Got Snow?: What our company (and our clients) learned from The Blizzard of 2010
by Ron Daly Call me an optimist, but I'm going to call this storm "THE blizzard of 2010", in the hopes that it's not just "A blizzard of 2010".
It's been an interesting week here at DigitalMailer. In case you missed any news outlet of the past week, the DC/Metro area got almost THREE FEET of snow dropped on us in the span of a week. Many of our account managers, operations staff and marketing department had to work from home for the entire week - and one of our staff members won't be dug out until days from now. Hang in there, Steve!
When the snow hit, we made it a point to send out reminders to all our clients about our limited support capacity, letting them know when we'd be out of the office and how they could reach us. Our clients had the same idea - DigitalMailer sent out over 300,000 emails regarding closings and delays to members. Clients from all around the DC/Metro area were able to get the word out ahead of the storm and in the thick of it.
The Value of Email
For our clients, email is not just about marketing. It's a communication channel that members know to look out for because it's a channel the CU is eager to use. Whether it's a weather crisis or a financial crisis, our clients use our email engine to reach members, provide support and comfort, and let them know what happens next.
Fellow blogger and all-around CU-wizard Anthony Demangone from the NAFCU Compliance Blog had these four pieces of advice to offer on his own blog about the blizzard:
Anthony hit the nail right on the head with these four points. See the crisis coming, have a staff you can count on, have the right technology and communicate consistently.
Send us your blizzard stories and pictures - either here or on our Twitter feed - and tell us how your CU or Business communicated with members/customers during the storm.
We can get you started with a fast, effective message delivery system right away. All you have to do is give us a call. 866 994 4900 extension 102 or info@digitalmailer.com
We wanted to give you some idea how much snow we've been dealing with - take a look at these pictures.Me, in front of a snow bank in a ski jacket that's REALLY come in handy.To give you some scale, I'm 6'2" tall - that snow pile is just about 7'2".
The above picture was taken before the "dig-out" period by our Creative Media Director Jimmy Marks. That's his car - beneath 24 inches of snow!
The snow piles easily tower over even large SUVs. Makes me wonder if maybe there are some other cars buried out there under the big snow piles!
Operations Specialist Steve Mattson lives in a more rural area of Northern VA. Good news? He has a small tractor and snapped a few pictures. Bad news? He's STILL stuck at home! Hopefully we'll see you Monday, Steve!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
No matter what new technological developments crop up, the old standards still hold. Billboards still draw eyes, there's still a "fold" in paper advertising spec sheets, and coupons bring in new business -whether they're clippable or clickable.
In a recent eMarketer article ["Coupons Boost E-Mail Open Rate", Nov 19 2009], coupons are shown to boost email open rates significantly. Whether the coupons are for in-store use or online use, users are more likely to click through when a significant savings offer is presented - 80% more likely, to be exact.
Coupons have become de rigeur in the recession. Services such as Groupon and Vente-privee have made a tidy business of selling discounts on local businesses and couture fashion via email. Savvy shoppers take full advantage of this trend by waiting out their daily coupon and snapping up opportunities that interest them. They don't have to stake out a site or enter a contest, however - they just have to open up their inbox. How could your business capture this trend for itself?
Well, for starters, how about your own services? We've talked about onboarding campaigns recently, email campaigns aimed at new members who might be in the market for your credit union's services. Why not make special coupon-style offers that are good for the life of the email to new members? Cut rates on interest earning services or give $25 worth of free money to anyone that takes the time to open a new account with you. The sky isn't the limit - your imagination and willingness to outreach is.
A photo coupon might be interesting to look at, but what happens when your member's ISP blocks the image or removes it from the email altogether? Make coupons and coupon codes readable in plain text so members can see the value of what you're offering without any images to misplace or misinterpret.
2) Tighten up that net
You think that offering everyone the same rates is going to get everyone on board? College students have different wants and needs that their parents, just like first time home buyers have different wants and needs than long-time mortgage holders in the market for a HELOC. Use DigitalMailer's ARB to send to refined groups and specific age or income ranges.
3) Where's "step two"?
Your coupon was clicked by 10% of your target audience. That 10% counts as a group of qualified buyers - what about the other 90%? Is there a product or service that might better suit them? And quit bugging the 10% that already took you up on your offer - be more accurate and more precise in your marketing and you can save money in the long run.
Want to learn more? DigitalMailer's "Do You Want Fries with That?" Webinar is a FREE webinar that goes through email marketing with the Automatic Relationship Builder. We've helped financial institutions across the country reach customers and members in a number of exciting ways.
