Feature by Co-Founder, Caroline Lim. With an iPhone in one hand and a pink planner in the other, she’s always on the go. Whether she’s working, gyming it up, or shopping, you can catch her on Twitter.
Timing is everything. No, I’m not talking about when to walk up to that attractive person you’re trying to hit on, although, the same holds true. I’m talking about when to send an email campaign.
When sending an email campaign, when’s the magic day and time? This is the Holy Grail of questions for email marketers. With that said, people try desperately to find the answer. So what’s the problem? Contradictory conclusions.
Here’s the reality: Email marketing constantly changes, which means as a result, strategies should also change accordingly. To go a step further, just because a strategy works for one company doesn’t mean it works for every company.
In short, since email marketing is so dynamic across businesses and strategies are diverse within each organization (as they should be), this results in the contradictory conclusions you will find when you google “the best time to send an email campaign”. Whew! So then bottom line is, how do you know the optimal time to send an email campaign?
Welcome to part one of the three-part series on timing. Use these resources, plan your strategy and send the hell out of those emails. GoMarket!
Part 1: The Beginner.It’s the first time you try to ask someone out on a date – all you know about the timing are the basics (not while they’re eating, in the bathroom, ect) or ASAP (“Let’s just get this over with.”).
The general answer: The general rule of thumb for sending email campaigns: Mondays and weekends are bad and mid-week is good. If this doesn’t ring a bell, don’t sweat, the following resources provide some great beginner knowledge. Again, make note of the contradictory conclusions and pay more attention to the rationale and strategies.
The skinny: Don’t send same day emails. Send your email three to five days before the target event, focus on sending your email blast in the Eastern Standard time zone (only relevant for North American campaigns), and for the highest open rates, send around noon or 1:00pm EST. Lastly, remember the “Monday Blues”, “Weekend Warriors”, “Midweek is the Best Week”, and the number one rule of email marketing is “Test. Then test again.”
The skinny: Look at the past 6 months’ worth of results to gain insight into the best send time for future campaigns. Generate a graph comparing your results with the yearly email marketing metrics report provided by MailerMailer as a benchmark. Deviations to this graph tell you everything you need to know.
Behind the contradictory conclusions, one thing does hold true: the importance of testing. As if I didn’t make it complicated enough, wait until you read part two of this three-part series: The Advanced.
Feature by Co-Founder, Caroline Lim. With an iPhone in one hand and a pink planner in the other, she’s always on the go. Whether she’s working, gyming it up, or shopping, you can catch her on Twitter.
Sure, maybe I spread the metaphor a little too thin with my last blog post, Win over the Gatekeeper with your Resume. But isn’t a dating metaphor pretty obvious in relation to A/B split testing? Wouldn’t you want to test which pick-up line (the variable) maximizes your return on phone numbers (conversion rate)? Know what a HiPPO is? Just keep reading.
What is A/B Split testing?
Gotta love wikipedia: “A/B testing is a method of marketing testing by which a baseline control sample is compared to a variety of single-variable test samples in order to improve response rates.”
Why A/B split test?
You A/B split test to achieve your goals and get the results you want. Usually the end goal is to increase conversions. Can you honestly trust your gut feeling 100% of the time? Never guess what works – test what works. You should always test, why? Because it’s:
Easy. It’s the simplest testing method out there. It’s not expensive (some of the time, free!) and there are a plethora of resources out there. Wingify, a conversion optimization blog, offers a list of 15+ Free A/B Split Testing Resources.
Creative. Unleash the creative Marketer within yourself. What’s the best part? You feel amazing when you create a test that skyrockets your conversion rate.
Measurable. Testing is completely measurable with the right tools in place. The benefit of measurability is to confidently decide whether or not your gut was right. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by the results.
Evidence. Have a stubborn HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion)? Get them off their high horse with some hard evidence. They won’t be able to argue against raw data.
Constant Improvement: Who doesn’t want to make continual improvements to maximize returns? With A/B split testing, you can control the risk associated with making these changes.
So now that I’ve grabbed your attention, you need the following to get started:
At least two different variations of a landing page, email campaign, subject line, or whatever you want to test. Get those thinking caps on and create a list of variations. I personally like to organize them in a good ole excel spreadsheet.
