Email results dropping? Take a ZiG E-healthcheck to boost your ROI

Increased use of the 'cheaper' Email channel has only added to communication overload. Is it any wonder that businesses are seeing a drop in results? After all, there are only so many hours in a day and a full inbox simply increases anxiety for the recipient.

So, if you are planning a new Email campaign, here are a few points to take into consideration.
(1) Get the right balance Send too many and you run the risk of communication fatigue and brand disinterest. Send too few though, and you may well miss opportunities to engage.
(2) Be timely and relevant 
As with direct mail (D-mail), think about the very first message that your reader will see. With D-mail it’s on the outer envelope or the letter headline. With E-mail it’s your subject-box line. In our experience, three types of subject lines that bring most success are:
a) benefit led 
b) news, or
c) curiosity
(3) Make sure that your content is interesting and compelling. 
The more relevant the message, the more interesting it is to your target. This will in turn create more desire to purchase.

(4) Avoid overuse of images as they can get stripped out by firewalls. Ensure important information, e.g. prices or dates, are not embedded into graphics, as they may be lost.

(5) Be consistent with other on and off-line communications in look and feel.

(6) Segment your target audience and test different headlines. The beauty of Email over Dmail is the speed of response and analysis.

(7) Quality rather than quantity

Don't blanket mail. Guard your reputation by enabling recipients to opt-out easily.
(8) Learn from your results
Use tracking software to learn which content is most popular and how recipients are following it up - this will be invaluable when planning future campaigns.

Another Titanic tragedy?

Look at this poster for ONE SECOND only and then close your eyes...

OK, now that you've opened them again, STOP looking at the poster. Don't scrutinize the message, the image, the colours or typeface any longer. 'One second' of your time is actually five times longer than you normally give to the 2,500 messages subconsciously received every day. 
So, what do you think of it? Did anything grab your attention long enough to make you look longer? Drop me a quick email, I'd love to know.


Here's the thoughts from the ZiG Zone 
Well, it's Northern (and) Ireland Tourisms' attempt to 'piggyback' the plethora of media coverage surrounding the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of Cunard's prize passenger ship, RMS Titanic. Titanic is probably even more famous today than it was back in 1912. With TV documentary's, radio, national press coverage etc., now is an excellent time to push awareness of the NEW Titanic Museum opening in Belfast in April. 


But I'm not convinced that this poster captures the excitement of the moment.

Unless you know what the dramatic shape of the museum is (not dissimilar to Mann Island near Museum of Liverpool), then I just don't think (in the infamous words of Louis Walsh) that people will 'get it'. 

Not only does the subtle imagery let it down but the headline too. Firstly, it's difficult to read as it's SET IN CAPITAL LETTERS and we don't read words we read shapes. 

Secondly, how uninteresting is the headline? An angular block is landlocked? Mmm, fails to stir me and make me want to 'jump in' and fly over to Ireland. 

Sadly this is a poor execution and a severe waste of clients budget. 

If your marketing is to work, i.e. you see a good return on your spend, then the message and imagery needs to be attention grabbing.

Unfortunately this poster doesn't stand out and British museums can hardly throw money away. The ZiG verdict: Yet another Titanic tragedy. If it's any consolation, I'd love to go to the museum after seeing the video on the museum website.

P.S. How long did it take you to notice the boy looking at the submerged wreck at the bottom? More than 0.2 seconds?

Don't wait for The Chancellor. Here's how your business can improve results

Despite yesterdays budget, there seems little hope of a dramatic change to the dismal state of the economy. 
Surviving a recession is tough. When it comes to marketing, business owners have to make a choice:

a) Cut marketing budgets to save money (short-term thinking) or 

b) (More profitable, longer term thinking)
Promote your business with smarter, customer focused advertising that can be measured. 
It might sound obvious, but measuring your marketing returns does help to improve your 'return on investment' (ROI). I know, I know, it DOES sound obvious, but you'd be amazed how many businesses don't know what works for them and what doesn't.

So, BEFORE you spend another penny on producing a business-generation communication (whether online or offline) think about these 4 simple questions:

1. WHO are your target audience? Who do you want to buy from you?
 It's no good producing any communication if your targeting is weak.

2. WHERE will you find them? Where is the best place to advertise to them or for them to find you?

3. WHAT do you want to say to them? What is your offer and is it different (and better) from your competitors? Is it believable?
and,

4. WHY the 'heck' should they pay attention to you? Does your communication stand out from the crowd? This point is especially relevant when you produce press advertising or pay-per-click.
Food for thought?

Discover the best way to market your business in a recession

The irony of the current recession is that there has never been so many, many ways to market your business. The best of it is that the costs of advertising have made it possible for some of the smallest players in a market take on the bigger, more established ones. It's for this reason that so many well known household brands have been struggling.

With so many channels (e.g. email, direct mail, radio, press, outdoor, mobile, etc.) to choose from which one(s) is best for you? The options to market your business has never been so great. The problem now though, is deciding the most profitable one(s).

See the table below which shows how the modern consumer is influenced by many channels BEFORE they buy. For this reason I suggest any business who wants to ride out the recession, "Think multi-channel!!!!" because that is how your (potential) customers buy their goods and services.

With a co-ordinated, multi-channel route to market, you can find responses are raised by up to 40%. The ZiG advice is test and don't be afraid to make mistakes. You'll rarely find a successful business that has never made a mistake.  For the businesses who have tried and failed with a channel such as direct mail or email, I'd say think again because if you limit your channel usage, you could well be losing business. Let me know if you'd like to know more.

Not another Star Wars cop-out

Hi, Just having a (late) 'Friday afternoon rant' about lazy, expensive, and (more than likely?) ineffective marketing by 'The Big Boys' of advertising.
Unoriginally, yet another high profile company is using a Star Wars icon for their TV commercials.


You may have noticed Yoda spreading the 'force' for Vodafone. Yoda... Voda... get it? Mmmm exactly, a bit tenuous the link?
What gripes me is that only a month ago, PC World used Darth Vader to promote their in-store customer services and just prior to that a miniature Darth Vader appeared in a VW ad. Not only is it confusing to audiences but why go ahead with a campaign when the same idea is out there in the marketplace? What next, Chewbacca sunning himself on a P&O Cruise around the Med, defending the virtues of Princess Leia against the dark forces of the ships, amorous Italian, Captain Francesco Schettino?


Call me crazy, but I thought the whole point of marketing and advertising was to be unique, stand out from the crowd. Mission one: Grab attention... GET NOTICED!!!!


I imagine anyone who takes notice of these adverts (TV break = tea or twitter break?) would find it confusing. Though the mass media channel of TV has it's merits, I'm sure that the big budgets could be spent in a better, more direct, measurable way.
The only person who really benefits from these bland adverts is surely George Lucas.
Ah well, that's better. A rant shared is a rant halved!
Have a great weekend.