Marketers Need to Think About Email Marketing Like a Magazine Subscription

I ran across this interesting article today, though slightly outdated, related to Facebook email -

5 Connected Marketing Tactics to Prepare for Facebook Messages.
As new email providers emerge (ISP based, non-ISP based, social network based...), marketers would be better suited to think about their subscribers like good ol' mailed magazine subscription subscribers.

Key points:

1.) Take a look at your subscriber list and see how many domain names are "facebook.com". My guess is probably not many so far but what about your customer segment? Is it likely many of your customers will soon wish to receive their marketing messages via Facebook instead of traditional email channels? Will they look at their Facebook email more often than their standard email. If the answer is yes, it would be a good idea to provide your opt-ed in customers w/ an option to switch their email address very easily. Send them an email if it looks their engagement has been low lately to make the switch. Never hurts to provide some kind of incentive as well. Remember those mailers you use to get in the mail to renew your subscription and receive 90% off the cover price?

2.) Most retailers have a Facebook fan page but haven't really been keeping it up to date. And if you don't have one, now is the time since email sent to a user's Facebook email may never make it there if you aren't in the users network due to privacy settings.


3.) Make sure the emails you send with promotions are updated on your Facebook page and always provide the option to "Like" your brand. And don't forget to send customers (existing and new) back to your website to either update their email address or "refresh" their email address to receive a free gift.

4.) Remember that whether a user adds you to their network or not, is a reflection of who that user is. They won't accept everyone just like you wouldn't sign up for every magazine subscription that comes along. Consider your Facebook fans to be your most valuable brand advocates yet! This means pay attention to what they are saying about you.

Designing for the Smartphone

It seems the hottest objective to have on an eCommerce roadmap for 2011 is actually m-Commerce. In fact, in a survey from BIGresearch for NRF, a remarkable 26% of consumers actually made purchases from their phones.

So what are the biggest considerations to keep in mind when design a mobile site? Here is a list of very important decisions that must be made before getting started:

1.) What is the overall business objective of designing for a mobile phone? E.g., is it to build awareness, allow shoppers to compare products while in the store but purchase in a brick and mortar location, is it to get them to do the conversion on the phone? These decisions should shape the design of your mobile site. If you are designing to convert a browser into a purchaser, make sure it is easy to create a quick checkout profile. If you are designing for checking availability of products in brick and mortar locations, make sure the location and availability of products is clearly laid out from the home page.

2.) Assume to redesign your e-Commerce site for the phone. This includes graphics as well as content. Remember, real estate is small.

3.) Identify the top 3-4 phones your consumers use and design specifically for these phones.

4.) Build in time to test, test, and test some more. There are many emulators available today to help you test on many different types of phones.

5.) Keep in mind when creating the design, that certain programming languages don't work well or even at all on certain phones. E.g., flash will not work on an iPhone.

6.) Make call to actions big and easy to use on touch screen phones.

7.) Consider building an app or two for the most popular phones your customers use. This will make it much easier and more convenient to shop your store.

8.) Keep it simple. Avoid zoom in features and scroll options. These work differently from phone to phone and often don't work well.

9.) Consider adding more video and audio marketing to your mobile commerce site. This is extremely convenient for users if they are in a store looking for a list of materials that need to be purchased or are in need of a how to video in their backyard or garage. Make your mobile site an easy and quick to obtain experience since often the user is in need of instant and actionable information.

10.) Build in GPS capable features that allow customers to find nearest sales, locations, etc. without constantly telling the site where the user is.

The State Internet Sales Tax Could Be Coming Soon

This issue has sparked clear debate for years. And I suppose most knew it was only a matter of time: http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/07/29/federal-sales-tax-bill-introduced

Mobile Marketing is More Important Than Ever!

I purchased a new SmartPhone over the weekend and was amazed at how easy it is now to shop via apps. Some of my favorites I found in just a matter of minutes:

1.) ShopSavvy (find on itunes.com, it's free) - Users can scan a barcode and instantly find a list of all local and online stores selling the item along with the prices at each store. Users can also search for items instead of scanning barcodes and organize deals into folders.

2.) Trip Advisor (find on itunes.com, it's free) - I was a fan of this one mainly because you can instantly search for hotels, restaurants, etc. w/out having to enter your location because the app already knows your location. You can save your favorites and review ratings from other people along w/ the distance from your current location and view location on a map.

3.) Amazon (find on the anroid marketplace, it's free) - online shopping at it's finest made specifically for smartphones. Shopping this app was easier than shopping on a standard pc or Mac, I promise! You just have to know what you are looking for since it's search based.

So back to my main point for all you online marketers out there....as more and more consumers gear up on smartphones and they become more and more sophisticated, consumers are going to expect to be able to come to their phones first to shop. To get ahead of the game, marketing dollars are going to need to shift drastically and quickly. So what are your peers doing? The e-tail group (http://www.e-tailing.com/) recently released their 2011 Q1 10th Annual Merchant Survey and found that mobile initiatives among 200+ merchants had jumped 26% year over year from 49% vs. 23% year prior.

I recommend that your eCommerce road map have a smartphone app in it for the next year if it doesn't already. One important tip: don't think of these new initiatives as immediate revenue generators but rather make your ROI goal: engagement & relationship building for the long run.