The appropriate sample size to reach statistical significance. According to eMarketing Dynamics, “the smaller the detectable percentage improvement sought, the larger the sample size that will be required”. Use the *free* sample size calculator they provide to plan the sample size you need for your A/B split test.
A way to track your results. (duh!) If you’re specifically testing landing pages, *free* Website Optimizer does wonders. Built to be a Marketer friendly product that requires minimal tech support, you should still watch the video tutorials and ask your Marketing Mentor for guidance. If you want to test different elements of your email campaign, use an email marketing service that offers an A/B split feature such as MailChimp and Campaign Monitor. If Website Optimizer and email marketing services don’t suit your fancy, eMarketing Dynamic’s result check is perfect for checking your results based on your sample size.
Now GoMarket. If you’re still insecure about your A/B skills, practice with Anne Holland’s website, Which Test Won?. Showcasing a “Test of the Week”, you can vote for which A/B version you think won and then see the real-life test results. If you’ve hit the ground running and already have some amazing results, share your findings with other Marketers on Marketing Sherpa. We’re all in this together right?
Thank you Dave Wilby for teaching me the importance of testing and introducing me to the world of A/B.
Feature by Founder, Amanda McGuckin Hager. When not dreaming of interactive Marketing programs, she’s dreaming of pools, fireplaces, fashion, gardening or digging wells in Africa. Follow her now on Twitter.
In all my years of experience, throughout departments across the organization, there is nothing like an amazing PowerPoint presentation to spur an imagination – or a career. In scrappy start-ups, presentations are used to express intangible ideas and for asking investors for money. In Fortune 500 companies like Dell, dreadful as they can be, PowerPoint presentations are used to express everything in every meeting, every single day.
Young Jedi, I can’t stress these PowerPoint skills to you enough. Whether you are planning to join the Corporate or the Non-Profit world, you’ll need to know PowerPoint. Hell, you’ll even need to know PPT if you plan to join the Military. (See the New York Times: “We Have Met the Enemy, and He is PowerPoint”).
Here are a few key points from popular book Slideology, by Nancy Duarte (which we highly recommend for its stunning visuals. Get it here):
- Visual Communication is key. (Words are empty. Images are substance.)
- Design slides that capture the emotions of what you want to convey.
- Presentations are a 3-legged stool: Message, Visual Story, and Delivery.
- The #1 Rule you learned in English 101 still applies: Know Your Audience.
- Beef up your Graphic Design Skills (with the help of the book) or, do like I do, hire a designer.
Where do the great PowerPoint presentations live? Slideshare.net. This site’s traffic is so massive, it is one of the top 1000 websites on the Internet. Run, don’t walk, there to find the best of the best.
Now, go to your local community college and take the Community Education Courses in PowerPoint. It’s worth it!
I’d like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Marketing Superstars and friends of mine in Toronto @AprilDunford and @UnMarketing. I have no idea what their PowerPoint skills are, but we can always ask.
Feature by Co-Founder, Caroline Lim. With an iPhone in one hand and a pink planner in the other, she’s always on the go. Whether she’s working, gyming it up, or shopping, you can catch her on Twitter.
My last blog post, What’s your best 50 character pickup line?, includes a pickup line metaphor for email subject lines. To continue my comparison between relationships and Marketing, if you impress the Gatekeeper, you get the interview. Much like dating, if you impress the best friend, you typically get the date.
Note:People actually pay “professionals” to write their resumes for them. That’s ridiculous. You are fully capable of writing your own with these excellent resources at your fingertips:
Step 1: Brainstorm –Get that notepad out. If you already have a resume worksheet, you’re ahead of the game. If not, or you have no idea what I’m talking about, no worries, there are plenty of them out there like this one from uwrf.edu. If you’d rather just start jotting down your past experiences, major accomplishments, skill sets, ect, Grace Keh wrote a great article on building your own resume worksheet.
My #1 tip? Keep your career goals in mind. Once you have that figured out, your resume should reflect it.
Step 2: Write -Hopefully you already know to use positive, active words when writing your resume, to highlight accomplishments, not tasks, and to tailor your resume towards the position you are applying for. But do you know about the 5 p’s and the 7 secrets?
The 5 p’s of resume writing are Packaging, Positioning, Punch, Personality, and Professionalism. Each of these p’s are described in detail within Jay A. Block and Michael Betrus’ book, 101 Best Resumes.
