Cool Email Viewership Stats 1-3: Mobile Usage

Email opens on mobile devices increased by 34% from April 2011 through September 2011 as compared to the previous 6 month period. Relative number of opens on webmail and desktop, however, decreased by 11% and nearly 9.5% respectively.

What this means for marketers: As more people go to their mobile devices to read email — of those that do, 43% check email four or more times per day according to Markle  — it’s important to make their email viewing experience simple. Optimize your emails for mobile readers by using clear and short email subject lines, including a recognizable name in the sender field, offering plain text and HTML versions of your email, using descriptive alt text in your images in case they don’t display, and keeping your email copy short.

Cool Email Viewership Stat 4: Usage by Timing

Desktop email usage sees a sharp decline over the weekend, but is made up for by mobile and webmail usage. Mobile email usage is at its lowest on Monday, desktop email usage is at its lowest on Sunday, and webmail email usage is at its lowest on Wednesday.

What this means for marketers: If you know where and when your recipients read emails, you know when to schedule your email sends. You should also, however, couple this data with click-through rate. Not only are most readers using a preview pane that can inflate open rates, the click-through rate is a better indication of the effectiveness of your email marketing messaging.

Cool Email Viewership Stats 5-7: Industry Usage

Return Path also looked at email viewership by industry. ‘Finance’ and ‘shopping’ show above average webmail views as compared to other industries, at 49% and 48% respectively.  ‘Software’ and ‘automotive,’ which scored the lowest in average webmail views, saw the highest percentage of average desktop views at 48% and 47% respectively. The industries leading the way in mobile email views are, not surprisingly, ‘social networking’ (27%), ‘publishing’ (26%), and ‘entertainment’ (27%).

What this means for marketers: Do you know which industries your email recipients fit into? If they’re spread across more than one, you can use the data in this report to segment your list, prioritize your optimization process for mobile, desktop, or webmail, and when combined with super cool stat #4, properly schedule your email send times.

Like so much of climate science, the latest insight from the frozen world of Greenland offers one of those good news/bad news outlooks for the future of the world’s oceanfront real estate.

A decade-long, eye-in-the-sky study of nearly 200 major outlet glaciers found that they haven’t been tumbling into the ocean with the dramatic acceleration once feared — and that means these colossal rivers of ice might not contribute as much to a catastrophic sea-level rise as predicted by some worst-case scenarios.

Some climate studies had suggested that Greenland’s coastal glaciers were poised to produce enough fresh water to raise the global sea level by 2.5 to 6.5 feet over the next 90 years.

But their tidewater meltdown — if it doesn’t speed up beyond the rates seen during the past 10 years — will likely deliver a sea level boost measured in inches rather than feet, according to a new study published this week in the journal of Science.

Read more about the Melting Glaciers of Greenland.

Best Buy

Known for having great customer service via Twelpforce, Best Buy has a social media policy in place that preemptively addresses privacy concerns that could arise using social media. Here are some highlights of Best Buy’s social media policy.

• The company does not want information shared that isn’t meant to be public. Common sense? I think so.
• Tweeters cannot share Best Buy logos and other items related to the company. Does this smack of being too cautious? I guess that depends on the industry you are in. For a big brand like Best Buy, it’s understandable.
• Best Buy wants each employee to differentiate themselves and state their tweets and posts are theirs — and theirs alone — and not associated with Best Buy. If an unscrupulous employee crosses a line, Best Buy won’t experience such harsh brand backlash.

Oracle

Oracle’s approach to social media is a little on the stricter side. Here are some of the highlights of Oracle’s social media policy.

• Oracle appears to be of the ilk that using social media in the workplace is a hinderance to productivity because it could lead to too much personal use. Understandable? Yes. Too strict? Debatable. While it can be good to blur the line between personal and professional in social media, that balancing act isn’t always appropriate in regulated industries.
• Employees must establish that all opinions are their own and not Oracle’s, but at the same time, distinguish that they are indeed employees of Oracle. Contradictory? No. Blog posts can increase brand exposure, but employees must be careful with what they say and how they say it, not divulging new features, products, and confidential information is key.

Ford

Ford’s social media policy succeeds in being subtle, “human,” and sensible. Ford adheres to the philosophy that social media interaction follows the same rules as any other interaction, just on a new playground. This type of policy works for companies that have nailed their company culture and established great trust among employees. Their policy boils down to:

• Use your common sense.
• Beware of privacy issues.
• lay nice, and be honest.
• As long as your employees understand what common sense is and how to use it, this policy is A-okay.

