Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 – #15

Stories this week: Email myth busting, web 2.o same as web 1.0, opt-in vs opt-out, pencil technology and mobile email campaigns

B2B Social Media Myths Busted: Is Email Dead?

[link] This is Part Five of a Five Part Series with Tyler Pyburn, Host at The Pulse Network, and Stephen Saber, Chief Executive Officer at The Pulse Network, in which they aim to make plain some of the biggest business to business social media myths.

My Take: I agree with Stephen, email marketing isn’t going away, it’s just adapting.

Social 2012 is Web 2000

[link] In this AdAge article, Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff compares the current hype and hysteria surrounding social media to the fervor that came with the web in 2000.

My Take: You’ve likely heard this headline before, but Bernoff’s examples do a great job of pressing the point.

Click to Open rates Opt-in vs Opt-out

Do Opt-In Lists Really Perform Better Than Opt-Out?

[link] Although Opt-in email open rates are higher, the difference in click to open rates are much less dramatic.  In this study of over 300 million emails delivered, it appeared that once the email was opened, recipients of opt-in and opt-out campaigns responded to the offer in the same manner.

My take: Considering it’s easier to get opt-out addresses than get potential customers to opt-in, it may be worth starting with an opt-out program.

The Right Technology May Be a Pencil

[link] The author reminds us not to become overly enamored with our wiz-bang gadgets. Keeping it simple (pencil and paper) keeps you from being restricted by application constructs.

My Take: I like this out of the blue thinking. Just today I had a meeting in the community where we run a big annual project. The organizer had a huge, organized 3 ring binder that was really easy to follow. All of the information was created digitally, but the 3-ring binder layout was the best construct for communicating the plans. Use the right tool for the right job – even if it isn’t the flashiest.

Share of Emails Opened on Mobiles Jumps in H1 ‘11

Email open rates on mobile

[link] The share of all email opens occurring on mobile devices reached 20.24% in the first half of 2011, representing 51% growth from 13.36% in Q4 2010, according to a report released in November 2011 by Knotice.

My Take: Another finding in the article was the relatively poor click to open rate (CTOR). This requires additional thinking about how your construct your marketing email offers. Increasingly marketers need to simplify their email templates and have one clear offer.