Personal advice: Don’t go crazy with the professional jargon. It’s a sure sign if you are dependent on a thesaurus. Furthermore, don’t use superlatives when describing yourself. You may be a complete rockstar, but be sophisticated about your accomplishments through awards and numbers.
Step 3: Layout – My top 5 tips: 1. There are many ways to organize your resume. The layout can vary, but should always be consistent in regards to font, size, margins, ect. 2. Keep it simple and concise. Your resume is a synopsis of your abilities, not an autobiography. Rule of thumb: one page in length. 3. Emphasize your strengths and downplay your weaknesses. 4. Keep the reader in mind. Make sure your resume is appeasing to the eyes and not too “busy”. 5. Put some personality into it. Your resume should be professional but also stand out in the crowd. I personally like to add my LinkedIn and Twitter account so the reader can dig deeper into who I am.
For awesome formatting tips and hints, use the Mccombs School of Business Resume Writing Guide. For instance, you’ll learn how to maximize lines and space by avoiding the “orphans” or “danglers”.
Step 4:Examples: Look at some “great” examples. Yes, I know “great” is a very relative term, but that’s why you’re reading this blog post! Here are some of my favorite resources:
If you’re completely against books: bestsampleresume.com offers Marketing resume samples in various Marketing positions. Awesome.
A duh moment: don’t plagiarize the resume examples you find. I mean, honestly, I just had to throw that out there.
Step 5:Checkmarks and Proofread: Time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Make sure you’ve got everything checked off this Resume Checklist from The University of Scranton Career Center.
Once you’re all checked off, it’s time to Proofread. Let’s be honest, some people can be real sticklers about grammar and the tiniest mistake can get your resume kicked out of the pile. Not only should you proofread your own resume at least 5 times, get someone else to proofread as well. (Hint: This is where a marketing mentor would come in handy.) Also, like all important writing material, get someone who will give honest feedback, aka not your mother.
Feature by Guest Writer, Jenna (Gruhala) Oltersdorf. Located in Austin, Snackbox PR and Design agency is a small boutique with lots of flavor. You can find Jenna throwing parties and cooking the entire menu, as well as following Jenna on Twitter. Be sure to also read Jenna’s blog post on The Press Release.
You might be wondering what is worthy of writing a press release. Really, you are asking: “What is News?”
To many, writing a news release is the cornerstone of services provided to them by their PR firm. When a news release is written, there is a perception that media will come flocking to us to do a story … well, that isn’t necessarily the case. A news release requires thought and strategy to develop it and it certainly requires a pro when it comes to pitching the news release and story ideas to a reporter.
Just because your company exists doesn’t mean it’s time to write a news release. And, when a news release is written, it doesn’t mean that every media outlet on the planet is going to cover our story. Here are some examples of what we mean:
Event: Alliance with another organization
Potential coverage: Trade media in your industry, local business media
Event: Awards
Potential coverage: Trade media in your industry, local business media
Event: Company birthday
Potential coverage: Unless it is a major milestone birthday (say, 150th anniversary), don’t hold your breath for too much coverage
Event: Donations, grants, etc. you are giving/receiving
Potential coverage: Trade media in your industry, local business media. Note: the larger the dollar amount, the more newsy the story becomes.
Event: New product, services, employees, clients
Potential coverage: Trade media in your industry, local media. Depending on the availability of your new product or service, national media coverage is definitely an option. Also, if an employee or client has a well-known name, it is very possible to go outside of trade media and into national consumer media for coverage.
Event: Special events
Potential coverage: Local media, potentially national media depending on the type of event. Again, the larger the dollar amount, attendance, impact, etc., the more newsy the story becomes.
Obviously there are many, many more story opportunities than this, but the list is meant to give you a perspective on the thought and strategy that goes behind not only writing the news release but also who is pitched. Every news release creates different media opportunities and it’s our job as your PR agency to guide you in that process.
50 characters. That’s all it takes to make or break your email campaign. I guess that’s why they say the subject line of an email is the most important element of the entire campaign. Think of it as a pickup line. The first few words out of your mouth can make or break your chances for a date. Too much pressure? Here are 5 great resources, your wingmen, to help you land that first date (that leads to a great relationship, of course):
1.Email Marketing Subject Line Comparison by MailChimp: MailChimp is an email marketing service that also has an awesome resource tab complete with free email marketing guides and articles. This particular article includes interesting findings from a study where they analyzed 40 million emails and found the ones with the highest and lowest open rates.
