Email marketing is changing fast.

At a jam-packed webinar last week, Raidious partnered with our friends at Delivra to shed some light on some of the top email marketing trends we have been seeing with our clients. If you were not able to attend the webinar, no worries – we recorded it so you can watch it at your leisure. Just click on the image below to see the webinar, or grab the slides!

Here are some of the trends we covered:

• Multiplatform
• Outside Outlook
• Email Anywhere
• Mobile Expansion
• Versioned Design
• Subject Line Trends
• Audience First
• Hub & Spoke Infrastructure
• Measuring Content
• Measuring Engagement
• Measuring Conversion
• Measuring Amplification
• Real Time Relevancy
• Multiplatform Correlations
• Email Content Strategy

For more detail on these email trends (or just to relive the magic), here is the full recording:

Lots of great questions from the audience are captured in the webinar, but not on the slide deck.

We had a fantastic time with all of the folks from Delivra, and got to see their awesome new office space. Megan Glover from Delivra and PJ Gindling from Raidious did a ton of work to get this prepared. Thanks to you both!

Also, thanks to Neil Berman, CEO Delivra, who was awesome to work with. Most importantly, thanks to everyone who attended or signed up! If you have more questions about Email Marketing or Content Strategy, please feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to help!

Related articles

• Spotlight: Email Marketing with Delivra (marketingtechblog.com)
• Welcome Email Marketing Blog Sponsor Delivra! (marketingtechblog.com)
• Same Email Marketing Pains…10 Years Later. (marketingtechblog.com)
• Use Mobile to Acquire Email Subscribers (marketingtechblog.com)

We are proud to announce the launch of the completely redesigned website for Algonquin Commons!

Inland Real Estate Corporation approached us with the unique challenge of creating a website that needed to be a bit more dynamic than our traditional build.

1. They needed an editable merchant directory with individual merchant profiles.
2. They needed to be able to post individual Events, Promotions and Job Opportunities for each merchant.
3. The data from each Event, Promotion or Job Opportunity needed to dynamically populate the merchant profiles.
4. All of these pages, in addition to other standard pages such as Directions, Contact Us, etc., needed to be editable within an intuitive administration interface.

 We had our work cut out for us.

We decided to use WordPress for the CMS. It’s a popular choice of ours since it is open source and incredibly easy to use. Unfortunately, WordPress does not have a built-in method for creating custom write panels.

Enter Magic Fields. There are a couple of WordPress plugins out there that have similar functionality, but I’ve found this one to be the most powerful. In addition to the standard Posts and Pages write panels that WordPress comes with, Magic Fields allowed us to create the additional write panels for Merchants, Events & Promotions and Job Opportunities. These custom write panels include fields beyond the standard Title and Content fields, such as Store Hours, Address, and more. Having that data separated out made it pretty easy to lay out our theme. I highly recommend this plugin to anyone looking for this type of functionality.

Our designer really knocked the theme out of the park. The rich graphics and unique interior pages impressed Inland right out of the gate. After a few rounds of minor tweaks, we now have an excellent solution that gives Algonquin Commons an attractive and scalable web presence.

Head over to ShopAtAlgonquinCommons.com now to check it out!

HubSpot and Watershed Publishing recently released their Marketing Data Box, a “quarterly collection of practical marketing tools ready for professional use.”

The free collection of 65 charts from information wizards MarketingCharts collects current data from The Neilsen Company, Harris Interactive, Pew Research, Kantar Media, Compete, comScore, Experian Hitwise and Mediaguide. It aims to provide marketers, social media and SEO experts, and just about anyone else with all the ammunition they need for presentations, blog posts and general insight into online trends across a multitude of platforms and channels.

The collection can be downloaded in either PDF or PowerPoint format (or both), and is the latest in the slew of reports, whitepapers, and other resources HubSpot has made available at no charge.

