The biggest challenge web marketers faced in 2011 was generating relevant email copy, and delivering it at a time that maximizes open/response rates.

This according to MarketingSherpa’s newly-released 2012 Email Benchmarking Report, which also found:

• Nearly a third of companies have identified a strategy that works effectively in terms of increasing open/response rates
• A fifth of marketers are still sending email without paying much attention to timing and/or the impact of copy on response rates
• What’s proved most effective in segmenting email lists is separating leads and email copy by buying history, stage in the lead pipeline, and/or specific preferences customers have mentioned during the online registration process
• Despite the fact 13% of execs are now primarily checking their email via a mobile device (a number that will continue to climb over the next five years), less than half of websites/emails are optimized for customers to view or respond to via handheld resources, and
• For the first time ever, landing pages that emails link to were found to have more impact on whether a prospect made a buying decision than the subject line of the email itself.

Source: MarketingSherpa’s 2012 Email Benchmarking Report.

Despite warnings from experts and a growing body of research, many businesses still haven’t optimized their website to appeal to mobile users.

About 70% of websites continue to overlook this critical flaw, according to a survey from RedEye.

Even grimmer: 84% of companies still haven’t designed emails that can be clearly read and understood on a mobile device.

Customers are going to spend only so much time trying to decipher your email or guess what’s on the rest of your web page — before they turn to a competitor who’s more equipped to meet their needs.

Mobile use is growing and isn’t going away. More people are using mobile devices to check their email regularly and make purchasing decisions.

Fortunately, there’s a relatively simple solution: Run an in-house quality test on your web page and your email. What do your own people see on their small screens? What needs to be improved? How can you do that?

You can use this information to upgrade your message to potential customers, and then send out something you know will get and keep their attention.

For more information on optimization for mobile users, RedEye has made public a synopsis of its Conversion Rate Optimization Report 2011.

MarketingSherpa’s 2012 Email Marketing Benchmark Survey asked marketers which element that could be tested and adjusted had the greatest impact on the success of their email.

The top five most effective elements worth testing:

1. Target audience. Keep testing your target audience and customizing your message accordingly, says 42% of email marketers surveyed.
2. Landing page.  This is another underestimated place to measure your campaign’s effectiveness; named by 41% of marketers as a “very effective” area to test.
3. Subject line. Whoa! Everybody’s testing this variable — 72% — but less than half of that number (35%) say it’s a “very effective” measure.
4. Call to action. Don’t just tell people to click a hyperlink or download a document — tell them why by describing the value they’ll get in return for their action. Examples: “Instant access” or “Start saving today.”
5. Personalization. Sure, everybody likes to send email that addresses the recipient by name. But take it to the next level: Reflect something you know about their product, services, audience, etc.

Giving an old idea a new twist can send an important message to customers: you respect them, you value their business, and you want them to come back and do more business with you.

There are several reasons for sending thank you notes to customers, according to j2 Global, but three specific ones stand out:

• Sign up. When a customer signs on, a great way to welcome them is to send them a note of thanks. You can also talk about any special notification, coupon or loyalty programs that customers can join.
• Purchase. It’s a great way to let a customer know — immediately — you recognize and appreciate the fact they’ve brought their business to you. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — but you can use it as an opportunity to share additional purchase information. Examples: a coupon for next-purchase discount, future free shipping or recommendations along the lines of,  “Customers who bought this product/service also bought …”
• Endorsement. When a customer posts a good review or favorably recounts a buying experience with you, other shoppers usually notice it. Each time customers provide this favor, you can let them know how much you appreciate it.

Creating a well-balanced campaign that successfully promotes the brand, without snowing customers under.

Since you won’t be clad in red and flying in on a sleigh, you’ll need to resort to other ways to pack your gift sack with the information customers need to make buying decisions that favor you.

Two strategies have been especially successful:

1. You ever seen homes or store displays jam-packed with lights, garlands, endless carols, nodding reindeer and a waving Santa? Send out an email decorated like that and you’ll land in the spam filter for many businesses or the junk folder if it sneaks through. Don’t go all Scrooge, though. Tasteful, minimal motifs are much better. Also, don’t forget, steer clear of symbols and messages that could possibly offend your non-Christian audience.
2. Think like a customer. Imagine the disappointment when someone wants to purchase a product off your website – and it’s out of stock. Take the edge off that frustration by giving those customers the opportunity to sign up to be notified when that particular product has been restocked. It shows customers you care about their needs.