Main takeaway? To achieve the highest open rates, the subject lines should be straightforward, describe the subject of your email, and not scream advertisement. As “stupid simple” as it may seem, I think they hit the nail on the head.
2.Email Subject Line: 15 rules to Write Them Right by Lyris: Lyris is another email marketing service that has a superb list of email marketing resources. My personal favorites include their white papers and webinars. This white paper lays out 15 rules that every marketer should know about writing subject lines, aka the “tricky little devils”.
My favorite rule? Rule #3: Test, test, test.
3.E-Mail Subject Lines: Beyond the Basics by Gail Goodman from Entrepreneur.com: Being a guru in email marketing with a ridiculous track record, Gail Goodman also finds time to be Entrepreneur.com’s “Email Marketing coach”. As you may know, Entrepreneur.com is a useful marketing resource in itself, but in particular, Gail has written some awesome material. Although it’s an older article, it’s a short and sweet way to teach marketing interns or entry-level marketers how to make subject lines more “powerful and compelling”.
Of the 5 points, I would have to say #4: Remember “WIIFM”, really drives it home.
4.Email Subject Lines: Words, Order as Critical as Length by Sean Donahue from Sherpa Blog: If you don’t know MarketingSherpa, you should. Although MarketingSherpa does require a membership (try the free trial) in order to read some of their full articles, their blog is a free, helpful resource! This Sherpa blog post summarizes the findings of a white paper by Epsilon who analyzed subject lines to “determine the influence of length, word order and content on open rates and clicks”.
In a nutshell, keeping your subject line short isn’t everything, you also need to pay attention to word choice and word placement.
5. Optimizing Headlines and Subject Lines by Dr. Flint McGlaughlin from Marketing Experiments: If you are someone who loves presentations and PowerPoints, this is the resource for you. Marketing Experiments is a free resource that specializes in marketing communications research and experiments, hence the name. Although optimizing headlines is an important know-how as well, since we’re focusing on optimizing subject lines, I would skip to slide #13 of the PowerPoint.
This presentation is super neat because it explains the step by step process in which different subject lines can be tested to produce the highest open rate.
Fool-proof pickup lines don’t exist. Similarly, there is no “right” way to write a “successful” subject line. Even your flawless marketing mentor (yeah, right) doesn’t have the golden touch. Writing a subject line that proves optimal results is an art, and with every art form, it takes practice and learning from mistakes. If there is one thing I wanted you to takeaway from this post, it would have to be the importance of testing. Ideally try A/B split testing, which will be a future blog post.
Catch up with Brian on Twitter, by following him here. I also recommend subscribing to his newsletter, which offers all kinds of tips, tricks and tools.
I recently attended the Dachis Group Social Business Summit 2010. While there, I asked my 7 questions of fellow attendee Joshua Duncan, currently a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Dell, where he manages the Dell Mini line. Josh has been in Austin for only a few years now, and boy are we glad he’s here.
Catch up with Josh on Twitter, by following him here, and be sure to check out (and subscribe to) his blog, A Random Jog.
Feature by Guest Writer,Brian Massey, a.k.a. the Conversion Scientist, makes a serious living writing and speaking about Conversion techniques – techniques that he has proven time and time again. You can follow Brian on Twitter.
I would like to introduce you to a word that may not have been widely used in marketing and communication curricula, but it is the most important event in any direct response marketing you will do. “Conversion” is the moment when someone decides to become a lead or a sale in your campaign.
You will have been taught a great deal about how to get people’s attention, primarily by interrupting them. You will have been steeped in the importance of message, brand, and emotion. You will have learned the importance of creative in the communication process. You will have been shown the importance of identifying your market segments by demographic, geographic and psychographic data.
In the world of branding and image-building, these skills are largely sufficient. However, when you are asking “suspects” to call, register, or buy from you, conversion is the critical piece of the puzzle.
Conversion is important because it is a measurable event. Branding and awareness marketing must be measured by surveying the marketplace. Did they see the ad? Did they remember it? Would it entice them to buy?
Conversions can be counted: calls made, leads generated and sales completed.