This treasure trove of information is cleanly presented and well organized, making it easy to find the answer to almost any question business professionals may have about the current marketing climate. It focuses heavily on digital, but also includes other relevant statistics from retail/consumer goods and lifestyle/community. It could easily be retitled “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Marketing But Were Afraid to Ask.” Or perhaps “Everything You’d Better Be Thinking About In Marketing.”

Not only is this package an invaluable research tool for market intelligence, as content producers it’s also a great resource for idea generation. If all the topics explored don’t spark a wildfire of ideas, there’s a problem between keyboard and chair.

I find myself in the position of giving more and more lectures and speeches at conferences and other gatherings. I also teach a college course in web marketing. In both settings, these free-to-use charts are proving to be a tremendous resource for backing up my points with real data.

Download this package immediately, and prepare to have your mind expanded.

As brands grow and mature, they take on a life and personality all their own. Now that companies are expected to actively participate in social media, this personality–their brand voice–can be difficult to establish, leading some to balk at this newfound responsibility.

This difficult transition is akin to a child approaching their teen years. My girlfriend’s ten-year-old son–who, to protect his anonymity, we’ll call Tron (he’ll think that’s cool)–is at the age where he is testing the limits of his freedom and exploring his own priorities. In child psychology this period of questioning and challenging authority is referred to as “being a pain the patootie.”

While most of the time Tron is a cheerful, obedient boy, he has his moments of resistance when, rather than unquestioningly following directions, he pushes back. Many of these excuses sounded familiar to me, and I realized that they are often similar if not identical to those offered by companies adjusting to the “everyone is a publisher” reality of social media.

Let’s take a look at some of his more popular challenges. Do you hear yourself or your executive leadership in any of these? If so, it’s time to ask yourself if you are indeed smarter than a fourth-grader.

“I’ll do it during the next commercial.”

This one invariably comes up when it’s time for his nightly shower. Tron is ensconced in a TV show and promises to take a five-minute shower so he doesn’t miss the next exciting development taking place on the Disney Channel. Never mind that the same episode will air approximately 4,327 more times this week, or that we can DVR his favorite shows. He’s busy.

Many companies pay lip service to the importance of social media engagement, but in practice dedicate a minimal amount of time and attention to it. Five minutes out of your day isn’t going to accomplish any goals or solve any business problems whatsoever (or get your stinky ten-year-old clean). Well-planned, well-executed strategies aren’t accomplished in whatever free time you try to fit them.

“That’s not what I meant.”

I find myself channeling my mother when I tell Tron to “engage brain before engaging mouth.” Regardless there are times when his opinion comes flying out before giving any consideration to how it will sound to others. When such insensitivity is brought to his attention, he’ll often say, “That’s not what I meant.”

Regardless of intent, the power of expression lies within how words affect others. It may not be sticks and stones, but as we have seen recently with both accidental (Chrysler) and intentional (Kenneth Cole) missteps, the words we use on social networking sites can indeed hurt. In the case of a brand, the party usually most hurt by our poor choice of words is us. The court of public opinion looks unfavorably upon those who misuse or abuse the social media pulpit. It pays to be acutely aware of the possible connotations and power of your words.

“I don’t feel like talking about it.”

When Tron has a bad day at school–whether or not we’ve received a call or a note home from the teacher–we know it immediately. A usually upbeat, singing, dancing, babbling kid is replaced by a sullen, disinterested slug. No matter what the problem, no matter whose fault it was, we encourage him to tell us about it. Of course at times he is less than forthcoming, saying, “I don’t feel like talking about it.”

The issue here is transparency; it’s easy to share your triumphs with others when you’re happy and excited. When the chips are down and you’re dealing with trouble, the natural response is to clam up. In the case of social media, you must remember that everyone on the web is a publisher. If you don’t talk about what went wrong with your company, others will.

What if they’re wrong? What if they’re misinformed? It’s one thing to issue a press release in an attempt to spin or explain away whatever mistake your company may have made. It’s another thing entirely to get out in front of the issue using your owned media channels and turn a potential tragedy into an opportunity. Believe it or not, your customers and the world at large will respect you and your openness (see also ComcastCares).

