No man is an iland

July 30, 2003

Nobody home
I'm on the road most of the next 2 weeks so there'll be no updates until mid-August. I'm not enough of a blog fanatic to take my laptop with me and do road updates.

In the meantime, enjoy the sun/snow (depending on your geographical orientation).

Yankelovich: DMers Aren't Acknowledging Consumer Backlash
Report of a keynote speech by the President of Yankelovich, where he provides a compelling argument in favor of reorienting marketing, especially direct marketing.

Citing research indicating growing discontent among consumers, he calls for a new set of 4Ps. Heck, read the article, it's very interesting.

Anyone else get the feeling there are some interesting times ahead?

July 29, 2003

But Can They Write Email to Customers?
Interesting article with advice for companies looking to hire customer service agents. Since so much customer service now means answering email, it suggests your staff should have both small- and big-picture writing skills. Or in a nutshell, can they write and can they answer the question?

Although, frankly speaking, I simply refuse to believe that an ability to write normal sentences and answer a question should count as some kind of special skill. But based on my own customer experiences, it apparently is (and a rare one to boot).

July 24, 2003

All US flights to have email in 2004, executive says
The skies are no longer safe from spam, either.

July 23, 2003

And since we're talking about spam
My anti-spam software tells me that in the past few months it's checked 21,837 messages, of which 14,078 were spam. (Insert appropriate expletive here.)

Spammers beware
In the ongoing anti-spam conflict, a new twist as activists publish the names and credit card details of would-be spammers (reports The Register).

And the Register's website is displaying Google's AdSense ads. Is there anybody who isn't? Amazing how a new ad mechanism can catch on so quickly (see right).

July 21, 2003

Ahhh, So That's What Spam Is!
Ken Magill comments on an interview given by DMA President Robert Wientzen. He rightly points out that until the DMA joins the rest of the world in its definition of spam, it's unlikely to win many credibility points.

July 19, 2003

Nonprofit takes hold of blog tool
Ive been talking about RSS as a new and improved delivery vehicle for e-newsletters (use the site search to find blog entries). The specification for this content distribution format is now owned by the non-profit Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. The new owners promise to promote the format to a wider audience.

July 18, 2003

Reaping the Rewards of Email Requalification
Thought-provoking article by Neil Monnens who suggests email list owners should requalify subscribers. Which means sending subscribers an email (or series of emails) asking if they want to remain on the list. Then removing those who say, "no" or don't respond. He suggests using that requalification process as an indicator of quality if renting the list to advertisers (or selling ads in an e-newsletter), and a reason for charging more.

Interesting anecdote: when he tried this with his hobby site list, 6% of people wrote back to say, "no". That's 6% of the list who were still subscribed but didn't actually want the emails. Add in those who don't respond and we have to admit that a significant proportion of any email list is likely non-active.

Email? Who needs it?
Switch off the PC, open the curtains, and take a look outside - there's a world beyond email. Says this article. Actually, it quite rightly reminds us that most people don't use email, and highlights a few leading businesspeople who don't use the medium or even a computer.

This reminds me of e-commerce where people engaged in the industry forget that online retail sales are still no more than 2% of total retail sales. 2%. Albeit online sales are growing faster.

July 16, 2003

EU preps phase two of war on spam
The EU is gearing up to take on the spammers (I know who my money's on). The interesting aspect is that the proposed measures allow opt-in only. But expect whatever comes out to get bogged down in semantic, jurisdiction, enforcement and other problems. Still, any effort to stem the flow of UCE is welcome.

July 15, 2003

Helix Group
Just signed up to this new e-newsletter which promises inside information on online advertising and online advertisers. Some email marketing things they could do better: The sign-up form has no privacy link or statement, so that's a leap of faith already (I used a throwaway address). And on the form it says "monthly newsletter", but on the thank you page it says "weekly". No immediate email confirmation of a subscription, either. Hmmm.

If spam is a reflection of mankind...
Let's assume spam ads are a true indication of people's basic needs, wants and fears. Then what does that say about the state of humanity? That the foremost concern of all men is the size and performance of their "little friend"? That's scary (unless you're Pfizer).

July 14, 2003

More "email marketing is dead" commentary
At the risk of repeating myself (and the obvious), here's a short contribution I wrote for the folks at the I-Sales discussion list...

The killer app is dead, long live the killer app!

There's a seeming paradox in the email world.

One the one hand, there are numerous individuals and organizations preaching (often based on experience) the "email marketing no longer works" message.

On the other hand, there are still plenty of companies enjoying notable success with permission-based email marketing campaigns.

There's no denying that filters, blacklists, spam etc. make the marketer's job *much* more difficult. But what that's doing is forcing people to be much more innovative and diligent in how they use email.