Walmart

Walmart is dedicated to Twitter and believes in it as an avenue for customer service. Because of this dedication, there is one slightly surprising aspect of the Walmart social media policy.

• Walmart wants to make sure its employees who are “official” Twitter users for Walmart are identified as such, stick to customer replies, and focus on this alone. Walmart’s Twitter users should only talk about Walmart and not engage in unnecessary banter.

Too strict? Well, Twitter is a great way to humanize your brand and put a real face behind your company’s social media presence. And people don’t just talk business all the time, right? However, if they are providing excellent customer service and it is helping them advance their business objectives, can you really blame them?

IBM

IBM’s social media policy provides a nice balance of rules that help employees that work better with some guidelines and freedom about what can be discussed. Here’s how IBM strikes that balance.

• Clear cut guidelines regarding what cannot be shared and how the company communicates.
• However, IBM also encourages “IBMers” to express themselves, let their voice shine, and demonstrate their skills and creativity on social media.
• Employees are encouraged to inspire discourse and share ideas via blogging and social media.

Social media policies are important in order to avoid the “lack of common sense” mistakes. However, the degree of leniency is up to you and your management team to decide based on the structure of your company. Pick and choose what works best for your brand and company culture.

It’s been clear since not long after the 2010 election that President Obama’s top priority for the remainder of his first term would be ensuring his own re-election. From backing away from a meaningful deficit reduction deal, to his single-minded focus on dividing Americans along class lines, he has consistently put his own political interests ahead of working with Congress to solve America’s most pressing problems. But a new book makes shockingly clear just how focused Obama has been on his political future.

Obama had held 104 fundraisers by March 6th this year, compared to 94 held by Presidents Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Snr, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush combined.

Read more about fundraisers and our presidents.

Approach List Building Strategically

There’s no shortage of tactics for growing email lists, but it’s all too easy to get caught up in them at the expense of a fully developed plan. Does your email strategy account for how and when to apply various tactics, when to test others, and a consistent process for analysis and adjustments? With less than a third of email marketers saying they send relevant emails to segmented audiences with a clear conversion goal, this is an area ripe for improvement.

Set Clear Expectations for Subscribers

As marketers, we often don’t see the disconnect between our perception of how our offers are presented and how prospects see and understand them. In particular, short email forms that simply ask for name and email and offer little context or information about send frequency, specific content options, or address validation, tend to generate larger lists but include lower quality contacts. We may know what’s behind our opt-in form, but how clear is it really to a first-time site visitor who got served a pop-up window before even reading the page? That’s why it’s critical to set expectations with your potential subscribers so they know exactly what they’re signing up for and exactly what the value is.

Segment Lists to Match Your Priorities

Whether you’re segmenting lists based on behaviors such as opens, clicks, and downloads (or lack thereof); on stage in the sales cycle; or on more specific demographic data, the bottom line is that segmentation is a huge factor in establishing relevance. Matching segments to your organization’s ideal customer personas makes your content more engaging and your offers and campaigns more likely to succeed. So why are only about half of email marketers using these techniques regularly?

Automate Your Campaigns

Thank you, welcome, and transactional emails are widely used by organizations of all sizes, but research shows a significant drop-off in other types of automated messages. Lead nurturing, drip campaigns, re-engagement campaigns, and auto-responders make it easier for marketers to create email series with the intent of building relationships; however, these types account for roughly one-third or fewer of the emails sent by survey respondents. If your content mix includes “evergreen” information such as how-to articles or training videos that won’t lose their news value, marketing automation is definitely an option worth exploring.

Optimize and Test Regularly

To quote the MarketingSherpa report, “Continuous experimentation is the quickest path to peak performance.” Yet only 28% of small businesses regularly test and optimize email messages. Mid-sized and larger organizations fared better, but still only around half test regularly. Deadlines and full workloads are a common culprit, but let’s say you run a test that yields an 18% lift in response — you’d probably find time to test more consistently next time, right? Interestingly, subject lines are among the most popular tests, yet they often produce the smallest gains compared to other areas such as landing pages and target audiences. Don’t be afraid to test various elements of your email marketing efforts to optimize email performance.

Wind farms can cause climate change, according to new research, that shows for the first time the new technology is already pushing up temperatures.

Large windfarms can increase local night time temperatures by fanning warmer air onto the ground, new research has revealed. The study used satellite data to show that the building of huge wind farms in west Texas over the last decade has warmed the nights by up to 0.72C.