“Do I have to?”

Yes.

This week’s tip is for those of you struggling to manage your brand’s social media efforts on a daily basis, and finding that the work is time consuming, and monotonous. The solution is simple, “think campaign.”

In order to see the true benefits from managing your brand’s social media pages is treat it like any other marketing or public relations campaign. Start with research and planning. Learn where your targeted publics are located, and how they are using social media. Use that knowledge to create your plan.

Next, implement your strategy and measure along the way. Follow the strategy you set forth, but don’t be afraid to change directions when needed. Stick to your brand’s voice, but don’t be afraid to change your content strategy if you’re not getting the engagement or reach you’re looking for.

Once you’re into a solid strategy you’ll find that scheduling content in advance becomes easier, and if you’re campaign is done well, you’ll begin engaging with customers in an organized fashion that’s never been possible in the past.

If you’re current social media strategy is to turn on your computer and do a few posts each day, then it’s time to start focusing on developing a plan that looks out more well into your future rather than the next 24 hours.

REVIEW:

1. Research
2. Develop A Plan
3. Implement Your Strategy
4. Stick to Your Brand’s Voice
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Change
6. Measure

This week we welcome our new Account Management intern, Topher Howden, to the Raidious family.

Topher came to us via Matt Chandler’s Web Marketing course at the Art Institute of Indianapolis where he is majoring in Web Design and Interactive Media, but his skills are so wide-ranging that he’s going to try his hand at the client service end of the business.

We are all excited to have him on board for the summer as he completes his required internship hours. And if we become angry with him we will call him by his full four names.

Topher will be working directly under P.J. Gindling, VP, Client Service, assisting with the general functions of that department including file organization, gathering reports, and client communication. Topher’s internship will offer him the opportunity to learn all sides of Raidious business from an Account Management perspective.

And we won’t even make him go get us lunch.

Upon a recommendation from our CEO, as well as its location on my “books I really need to read” list has lead to me to Sun-tzu’s “Art of War” — it’s free to download on iBooks, and while I’m not finished yet, it is something I recommend everyone read.

I explain this as I toss in this quote to introduce Mr. Matt Chandler, our Vice President of Advancement.

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

Sun-tzu – Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)

This is as true in business as it is in war, and it is as true to marketing online as it is to traditional business. Mr. Chandler’s role on our team is to make sure our team and clients have the knowledge to ensure that we are always moving forward, always advancing.

Without further ado, here are five questions with Matt Chandler, Vice President of Advancement for Raidious.

Who are you, where did you come from?

My name is Matt Chandler, and I was born right here in Indianapolis. According to my parents and old family friends, I started talking at five months of age and haven’t stopped since.

I studied elementary education in college, and fell into internet work along the way. I’ve worked for Community Health Network, hosted a late-night free-form radio show, and was an independent concert promoter.

I lived in Brooklyn, NY, for three-and-a-half years and worked as a web manager for NYU Langone Medical Center. After joining Raidious I moved back to Indianapolis in early 2010. I also teach a college class in Web Marketing at the Art Institute of Indianapolis.

I was a music writer for Nuvo Newsweekly and IndianapolisMusic.net, and I’m a featured guest blogger for Marketing Tech Blog, Social Media Today and My Venture Pad.

What is Advancement?

Advancement is literally the act of moving forward. I’ve always found progress to be better than doing nothing, or even worse, moving backward.

In the business sense, advancement takes a number of forms. I help our clients learn how to work with Raidious, getting them familiar with our processes and platforms, so they can make the most of their relationship with us.

I also help clients learn some of the philosophies and tools of internet marketing, in the form of SocializeU, the training program I created. It includes everything from the nuts-and-bolts of writing for various web platforms to planning and execution of crisis communications.