So people are giving overdue attention to email headers, permission issues, sign-up procedures (for example, persuading people to part with "real" rather than throwaway addresses), copy, offer, content, value, voice and all the other things that constitute best practices.

Then they're also moving ahead with things like personalization, segmentation, customization, viral techniques, and more.

All of which can compensate for the logistical and other problems email marketers face today.

But all of which also means that the playing field shifts in favor of marketers with the resources needed to master and implement these kinds of advanced and best practices.

Having said that, the time still seems ripe for some alternatives to step up to the plate. Blogs? RSS feeds?

July 10, 2003

Survey of E-Mail Format Preferences and Programs
A stat love-in for those wondering about whether people can read HTML mail, what their preferences are and what clients they actually use. The biggest lesson for me: results depend a great deal on who your audience is. I found this article through Jeanne Jenning's useful newsletter.

More unjoining
Oooh - I just left a mailing list run by The Golf Warehouse and got a "We are sorry that you are unjoining TGW Update 1" message. This unjoining word is growing on me. Almost feels like I'm doing something active to the list by "unjoining" it. Nothing so defeatist as "unsubscribing from." Give me value, or I will unjoin you!

Email marketing is all about timing
Article which raises the issue of when is the best time to send email, and offers some answers. Interesting...also because it's from "the Western Mail" in Wales (not normally considered a hotbed of online marketing insight). There's always a danger we get so locked into our little net cliques that we don't open our eyes to a wealth of useful information available elsewhere. Shame on us.

July 09, 2003

DMNews.com: Email marketing summit
Article announces a forthcoming meeting between ISPs, marketers and anti-spam companies to address the issue of legitimate commercial email getting caught up in anti-spam measures.

I think the problem that marketers may have to address is that their definition of legitimate doesn't match the definition used by ISPs. In fact, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of tech guys at ISPs who would suggest that legitimate commercial email is an oxymoron.

I sometimes think being in the email marketing industry is like taking one of those wild water rides while blindfold. There's a lot of movement, shouting and the distinct possibility you'll go under. And God only knows what you'll look like and where you'll be when the ride finishes.

July 08, 2003

There was just one flaw in the plan
I've been getting html email newsletters with a Google AdSense banner built in. AdSense banners take the content of the page and display pay-per-click ads that best fit that content. Seems like a great idea for HTML newsletters. Except...

...since Google's database has no record of that particular page (because it's an HTML email) and no ability to scan (spider) that page to evaluate the content (because it's an HTML email), the only ads it will ever show are free public service ones.

Another cunning e-marketing plan goes down the toilet.

In this day and age?
More not-best practices from the email marketing field. Just got an edition of the Jim World Gazette, a very popular e-newsletter for webmasters. I wanted to unsubscribe so went down the bottom of the email to find the usual info - nothing there. Back to the top - nothing there. Maybe in the left-hand link menu? Nope, nothing there either. Eventually I acted on a hunch and followed a "subscribe" link - sure enough, it went to a page where you could also unsubscribe.

Permission 101 - give people an easy way to get off your list, unless you want them to go around writing derogatory blog entries about your marketing practices.

July 04, 2003

Email marketing is dying
An article by Derek Scruggs which outlines the value of RSS as a replacement for email and offers up some pros and cons. Another convert to the "RSS is the future" brigade.

Can RSS replace all bulk email?
More meanderings from me at I-Advertising:

> Suppose all bulk communications
> were handled by RSS, and all mail
> servers were set to block bulk mailings?

That would be very cool. Except for permission marketers it's not just about deliverability. Email lets you personalize messages, or send customized content to each recipient based on their demographics, past purchases, or whatever combination of boxes they ticked when they signed-up.

Right now I don't think any of that is possible with RSS. The user decides which message he wants to pick up, though I daresay technology could solve the problem (market opportunity!). Not that the user cares, of course.

Which is why, right now, I think RSS has most potential for your typical non-customized e-newsletter.

Two additional notes:

1. Watch RSS folks - I'd put money on this being the next big development in "email" marketing
2. If you're reading this today in the USA - Happy July 4th. Now stop working and go out and smell the roses.

July 03, 2003

Critical Questions to Ask Before Renting a List
I suspect this is a response to the overly-pessimistic email deliverability article I mentioned a couple of days ago. Here, Al DiGuido argues that email still works for acquisition and gives a pretty comprehensive list of questions you need to ask before renting an email list.

World's worst unsubscribe message?
I just unsubbed from the PGATour Shop mailing list with a click on an unsubscribe link (very good). But the page I reached consisted of:

1. A "Unity Mail" logo
2. Below this the word's "Member Control Panel"
3. The message "We are sorry that you are unjoining Other."
4. That's it.

Problem: Who the heck are Unity Mail? What am I a member of? What's to control? What is "Other"? And what is unjoining? What a missed opportunity to leave me feeling good about the PGA Tour shop.

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