Category Archives: management

New Facebook News Feed Features – An Admission of Guilt or a Conquest for Users?

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They have come a Loooong way! facebook (Photo credit: sitmonkeysupreme)

So, Facebook has finally come around…

We may think that Facebook doesn’t notice when we aren’t happy, but seriously? They notice. Especially since their attempt to monetize through their Edgerank algorithms is simply not working.

Sometimes you have to be hit over the head a few times before you realize the customer is right (most of the time).

So, FINALLY, Facebook is rolling out a new News Feed over the coming weeks with the following features. And for the full article (from Facebook themselves – shock!), click this link: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/581/A-New-Look-for-News-Feed

What we all really wanted all along and Facebook will be implementing:

  • All Friends – a feed that shows you everything your friends are sharing
  • Photos – a feed with nothing but photos from your friends and the Pages you like
  • Music – a feed with posts about the music you listen to
  • Following – a feed with the latest news from the Pages you like and the people you follow.

YAY! Just like Christmas for us Facebook junkies!

The point is that your consumer does often know what they want. And they are the ones using the product, so WHY NOT LISTEN?

From Skadeedle [Infographic]: Email Marketing Etiquette Dos & Don’ts

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Email Marketers! You can’t afford NOT to address each point on the infographic below! Don’t risk an “Opt-out” or an unsubscribe because you overlooked what you might think of as a minor detail. Skadeedle is my favorite new Small Business marketing source. Here’s a fantastic Infographic they created that hits every nail on the head when it comes to what email marketers often overlook. Every single point on both the dos and don’ts are often dismissed or overlooked.

Perhaps #6 Do is the most underused: Include alt text (for those who don’t render images). This has become more important than ever with SmartPhone use on the exponential increase for opening email.

For better results in your email marketing – PRINT THIS OUT and keep it handy for every time you send an email to market your business!

Email Marketing Etiquette Dos & Don’ts [Infographic] - An Infographic from Skadeedle

Embedded from Skadeedle

56 Servings of Grits? Really? Someone at Quaker Oats Marketing is Not Paying Attention to Basics.

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Bear with me on this slightly sarcastic post – it actually does lead somewhere in regard to business!Quaker Grits Serving sizes - for what army?

Whether you realize it or not… customer service is part of marketing for your business, so here is my example of a vendor’s marketing department not paying attention to important basics.

This morning, my son wanted grits for breakfast. I always make breakfast – mostly because it’s my favorite meal of the day – and grits is easy, so I said yes. I don’t do INSTANT grits – because if you have ever eaten regular grits, instant grits tastes like cooked paper. But I don’t have time for old fashioned which takes 20 minutes grits, so I use quick grits which, in theory, takes 5 minutes.

My beef is with the Quaker Oats package recipe instructions.

Note in the image above the serving sizes for Stove Top style cooking – 1, 4, 28, 56!

Not exactly the logical progression I sought. Remember, the serving sizes posted are for side servings. My fam likes a BOWL of grits. And my ever growing 16 yo son, 6’1″, 195 lbs, likes a BIG bowl. So somewhere between 4 and 28 servings is what I was looking for. DUH!

Yes, I know there is limited packaging space, but let’s be realistic. If someone from Quaker Oats see this and responds, I am sure I will get the logic that many of their customers do need those serving sizes and on larger packages they must include… yada yada yada.

Yes, but from 4 to 28? Nothing in between?

SO why am I posting about Quaker Oats Grits Recipe serving sizes?

  • It’s about knowing your customer.
  • Knowing who you are marketing to.
  • Considering the use of your product.
  • Providing said use in a consumer friendly manner.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I don’t do math - school was over a long time ago! And especially at 6:30 in the morning, my brain is waiting for the coffee and carbs to kick in, not ready to calculate how much I need to cook for 3 cereal bowls-full of grits. I don’t mind some leftovers, but seriously?

So, Quaker Oats, unless your consumer is the Church volunteer breakfast cook or the local Homeless Shelter, WHO EVEN OWNS A FOUR GALLON POT to make 56 servings of grits! And just how old is this recipe chart?

At least give us a QR code for a more reasonable list of serving size recipes.

This is about:

  • knowing your customer,
  • understanding your customer’s needs, and YES, the user-friendliness of a product is part of marketing!
  • and marketing to the right customer – make up your mind, Quaker Oats, is this product for singles, families, or the ARMY?

Oh, yes, I’ll be tweeting and posting this out! And it’s not just Quaker... How many times have you had to search all over a pasta box to find the instructions to just cook the noodles!@%(*&$! No, they have to fill the packaging with suggested recipes and somewhere in a tiny little hidden spot are size 8 font instructions for how long to just cook the noodles!

And I also think it’s weird that I’m buying “Quaker Oats Grits.” Huh?

That’s my sarcastic rant of the day… ;)

P.S. Yes, I can tell it’s pretty much a 4:1 ratio – but again, I don’t want to have to do the math! And the Southern way is to substitute 1 part water with milk – creamier…better tasting… mmm. But I digress :)

 

You Have “Only” a 20-30% Open Rate? Consider Your Email Marketing a Success!

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Open My Email, PLEASE!

In my last post,  I discussed the good news that Mobile Email opens are increasing. But the bad news is that your open rate report percentages will probably go down or not properly reflect how many recipients are actually opening your emails.

WHY?

From Constant Contact re open reports:

…if the contact has decided not to or can’t display images, that image won’t be loaded and we can’t verify that the email was opened. That’s why we have measures in place to track when a contact clicks a link in your email, as well.
Using these two ways to determine when an email is opened allows us to be pretty accurate. However, you can always encourage your contacts to add you to their address books or enable image viewing to make sure that no open is left behind.

That last line is pretty much useless (bs) as no one or nothing can “make sure” no open is left behind. It would take too much detective work for most to track when an uptick in opens means recipients added you to their address book and/or enabled viewing against whether your email was just opened by more people for that particular email. So a bunch of placating BS if you ask me. But it’s not their fault it occurs. I just wish they’d be more direct in their attempt to explain it all.

And just how IS an email open rate calculated?

EMAIL OPENS = EMAILS OPENED divided by EMAILS SENT minus BOUNCED EMAILS - assuming they all displayed their images or clicked on a link!

SO what can you do?

  • Add more links to test interest since those are definitely tracked no matter what!
  • Distribute your email link EVERYWHERE – social media, posts, website, etc.
  • Create an archive link for all your emails and post the archive link everywhere as well. You can even use it as part of your regular email signature ( I just thought of that - I need to do that, too!)

Is there any consolation here?

Yes. You can easily tack on a good 5-15% to your open rate for those invisible opens…

In other words, your open rate is better than you thought – and always has been…

More on Email Marketing in 2013… Mobile Email Opens at 41% and Rising.

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THIS – is huge…

Mobile Email Opens Now 41% & On Pace To Surpass PC By End Of 2013

What does this mean to you as a Small Business owner or Non-Profit trying to market your business via email? If you are sending emails without checking the text version, your email messaging is becoming more and more likely to NOT be seen…

Make sure you view the text version of your emails before you send them out! If you are the kind who likes to create a “fit to block”  image that includes your messaging, mobile email recipients may miss it. On the go, glancing at emails, they are not always inclined to click the “display or show images” link, or the “click to view online.”

Yes, you can still use those large images, but you must also include the same messaging as text.

Always, Always, Always view your email in both the HTML and Text versions before you hit send! You must see what the recipient will see with and without images. Don’t risk your message not getting through!

AND always create alternate text for that image!!

Can you tell I think this is critical!!!!??!!