Archives for June 2009

Resurrect an old email marketing technology: the Animated GIF

June 24th, 2009 | by Luis Paez

A co-worker sent me a link about MarketingSherpa’s study that embedding videos in emails boosts engagement and open rates.   While this may be true, there are a few problems with video in emails among them: email clients blocking movie files from being displayed, attachment file size limits (videos being fairly huge), and production difficulty (sometimes you must edit a file 10+ times before finding a balance between file size and quality).  The thought came to me that the only reason marketers today want to embed videos is that they would be seen as pushing the envelope technologically.  There is some value at being a little different, after all.

My question to all those who read this is:  What ever happened to the animated GIF?  It seems that the animated GIF is mostly relegated to a world of annoying avatars on forums, but it used to be used in a much more stylish way.   I would challenge email marketers to take another look at this old technology if for no other reason that it is supported by default by all modern browsers and email clients (as long as the person enables images to be shown).  In that sense, there’s no downside to what  you’re already doing if you are using images in your emails.  Before you go off the deep end, I’d caution you that there’s a stylish way to use animated GIF’s, and a way that is overly distracting.

First, check out a host of examples on Linda Bustos’ article on animated gifs.  Pay particular attention to this one created by a retailer by the name of PiperLime:

Notice the extremely subtle use of animation, and it makes the idea of “free shipping” sparkle amidst a conservative design aesthetic.  I think it’s quite a good example, and one that could easily be used in other ways in an email.  Note that you’d probably only want one animated GIF in your email.  Anything more than 1 would make the email busy and distracting.

What about a bad use?  Take a look at #5 in Linda Bustos’ article, which shows 5 offers being rotated throughout 5 different squares on the grid all at once.  This is an example of a designer or marketer taking a good idea and misusing it to the point where it is both distracting and a negative impression on the brand.

As anything in technology, these are just tools for making the right impression in the right way.

If you happen to be using QD’s emarketing system, I thought I’d share the little known fact – normally the image upload process prompts you to upload a JPG or JPEG image, but if you open windows explorer to wherever the .GIF file is, and rename the file (make sure the .gif is showing in the name, otherwise read this). When you rename the file, just change the file extension from .gif to .jpeg – you’ll get a warning box, but as long as you’ve made a copy of the file, all is good.  Once the file has a .jpeg extension on it, upload it to your Image library in the emarketing system when you’re designing content.  Presto!  You have a animated GIF dressed up like a JPG, and one that works in an HTML email sent to clients like Outlook & Gmail.  Be sure to test this against your email clients to ensure integrity.

In any event, if you find yourself talking about the latest email marketing fads with another marketer, remember to stick up for that oft-forgotten step-child: the animated GIF.

This was a test that an animated GIF could be shown correctly in Outlook. It worked quite beautifully both in Outlook and Gmail ! (this image is a screenshot not an animated gif itself)

This was a test that an animated GIF could be shown correctly in Outlook. It worked quite beautifully both in Outlook and Gmail ! (this image is a screenshot not an animated gif itself)

The Direct Marketing Voice Links 6-24-2009

June 24th, 2009 | by admin

Postal Service Must Enter 21st Century

via www.washingtonpost.com Europe’s increasingly privatized mail services offer exciting examples of postal possibilities in the 21st century. They are leaner and greener than the U.S. service because they work with, not against, the Internet. Switzerland’s Swiss Post, for example, employs green technology, providing customers with secure, address-linked online mailboxes where they can view scanned images of their mail and decide whether to virtually “open” it, discard it or have it physically mailed to them.

What is working in the mail stream

via directmag.com Major Surplus & Survival Promotes “Lots of ‘Free’ Offers!” Major Surplus & Survival recently mailed a slim-jim catalog offering a variety of premiums with the purchase of select merchandise. The company offers an extremely diverse selection of military, outdoors and survival gear.

The Direct Marketing Voice Links 6-23-2009

June 23rd, 2009 | by admin

Is Direct Marketing Obsolete?

via kaplancopy.com …not everyone is convinced; even in the online world. The proof? I got a mailing the other day offering me $50 worth of free AdWords (and waiving the $5 activation fee). Who sent it? My web host (Hostgator) and Google. Think about that. Two companies whose revenue is strictly online. They didn’t send an email, they didn’t “tweet”, they put a self-mailer piece of dead tree paper in the mail.

What is the most effective target marketing other than internet related options?

via grumpyoldtrucker.com Biz Advisor said: I’ll say a combination of things: personal selling, advertising (billboards, newspaper, trade magazines, radio, etc.), sales promotions (e.g. contests, trials, sample packs, coupons, etc.), direct mail – yes but more than direct mail, make it variable direct mail which is personalized one-to-one not only on the envelope and in the address but also in terms of the contents – targeted to you the buyer), and public relations.

What Forrester’s Email Marketing Forecast for 2009 – 2014 Doesn’t Tell You

June 22nd, 2009 | by Cynthia Fedor

Forrester recently published a new forecast report, “US Email Marketing Forecast, 2009 To 2014,” which states that marketers are expected to spend $2 billion on email marketing by 2014, sending more than 9,000 emails annually by then. This statement brought a smile to many e-marketers’ faces and sent their fingers typing away on Twitter, chirping the praises of email marketing. And sure, email marketing is great for customer retention and for reaching one’s sphere of influence; but, it shouldn’t be the only medium used for any campaign.

When you’re first taught how to invest in stocks, your 401K, etc, you learn that diversification is the key to long-term success and building profit that can withstand the market’s ups and downs. Well, the same rings true for your marketing mix. Social media marketing, email marketing and SMS text marketing are all great new ways to quickly reach audiences; however, they alone shouldn’t dominate your marketing mix.

What happens when your audience starts to gloss over and ignore much of those 9,000 emails forecasted to be sent in 2014? How do you connect with members of your audience that aren’t online all of the time? What will you fall back on when search engine algorithms change or you face email deliverability issues?

Companion marketing – using a mix of traditional direct marketing and online – will always be the smart way to effectively reach target audiences, build brand awareness and capture market share, long term. Whatever medium you use – whether direct mail, email marketing, online marketing, etc. – just make sure your content is relevant and your approach is personalized and targeted. Simple, right?

The Direct Marketing Voice Links 6-22-2009

June 22nd, 2009 | by admin

Why E-Mail Subscribers Unsubscribe

via www.emarketer.com According to an Epsilon and ROI Research study, 55% of e-mail subscribers in the US and Canada unsubscribe from opt-in e-mails occasionally—and 14% do so frequently.
Frequency with Which Internet Users Worldwide Unsubscribe from Permission-Based E-Mails, by Region, April 2009 (% of respondents) Only 5% said they never unsubscribe.

Fishing is a growth industry [in part due to the Marketing]

via www.connpost.com RBFF’s State Direct Mail Marketing Program, a three-year initiative to recruit and retain lapsed anglers is seeing success. Thirty-two states currently participate in the State Direct Mail Marketing Program which has contributed more than $4 million in gross revenue to date for state fisheries management efforts through increased license and tackle sales.

Newsletter = Success?

via directmarketing07.blogspot.com At is most simple level you are sending out message with an invite for a prospect to get in touch with you. In addition, you should show your prospects to the message enough times to make them consider taking action. With this kind of highly specific demographic info you can customise your message to invoke them to call you. Remember a direct mail piece with over a 1% reply rate is considered phenomenal, and that statistically, post cards get more attention than envelopes in races mail boxes.

Whose Word-of-Mouth Matters? – eMarketer

via www.emarketer.com Word-of-mouth recommendations can move consumers to make a purchase.
Word-of-blog, on the other hand, is far less persuasive.