Gen-Y's using the Internet all the time (and handing ME the bill)!
by Greg Crandell
Read a little article from eMarketer (click here) about Gen-Y's affinity for the internet. I wondered if this was one of those "Duh of the Week" things Ron likes to talk about (I think their first award was just given away today over at CUSoapbox.com). And then I looked at the charts that the article showed that said Gen-Y kids are using mobile communication 30% more than folks my age.
I suppose that's just a difference in generations. They have technology now that we just didn't have/need/want when I was their age. And they have parents who, for whatever reason, set them up with it. Read this whitepaper for more information (click here for PDF). Don't get me wrong, iPhones are sweet little pieces of machinery. They can tell you songs you're listening to and find you a sushi restaurant and let you watch Gone with the Wind simultaneously, if you're into that sort of thing. But they're also pricey. So much so that some people use the iPhone as a replacement for home phones, internet service and personal computers (read the ComputerWorld article for more info). The fact that poverty is supporting 3G network growth is astonishing to me, but hey...stranger things have happened, I suppose.
But back to young people using the Internet between 80 and 90 percent of the time. What's to be said about that? Is it better for kids to be Twittering and Googling and Flickring and Tumblring and...anything-else-ing all day? Should they be made to pay for it on their lonesome? Is there any way to do it?
I welcome a solution in our "comments" section, if you've got one.
When we bring in a new client, we try and convince them that using email to on-board members is faster, easier, smarter and more effective than other methods. Email's great for building and strengthening member relationships. And we're not the only ones who think so.
BAI just published this article (click here to read) about E*Trade's on-boarding email practices. What's more, they presented this graphic representing the results of a Javelin research study.
[For details, click the image.] People are asking for email statements/communication. And for just the reasons I stated:
1) SPEED - Why wait on paper mail to get in touch with people? Two weeks to make one statement say "hello and welcome" to a new member? 2) EASE - One campaign can roll out within a matter of hours, not weeks worth of printing and prep. 3) INTELLIGENCE - Know who to send to, when to send and what to say. Don't waste time blanketing every member when you can target specific members and groups. 4) EFFECTIVE - You want $1.4 Million in new loans? Want to boost ROI? We've got the means.
Our ARB can do for you what E*Trade does for their new customers. To learn more, sign up for our webinar "Do you want fries with that?" by clicking the icon at the top of the left column.
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.
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.
From CAN-SPAM to Spam Guards: Can You Still Reach Your Members?
Article by Ron Daly. This article was originally published in the Credit Union Times. Read it here at CUTimes.com.
As if newer, more robust spam filters weren’t enough to pull out the hair of legitimate e-mail marketers, the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule enforcing the CAN-SPAM Act became effective July 7. Is it the end of using e-mail to tell members about special offers?
Not at all. First, we should recognize that both of these consumer-protection measures are really good news. Few people appreciate receiving nuisance or unsavory junk mail, and putting reasonable restrictions on e-mail marketing may actually increase the likelihood of legitimate e-mail marketing getting through. By following the rules and learning what makes e-mail get stuck in spam guards, we can ensure that our promotions reach members’ inboxes.
The new FTC regulation focuses on four areas: unsubscribing, legal mailing addresses, definitions and responsibility for joint promotions. But for credit union marketing departments, the most important provision relates to honoring requests to unsubscribe.
If a member chooses to opt out of a sender’s e-mail, that request must be honored within three days (instead of the 10 days allowed under the FTC’s interim rule). Further, senders may not impose a fee on recipients asking to be removed from an e-mail list, nor can they require recipients to provide any information beyond their e-mail addresses and opt-out preferences. And finally, recipients may not be required to take any steps other than sending a reply or visiting a single page on a Web site.
Other provisions of the regulation involve the following:
Sender. The new rule defines who is a designated sender of e-mails and, therefore, responsible for complying with the CAN-SPAM Act’s opt-out requirement. This provision pertains to situations in which two organizations collaborate on promotions or advertising.
Mailing address. The credit union’s physical mailing address must be easy to find on its Web site. Or, if either a USPS or private mail box is used, it must be registered according to postal regulations.
Definition of person. The FTC rule added a clarification broadening the term “person” beyond natural persons to include groups, associations and corporations.
Please note that only promotional–not relational or transactional–messages are affected by CAN-SPAM. For more information on the new regulation, go to www.ftc.gov.
While spam filters have become more complex, ensuring that credit unions’ messages are delivered is a straightforward process. But it may require adjusting systems or working with e-mail service providers, such as DigitalMailer, that know their way around ISPs worldwide.
Credit unions can go beyond the FTC regulation and ensure deliverability by following these tips:
Preference-based e-mail. Allow members to choose the types of e-mail they wish to receive. Not only does this place your credit union well beyond CAN-SPAM rules, it also ensures you are invited into members’ inboxes.
Subject line and content. Stay away from punctuation or words (such as “free,” “save” or “buy”) that could raise red flags with the subject line. In the body of the message, avoid large images, logos or mastheads, which can take up valuable space or cause the viewer to see red “Xs.”
Certification. Make sure your system is certified or safe-listed with leading ISPs. And be sure to remove bad e-mail addresses that ISPs report as not being active.
Spam-check tools. Take advantage of tools that evaluate outgoing e-mail so you can correct messages that could trigger spam guards.
Register. Record your own SPF files to protect against forged sender addresses and to meet the growing list of ISPs requiring this form of identification.