Restocking messages stir a lot of interest:

• 36% open rate
• 26% click-through rate
• 25% conversion rate.

Nearly a third of prospects report they receive more than 20 email offers from sales organizations per week, a new Kanter Media study reveals.

More importantly, the study found 9 out of every 10 prospects will open and click through on an email link every now and again if the subject line/copy grabs them.

How do you break through the clutter? Here are three proven keys, according to blogger Stephanie Miller:

1. Segment your audience. Use SIC info and past buying history to send targeted copy/offers to specific segments of your audience.
2. Improve your call to action. Engage buyers by giving them an incentive to click through (e.g., register on our site to receive a 10% discount on your next purchase, etc.).
3. Test, track and adjust. The most important part of any email campaign is determining what went right, what went wrong and why. Have strict metrics in place so you can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and capitalize on new-found opportunities.

Source: “Seven Ways to Improve Email Click-Through Rate,” by Stephanie Miller, Customer Collective, 11/1/11.

Email marketing garners higher ROI than any other direct selling method, according to research by the Direct Marketing Association ($45 return for every dollar spent).

But high response rates aren’t a given. They’re the result of targeting the right prospects, writing copy that sells, and — most importantly — choosing subject lines that compel prospects to open the message.

Almost 75% of prospects open email messages within the first 24 hours (if they open them at all). That means the biggest challenge for sales organizations is writing a subject line that grabs prospects’ attention and creates urgency for them to click on the message.

An annual study published by MailerMailer, which analyzed over 3 million emails, also revealed:

• Messages that are personalized with prospects’ names in the body of the copy have higher response rates, while those that include their name in the subject line actually have the lowest response rates (because prospects assume they’re spam).
• Emails with subject lines that are less than 35 characters are opened 3% to 4% more often than those with longer subject lines.
• Open rates are highest on Monday and decrease every day as the week goes on (Friday emails are opened 4% to 6% less than those sent Monday).
• The smaller and more targeted the recipient list, the greater the response rate.
• Copy that’s specifically written for small clusters of prospects (e.g., 250 to 500) based on past buying history (similar title, industry) is the most effective.

A recent MarketingSherpa survey found that 64% of key decision makers now view most of their emails via BlackBerrys (or other mobile devices).

Sales organizations that want to maximize the effectiveness of their
emails can respond to that by:

• Including a button when prospects register on their site, asking if they prefer a “mobile phone” version of your emails or HTML.
• Create a separate e-mail for that audience which uses mobile-friendly text, and
• Include a link to the “HTML” version of the email.

But that targeting is now going down to a more granular level, and it makes sense: Sending email to someone at the time they are most likely to be checking it.

Send Time Optimization: In layman’s terms it’s the best reckoning of the time a recipient has allowed for Internet activity — not merely a rushed roll through incoming emails.

This kind of optimum timing is gaining commercial momentum.

For example, The Girl Scouts of the USA optimized their send times and saw:

• average email open rates jump 10%
• email conversion rates rise 12%
• more overall revenue from the organization’s website, and
• a cutback in resources required to send email.

Send Time Optimization studies behavior to predict the best email delivery time for each address. Messages are delivered to recipients at the precise day and time they’re most likely to be checking their inboxes.

In addition to higher open and click-through rates, users are also seeing an impact on conversion rates, revenue generated per email and overall order size.

The key: testing to find out when your target audience is most likely to open email.

Here’s why: List management.

If you send out your holiday message before you invest a little time cleaning up your list(s), you risk spoiling your reputation and decreasing your ROI.

Lists need to be up-to-date and accurate if you’re going maintain a positive image with consumers, and keep you from running afoul of spam sniffers, confirms new research from Responsys.

Potential problem spots:

• Misspellings and typos need to be identified and fixed (or tossed)
• If you send out email that generates too many “unknown user” responses, those bounces can be tracked to your IP address and put you on Santa’s bad boy blacklist
• Any addresses on your list(s) addressed to sales@ or postmaster@ need to be pulled
• Any email address that includes the word “spam” gets fried, too.

This is also the time to contact inactive users and ask if they’d like to continue receiving your email.

In the long run, you’re doing yourself a favor.

Why keep contacting someone who doesn’t welcome you?

On a positive note, list maintenance opens two opportunities:

• If a customer drops from email, they might be interested in a different form of communication, like social media channels. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
• If you put stricken email addresses aside, you can return to them at some point in the future and send a “we miss you” message, and offer to bring them back into the fold.

Reason: Over the past two years, a rapidly growing segment of the audience is using mobile phones to access email.

