Global Marketing Plus

If you’re like me, you’re often jumping in an out of meetings or appointments. In between, you have a couple of minutes to return a couple of phone calls, so how do you choose which people you’ll call back first? 

Often the decision is made for me… so make sure your messaging is as effective as possible.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve not returned a call promptly because I didn’t have someone’s contact information readily available.

I’m sure you’ve had the same experience. Someone emails you to please call them or you just want to call them. But they didn’t give you a phone number, and there isn’t one listed in their signature line. You then have to dig through past emails, look in your address book, Google them, and still you aren’t able to find their direct line.

In this age of iPhones, Blackberries and cellphones, it’s rare that I have a phone number memorized. 

I don’t even have my adult children’s phone number memorized because all I have to do is enter their speed number code and my cell phone dials their number for me.  If I get caught without my cell phone or the battery dies, there is no way I can call them!

I know this is a simple and basic thing. But so many people don’t follow it. If you want someone to respond to you, you’ve got to make it as easy as possible for them.  The same thing goes for leaving a voice mail.

So many people rush through their phone number, making it virtually impossible to write down the number without having to go back and listen to their message a couple of extra times. Ideally, you should always give your phone number, say it slowly, and repeat it twice so that someone can write it down and then make sure it’s correct.

Effective emails always include a signature line with contact information. You should include your contact information in every new message or every message you reply to.  This is just good common marketing sense!

I have a friend that has a knack for being able to memorize things like long lists of phone numbers and license plates.

But for the rest of us who have off-loaded our ability to remember phone numbers to our electronic brains, this strategy will help you make sure your calls are returned.

Personalization works. According to many recent research studies, email messages that are personalized have stronger message open and clickthrough rates.

Everyone likes being called by their name. In this impersonal world of email messages, people like to know that you know who they are, and that you care about them as a person.

Nothing is worse than a highly demanding email that is sent without being addressed to someone by name and is out of context. A message that starts: “Can you make these changes ASAP?” puts you on the defensive right way. You might think: Why should I care if they are in a hurry?

It’s so much nicer to have a message that begins with: “Ron – I hope you’re doing well. I just found out that we’re going to be mentioned on the front page of The Wall Street Journal tomorrow. Can you make these changes ASAP?”

Wow. I’m much more willing to help someone who personalizes the message to me, and gives me a non-threatening reason why this needs to really be done by tomorrow.  

Did you know that effective email campaigns deliver sales at an average cost per order of less than $7, compared to $71.89 for banner ads, $26.75 for paid search and $17.47 for affiliate programs? (According to Shop.org’s “State of Retailing Online 2007″ – September 2007).

Tip #6 is about the often neglected subject line.

According to Jupiter Research, 35% of email users open messages because of what’s contained in the subject line.

After the From line, the subject line is the second most important part of an effective email. If you forget to include a subject line, your message is much more likely to go into a junk mail folder, or just not be opened. Email marketing professionals live and die by subject lines. A good subject line will sum up what the message is all about, but still entice someone to open the message, read it, and take action.

Personalizing a subject line with your company’s name or the recipient’s name or other information can also lead to higher message open rates Including the company name in the subject line can increase open rates by up to 32 percent to 60 percent over a subject line without branding. (Jupiter Research)

I hope my 12 Step Program is helping you communicate with email more effectively

Has your web designer moved, but forgotten to leave a forwarding address? I can help.

Thanks, Ron

On May 1st, I was invited by Bonnie Whitlock to attend a musical called “Wizard of Odd” at Deseret Star Theater in Murray, Utah.

What a fun night!  We laughed until our sides hurt!  This was the first time I had the opportunity to attend a play at Deseret Star and was very surprised at the professional way the actors entertained.  I would suggest that anyone go!

What also amazed me was the way they took a very famous movie and applied local flavor to it to appeal to the audience.  By using local names and places, it drew the audience into the play and everybody could relate to the new jokes.

Tip: Pull your visitors into your website by including words and phrases that people can relate to.  For example, it is suggested we do not write using terms used in your industry unless your readers are already in your industry.  Write on a 7th to 9th grade level and you will not loose as many readers!

If you have never been to Deseret Star, you should go.  Thank you Bonnie for the opportunity to experience the fun.  Our whole group said you stole the show and made it fun for all of us!

Recently Kris and I had the opportunity to attend a concert at the Hawaiian Cultural Center in Midvale, Utah. Wow! talk about fantastic. It was like attending a family reunion. Everyone was happy and most dressed as if we were in Hawaii attending this function!

The main event was a “slack guitarist” from Hawaii that played the most
fantastic music and kept us entertained for over an hour!

Several local people were on the program, including some fantastic hula dancers!

When it was over and we stepped outside to go to the car, I was disappointed to see we were not really in Hawaii!

When the Hawaiian Cultural Center asked me to build a website for them, they wanted to create the look and feel of Hawaii. I think we did that. Look at their website and judge for yourself. Go to Hawaiian Cultural Center and look (www.hawaiianculturalcenter.org). I think they did a wonderful job making visitors feel the Hawaiian spirit just as I felt I was in Hawaii at the concert.

Tip: Remember to make your visitors feel your passion when they come to your website. That is one way to stand out from all your competition!

Check out the Hawaiian Cultural Center’s website to see what other activities they have. For
example, they have Hula Lessons! Check out their calendar and visit the center at 741 West Smelter Street, Midvale, UT or call them at (801)562-5642

The single most important part of an email message is the From line. If the person you’re sending to doesn’t recognize your name, your message will be at best skipped over. At worst, it will be simply deleted without opening.

Most email programs show a friendly display name instead of the plain email address.

The From line of your email (friendly display name) should have your full name and organization in it.

For example, when I send out an email, my from line reads: Ron Coleman– Global Marketing Plus. When someone receives an email from me, it’s pretty clear which person named Ron the message came from. And if they don’t know me, but know my company instead, they won’t completely ignore my message.

But at least a couple of times per week I get an email that was meant for someone else named Ron, but works at a different company.

The culprit is that many people have only their first names listed in the friendly From display line. Most of the time the messages aren’t too racy, but with email programs that automatically fill in an email address when you start to type a first name, it’s easy to email the wrong person something that could be seriously career limiting.