5 Steps to Increase the Effectiveness of Marketing. White Paper

Transcription

1 5 Steps to Increase the Effectiveness of Marketing White Paper

2 This document contains Confidential, Proprietary and Trade Secret Information ( Confidential Information ) of Informatica Corporation and may not be copied, distributed, duplicated, or otherwise reproduced in any manner without the prior written consent of Informatica. While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information in this document is accurate and complete, some typographical errors or technical inaccuracies may exist. Informatica does not accept responsibility for any kind of loss resulting from the use of information contained in this document. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. The incorporation of the product attributes discussed in these materials into any release or upgrade of any Informatica software product as well as the timing of any such release or upgrade is at the sole discretion of Informatica. Protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,032,158; 5,794,246; 6,014,670; 6,339,775; 6,044,374; 6,208,990; 6,208,990; 6,850,947; 6,895,471; or by the following pending U.S. Patents: 09/644,280; 10/966,046; 10/727,700. This edition published November 2014

3 White Paper Table of Contents Introduction Start Clean: Properly Acquire Lists Stay Clean Write Compelling, Targeted Content Test, Test, Test Send Regularly... 3 Conclusion Steps to Increase the Effectiveness of Marketing 1

4 Introduction marketing is intended to reach the inboxes of customers. In order to have a successful campaign, deliverability is key. No matter how compelling an message may be if it fails to reach the inbox then it becomes a useless collection of digital blips. The 5 steps below will help you increase the likelihood of reaching the inbox and achieving your intended campaign objectives: 1. Start Clean: Properly Acquire Lists For an campaign to be successful, it needs to be placed before the right audience. Thus enters the need for a mailing list. However, it must be the right list. One that is both targeted and accurate. This means that addresses must be real, legitimately acquired, and up-to-date. Marketing dollars are at stake, as well as your reputation. For this reason, avoid purchased lists. Instead, build your own list through the usage of a double opt-in. Set clear expectations. From the get-go, subscribers should be well aware of what they are opting into. Ensure that your subscribers understand the types of messages they will be receiving, as well as how frequently to expect them. Always include an easy-to-find opt-out, so subscribers can quickly unsubscribe. 2. Stay Clean You cannot be complacent concerning delivery. It is a matter of reputation and your inbox placement rate (IPR), or the probability of an campaign actually reaching the inbox. You must make certain that your is not getting lumped into spam folders. To avoid being tagged as a spammer, you need to keep your list up-to-date. This means it should be free of inactive and abandoned addresses. The best way to maintain a clean list is to utilize verification software, which provides instant feedback concerning the validity of a given address. There are various types of verification solutions, including cloud-based ones that can save your organization time and resources. These solutions help secure your reputation, improve IPR and open rate, and produce more successful campaigns. On average, 30% of addresses change each year. Therefore, a stay-clean strategy demands an ongoing verification process at least quarterly (if not more often than that). 3. Write Compelling, Targeted Content Content is the cornerstone of a successful campaign. To maintain a list of loyal subscribers, you need to provide timely and relevant information. Great content is dependent upon how well you know and understand your audience(s). First, segment audiences based on wants and needs. Second, supply engaging content that speaks to these needs. Most importantly, write with a purpose. content should achieve an end-goal. Depending on your campaign objectives (e.g. increase leads, increase sales, improve brand awareness, etc.), an should always include a precise call to action. Motivate the reader toward a desired course of action, yet be sure to never deceive, confuse, or intimidate. Lastly, always remember to err on the side of simplicity. Make messages clear and concise. 2

5 4. Test, Test, Test Accurate delivery is the first step to an efficient campaign. Engaging and interesting content is the second step. A successful call to action is the final step. Optimization is critical for getting return-on-investment (ROI) from an campaign. You may reach the right audience. You may even engage them in an interesting thought process. But without an active response, your messages merely take up time and cost your company to waste funds. The following tactics help test and optimize campaigns: Split testing involves the pre-deployment process. It helps you identify what subject lines work best, what message content produces the most powerful return, and even addresses the effectiveness of images, timeframes, and layout formats. Split testing enables you to accurately predict the click-through rate of a given planned campaign. Engagement profiling strives to monitor each recipient s reaction to your message. This includes measuring active open and reading time. It also dates the activities. Snapshot tracking provides details concerning precise clicks and other relevant subscriber interaction with your current campaigns. The metrics enable easy drill down into percentages and click-through rates. Geo-tracking integrates profile heat mapping with Google Maps. It helps you capture subscriber locations, including country, region, and postal code. 5. Send Regularly: Keep Your Brand at the Top of Subscibers Minds The old saying, Out of sight, out of mind, accurately defines what happens when your campaigns are not sent on a a regular basis. Given enough time, even the most interested and qualified buyers can forget your company name and address. Send regularly, but remember to always be respectful of your subscribers. There is a thin line between reasonable periodic contact and aggravating harassment. Conclusion Lastly, if you aren t utilizing SMS as part of your marketing mix then you ll soon get left behind. Mobile has been predicted to be a hot trend for years. It is just now starting to fully takeoff. marketing is indispensable to business. It helps generate new sales, retain existing clientele, and strengthen the customer relationship. Remember these 5 rules to increase the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns: 1. Start with a clean list 2. Keep it clean through verification 3. Write compelling content 4. Test and track subscriber engagement 5. AND send regularly. 5 Steps to Increase the Effectiveness of Marketing 3

6 About Informatica Informatica Corporation (Nasdaq:INFA) is the world s number one independent provider of data integration software. Organizations around the world rely on Informatica to realize their information potential and drive top business imperatives. Informatica Vibe, the industry s first and only embeddable virtual data machine (VDM), powers the unique Map Once. Deploy Anywhere. capabilities of the Informatica Platform. Worldwide, over 5,000 enterprises depend on Informatica to fully leverage their information assets from devices to mobile to social to big data residing on-premise, in the Cloud and across social networks. For more information, call ( in the U.S.), or visit Worldwide Headquarters, 100 Cardinal Way, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA Phone: Fax: Toll-free in the US: informatica.com linkedin.com/company/informatica twitter.com/informaticacorp 2013 Informatica Corporation. All rights reserved. Informatica and Put potential to work are trademarks or registered trademarks of Informatica Corporation in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other company and product names may be trade names or trademarks. IN00_0000_00000