Advancement is also a process that’s internal to Raidious, in which I quickly onboard new employees and educate them in best practices and the Raidious model. This ensures that every person who works for us produces the best quality work in ways that adhere to our philosophy.

It all boils down to what I call going from strangers to intimates. Along the path from first meeting a potential client to a contracted working relationship, we pass through several steps. At first we are strangers, and through both reactive and proactive means we become acquaintances. As we relate and empathize with each other, we identify business needs and motives, and explore ways to become partners. We then work together to brainstorm solutions and prioritize needs, reaching a deep level of understanding to become intimate.

This process of moving from strangers to intimates is crucial to doing the best work we can for our clients, and is the essence of advancement. It’s the same with clients, with new employees, and even in our personal relationships. Advancement raises the level of analysis from “Who are you?” to “How can we help each other?”

What are you most excited about for 2011?

I’m just excited to see where this business can go. From the beginning to where we are now, we’ve advanced beyond our wildest expectations. We always knew what we were capable of, it was just a matter of demonstrating that to companies.

Now the team has expanded, we’re working with some of the greatest brands in the world, and things only seem to be getting bigger and better every day. I’m proud to be a part of helping form this company, playing an active role in plotting our course. I always say my worst day at Raidious is better than my best day working anywhere else.

We’ve beaten the odds at this point: we’ve survived and thrived as a start-up business. And we’ve done it the way we know is right, under the guidance and examples set by our President and CEO, Taulbee Jackson. This year should prove to be challenging and fun, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.

Why should brands work with Raidious?

Working with Raidious is different than working with anyone else. We develop true relationships with our clients, based on mutual understanding and respect. We are impeccable with our word, delivering exactly what we say we will and beyond.

Every member of our team has a wide range of experience and interests, so we’re able to bring a unique creativity to the process. We’ve all spent a great deal of time working in large organizations, many of which are mired in the traditional ways of conducting business, trying to shoehorn those ideas into the online world. Raidious was formed in part to take only the best of those ideas and reshape them into something totally new and different.

Everything we do is designed for one result: making our clients look good. Obviously we want them to sell more products along the way. But we can turn every single interaction, every piece of content we produce into meaningful, measurable results that translate into dollars. They can justify the financial and human resource budget they spend with us because we tangibly demonstrate the return.

Plus, what we do is hard. Most companies don’t have the experience, the expertise, or the human resource capital available to constantly monitor and moderate what’s being said about them online. They are focused on doing the work that they do, not talking about that work. Who wouldn’t want a team of detail-obsessed workaholics who are dedicated to telling the world how great your brand is working for them?

How can someone jump start their content in a large organization if they don’t have the budget?

You’re either on the bus or off the bus. Saying you’re going to do a little social media or try to produce some content–video, blog, whatever–is like partial nuclear disarmament. You have weapons or you don’t. You’re producing content or you’re not. Adding the task of blogging and tweeting and whatnot to the secretary’s list of things to do isn’t going to cut it.

That being said, there are ways companies can start small and keep things manageable. It requires a commitment from all levels of leadership and management, and expectations have to be reasonable. You only get out of it what you put into it.

If a company truly doesn’t have the resources to engage in a full-on content campaign, at minimum they should have a website that is current and well designed. Make sure it’s search optimized and intuitive. Concentrate on what you want site visitors to do: the call to action. It should be easy for visitors to figure out how to go about buying your products. If they have to guess, they’ll move on to someone else.

Is there one person on your staff who can dedicate a few hours a week to social media? Have them sit down for 15 minutes with every senior leader and every manager and ask them a few questions about the company: its past, its priorities, its plans. Turn that into one 300-word blog post per week. You now have a store of constantly fresh content that will help your search rankings and provide unique, transparent insights to potential customers.

That same person could spend a little time at least setting up a Facebook page and a Twitter profile. A couple of posts per day on those platforms about the company’s activities, some active conversation with followers and fans, and you’ve got a least a minimal presence on the two most crucial social media platforms.