What does it mean to be able to measure your marketing results? It means that you can continue to do the things that work, and stop spending on those that do not. You can effectively test your creative, zeroing in on the ads and messages that generate positive business results. Once you have identified a winner, you then continue testing, trying to beat your star performer, called the Control.
The result is marketing that gets continuously better, meaning it gets cheaper and cheaper to generate new leads and sales.
The Peculiar Math of Conversion
Focus on conversion and let the math work in your favor.
If you spend $1000 to generate 1000 impressions through an ad or email, your cost per impression is $1. Let’s assume that 1% of those impressions buy as a result. You have a 1% conversion rate. That means 10 new leads or 10 new customers.
Your Acquisition Cost is the $1000 spent divided by 10 conversion, or $10.
If you want to double your results, you can spend $2000 and generation 2000 impressions. It would be assumed that you would generate 20 new customers with your 1% conversion rate.
However, if you want to double your results without increasing your budget, how would you do that? If you increased your conversion rate to 2%, your $1000 ad campaign would now generate 20 customers, the same number that $2000 would have generated before.
Your acquisition cost drops to $5 per customer, meaning you are benefiting for half the cost.
Increasing Conversion Rates
In the online world, where almost all prospect actions can be measured, you will find that Web sites do a terrible job of converting visitors to leads or sales. Learn the ways of conversion, and you will be invaluable to companies in almost any industry.
I had the opportunity, one bright sunny day, to ask my 7 questions of graphic artist/designer/brand marketer Jason Sugawa, partner in Clutch Creative, one of my favorite design shops in town.
Catch up with Jason on Twitter, by following him here
Feature by Guest Writer, Olga Kazakova, a young, dazzling Marketer in Austin’s scene, hailing from Market Research at T3, and currently working for the ever-powerful eCommerce solution Volusion. You can follow Olga on Twitter.
In today’s business world, being nimble is a job requirement. One of the best talents you can bring to your organization is the ability to apply past learnings to current projects. Some projects may require the upfront ‘discovery’ process, but when strict timelines and budgets make it impossible to squeeze in a focus group or online panel, you can look to a few research tools where experts have already done the heavy lifting. The key to delivering powerful takeaways is building out a comprehensive toolkit. Below are a few of my favorite, go-to tools when I have to take a strategic stand, sometimes within the hour.
Mintel: A fantastic selection of research reports, categorized by industry. I discovered this tool in my last year at UT, and kicked myself for not finding it sooner. If you’re a college student, it’s likely that your school provides access to this resource for free. Be sure to use it.
Social mention: Aggregator of all things social. Unlike some of the paid social media tools (Nielsen BuzzMetrics, Radian 6 and Cymfony), this one is free. While it doesn’t provide the level of analysis that some programs require, it gives you a snapshot of what’s being discussed along with quick sentiment, reach and user metrics. Another fun social tracking tool is Addict-o-matic.
Surveygizmo: Look to surveygizmo for surveys made easy. This tool offers sophisticated reports in minutes – making you look like a market research star.
Trendwatching.com: Free, fun reports delivered to your inbox every month. See what the rest of the world is up to by reading the trend briefings.
PSFK.com: Add a little pizzazz to your insights. This is a truly inspiring resource with subjects ranging from advertising, culture, design and technology.
Slideshare.net & Scribd.com: Pick a topic you’re interested in and start browsing. One offers presentations; the other houses original content that can aide your research process.
Quantcast: Pull site stats and make informed decisions. You will find rich audience profiles here, including user demographics and lifestyles.
Del.iciou.us: see who’s bookmarking what and what they have to say.
Board Tracker: a forum search engine to track conversations and topics.
There are endless research tools out there for you to pick from. Build your own toolkit and be prepared to hunt for research. Which tools have you discovered lately?
Now, young Jedi, you might be asking: How do I find a mentor?
My personal suggestions: Look and listen. Seek them out. Amazing marketers are hiding in the cubes and offices in the building next door. But they are hard to get to. Easier are those people that are out and about in the community. Go to local events, and strike up a conversation. Poke through LinkedIN, and read their blogs.
Ask Yourself: Who do you admire and why? Who do you identify with? Who do you want to be like?
Email them. Don’t hold back. Do send them a note – about anything. Trust me. They’ll appreciate it. It opens the door for more conversation.