The basic effect is that given that the ground at night is generally cooler than the atmosphere, thus the air near the ground is cooler than the air higher up. Turning blades of the turbines mix up this air, cool with warmer, and thus lower the temperature of the higher up air.

The effect is quite large too, that 0.72 of a degree is not far off the 0.8 of a degree which is said to be the total amount of anthropogenic global warming so far.

Read more about Wind Farms Causing Global Warming.

Use a Simple Points System

This is the most common loyalty program methodology. Frequent customers earn points, which translate into some type of reward. Whether it’s a discount, a freebie, or special customer treatment, customers work toward a certain amount of points to redeem their reward. Where many companies falter in this method, however, is making the relationship between points and tangible rewards complex and confusing. Fourteen points equals one dollar, and twenty dollars earns 50% off your next purchase in April! That’s not rewarding, that’s a headache. If you opt for a points-based loyalty program, keep the conversions simple and intuitive.

One example of a company using a points-based loyalty program well is Boloco. They speak the language of their audience by measuring points in dollars, and rewards in food items. Customers swipe their stylish Boloco card at every purchase and the card tracks the amount of money spent. Every $50 spent earns the customer a free item. Doesn’t matter if they choose a super jumbo burrito or an extra small smoothie – it’s free after $50. This is an example of a company simplifying points with an accessible customer reward system.

Use a Tier System to Reward Initial Loyalty and Encourage More Purchases

Finding a balance between attainable and desirable rewards is a challenge for most companies designing loyalty programs. One way to combat this is to implement a tiered system. Offer small rewards as a base offering for being a part of the program, and encourage repeat customers by increasing the value of the rewards as the customer moves up the loyalty ladder. This helps solve the problem of members forgetting about their points and never redeeming them because the time between purchase and gratification is too long.

Virgin Airlines’ Flying Club inducts members at the Club Red tier, then bumps them up through Club Silver and Club Gold. Club Red members earn miles on flights and get discounts on rental cars and hotels. Club Silver members earn 50% more points on flights, expedited check-in, and priority stand-by seating. Club Gold members get double miles, priority boarding, and access to exclusive clubhouses where they can grab a drink or get a massage before their flight. The key is to offer benefits in the early stages to hook the customer into coming back. Once they do, they’ll realize that “gold” status isn’t unattainable, and offers really cool benefits.

Charge an Upfront Fee for VIP Benefits

Loyalty programs are meant to break down barriers between customers and your business — are we seriously telling you to charge them a fee? In some circumstances, a one-time (or annual) fee that lets customers bypass common purchase blockers is actually quite beneficial for business and customer alike. By identifying the factors that may cause customers to leave, you can customize a fee-based loyalty program to address those specific barriers.

In 2011, eCommerce shopping cart abandonment hit a record high of 72%, and is still rising. This abandonment is often caused by “sticker shock” after tax and shipping prices have been applied. ECommerce giant Amazon found a way to combat this issue in their loyalty program called Prime. For $79 annually, Prime users get free 2-day shipping on millions of products with no minimum purchase, among other benefits.

Structure Non-Monetary Programs Around Your Customer’s Values

Really understanding your customer means understanding their values and sense of worth. And depending on your industry, your customers may find more value in non-monetary or discounted rewards. Every company can offer promotional coupons and discount codes, but businesses that can provide value to the customer in ways other than dollars and cents have an opportunity to really connect with their audience.

Patagonia, an eco-friendly outdoor apparel company, realized that their customer needed more than just points and discounts from a loyalty program. Late last year, the company implemented its Common Threads Initiative. In it, they partnered with eBay to help customers to resell their highly-durable Patagonia clothing online through the company website.

Partner With Another Company to Provide All-Inclusive Offers

Strategic partnerships for customer loyalty, also known as coalition programs, can be extremely effective for customer retention and company growth. Again, fully understanding your customers every-day lives and their purchase process will help determine which company is a good fit as a partner.

American Express has a huge partner base with companies across the country. Their recent Twitter Sync campaign rewards customers for tweeting about them by syncing discounts and deals with Twitter #hashtags. According to Visibli.com, cardholders have redeemed over $2,000,000 in rewards. Participating companies that are benefitting from their coalition with Amex include Whole Foods, Staples, and Zappos.

Make a Game Out of It

Who doesn’t love a good game, right? Turning your loyalty program into a game is a fun way to encourage repeat customers and, depending on the type of game you choose, help solidify your brand’s image.

GrubHub, an online food ordering and delivery website, started Yummy Rummy late last year. Once customers place three unique orders through GrubHub, regardless of price, they get to play a game for a chance of winning free stuff. Players choose one of four cards and have a 25% chance of winning a free dessert, drink, gift card or other cool stuff.