No, not the Connie Francis song - I'm talking about where the BUYS are. We know (and we've mentioned before) that we're partial to email marketing. But you're wondering about the profitability of marketing via email and whether or not there's any impact when you're using email to market products. Which emails are sure to get opened?
If you're a credit union marketer, you have a particular challenge when it comes to email marketing, and a particular advantage to answer it. Your problem:
getting members to buy/invest more at the credit union,
According to this chart, financial emails are getting read between 60 and 70 percent of the time. When you send your eStatement reminders every month, your members are going to open them for a look-see. Why not start branding them and adding in links/ads for other services and support from your institution? Push new products and rates, or encourage members to tell a friend and promote your credit union to potential members in the community. Take advantage of the relationship you've already established and a high open rate. That's where the buys are - smart, well-placed ads that tell members and potential members what they need to know.
As Liz Miller of CMO Council says:
“Irrelevant, impersonal communications, be it email or traditional mail, is a waste as it does not engage a receptive recipient...It is no surprise that consumers are opting out of irrelevant emails. However, what is a grave sign for marketers to heed is that customers will disconnect and stop doing business with brands who continue to send messages that demonstrate a lack of intimacy, customer insight and individual understanding.”
Email marketing works best when you can tailor it to the target. If you're interested in getting members. The DigitalMailer Automatic Relationship Builder helps marketers do just that. How? Visit our ARB page or call us today to find out - 866.994.4900 ext. 115 or info@digitalmailer.com for more information.
While some see red, Old Hickory Credit Union is seeing pink.
by Ron Daly
I'm sure football fans have noticed all the pink surrounding their favorite teams, cheerleaders and even stadium equipment the past few weeks. Sports Illustrated even "went pink" in its most recent issue, all to acknowledge the fight against breast cancer. I saw a great program go across the DigitalMailer production line this week and wanted to share it with everyone.
1. A team of Old Hickory CU employees will be participating in the Nashville Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event on Saturday, Oct. 24. Their goal is to donate $2500 to the American Cancer Society; 2. Old Hickory CU is selling pink umbrellas for $15, with $7 of that going to the American Cancer Society. These umbrellas also come with a set of coupons for credit union services that benefit members; and 3. All branches are offering information on breast cancer awareness, as well as supplemental cancer insurance policies.
When we inquired about the eLert topic Malinda Warchus, Assistant VP of Marketing commented “It might seem like a strange thing for a financial institution to send out an eLert about, but we are committed to improving the lives of our neighbors and making a positive difference in our communities. The outpouring of response from our members tells us that they like joining our cause.”
Not strange at all...and we agree with the members! In fact, I hear our DMI team is in line for any umbrellas that are left once the members are taken care of.
Most of the time, Credit Unions think they can only use member email addresses for eStatement notifications, newsletters or selling a new product or service. Those same email addresses can be used to communicate the difference between a bank and a credit union, as well as raising awareness among CU members the community outreach credit unions are involved in. Old Hickory CU has done just that by tying into a national promotion and using inexpensive methods of communication (email, electronic alerts, and monthly newsletter) and community outreach to reach members and potential members at a fraction of the cost.
Kudos and this effort speaks to the character of Old Hickory CU employees and management. Keep up the great work!
Electronic Messaging Tips for E-mail Success: A sample of our whitepaper on e-mail deliverability
The email industry is still evolving so there are no firm standards. However, the following tips will help you improve the results from your email marketing. Permission rules Internet users are increasingly saturated and frustrated with junk email. This shouldn’t be a problem for most credit unions, at least in dealing with their own members. Most members want to hear from their credit union, especially if you craft concise, well-written missives. But for credibility, you must seek permission to send messages, and always make it easy to opt out.
Open a dialogue Don’t just talk AT your members; they get plenty of that through other media. Establish a dialogue with members and use the interaction to strengthen the relationship. Invite users to check out your Website, ask questions, give opinions, but be prepared to keep up your part of the dialogue with fast, well-crafted responses.
Short = sweet There is no rule of thumb for email length, but most professional messages are short, sometimes no longer than one screen, with the details presented on Web pages linked to the message. Some of our favorite email lists rarely get read because there is just too much good info to absorb quickly, so the message is set aside and ultimately never read. Like a good speech, three topics are probably enough.
Seek professional help Electronic messaging is not rocket science, but you can make your messaging efforts much smoother by enlisting the services of a specialized email service provider such as DigitalMailer. Service providers will automate much of the tedious maintenance efforts such as resends, bounce-back maintenance, and opt-out requests so you can concentrate on making the messages better.