Of course, there’s much more brands could and should be doing. But at the very least having some sort of presence on those owned media platforms–a presence that is updated somewhat regularly and not set up and left to rot–is better than doing absolutely nothing. It’s what today’s customers want and expect, and you’d better be willing to deliver.

There are many different perspectives on social media marketing. Everyone has a unique strategy, or theory when it comes to communicating your brand message online. We at Raidious are no different.

Raidious broke social media into three main categories that describe exactly what you need to be doing for a successful social media campaign.

#1. Content

At Raidious we believe that content is king regardless of the platform. Content is anything you post on your pages in order to interact with your customers. This could be a Facebook post, a tweet, photo, video, link, etc.

Developing the content strategy that works best for your brand takes time, and it requires plenty of listening. In order to know what your followers want you to talk about, you must first listen to them. Create content, and then track it using tools like Social Center. If no one is interacting with your content then try something else.

#2. Monitoring

Monitoring means listening. Put simply as possible, it’s listening to the internet. Create search terms and monitor them for mentions of your brand. This includes blogs, social, forums, news sites, etc. Any time your brand is mentioned on the internet, you should know about it.This is how you find out what is being said about your brand, whether positive or negative, in order to know how to manage your online presence.

#3. Moderation

Moderating could also be called Monitoring Plus. The whole point of social media is the ability to interact with your constituents. You create a piece of content with the goal of getting your followers to comment, like, retweet, and reply. Your ability to continue the conversation is key, so post responses to comments and thank your supporters for retweeting and being great advocates for your brand.

If you’re only doing one of these processes for your brand, then your social campaign needs some tweaking. Remember, social media is social. Engage in the conversation to create advocates.

If you’re in marketing, odds are good that this week’s issue of Ad Age is sitting on your desk, in your briefcase, or in your mailbox. It’s the annual Digital Issue, a special (and  widely-read) edition of Ad Age, focusing exclusively on the fast-moving world we live in every day, known as interactive / digital / web / online marketing.

Raidious put a special message in this year’s Ad Age Digital Issue: just a little reminder for all you CMOs, VPs of Marketing, Social Media Managers, eMarketing Managers, and other digital marketing junkies. Turn to page six please. Then contact us!

Got a great email from eMarketer this morning on one of our favorite topics:

Blending Paid, Owned and Earned Media for Branding from eMarketer.

The first concept: Owned Media. It does a really good job of explaining the difference between earned media (what ad agencies do), paid media (what PR firms do) and owned media (what Raidious does). I wrote a post on this last year, and Forrester Research has covered the subject as well.

There were a couple of other topics the eMarketer research addressed as well that are important concepts. These seem to come up regularly in “shop talk” around the office.

The second concept is the concept of paying your marketing firm to accomplish an objective, rather than paying for production deliverables, like an ad or a press release. This is how we price our services at Raidious (we call them “initiatives”, not to be confused with “campaigns”). We think it’s an idea whose time has come.

The last concept is something we run into regularly (really two concepts) – direct response vs. brand oriented mindsets on the client side.

In our experience, the client-side marketing universe is divided into two camps, neither of which really understand the other very well: The Direct Marketer, usually an eCommerce / lead-driven mindset, and The Brand Marketer, someone who is more focused on what some people would call “soft” metrics, like preference, awareness, and other measurements of hearts and minds.

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”  F. Scott Fitzgerald

We take a lot of pride in our understanding of both approaches, and our ability to deliver on objectives from either side of the equation. But, if a genie granted me three wishes, the first would be for world peace, the second for an Audi A8, and the third would be for client side marketers to reconcile these seemingly opposing points of view. They’re both valid, and valuable approaches, but as the eMarketer article points out, they work best when they work together.

Come back and visit our site in the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring all of these ideas. In the mean time, if you’d like to talk to a firm that can help with all of this (owned media, objective driven marketing, direct and brand approaches) . . . give us a call!