your email can be more sociable!

Your Email Can Be More Sociable

An eBook by

The key to the inbox

Manage your reputation.

Reach the inbox.

Earn a response.

Celebrate subscribers.

Get promoted.

Be happy.

Retire young.

Look gorgeous.

Director, Response ConsultingReturn Path

With 10 years of marketing and merchandising experience, Bonnie has managed multi-channel, multi-million dollar businesses for Fortune 100 companies in the retail sector. Her programs have experienced a 20-40% increase in open and click-through rates, 50-85% revenue growth, and 40-60% database growth.

Before Return Path, Bonnie held a senior-level e-marketing position with Office Depot, a multi-channel retailer, where she spent eight years. Bonnie holds a BS in Merchandising from Florida State University.

By Bonnie Malone

The WORLD is obsessedwith social media

3/4 U.S. online adults…

Source: Forrester

Since March 2010, traffic to Facebook

has exceeded traffic to Google

-Nielsen

MARKETERS are obsessed

with social media

Source: Forrester

64% of marketers use

social media today…

…22% more plan to do so in the near future

Source: Forrester

Source: Anderson Analytics and Marketing Executives Networking Group "Marketing Trends Report 2010"

“Social media ROI” was an important buzzword for 36% of executives.

But social media was also considered “annoying” by marketing executives, with nearly 30% saying they are tired of it.

Twitter, specifically, got on the nerves of nearly 15% of respondents. Source: Anderson Analytics and Marketing Executives Networking Group "Marketing Trends Report 2010"

…we love it, we find it

annoying, we love it, we

find it annoying

Source: Anderson Analytics

14

Love it or hate, you gotta do it …

So what is so interesting about social media?!

Social media is interesting because it’s a two-way dialog.

But social media is simply the next generation of a personal communication channel that already exists: Email

Email is not dead

Believe it or not, email is very much alive

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2007 2008 2009

Emailing from a mobile device

Emailing from a PC

Connecting with people on social networking sites

Source: eMarketer

From Online Activities of US Internet Users 2007-2009 (% of respondents)

Over 50% of adults said they

were likely to open an email

containing promotions or

coupons

Source: Experian

Source: Experian

30% said they would forward an email with promotions or coupons to others, up from 28% in 2008.

Many marketers still haven’t fully leveraged or optimized email.

But, yet, we’re already on to the next thing?

One in four marketers place links to email campaigns and newsletters on social media pages, or includes a “share” option in email.

Source: GetResponse

It’s way too easy to click “like” button in Facebook. What does that mean to the consumer?

Putting a social media link in email is really easy but is it really impactful?

Slacktivism

Don’t join the masses jumping on the bandwagon –and off the cliff of mediocrity.

What can you do to truly engage with your subscribers?

Four Keys to

1. Be Compelling

Disneyconsistently

delivers “7 Little Things” with interactive

elements like:quizzes,

contests, and requests for

feedback.

Social Media links enable subscribers to easily post the Disney share-ready content

Lowe’s holistic approach includes

a variety of content like: helpful tips,

‘how-to’ videos, and links to their

own online community

Including local store information & social media links encourages subscribers to connect in ways that are most convenient for them

2. Be Interactive

Daily Candy uses video to support the core message

of their email.

In lieu of step-by-step instructions, an expert visually demonstrates the process, and adds

an important personal element

to the message

They integrate the “follow us on twitter” message along with other share links - -

AFTER giving subscribers a clear benefit, and reason to do so.

Overstock fully embraces the idea of User Generated

Content.

In the week leading up to Mother’s Day, Overstock

asks email subscribers – and website shoppers – to tweet their Mother’s best advice. Those tweets were fed into a content feature area on

the dedicated landing page – celebrating users’

submissions.

Acacia, a health

and lifestyle company, uses

email to launch an online workout effort, bringing the subscriber

together with the company, but also

their subscribers

3. PERSONIFY the company

Sonic leverages their own company culture to lend personality to their email marketing.

The bottom of each email includes a picture

and the name of a carhop that ‘delivered’

the email.

Fast food chain, Chick-Fil-A,

smartly used their mascots, “The

Cowz” to promote an in-store event.

“The Cowz” took over email to

invite subscribers to attend – a fun way to integrate

cross-channel marketing and

branding.

4. OVERcommunicate a

consistent message

Levi’s uses email as a key communication platform with subscribers.

From reviews to Facebook, the company regularly encourages subscribers to join the conversation – and clearly states the benefits of doing so

Recently, Levi’s expanded their social media strategy by using the channel to recruit a female

spokesperson.

Email subscribers were the first to learn about the contest and were

invited to submit an entry to become the first “Levi’s girl”

Uncommon Goods is another company that

has been bold with email and social media.

They have a unique, full-circle approach that encourages

customer feedback

Uncommon Goods uses Facebook as a platform for

finding new products. Customers submit product ideas that are posted for fan votes on Facebook.

The winner of the contest is

announced on Facebook and in

email.

And subscribers get the first chance to

pre-order the newest customer-

chosen product

Let’s Review!Social Media

Madness

• Since March 2010, traffic to Facebook has exceeded traffic to Google (Nielsen)

• 64% of marketers use social media today (Forrester)

• Love it or hate, you gotta do it

Social Media Did Not Kill Email

• Subscribers are heavily influenced by email marketing especially with the interaction social media provides

• People continue to open and forward promotional email

4 Keys to Success

• Be Compelling

• Be Interactive

• Personify the Company

• Overcommunicatea consistent message

Email Bonnie Malone to get the handout:

How to Make Your Email More Sociable! 10 Tips For Integrating Social Media Into Your Email Campaigns

bonnie.malone@returnpath.net

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