Strange But True

Removing the Blinkers in Channel Selection

Today's individuals communicate in a variety of ways, phone, email, text, social networks and even physical mail sometimes - honest!

So why would we only engage with them in one way?

I spent some time with an on-line grocery retailer yesterday talking about their email marketing programmes, and in particular about that very important second and fifth order and reactivating lapsed customers. (The second starts to get them into the habit, but the fifth means they are hooked..unless the retailer really messes it up)

It came as a real shock to them when I suggested direct mail as a way of reactivating customers who hadn't shopped with them for a while.

Now of course ideally, as a lot of the ongoing communication between e-tailer and customer takes place via email, this would seem the natural method to re-engage a lapsed customer. Not always true. It may very well be that the initial purchase was itself brought about by a piece of direct mail, so why not use this method again in particular if they are a high value customer. It's at least worth a test after trying possibly cheaper methods.

And lets not forget the actual physical delivery itself. I took delivery this morning of some groceries from Ocado. And in that was a catalogue for Boden, a brochure for Sheila's wheel and another for The Times . In terms of their targeting ..spot on! But where was the offer for my next Ocado delivery? Anyway, at least they recognised the 'free' opportunity that the delivery provides.

ps - did you see my Peapod post ?

Multi-Channel Expectations

Customers more likely to become loyal where the multi-channel shopping experience is integrated.

A recent whitepaper  (registration required) from Hybris highlighted how this was particularly relevant for the in-store experience where 19% of customers said they browsed on their mobile device. this was mainly to compare prices, 66% but also to compare products, 27%. Only 7% did as I did today when shopping for tile cleaning solutions, and read online reviews

It was interesting to note how the online purchase mirrored the experience in-store, with customer highlighting Easy Navigation and being able to see product (images) being key.

Buying online didn't mean they all wanted to return items via the post or by courier. Almost half wanted the option to return items to the store - a service which more and more of the UK retailers are already providing, M&S, House of Fraser, Reiss, Ted Baker all do this.

The report highlights the fact that customers who use more than one channel show greater brand loyalty and spend 30% more where they are offered an integrated multi-channel experience. None more so than me who will even get items delivered to a store in a city i'm visiting for the day on business. So I'm more likely to stick with retailers such as John Lewis and House of Fraser where I can order today at home but pick up after a meeting in London tomorrow.

Of course what tops the experience off is the level of communication I get from all these brands via email and SMS letting me know at what stage the order is. None get much better than ASOS at this who even let you cancel the order if it is yet to be processed ( especially useful if you've forgotten to use your 15% off code first time round!)

The need to integrate the experience through web and offline has never been greater!

Funnily enough, shipping costs (48%) was more likely to prevent a sales than the item being out of stock (Interesting!)

Reasons to be at the Next Fusion Marketing Experience

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idio Content Marketing Breakfast

I recently had the pleasure of listening to Deborah Womack from Possible Worldwide at one of idio's Marketing Breakfasts and also the chance to present there .

This is a compilation idio have pulled together of some of the audience comments

DMA Email Event - Key Takes Outs

Luckily in the audience during my presentation at the DMA Email Winback Event was Email Marketing Expert, Kath Pay from Plan to Engage.

These were her key takes outs as Tweeted during the session

Thanks Kath!

@iamgfc device - use media queries to determine which device they're reading your emails on so as to deliver the correct version #dmaemail


@iamgfc in the real world you can read body language to see if they're interested in what your saying - apply this logic to email #dmaemail


@iamgfc timing - understand latency for your brand/product - maximize key moments of truth#dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc nothing lasts forever - understand the Lifecycle of your consumer. Consider timing content context and device #dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc they never got your email - ask for re-entering your address- preferable to dbl opt in for list growth purposes #dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc never active - I.e. competition subscribers. Value of these subscribers are different to your regular subscriber - think of ROI.


