelming and can end up getting deleted. Instead of divulging an entire blog post, help article, or all of the details of a promotion, end an interesting couple of sentences with a call to action. In large blocks of content, the desired action or purpose can easily be lost. A "Read More!", "Sign-Up Now!" or "Get Your Discount Here!" is much more conducive to boost user engagement and increase ROI, sign-ups, clicks and conversion rates.

Want to see how email recipients are interacting with your content? Attend our weekly VR for AppExchange demo or view a short video tutorial for tips on how to set up and view reporting and track interaction.

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Adding Links in Your Emails - Why, What, and How?

After all your hard work writing compelling content and uploading images, adding links to your emails is one of the easiest things you can do to increase customer engagement. With links you can encourage recipients to take action by directing them to visit your website, your blog, sign-up for an event, learn more about special promotions, or purchase products. Links also give particularly interested email recipients a way to easily continue their interaction with your brand or product. 

Where is the best place to add links in my email?

1. Images - Link images (including your company logo) to your website or another relevant URL. Also ensure you place alt text for all your images.

2. Titles or Headers - The titles or headers of specific sections in your emails are often an enticing place to click and make a great place to insert links.

3. Names or Titles - You can link names and titles to a corresponding email address so customers have an easy way to make contact.

4. Buttons or Text - Inserting a "Learn More!" or "Sign-up Here!" button or text link is an easy way to present your call-to-action. Performable offers a great and simple way to build buttons to include in your emails.

5. Relevant Content - Add links within the body or content of your message. They can help to not only break-up content and make it more digestible but are also a great way to get recipients to take some form of action.

6. Table of Contents - Including a small Table of Contents at the top of a long email or an email that includes several different topics (as with a Newsletter) can be a great way to get more people engaged with your message.  A TOC allows recipients to find items that interest them without needing to scroll through the entire email message.  And, of course, the easier you make it for your subscribers to find content that interests them, the more likely they’ll be to take action with your message.  

You can also test the success of different links by accessing the "VR Statistics" tab in your account to view click rates and reporting on your links.

Adding links is simple! Here's how:

• Highlight the text or select the image you'd like to use as a link.
• Click the chain link icon in the Designer's Toolbar (top right hand side in the top row of icons).
• Select the "Link Type" (email or URL)
• Type or paste your link or email into the dialog box.
• Click "Insert" or "OK" and you're all done! If you'd like to test your links, go to the Quick Preview tab found directly above the Designer's Toolbar. 

Want to learn more about adding links in your emails? Visit our How To Do Everything Salesforce site to access one of our video or text tutorials or sign up for one of our weekly VR for Salesforce live demos!

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8 Places to Find Advocates For Your Business

Most businesses have customers who love them and who love to talk about them. You've probably spent a lot of time and energy building up your business, so now it's time to locate those people who love to shout from the mountain tops how great they think you are. Why? Well eventually you'll want to reach out to these very special people, thank them and treat them extra special.

The easiest thing to do, is create a list of them from different channels so that when you're ready to really activate them even more than they already are, you can do it easily. So where do you start?

Your Employees - Your employees can be the best advocates for your business. You know who your best employees are and those who love what they do. Ask them to talk about your business on Twitter and Facebook if they'd like, and to post that they work for you on LinkedIn.

Best Customers - Look to see who your best customers have been, these are probably people that have purchased from you a number of times. Then based on your criteria, create your "best customer" list.

Survey Responders - If you're sending our customer satisfaction surveys, why not monitor who responds positively to your surveys? Then create your "Survey advocates" list.

Google Alerts - Sign up for FREE Google Alerts with your business name, your name, even your competitors name. See if there is anyone who keeps talking about your business more than a few times. Call this your "Google Advocates" list.

4Square - If you've got a local business, monitor who becomes the Mayor of your business. When they check in, make sure you know and give them a special discount or deal. They'll be sure to visit often and tell their friends. Call this list your "Mayor" list.

