Constant Contact Best Practices Blog

To incentivize or not to incentivize, that is the question

You are creating a survey and it’s very important that you get a good number of responses to your questions. To motivate your potential survey-takers, should you offer an incentive, such as a discount on their next purchase or a free item?  

Pros: If you use an incentive, you are likely to get more responses, especially if you offer something of high perceived value (it doesn’t have to be costly, just seen as valuable) to those you are surveying.

The power of polling

If you listen to the news on your radio or TV, one statement you hear consistently is “the polls show.” Polls play an extremely important role in the execution of a political campaign. Strategies are developed and decisions are often made based on poll numbers. But this valuable tool isn’t just for politicians; businesses and other organizations can also benefit from the insights polls provide. 

Here’s what polls can do for your business:

1) Provide the knowledge you need to make quick decisions. Poll questions such as “Which of the following products are you most likely to purchase in the next three months” and “Which date do you prefer for this year’s school trip?” will give you answers that you can take action on.

The lowdown on spam and deliverability

Happy Monday to you. May's Hints & Tips e-newsletter is going out as I write this post. This month's topic is spam. Here's a bit of my intro from the newsletter.

Get your readers to take action

Want to get your readers to take action when they receive your emails? What you write will make all the difference. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing a brief, but powerful, call-to-action (CTA).  

It’s a good time to include a coupon

Two recent studies found that in light of challenging economic times, more people are planning to use coupons to save money. According to a study from ICOM, 67 percent of respondents said they are much more likely, or somewhat more likely, to use coupons during an economic downturn. An additional study conducted by Harris Interactive reported that 63 percent of respondents said they would not make a purchase if there was no deal attached.

5 writing tips from Bob Bly

Bob Bly is a well-known copywriter who has written a number of best-selling books. He also sends his email newsletter with Constant Contact.

I'm on Bob's list. Today he sent out some great writing advice that I passed on to a bunch of people here at Constant Contact. I asked Bob if I could share it with you too and he said yes. Thanks, Bob! Here's the copy from his email...

Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber:

Here are a few quick writing tips that can make your copy leaner, less stuffy, and more concise:

Get tips on branding and design

The April issue of Constant Contact’s Hints & Tips newsletter is available for viewing. This month we cover the topics of branding and design and highlight some great email marketing examples.

Read the April issue

Deceptive email advertising results in record $2.9 million settlement

Several months ago, I wrote an entry about the company Adteractive, Inc. The company was charged by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with using deceptive advertising and they settled at $650,000.

I recently attended the Email Experience Council's Email Evolution Conference where I heard the Deputy Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, Eileen Harrington, talk about how the amounts of these settlements would be increasing in the future. Well, she wasn't kidding.

MarketingSherpa’s 2008 Email Marketing Awards

Each year MarketingSherpa holds an email marketing awards contest at their annual Email Marketing Summit. I didn’t get to attend the ceremony this year (I was there last year), but the good news is that they posted the winners and their email campaigns.

Recap of the Email Evolution Conference

I recently attended the Email Experience Council’s first email marketing conference, the Email Evolution Conference. 

Overall, I found the event helpful. Much of what I heard served to reinforce the best practices that we teach here at Constant Contact. I also walked away with some new ideas for our Hints & Tips email program and some goodies to pass on to all of you, including ideas for starting a VIP program and for re-engaging your subscribers.  

One of the best aspects of these events is the networking. It’s great to be surrounded by people who spend most of their waking hours thinking about email marketing. I made some new friends at the EEC event with email marketers who are passionate and knowledgeable in the field. A few of these folks, bloggers Tamara Gielen and Chad White, linked to our blog.
  
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