Don’t Be Scared: Do invite them to lunch, coffee or happy hour. Seek them out at local marketing events. (And don’t go getting all creepy by stalking them. Just invite them into conversation.)
Know your objective. Which can be simple, to start. “I’m graduating in 2 years, and I wanted to get a better understanding of the Austin Business Landscape. What companies do you know of here?” or “I’m hoping you could review my paper on Building a Marketing plan. I’d love your real-world feedback.” Or “I’m curious. What is a day in your life like?”
Believe in yourself. Mentors often learn just as much from you as you learn from them.
Then here’s the scary part: ASK FOR IT. Ask them if they would be interested being your mentor. Tell then what projects you enjoyed in school, or why you are passionate about whatever it is you are passionate about. Tell them what you want to be when you grow up and why. Then, give it space and time to blossom.
P.S. At this time, I want to thank my one-time Marketing mentors: Suaad Sait and Josh Baer, and my numerous one-time interns and mentees including Stephanie Brown, Marlana Salmon, Cora Griffin, Mei Lee Ling, Scott Daughtry, Mike Fellers and Caroline Lim.
Mentors and Mentees have a lot to learn from each other.
Is that so? Ah, young Jedi. Think again. The wise old mentor brings much light to your career. Let me list the Top 5 Benefits to having a Marketing Mentor:
Failure.
Ah, how nice to let someone else jump off the bridge first. Based on what happens, you make your decision – jump or not. Your marketing mentor has jumped off that bridge before. Learn from their experience – the good and the bad.
They have people.
Most likely, they have worked in the industry, in the field, in the space. They know people who you should know. They have a network that you could only dream of. If you are lucky, they will share that network with you.
Older = Wiser.
Generally, it’s true that your elders are wiser. Why is this? Because life has beat them down and churned them through the blender. They have learned from this. You can learn from them.
Stupid Ideas.
Most likely, your ideas are not stupid. In fact, your ideas are most likely fresh, intuitive and spot on. But the reality is, all of us have stupid ideas. Like a good mother, your mentor will softly tell you, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” (Not really.)
Life Support.
Mentors often go above and beyond acting as your professional sounding board. More often than not, mentors provide value well beyond answering your Marketing questions.
P.S. I want to express gratitude here for Dr. Dean Geuras, who taught my required intro to philosophy class using creative, layman’s terms to explain classic philosophy concepts. Dr. Geuras taught me the concept of the Pour Soi and the En Soi, a concept I carry around and think of often, and introduced me to Albert Camus and his book The Stranger, which is tied to The Cure’s song. Dr Geuras sparked my passion for philosophy, a healthy respect for analogies and a hunger for more education. Thanks Dr. Geuras.
I hate to break this to you kids. It’s the biggest needle to your balloon of hope. Here’s a reality of marketing today: It’s not about your amazing creative. It’s not about your ingenious idea to make a big splash at the event. It’s not about your polished, creative copy-writing. IT’S ABOUT YOUR DATA. I know; it’s sad. But it’s true.
Let’s examine why.
Define Data:
I mean your database. Your email list. Your customer profiles. Your systems of record. Your CRM, be it BuzzStream or Salesforce.com. Your e-Commerce database. And/or all of the above.
Know your audience:
In today’s world, all the information you know about your audience is most likely stored in your database – or worse, databases. (Trust me. I live this daily.) When you have dirty data, you will struggle to find your audience, and to find the niche messaging which that audience wants to hear.
Powerful Stories:
Data, when clean, is the source of amazing power. It tells you an important story. The story of when your customers last purchased, or who opened the last email. (More importantly, it tells you who didn’t open your last email.) When data is dirty, you will struggle to see the story.
Metrics, Metrics, Metrics:
Success is defined by metrics. And the devil is in the details. Often, if the metrics are not consistent, clean or remain convoluted, you are screwed. Guess what builds the metrics? The data.
All is not lost.
Dirty data is a reality. But, just like a dance, there is strategy and creativity in figuring out your next move, and the final results can be amazing.
Reminder: “Data” is plural.” Datum” is singular.
I’d like to acknowledge one of Austin’s coolest start-up companies, InfoChimps , who aim to build one of the largest aggregated data set. Talk about data – these guys got it.