Today, one out of every five emails is accessed through a handheld mobile device, and that stat’s only going to grow as more people acquire smartphones.

The shift is being felt by marketers targeting desktop users, too. Email clients, like Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Mail have lost 11% of the market over the past two years, according to a report from CampaignMonitor.

Questions to consider when you’re trying to determine if your email efforts are on the mark:

• Are your messages designed to come across well on a variety of presentation platforms — desktop, web-based and mobile?
• Does your message play well on the small screen, or should you start sending out magnifying glasses?
• Which mobile operating systems aren’t compatible with your preview text or images?
• Will people with smartphones be able to navigate easily enough to access your message?

If you’re not sure of the answers to these questions, there’s help.

Litmus, an email analytics business, has put together an easy-to-read reference chart that can provide information on what works with what.

Prospecting via the phone isn’t as cut-and-dry as it used to be – but these five modern resources hold the key to turning cold calls into hot prospects.

1. Email. Emails are a great way to preface cold calls, when they provide key selling points that’ll likely make prospects more open to taking your call. Some salespeople use email to ask prospects when the best time to call might be. Others use the info included in an email as a way to break the ice (e.g., “I sent you some information a couple of days ago about XYZ … Have you had an opportunity to look at that email?”).
2. Social media. A lot of companies look at social media as a way to engage customers on a regular basis. But social media profiles may also provide some valuable insight into prospects’ hobbies, interests and/or schedules. Salespeople may be able to use that info to establish rapport via the phone. It may also provide ideas for when and where to schedule an initial meeting with a prospect (e.g., If the prospect is a golf enthusiast, a salesperson might suggest hitting the links one morning).
3. Search engines. Most people assume a company’s website is the best way to research the company online. But the reality is, a quick search may turn up a lot of information about the company you may not find on its website. Such a search may also provide valuable info about causes the company is affiliated with, challenges it faces and what type of new initiatives it’s currently focusing on. Have you performed a search for your company and taken a look at all the things that pop up?
4. Video. In the past, one of the keys to gaining buy-in was scheduling a live demo of a company’s products and services. These days, sales departments can produce and email in-house videos that demonstrate key selling points and/or valuable features of a product or service the company is promoting. This way, salespeople can mention to prospects that they’ll forward a virtual demo of a product or service, not only providing the prospect with a visual of the product or service at work, but also some valuable testimonials.
5. Digital conferencing. Some sales organizations have latched onto video conferencing as a great way to connect with prospects. The strategy: Email a list of prospects, inviting them to take part in a free video conference, regarding a hot-button topic in your industry. The video conference is a perfect way to establish credibility, while also discussing the ways your products and services can help overcome some of prospects’ biggest challenges. The best part: After the conference is over, salespeople have a perfect way to follow up via the phone, gain some feedback and (hopefully) schedule a face-to-face meeting.

Email. Instant messaging. Texting. Tweeting.

No matter the forum, the purpose remains the same — transferring important info from one person to another.

With so much competition for the recipient’s attention, it takes an old school skill — clear writing — to make your message stand out.

That extra minute or two (or even less) you spend composing and reading back over your email message can make all the difference.

What you’re up against

The average manager gets at least 100 email messages a day. The ones that are only a few words — pointed questions or responses to specific questions — are clear enough to get the job done.

But what about those messages that are forwarded and replied to, until there’s a seemingly endless stream of repeated information? Those have less chance of cutting through the clutter.

Do yourself — and the next recipient — a big favor: Scrape out the relevant portion of the message, and put it at the top of the email. It’ll help you focus on what you’re going to say, and make it much easier for the next person who’ll be reading the email.

Plan ahead

Avoid the temptation to go stream of consciousness, like some writers who figure they’ll eventually hit upon what it is they’re trying to say.

Instead, come up with a focused way to get your information across:

1. Identify what it is you’re trying to say.
2. Address why the recipient(s) should care.
3. What action are you trying to get them to do after reading the message?

One more thing to keep in mind: Think preview pane.

Will the person who receives your email pick up the gist of what you’re trying to say based on what they see in the preview pane?

Decisions to open or delete a message are usually made within five seconds (or less).

Are you saying what’s necessary to get their attention in those five seconds?

Conventional thinking is there’s little that can be done to pull those customers back, without giving away the store.

But there is a re-marketing approach that’s helping to bring back some of those customers and convince them to revisit their shopping carts.