Twitter - Search your twitter handle on twitter.com. You will see who is talking positively about you. We use TweetDeck and set up a variety of keywords to track. Then from that easy interface we can manage our conversations with them. Make sure you RT them asking them to send you an email, include your email address. "Thanks for the RT! Email me at [email address] for a special deal!" You only have 140 characters so make sure you can fit it all and get their email address so you can start to build your email list of "Twitter advocates."

Facebook - Create a Facebook Fan Page and monitor who is speaking up with comments and likes. Set up a "Reviews" Tab and ask your followers what they think about you. Then message them back thanking them. Ask for their email address so you can send them something (free product, discount.) For anyone who "Likes" what you write, add them as a friend on Facebook. Then message them and ask for their email address as well. Start to build your list of "Facebook advocates".

Blog - Check out those who've commented on your blog. Most blog platforms enable you to see their email address. These will be your "blog advocates."

Are you finding your best advocates? If so, how? Please comment!

Think All Customers Love Fancy Graphics and Images? Think Again.

It can be fun and visually appealing to create and design emails with fancy images, elaborate tables and pretty buttons, but do customers respond positively? Not always. Particularly in B2B communications, many email recipients are more likely to respond to text emails.

Why do text emails deliver good results?

1. They tend to be more direct and to the point making busy B2B customers more likely to read the content and respond.
2. Calls to action and links are more apparent in text emails. The visual distractions presented in graphical emails may take attention from key email points.
3. Text emails are more personal and professional and give off a less "mass email" feel.

The VR for AppEx team recently conducted a test with its B2B audience to see if customers were more likely to respond and interact with a graphical email (containing images and graphics) or a text email. The results may surprise you!

Text example on the left, image email on the right.

 

 

We found the text email had both higher open and click rates!

Curious whether your customers will respond better to graphical or text email messages?

Use the VR for AppExchange reporting tools to test the two types of emails. Split your list in two, send one list the graphical email and the other group the text email to measure differences in open and click rates. Remember, you can only track opens with HTML emails so be sure to keep the HTML version in the mostly text email. It's also a good idea to adhere to the 20% images and 80% text rule. You can do this by including a button or two along with your company logo for branding. Happy testing!

Check out our online guide on Designing Your Email for Delivery & Response or view our How To Do Everything Salesforce page for more guides and resources.

Want more? Attend our weekly VR for AppExchange live demonstration, Wednesdays at 10AM Pacific.

So, What's a Good Email Open Rate?

Whether you're generating a report for your boss, measuring return on investment o r tracking recipient activity, when it comes to analyzing email marketing efforts many of us find ourselves asking the question "What's a good open rate?" The quick and easy answer is open rates between 15%-30% are considered average. In truth, open rates tend to fluctuate based on send time and send date and vary with industry, list size, messaging and many other variables. 

As an example, email messages related to marketing and acquisition typically have lower open and click rates than editorial or non-profit messages. Similarly, emails sent from within the travel industry tend to have higher open rates than those from the retail industry.

What does this mean for your business? There really is no magic number to achieve when it comes to open rates. The best method for finding a good open rate for your emails is to monitor your own previous and current rates and take steps to improve upon those numbers. More importantly, click rates can be an even stronger indication of customer engagement. Click rates should also be monitored and improved upon. They indicate that a recipient has not only opened your email but that they are also interested in the content you've sent them.

Steps you can take to improve open and click rates:

• Personalize Campaigns - Creating a personal, one-on-one dialogue will make your emails more welcomed by recipients. Example: Include the recipient's name in the greeting of your email. Check out our video tutorial on how to personalize emails or visit our VR for AppEx tutorials site for more tips!

• Use Customer Data - Previous behavior or past purchases can be used to send targeted emails and appealing messages. Examples: Send a specific message to customers who recently purchased a certain product to promote a similar product on sale. Or, offer your most frequent or highest-value customers a special premium (free shipping, zero setup fees, etc.) as a thank-you for their valued business.
  