With data and dancing, the results can be fabulous.
Feature by Guest Writer, Jenna (Gruhala) Oltersdorf. Located in Austin, Snackbox PR and Design agency is a small boutique with lots of flavor. You can find Jenna throwing parties and cooking the entire menu, as well as following Jenna on Twitter.
Intro:
The Press Release if the foundation of any Public Relations Campaign. Additionally, as Marketers increase their savvy ways, Press Releases are considered in many Marketing Programs. By using keywords and links in their content, and distributed online, these offer an added bonus to your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts. As a Marketing student or a Marketing Intern, it is critical to understand the basic elements of the Press Release.
Elements: The Press Release
A news release is written in third person and works to educate an editor or reporter on a topic while selling them on a story angle. News releases are typically written about people, events, services or products.
News releases have evolved over time, but the format has remained fairly unchanged. They typically include contact information for the PR contact, a headline and sub-headline, a dateline, the body of the news release and a boilerplate. Three number symbols (###) centered at the bottom signal the end of the document.
Contact information
Typically included in the upper right or left corner of the document, this section outlines who should be reached if media contacts have questions. Include a name, phone number and email address at a minimum. For my news releases I always include my instant messenger screen name and sometimes include my Twitter username, too.
Headline and Sub-Headline
You only have a few seconds to grab the reader’s attention, so it’s important to spend time on your news release headline. The headline should sum up the news that is included in the release and engage the reader.
Dateline
Typically comprised of the city and state from which the news originated as well as the date, the dateline launches the news release and is the first piece of the intro paragraph.For more information on datelines and their proper format, go to www.apstylebook.com.
NOTE: AP Stylebook is what governs all of our writing in public relations, so be sure to grab a copy. Your first order of business is to learn how states are abbreviated in AP Style as opposed to typical post office style.
Intro Paragraph
Like the headline of a news release, the intro paragraph can make or break a story. The client name should always be mentioned in that very first sentence and the paragraph as a whole should sum up the entire news story.
Supporting paragraphs further elaborate on the news story and support the first paragraph.
Boilerplate
The boilerplate is included at the bottom of a news release and is noted as such by using a title such as “About the Chinet brand”. Note in the sample release below we have included two boilerplates. Why? There is a brand and a company in this example.
Sample News Release
For more information, contact:
Jenna Gruhala | Snackbox | 773.715.0879 jenna@snackbox.us | AIM: N20Jenna
TIPS FOR HOSTING A GREEN GATHERING
DeSoto, Kan. (February 2, 2009) – America’s premium disposable tableware brand, Chinet , practices sustainable processes in production and the brand encourages consumers to take that same level of commitment to protecting the planet when planning gatherings of any size.
Quick Tips for a Green Gathering Include:
- Send invitations via email rather than traditional printed invites
- Check out flea markets and secondhand stores for party décor
- Serve food on disposable tableware, like Chinet, made of 100% pre consumer recycled material and biodegradable in home compost
- Create a menu using local, organic produce; for great recipes, go to www.mychinet.com/recipes
- Use reusable towels for clean up and biodegradable trash bags
- Compost leftover party food and Chinet tableware
“Chinet brand gives you the strength and style you depend on, with the added piece of mind knowing you’re using environmentally-friendly products,” said Julie Stoetzer, Chinet Brand Marketing Manager. “Chinet® Classic White™ and Chinet Casuals™ lines are made of 100 percent pre-consumer recycled material. Both lines are also chlorine-free, microwave safe and fully biodegradable in home composting.”
Huhtamaki Americas, Inc., makers of Chinet products, practices sustainable processes in the production of both consumer and specialty packaging. By using recycled materials in the production of molded fiber products, Huhtamaki annually saves:
- Nearly three million trees each year
- One billion gallons of water which is equal to the supply of water for a city of 10,000
- 65 million gallons of oil or the equivalent of 31 million gallons of gas
These efforts, along with programs designed to reduce the company’s pollution and power use, have earned Huhtamaki a number of awards including the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Achievement Award. For more information, visit www.mychinet.com/environment.
About the Chinet Brand
Made in America since the 1930s, Chinet disposable tableware has a long history of making strong plates and even stronger memories as friends and family gather. Chinet products give you the strength and style you depend on with the added piece of mind knowing you’re using environmentally-friendly products. For more information about the Chinet family of products, visit www.mychinet.com.