Timing counts Although every rule of thumb should be tested, the conventional wisdom is that Tuesdays through Thursdays are best for reaching members at work, reserve Saturday and Sunday emails for home users. Many experts recommend sending messages late in the workday so they needn’t compete with the morning clutter.
Ensure a good landing An effective email marketing campaign includes a specialized Website landing page that supports the teaser email copy and converts prospects into buyers. You should NOT use your home page for the landing unless your offer is obvious AND you have tracking in place to distinguish regular visitors from those visiting due to your direct-marketing efforts.
I get this complaint from Credit Unions and other businesses all the time:
"We don't want to start sending e-mail messages and statements to our clients because we're going to get phished".
It's one of those funny statements like "life isn't fair" that's right and wrong all at the same time. The Credit Unions we serve aren't being phished. No one's asking them for crucial information and taking advantage of it. What happens is this: 1) Some crumb-bum (pardon my French) sets up a website/e-mail address and snags a picture of a CU's logo. 2) They start e-mailing people (members or not) and asking for their social security numbers, member numbers, account numbers, names, addresses, mother's maiden name, etc. 3) Here's where we get a split: 3A] The targeted e-mails drop the phish e-mail in their SPAM folder. End of discussion. 3B] The member gets smart and deletes it. End of discussion. 3C] The member ACTUALLY SENDS ALL OF THEIR CRUCIAL PERSONAL INFORMATION TO A COMPLETE STRANGER WITHOUT THINKING!!!!
Sorry, went a little crazy there. But it DRIVES me crazy. People short their members out of essential services in favor of "steering clear of trouble", so they say. Oh really?
I recall the 70s (yes, I was clean-living enough to remember some of it) - people would put boxes in front of ATMs marked *ATM BROKEN, PLACE DEPOSITS HERE*...and people did.
And, of course, we stopped using ATMs altogether.
Then, people started "vishing" - or voice phishing - by calling up people and taking their information or asking for mail-ins.
So naturally, we stopped using the telephone.
Is any of this sinking in? You can't just run away from technology because people start using it for ill. You're cheating the people you serve out of what they need to manage their money and make decisions regarding the use of your business.
Part 1 of our long awaited "SPAM Series" is a horror story (just in time for the start of October...we're all excited about Halloween over here). Jeffry Pilcher, E-I-C of the blog The Financial Brand, sent me a story (and seven or eight actual examples) of e-mail gone wrong.
What follows is the story of..."THE MAIL THAT WOULDN'T DIE!"
I never signed up for email notifications from Jupiter Images, a stock photo supplier. Nevertheless, I started getting email from them. Too much, too little relevance. So...
April 29 – I try using the unsubscribe option in the email. It bounces back.
April 30 – I send an email directly to the sender of the spam (rare that there was an actual, real reply-to address). I told him I no longer was in a position to buy stock photos, so “please remove me from your mailing list.”
May 22 – I’m still getting spam, so I try the unsubscribe option again. No dice.
May 22 – I send this message to sales@jupiterimages.com: “I should be able to unsubscribe. I believe Jupiter's non-functioning unsubscribe email address is in violation of the anti-spam laws. Please fix this. Thanks.”
May 29 – The sales rep sending out spam says he’s trying to take care of this for me. He wants to know if I want to be completely removed from every email list they have. I tell him "yes."
June 3 – Still getting spam. Try unsubscribing again. Nope. Send emails begging: "Unsubscribe me pleassseeeee."
June 5 – More spam. I’m f**king pissed now. Blood boiling. I go online and Google as many Jupiter email addresses I can find, then send the following message to 26 employees of the company: "Sorry, I don’t want to be a jerk, but nothing else has worked and I’m out of options... I’ve tried THREE TIMES to unsubscribe from your mailing list, but YOUR UNSUBSCRIBE EMAIL ADDRESS HAS BEEN DISABLED, which, by the way, IS ILLEGAL. ILLEGAL! My patience has expired. An "unsubscribe" process that should have taken 3 seconds has now taken seven emails (make that 8, with this one) over the span of a month. A MONTH???? EIGHT EMAILS??? This is unacceptable. I’ve highlighted the most-relevant excerpts from this process in my messages below. I think everyone can agree that this would push even the most patient and understanding person past the breaking point. Your company will IMMEDIATELY find a way to stop sending me emails. IMMEDIATELY. NOW. Thank you —in advance— for your swift and effective response. P.S. - I don’t want any more emails. Period. That includes apologies or explanations. I don’t want to see another email from Jupiter EVER. Just take me off your list. All of them."
