E-mail marketing. Reflections on timing.

June 13, 2010 Leave a comment

In a previous post on this blog, we already discussed e-mail marketing as still being a valid marketing channel. In that post we made a clear distinction between e-mail marketing and spam. Additionally, when you are not sending out spam but deploy e-mail blast software in cooperation with intelligent marketing techniques, one needs to realize that timing is a rather crucial aspect as well.

Timing e-mail marketing

Timing e-mail marketing

When does the message appear in front of the receiver?

Feature story : e-mail blasts from political parties

Today, a few minutes ago, I went voting. Back at home I checked my e-mail inbox: 3 commercial e-mails from political parties in order to get my vote in the last minutes of the campaign. Sorry, too late! I voted after which I read your e-mail. Nevertheless, you had about 2 or 3 months to reach me via e-mail. You didn’t. Timing is almost as crucial as targeting the right audience. Wrong timing is a classical example of deploying e-mail marketing non-effectively.

Other reflections on the timing aspect of e-mail blasts

  • E-mails on Monday: if people take a day off, it’s probably a monday… So, if you want your e-mail not to be read, send it on monday.
  • E-mails on Monday – part 2: people open their mailbox after not opening it for an entire weekend. Your e-mail is in a clutter of loads of e-mails. Are you that sure yours it the one that’s going to be read?
  • E-mail campaigns on Friday: if people take a day off, it’s probably on Friday … or on Monday
  • E-mail hour of sending: I believe e-mails have the highest change of being read when send on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Additionally one needs to realize that people want a small break from now and then while working. Don’t you feel like reading something amusing when you’re close to lunch break? Yes, I suggest that sending out e-mail blast shortly before noon is the most fruitful period of the day.

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E-mail marketing versus spam

March 13, 2010 58 Comments

E-mail marketing: still valid?

I would answer the above question with a big yes. Yes, unless you’re using the spam strategy. Unfortunately for the ones who want to do “good e-mail marketing”, the spammers touched the reputation of mass mailings. But what’s the main difference between e-mail marketing and sending out spam?

E-mail Marketing vs spam

E-mail marketing vs spam

E-mail marketing vs spam

Implementations?

  1. E-mail copy : subject lines
    Spammers are often using the words “free” or “win”. Usage of those words in your subject line copy makes it very likely that your e-mail will be classified as “spam e-mail”. More about e-mail subject copy lines could be a topic for future posts…stay tuned if interested!
  2. E-mail software: contact list management
    To send out targeted e-mails with rich content to the correct receiver you require an intelligent contact management system. More about contact list management (segmentation) could be a topic for future posts…stay tuned if interested!

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The future of printed pictures

March 13, 2010 Leave a comment

The future of photography?

The future of photography?

The profession of “photographer” is dead

 

In today’s digital and mobile world, everyone is a photographer. People are mobile and carry along mobile devices that most of the time can take (high) quality pictures. What’s more, the digital technology allows to take as many pictures as one can imagine. In the end, one will have made at least one picture that has the appearance of a professional photo.

“Everyone a celebrity”

I believe the “end of the photographer” should be understood within the realms of the “15-minutes-of-fame-for-everyone society”. Actually this means it’s not the end of a certain profession. Celebrities still exist. Photographers still exist. The border however to enter those categories is now hazier then ever because of the individual’s empowerment brought along by digital technologies.

Worth a large format print?

Worth a large format print?

Upload & pay online

Back to the pictures. People take pictures everywhere, anytime. Whether with a point&shoot, reflex or a mobile phone. Most of the time those picture are used to post online to a social media profile. Rarely those pictures are printed. The future of printed pictures however is via an online workflow. Upload your own “professional photo”, set the characteristics, pay and … there you go 2 or 3 days later you receive a professionally crafted large format print in your mailbox.

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