  
• Send Timely Follow-ups - Send messages to recipients while your brand is fresh in their mind and interest is high. Example: Quickly follow-up with individuals who have recently visited your website or registered for a newsletter.

• Test, Test, and Test Again- Test send times, subject lines, link types and email template designs to find those that deliver the best click and open rates for your type of business and audience. Example: Perform a split test to measure open rates of two differing subject lines.

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RELEVANT Content is King

We've all heard the phrase "Content is King." There is no question the content of your emails, blogs, websites, and even social media outlets has never been more important for driving engagement and meeting the needs of customers. In 2011 more than ever, it is essential to provide not just more new content but more content that is relevant and useful to readers. The experts over at MarketingProfs have come up with Key B2B Trends in Content, Social Media in 2011 to help you stay ahead of the curve. We've outlined three key points below.

1. Social media = Lots of room for growth

It's clear many businesses have at least tested the waters when it comes to social media and B2B marketers understand the value of social media as a tool to connect with customers and grow their businesses. However, few companies have yet to use the social tool set to its complete potential. According to a recent study by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services only 12% of business executives answered their companies were using social media efficiently. Why is that? Many are unsure of how to approach social media while others still doubt of the real value of using social outlets. 

Tip: Use social media as a platform to promote existing blog posts or an email offer. Don't forget you can easily use Social Sharing from within your VerticalResponse account (under VR Statistics > Account Information) to share sent emails using social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

2. Say Yes to Content Marketing

Most B2B marketers have come to accept that they are also "publishers." In addition to simply selling their products they must also produce useful content to gain the interest of potential customers and to educate readers. Producing just any content will not suffice. It's important to create engaging and empathetic content for full marketing effectiveness. Producing the right kind of content can be a marketer's largest hurdle. To create useful and relevant content put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer and consider what you can to do to best suit their needs. By learning to create interesting and compelling content your website or blog will undoubtedly become a valuable resource.

Tip: Content is more than words. B2B companies should differentiate content to include other forms of material such as audio files, videos, charts and even live demonstrations. You can repurpose existing text content you already have into other content forms. Check out the weekly VerticalResponse for SalesForce live demonstration or browse our How To Do Everything SalesForce page for inspiration!

 3. Look at the Big Picture

It's easy to get caught up on the day to day fluctuations in social media stats: number of fans or followers on Facebook, number of email retweets, number of YouTube views, and on and on. Although, the details and daily numbers are interesting to look at, what really counts is sales.

Just as you would with any marketing investment, it's important to measure the affects of social media and the overall ROI. Stay focused on the big picture to maximize the benefits of social media. For B2B and social media this means connecting with your customers in a meaningful way that actually makes them want to do business with you.

Tip: Remember, you can always view the return on investment and click-to-conversion of your email campaigns in your VerticalResponse account. For more on ROI, click-to-conversion and Google Analytics integration in your VR for SalesForce account, view our how to video tutorials: Turn on Google Analytics Integration, Click-to-Conversion Tracking and Revenue & ROI Calculator.

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Top 5 VerticalResponse for AppEx Guides

The team at VR regularly publishes new guides focused on email marketing, social media and other topics to help you learn new skills and maximize your marketing potential. Last year VR's guides were downloaded over 30,000 times by our fans and followers, and they're still hungry for more!

Here are our Top 5 most downloaded VR for AppExchange guides for your enjoyment - click the title to download your free guide:

1. 5 Steps to a Successful Email Newsletter
2. Savvy Subject Lines 
3. 5 Truths About Email Marketing
4. 5 Step Marketing Plan
5. 15 Postcard Tips & Tricks

Of course, there's always our original VR for AppExchange Guide to get you started: A Step-by-Step Guide to Email Marketing Success.