Scratch the ‘Program’ Completely

Considering how many marketers are offering loyalty programs (whether they are effective or not is another story), one innovative idea is to nix the idea all-together. Build loyalty by providing first-time users awesome benefits, hooking them, and offering those benefits with every purchase.

The concept sounds simple, but one of the most innovative companies on the planet implements this strategy: Apple. Even the most loyal Apple customers don’t get special rewards or discounts … because they don’t offer them to anybody. Apple “enchants” customers by delighting them with a product or service the first time. The loyalty is voluntary and long-lasting, according to Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki. Apple has plenty of supporters, both online and off, ready and willing to rave about their product. For them, loyalty happen organically.

The source of the Apple Mac Flashback Trojan was probably a large clutch of compromised US-based WordPress blog websites hijacked to push visitors to malware hosts, Kaspersky Lab research has revealed.

As has previously been established by various sources, between September 2011 and February of this year, the malware was distributed using social engineering attacks that asked users to download a bogus Adobe Flash Player plugin.

By late February this strategy changed thanks to a new partner program which distributed the malware as a drive-by attack hitting three common Java vulnerabilities via compromised websites.

Read more about the Mac Flashback Trojan.

Apparently, location, location, location is the latest twist on electric vehicles and the environment: Whether an electric car such as the Nissan Leaf protects the atmosphere from greenhouse gases depends on where it’s charged, according to a new study. Such a car is no better than a standard gasoline-powered subcompact such as a Hyundai Elantra in cities such as Denver and Wichita, but far exceeds even the best hybrids in Southern California.

That’s the findings of a study of electricity generation, greenhouse gas emissions and electric vehicles by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The variations in how beneficial an electric vehicle is for reducing pollution that causes global warming result from regional differences in how electricity is generated.

The scientific organization, which is a vocal proponent for federal requirements mandating increased fuel efficiency in vehicles, said in regions covering 45% of the nation’s population, “electricity is generated with a larger share of cleaner energy resources — such as renewables and natural gas — meaning that EVs produce lower global warming emissions than even the most efficient gasoline hybrids.”

Read more about electric cars (EVs).

• Leverage prospects’ social media profile information
  Use this information to get a picture in your head of who your prospects are. What are they tweeting about? What is their job history on LinkedIn? What are their skills and areas of expertise? For example, at HubSpot, we’d speak to a prospect differently if they were a seasoned marketing director well versed in inbound marketing than if they were working in their first marketing job out of college and only had experience in social media marketing. That kind of information can be gleaned with social media intelligence so your conversations are more pointed.
• Get to know leads with landing page form data
  Marketing collects all that information when they’re generating leads for a reason — it gives them insight into leads that lets them segment, target communications, and route leads to the appropriate salesperson. Sounds pretty useful for a salesperson too, right?
• Track social media mentions
  Track mentions for your brand name, product names, competitors, industry influencers, and industry terms. This is a scalable way to surface sales opportunities Sales and Marketing might otherwise miss if the person mentioning your tracked term either hasn’t been entered into your leads database yet, or hasn’t been rotated to a salesperson yet.
• Use the best performing offers when prospecting and selling
  It’s not every business that can close a sale after just one conversion event; it’s more common that a prospect reconverts time and again as their relationship with your company grows and they move further along in the sales process. So when Sales is working with prospects, it makes sense for them to elevate the highest converting offers to move their leads along in the sales cycle more swiftly. Access to landing page conversion information can empower Sales with the information they need to refer the content and offers to their leads that will actually help them close deals.
• Build an arsenal of your most powerful content
  People buy from people they trust, so it’s crucial that every salesperson establish themselves as a trusted resource when speaking with prospects. One way of doing it is referring prospects to helpful, educational content that helps solve the problems that come up during discussions. But how do you know you’re passing along the best content? Use the analytics Marketing uses to decide that!
• Jump on leads right when they come in
  Quick lead follow-up is crucial for sales success. The Harvard Business Review found that companies that contact prospects in an hour or less are 7 times more likely to have a meaningful conversation with a decision maker than their less eager counterparts. Intelligence about when and how much time leads spend on your site helps Sales be the “eager” ones in the industry.
• Prospect smarter, not harder
  Sales is often tasked with prospecting on their own to fill their pipeline, but what tools are given to help them do it effectively? Unfortunately, many salespeople are left Googling a stranger’s contact information and cold calling with the hope they connect with someone who actually wants what they’re selling.