It's a Crazy Exciting ECommerce World Out There

As the face of eCommerce changes almost daily, it seems one of the best ways to stay on top of how to best connect with your customers could very well be by simply keeping track of which technology companies are buying each other.



For example, it seems everyone has been keeping an eye on why it was so important for Microsoft to buy Skype, a quick and quiet steal from Google. Did they have a more strategic vision in mind or was it simply to have a quick win on Google. If you followed this article - Facebook, Skype, and Microsoft's savvy investment, you'd quickly have a good idea of just why.

One thing is certain, the companies that stay on top of the newest trends in social networking will be the ones that stay on top or get to the top of their industry much more quickly and cheaply. With that said, I am anxiously awaiting my keys to the door of Google+, the newest "project" as Google would call it that just might be the big shift that takes Facebook almost as fast as Facebook took the MySpace market.






Only time will tell what's next. One thing is for sure, marketers - get ready to plan your attack and hold on tight. There could be some major shifts needed in your current strategy.

Forbes Releases 2011 Report: Bringing 20/20 Foresight to Marketing

I recommend this new report, based on a new study by Forbes for Coremetrics, an IBM Company, to learn from the successes and failures of over 300 marketing executives. Don't miss the insights offered in this free report.

• Why customer-centric marketing has become such a huge priority—and whether or not budgets are keeping up
• What's causing the increase in online spending, and where that money will be allocated to get the best results
• Why data will be driving decision-making, and how marketers will deal with the increased scrutiny of every result
• How top marketers are using technology breakthroughs to understand the influence of every campaign—beyond basic acquisition and conversion

Download the full report

A Call To Action!

This article serves as a series of afterthoughts from a fantastic article written by, David Hamill at UXBooth.com and how it relates to the e-commerce world. http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/good-call-to-action-buttons/

When it comes to the e-commerce world, gaining (and holding) the attention of the user is an absolute must! There is a service to be offered, a product to fall in love with, or a featured ‘something’ that must be had. Through a well formed call to action strategy, the user’s experience can and will be a great one!

As a designer, it is easy to think that the experience you’ve created is a great one and that others will surely see it the same way. However, this could not be more far from the truth. It takes careful planning to ensure that even the most visually attractive designs will provide the user with a clear path as well as a lucrative one. Why would the user have to work to get your business? It most definitely should the other way around.

So, what is a ‘call to action exactly’ in the web design world? Hamill really hits the nail on the head when talking about designers prioritizing tasks: “You need to remove any friction that slows the user’s progress.” This is a perfect explanation for what a well-formed call to action strategy can do. It is all about making the user’s experience feel fluid. The call to action should be clear and should feel intuitive to the user. The more the user has to work for your products and service the more they will feel uncomfortable with the experience.

Hamill brings many points to the table when talking about prioritizing your calls to action. Wording, color, positioning, and size all play a role. Most of his examples and reasoning are dead on. Let’s take a look at a few of them and see how they react in the e-commerce world.

Wording
Hamill’s main point here emphasizes how important it is to use verbs as the first word in an action item. The task at hand should be short and sweet. This is definitely not an area to try and think outside of the box. It hits hard in the e-commerce world, especially when dealing with the checkout process. ‘Add to Shopping Cart,’ ‘Checkout,’ or ‘Create New Account’ are a few examples. The user should never have to guess what a button is going to do for them and should always have a clear path to the next step.

Positioning
Positioning is a key element of design as a whole. So, it is no surprise when it can greatly influence your call to action. One of my personal biggest pet peeves involves having to search for the checkout/purchase button when I am ready to purchase something on the web. Hamill provides a very similar example using the Virgin Mobile Money site. There is an ‘Apply Online’ button that appears at the top of the page. It is in plain sight for the user right from the get go. However, once you continue scrolling down the page it disappears. Now, this is not the end of the world by any means for the user. If they want to apply, they will simply scroll back towards the top and hit the appropriate button. However, this causes friction. It seems so simple, but small annoyances such as this will definitely add up over time! If the information needed falls below the design fold, you should always provide a simple way to back to the original call to action. It’s all about removing that friction!

Color

What a wonderful thing color truly can be! First and foremost, never underestimate the power that color can bring to design. Hamill gives one specific point about color use when regarding call to action buttons: “ It’s not always necessary to reserve a color solely for your call-to-action button.” This is one idea I strongly disagree with. A call to action item is just that, a call to action for the user. They are emphasized for a reason. Let them shine! The color being used should stand out to the user in a positive way. Don’t be afraid to use bright or vivid colors for these items. The user will be able to spot your call to action easily and will do so subconsciously in some cases. This all goes back to the idea of having a fluid user experience. Help the user’s eyes move towards action items in this way.

With that being said, I do believe that a second color choice can and should definitely be made for pages that have more than one call to action. These should be prioritized depending on the importance of each item. A subtle way of achieving this importance is with size…

Size

Hamill uses a great example from the Twitter homepage referring to a page that has more than one action item. Not all calls to action are going to carry the same priority. It can indeed be confusing with several action items that are the same size, color, etc. For this reason, size can play a huge role in guiding the user. At the same time though, it is imperative that the sizing isn’t out of control. There is nothing worse than a giant button over-shadowing the rest of the design.

Creating a well-formed design that provides a seamless user experience is a very difficult task, even for the most seasoned design professionals. However, with the proper use of call to action items, you can help guide the user through a seamless and fluid experience.