@iamgfc defining inactive - they were never active, never got your email, they never last forever#dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc defining inactives will differ if you're a client, an ESP or an ISP. Very true. #dmaemail@dmaemail


@iamgfc don't underestimate the power of a thank you email, that arrives in your inbox immediately#dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc important to meet expectations during subscribe process. Ask what other channels they'd like to hear from you #dmaemail @dmaemail


@iamgfc understand what your consumers are doing on a day 2 day basis so you can ensure your content is relevant @dmaemail #dmaemail


the conversation engineer @iamgfc is up now - how to keep the flame burning @dmaemail #dmaemail


You can follow Kath via @kathpay

Oh, and I'm @iamgfc by the way.

My Most Used Hashtags #

#ecrm, #b2beu, #email, #emailmarketing, #fusionmex

Courtesy of www.tweetstats.com 

Love Me or Like Me...Just Follow Me

In a previous post I talked about best practice in terms of un-subscription pages. One of the suggestions was to give subscribers the opportunity to follow your brand via another channel such as Facebook or Twitter.


Of course ideally you don't want subscribers to un-subscribe, but what if you notice that they are not engaging with your emails? Should you try and head off the un-subscribe at the pass?


Recently I've not been opening my Habitat emails - not because I've fallen out of love with them, but just because I'm not buying for the house. They have spotted the lack of engagement and I received a very interesting email from them this morning. The subject line was 'Love Habitat? Like us on Facebook!' and the main image and copy looked like this

'We noticed you're not loving our emails, so why not like us on Facebook instead?'


I think this is a great example of using email engagement data to keep subscribers engaged with the brand..one way or another

IKEA 365 Campaign -

It seems that IKEA are running a 365 day long campaign - thats longer than the shelving they sell, when I get my hands on them!!

Not seen it how they have tied it in with Social, Mobile and bringing the global local, but a great opportunity missed if they don't integrate with other channels

An A to Z of eCRM - S

S is for Social

Social is everywhere but it is not the same thing to everyone.

Social has become big at double speed because it gives people a way of doing what comes naturally to them, expressing themselves, whether that be the sharing of stories, complaining, giving advice or just generally hanging out for no real reason.

But you can’t crowbar Social into your Marketing Programmes. It’s either a natural fit or it isn’t.

It doesn’t have to involve a ‘conversation’ between you and the consumer, but it could be a way of you giving the consumers an opportunity to talk with each other, or just allow people to win stuff!!

So for Social don’t just see Facebook and Twitter. Also see blogs, communities, forums, ratings and reviews and so on.

An A to Z of eCRM - O

O is for Offline or Online?

Or Both?

Only 10% of brand conversations take place online.

Google stated recently that 97% of commerce still happens off line

The shopping malls of Europe are not devoid of people on a Saturday afternoon because they are sitting at home being online.

A large percentage of our digital activity drives people into traditional bricks and mortar - even if the final sale doesn't place there.

We need to remember that in most cases, it is not a case of one or the other but both.

 Our audience will expect us to realise this and expect us to be consistent

An A to Z of eCRM - J

J is for Johnson...Lyndon B. Johnson, the American President to be exact.


LBJ used to say that “every handshake is worth 250 votes”.

Nothing deepens a sense of loyalty more than when one feels they have a one-on-one connection with someone. That’s why fans attend rock concerts or brave the winter months to watch their favourite football team – there’s a sense of atmosphere and involvement that can’t be gained any other way.

And whether its B2C or B2B, sometimes it needs to be more than just an email or a mention on Twitter. There's a time place for different media. You might research a car purchase on forums and on the brand website, but nothing can replace the test drive, or the moment the keys are handed over the day you take delivery.

Good eCRM carries on from the email through to the online experience, all the way to the evening when the delivery driver hands over the bags with your groceries.

An A to Z of eCRM - I

I is for Integration

Integration of course means having a consistent message through each channel by actually deciding what eCRM is there to do for you. Does your eCRM fall into the PR, Marketing or Customer Services camps? Or all of them?

I’m a big fan of having a Big Idea that can be conveyed across different channels, as long as we remember that the channels have different strengths and weaknesses and that the customer might want different things from different channels depending on where they are in the Purchase Cycle. 


And remember that even in this 'On-line' world, the majority of commerce still takes place off line, so your eCRM needs to be consistent to what happens when the customer visits the bricks and mortar!