June 6-15 – Despite my request to the contrary, I get emails from these folks apologizing and promising to do whatever they can to remedy the situation. "Eff you... just do it," I’m thinking.
July 24 – Yep, you guessed it. BINGO! Another promotional spam email. This time, the message was short and to the point: "You have got to be kidding me... One more email from you and I’m calling a lawyer. Got it? - jp"
July 25 – The sales guy figures out the only way he can stop email from getting to me is to go in and change my email address. He can’t delete it. He can’t change its settings. All he can do is garble up the address so that it bounces back.
Future – If I get another email, I’ll spend up to $5,000 of my own money on a lawyer.
Frightening, yes? It's all too common. From Greg:
The CAN-SPAM Act uses broad language. Where Jeffry says he didn't sign up for e-mails is an example of this, as businesses are allowed to dispatch e-mails to clients/patrons without a prompt. But Jeffry was facing a problem that's fairly common - it's not that the people sending you the automated e-mail don't provide a solution, it's that the solution doesn't work.
In thinking more and more about SPAM, I realized a fundamental truth: SPAM is in the eye of the beholder. Jeffry didn't want his e-mail about pictures just like anyone else might not want chain e-mails about the Arctic Fox or the Presidential Campaign. In either case, they're a grievance, but it's the simple fact that you're getting a whole lot of what you DON'T want that makes it so aggravating.
Special thanks to Jeffry for sharing his indignation with us.
Give It Away: How can we make things easy for you?
By Ron Daly
The Wii. A miracle of modern gaming. It's fun for everyone, it's easy to pick up, and it allows my daughter to have something to do on a rainy day.
Anticipating this year's Holiday Party for our office, I purchased a Wii for my employees. Needless to say, they can't wait for the Holidays.
Yes, the Nintendo Wii is awesome. So much so that nearly 30 million units have been sold. It's a hit with parents who want their kid's gaming to be more mobile or with people who aren't "typical gamers" who are suddenly interested in making it happen. Women and seniors, long considered the outliers in gaming, are getting in on the trend.
Which brings me to the topic of this post (took a while to get here). One of our early promotions involved giving away mp3 players to members who signed up for electronic statements. Credit Unions could order inserts which offered a chance at winning an iPod Nano. We charged a fraction of a cent per flyer ($.00162, on average) and saved the CUs over $25,000. The best part? We payed for the iPods with the money gained from the flyers. The CUs simply had to sit back and watch members flock to online statements, a smart, green, money-saving alternative to paper.
So, my question is this: could we do this with a Wii? Would anyone be interested in a "Wii give-away?" Contact me at rdaly@digitalmailer.com or leave a message on our comment section.
DigitalMailer can provide Crisis Management Notification Systems for CUs concerned about impact/ recovery information. Visit our CMNS page for more info, or contact us at info@digitalmailer.com.
In the next few weeks, Greg Crandell will shed light on the origins of SPAM - how it came to be, how it continues, and how you can avoid it on both ends of the e-mail spectrum.
Before we here at DigitalMailer begin this long and winding road to understanding SPAM, we want to hear from you. How has SPAM affected your personal life, your e-mail, the way you do business online, your marketing efforts, or your world in general?
If you have questions, comments, stories, photos, screenshots, videos, recordings...whatever... that has to do with SPAM, send it to us at this address. We want to hear from you.
Call me an optimist, but I'm going to call this storm "THE blizzard of 2010", in the hopes that it's not just "A blizzard of 2010".
Me, in front of a snow bank in a ski jacket that's REALLY come in handy. To give you some scale, I'm 6'2" tall - that snow pile is just about 7'2".
The snow piles easily tower over even large SUVs. Makes me wonder if maybe there are some other cars buried out there under the big snow piles!
Operations Specialist Steve Mattson lives in a more rural area of Northern VA. Good news? He has a small tractor and snapped a few pictures. Bad news? He's STILL stuck at home! Hopefully we'll see you Monday, Steve!
Call me an optimist, but I'm going to call this storm "THE blizzard of 2010", in the hopes that it's not just "A blizzard of 2010".
Me, in front of a snow bank in a ski jacket that's REALLY come in handy. To give you some scale, I'm 6'2" tall - that snow pile is just about 7'2".
The snow piles easily tower over even large SUVs. Makes me wonder if maybe there are some other cars buried out there under the big snow piles!
Operations Specialist Steve Mattson lives in a more rural area of Northern VA. Good news? He has a small tractor and snapped a few pictures. Bad news? He's STILL stuck at home! Hopefully we'll see you Monday, Steve!