About Huhtamaki
Established in 1920 as a specialty packaging organization, Huhtamaki provides many of the world’s most recognizable consumer goods packaging and foodservice containers, including the retail line of Chinet premium disposable tableware. For more information about Huhtamaki, visit www.us.huhtamaki.com.
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Editors Note: Photos to accompany story available by contacting jenna@snackbox.us.
Once a news release is written, you’ll need to distribute it to appropriate contacts.
Feature by Founder, Amanda McGuckin Hager. When not dreaming of interactive Marketing programs, she’s dreaming of the pool, the fireplace or fashion. Follow her now on Twitter.
There are basic elements that consist in all Marketing Programs, at the heart of all Marketing efforts. Know that there are whole sciences dedicated to each these elements alone, and that these are simple high-level overviews.
1. Audience: Who is to Hear the Message?
a. The audience can be broad or narrow, but a targeted audience is best. Sometimes it’s an in-house email list, sometimes it’s the audience of a website, or a highway, or a neighborhood. And it can be everything in between. The best Marketing Programs have an audience that has been targeted – that is, selected based on certain criteria. The criteria can be demographic (age, weight, hair color, etc.), geolocated (residence, work location, on-demand location), or behavioral (based on actions an audience member has taken.) etc. There are many ways to target an audience. And remember, there are many paths to the same destination.
2. The Message: What to say and How to Say it.
a. This is where Marketing Communications comes in. There is an art form at best, and conversation at least. It is the who, what, when, where and why.
3. The Deliverables.
a. This is the creative package. It is the email, the text message, the banner ad, the print ad – whatever the campaign is, this is the visual/audio piece intended to carry the message through the channel.
b. This is also known as “the creative.”
c. This is a true art form. I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing creative teams. To me, they are essential, balancing the art and the science of the deliverable.
4. The Channel: How to Share the Message with the Audience.
a. Channels are what you may hear of most often. I once spent a 1.5 years focused soley on one channel: email. Other channels include, but are not limited to: search engine marketing, email marketing, advertising (online/banner, video/tv, print/direct mail/mobile), text messages, social media, events, product review, shopping portals, the shoe bins at the airport. . . and the list goes on and on.
5. The Call to Action.
a. The end goal. This is what you are asking the audience to do. This action is also known as “conversion.” When you hear: “Did the campaign convert?” you are being asked “Did the audience take the action you wanted them to?”
b. Common call-to-actions are: “Buy Now,” “Click Here” “Sign Up Now” “Come to Our Event” “Learn More” “Visit Us” “Read On” etc.
6. The Measurement: Was it Successful?
a. Metrics, metrics, metrics, a.k.a. Tracking, a.k.a Numbers. The numbers tell a story. Was the combination of the Message and the Channel motivating enough to take action? Was the Call to Action clear, concise and up front? Was the design of the message and the channel putting enough emphasis on the call to action? Every Marketing Program is measured differently. Every channel has a different industry average metrics.
Notice there is no mention of product. For all intensive purposes, the “product” is rolled into the message and into the call to action. The “product” in a campaign can be anything. Truly. It can be events, papers, hard products, soft products, services.
The broad term “Marketing” encompasses so many varying facets – research, programs, branding, content development, website development, etc. If you haven’t yet, read Wikipedia’s article on Marketing.
GoMarket focuses on Marketing Programs, defined as the tactical outreach activity. (Personally, I would rename the 4P in Promotion to be Programs.)
Programs are the foundation of all Marketing promotion. They are the message and the channel through which the message goes. They are the audience and the measuring.
Jargon: Program vs. Campaign
What’s the difference between a Marketing Program and a Marketing Campaign? Good question. Not much. Both are defined as steps taken to achieve a goal. “Campaign” comes from the Advertising industry, where Ad agencies act as service providers to companies. “Program” hails from the company side. They can be used interchangeably, though some may argue that a Campaign consists of many integrated Programs under one umbrella.
One Thing is True
Marketing today could not exist without Marketing Programs. They are essential to all products, all companies, all services. It is proven that Marketing programs lift sales and increase revenue. I define, plan, execute and measure Marketing Programs on a daily basis. And lucky for me! Because my heart lies with Marketing Programs.
Feature by Founder, 