What other guides or information would you like to see from the team? Add your requests to the comments below, and we'll put it on our list of future guides. Stay tuned for new guides coming soon!

Hungry for more? Check our our weekly VR for SalesForce demo or visit the How To Do Everything Salesforce site.

5 Ways to Get More Action from Your Call-to-Action

The email marketing campaigns you create and send weekly, monthly, or  quarterly are your way of letting your recipients know what's going on with your company, what's new, or what deals you've got going on. So it's really important that you're very clear about what you'd like them to do and when you'd like them to do it. Simply put, this is your "call-to-action." With a few simple tips you can get more action from your call-to-action (CTA) resulting in more conversions from your email.

1. Make It a Button: We tested it and the results were clear: A call-to-action in the form of a button instead of a text link can increase your click through rates. The best part is you don't need to be a graphic designer to create one! Visit our friends at Performable.com and you can create one in just a minute or two! After you create your button, simply take a screen shot of it and save it as a GIF or JPEG. Then, just like any other image, insert it into your email and link it where you want it to go. Check out the Adding Images tutorial on our How To Do Everything SalesForce page.


2. Include a Sense of Urgency: Guess what? The more time that goes by before your recipients click on your call-to-action, the more likely they never will. By including a sense of urgency you're encouraging your recipients to click sooner, rather than later. Check out the CTAs below. Think about it...which one compels you more?
   
   Or
   
   
3. Use Contrasting Colors: You want to make sure your call-to-action stands out in the crowd, right? So make it pop! Use bold and contrasting colors so your recipients can't miss it.


4. Size Matters: Just like the color of your call-to-action, the size is going to effect how well it stands out in your email. You want your CTA button to be big, but not too big. So how do you know? Meghan Keaney at Performable.com says, "The biggest point is that when your recipients open the email, it should be the first thing their eyes jump to."
   


5. Keep it Short and Sweet: Your call-to-action should only be between 2-4 words. So, quickly tell your recipients what you want them to do, such as Buy Now, Save Today, Get 25% Off Now, Learn More Today, Check it Out Now, Sign-Up Today and more.

Your call-to-action plays an important role in your email, so it shouldn't be an afterthought in the email creation process. Put some thought into it as well as monitor its performance. Let us know how your next call-to-action performs!

The Holidays Have Passed, Now What?

Upcoming events and noteworthy dates are always useful when it comes to creating interesting and pertinent campaigns. However, in the wake of Valentine's Day, the major winter holidays have passed and many of us find ourselves at a loss when it comes to email campaign subject matter. 

We've brainstormed and come up with a few ideas for the next few "uneventful" months to help you theme your future sends. Below are a few dates that may inspire you to create interesting and engaging email campaigns.

March
March 2 – Read Across America Day/Dr. Seuss Day
March 4 – Employee Appreciation Day
March 8 – Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras
March 13 – Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
March 20 – First Day of Spring

Example: Friday is Employee Appreciation Day. Take advantage of the following wine offers to reward your employees for their efforts.

April
April 1 - April Fools Day
April 2 - National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day
April 15 - Tax Day
April 22 - Earth Day
April 24 - Easter

Example: Tax season is over! In celebration we've decided to make all purchases today tax free.

May
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo
May 8 - Mother's Day
May 21- Armed Forces Day
May 26 - Neighbor Day
May 30 - Memorial Day

Example: Did you know May 26th is National Neighbor Day? In honor of the date, all of our offers are buy one get one free this week. If you don't have a neighbor, you can keep the extras for yourself.  Enjoy!

Remember, you can schedule your emails to send up to four months in advance. We hope these tips have given you inspiration to get started on your next campaign.

Need Help with Subject Line Ideas?
Attend the next Subject Line Savvy Webinar on Thursday March 24, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Attend Our Weekly Salesforce Webinars:
Get a Live demo and participate in our Q&A every week - Wednesdays at 10:00 AM PST

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