With a few adjustments to make sure your procedures are in compliance and by staying attuned to spam-checker reports, you can continue to provide members with wanted information on special offers or new products.
Ron Daly's new segment, "Ron Rants", tells readers what gets him angry.
Every so often, I pick up my phone and find that the person calling is someone at their wits' end. They've had it with their inferior service at another vendor and they've finally called us to help them get their systems working the right way. Some call it "a lesson learned the hard way". I call it "getting hosed."
HOSED (n.) - Taken advantage of by a service provider that does NOT know what they're doing.
Why do people do this, you wonder? Because there's some sort of crazy idea about Internet services that says cheaper services are just as good as other services that are a bit more costly. This is as good as saying that a gas station hot dog is as delicious and filling as filet mignon. What gets in people's heads that says "this costs drastically less, but must be just as good"?
Does this mean that every online service that's any good is expensive? No. But when you pay money for a service - of any kind, really - you should be getting your money's worth. When your e-mails don't get through and your surveys don't produce results, you're getting hosed. H-o-s-e-d. So how do you avoid this?
1) DO YOUR HOMEWORK - It's not impossible to comparison shop web services. Good businesses can back up their performance with testimonials. They have corporate partners in the same line of work. They have evidence of success in the form of awards, mentions, and accolades. Are these things missing from your provider's site? They're HOSING you. Failing anything else, ask other businesses that have used the service in question. Hear what THEY have to say. With Web 2.0 becoming more and more prevalent, the idea of dialog is so important. Have a chat with people who know what's happening.
2) ASK FOR PAPERWORK - It's called due diligence. You take the time to ask for reports on success rates, for survey results, for feedback. When they don't provide it, give them the boot.
3) REMEMBER: IT HAPPENS BOTH WAYS - Every business began as a small business. Google was once something overshadowed by Yahoo!. Apple floundered for most of the 90s. David doesn't always slay Goliath, but he CAN avoid being stepped on: when you can get the same thing from vendor A that colossal vendor B has been giving you at a fraction of the cost, make the best decision you can.
Good support is everything. When your "helper" stops "helping", it's time to move on. Get the most out of your dollar and don't settle for second best. No one gets into business to be the most mediocre corner of the market. Long story short: DON'T GET HOSED!
Key West, FL - With Tropical Storm Fay bearing down on Florida, Keys Federal Credit Union wanted a way to let everyone know their branches wouldn't be open Monday morning. DigitalMailer worked overnight to make sure that the people of Key West knew the situation and prepared an e-Lert to help get the word out to members. The e-Lert went out Sunday evening and Monday found a number of people in the know about the storm and the situation.
UPDATE: The CREDIT UNION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (CUNA) newsletter, CUNA NewsNow, published a story about Tropical Storm Fay and its effect on Credit Unions in Florida. DigitalMailer was featured in the article for its contributions to Key FCU's emergency information plan. Read the full article here: More CUs close as Fay gains strength
DigitalMailer's Crisis Management Notification System offers e-Lert services to your business to connect with customers and make them aware of threats and increase security and safety. Messages can be received by e-mail or by mobile device. To learn more, write us at info@digitalmailer.com or visit our CMNS page
Ron Daly answers a question that he gets asked a lot.
What you're seeing is a mass e-mailing system utilized by a Credit Union that did not previously use DigitalMailer to get the word out about it's services. The left-most column is a list of ISPs and e-mail providers. The colored bars are the measured success of their campaign. The red indicates eMail that failed to go through entirely. The yellow shows e-mails that were treated as bulk or junk mail by the server. The green bars are the only e-mails that made it to their destination. Only 35% of eMails got through to the customer. Click on the image for further details.
What you're seeing now is the proof that DigitalMailer provides systems that work.
97% of eMails sent by DigitalMailer on behalf of the same Credit Union reached their target. Talk about results you can see.
Most corporations care about your reputation as a good corporate citizen, but some don’t. Greg Crandell reports.
Eight years experience delivering email on behalf of credit unions has taught us the value of one’s reputation.
In the mail space, reputation of the sender has come to supersede all other measures of validity, including all technical schemes – both those focused on complying with regulations, and those focused on appropriate content.
Complying with CAN-SPAM rules and writing content that doesn’t offend automated checkers is still important, but email deliverability is now most dependent upon the sender’s reputation, which is built over time via good practices, technical sophistication, and expensive processes.
DMI’s earned reputation gains for our credit union clients deliverability statistics that dwarf the industry. Our safelisted status with commercial ISPs across the country, and internationally, helps us ensure emails get delivered to the credit union members targeted. However, one area in which DMI and its clients’ reputation doesn’t earn the needed respect is within the typical corporate email server. Individual companies don’t have to play by the rules of commercial ISPs. They aren’t in the business of providing email services to customers; so they don’t concern themselves with the rules followed by the commercial and general public. This means they typically set onerous rules to screen heavily any email coming to them, including much email that their own employees wish to see, but which is not specific to their corporate business. So, email from the employees credit union, while desired by the employee (your member), is likely to be screened and tossed out by the employer.
What does this mean for credit union marketers, and their email communication efforts? It means you should not ask for, and should not accept, a member’s employment email address. Your business is with your member, not their company. You need to ask for a personal email address if you want to ensure the consistent delivery of your messages to your members. So, don’t be afraid to ask, because anything less isn’t good enough.
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