Email re-marketing player SeeWhy has put together this three-step action plan that was able to lift recovery rates from 18% to 46%:

1. Make contact ASAP with the customer — in real time, and make it a service call rather than a promotion play — “Is there something we could help you with?”

2. If customers haven’t come back yet for their shopping cart, send an email 23 hours after the first contact. It will be waiting for them in their mailbox when they log in the next day.

3. Still no nibbles? Six days and 23 hours after abandonment — and only then — consider offering a promotion to sweeten your pitch.

Your strategy should take into consideration the four main reasons shoppers said they’ve ditched carts in a recent Forrester Research report:

• 44% said the final price (including shipping) was too expensive
• 41% weren’t ready to commit to a purchase
• 27% wanted to compare prices, and
• 24% wanted to consider the purchase, then come back to seal the deal.

There are other opportunities to turn these window shoppers into paying customers.

If the customer was interested in your product or service once, it’s likely to happen again.

Ask customers if you can add them to your regular mailing list, or send the link to your online catalog — and even ask for feedback on why they took their business elsewhere.

According to Zuberance Founder Rob Fuggetta, the “ultimate question” for measuring customer loyalty is: “How likely are you to recommend our brand or product to a friend or colleague?”

Sales and Marketing managers would be well served to add this question to their online and direct mail surveys, giving customers the option to answer the question on a scale of 1 to 10.

Doing so provides your salespeople with two opportunities:

1. They can follow up with customers who give your company a low rating. If there are any outstanding customer service issues, salespeople may be able to salvage the relationship (and bolster loyalty) by taking personal accountability for solving them.
2. They can meet with customers who give your company a high rating. Not only are these customers a great source of testimonials, they’re also prime candidates to ask for referrals. It may even be worth creating an incentive program for customers who agree to refer business to your company. This way you create a win-win scenario where salespeople aren’t the only ones working hard to generate new business.

What may be even more beneficial is comparing surveys from the same customers over the course of months, or perhaps even years, to see if the ability to follow up ASAP is having a positive impact on overall satisfaction.

Based in part on “10 Ways to Turn Word-of-Mouth Advertising into Sales,” by Guy Kawasaki, OpenForum, 4/25/11.

If you begin with the premise that your goal with email is to get a prospective customer to open it, then there are two schools of thought on how that’s best accomplished:

1. The easier it is for someone to get the gist of your email — using a short, punchy subject line — the more likely it is they’ll open it.
2. Make email subject lines more detailed, with enough information to tell prospects exactly what information to expect when they open it.

Right now, it looks like the longer subject lines might be outperforming the short and sweet.

It was proven that longer subject can generate open rates 8% higher than shorter subject lines, according to a study reported on the MarketingExperiments Blog.

The reason for that: People out there aren’t looking for reasons to open email. They’re looking for ways to clear email quickly from their inbox, with the least possible effort.

Short “tease you” subject lines are more likely to get a shrug and a deletion.

If emails provide information about solutions you have for their problems, recipients are more likely to be interested.

Email like that will either be opened on the spot, or saved for later, when the recipient has more time.

One good reason you should do it: The average U.S. Internet user watches 186 videos every month, according to a recent comScore survey.

What’s that mean?

If you’re not including video in your sales promotion e-mails, there’s a good chance your competition is — and pulling in front of you as a result.

It’s a more compelling way to tell your story, and stats show companies that have integrated video with e-mail marketing efforts are generating more click-throughs.

If you’re considering trying to include video and audio in your next mailing, even as just a trial run, it’s not as difficult as it sounds.

You don’t need a Hollywood studio, red carpet stars or high-tech experts.

Companies like eyejot, mailVU and Constant Contact have opened a portal that’ll allow anyone to put together a quick, inexpensive promotional video.

It’s the ultimate deal: Low cost, low tech, high payout.

A recent MarketingSherpa survey of more than 1,000 B2B marketers found 79% of companies still count direct mail as an effective part of their marketing strategy (22% of those respondents believe direct mail is a “very effective” channel).

Only 21% of companies believe direct mail is “completely ineffective” in terms of generating new business.

The question managers need to ask themselves prior to launching a new direct mail campaign is: What edge can direct mail provide that e-mail cannot?

Here are four reasons companies may want to consider direct mail campaigns instead of (or in addition to) e-mail:

1. Direct mail copy isn’t subject to spam filters
2. It gives companies the option to add graphics and vibrant colors, both of which have been proven to increase response rates
3. Lists don’t dwindle over time as prospects “unsubscribe,” and
4. It gives marketers the option to use creative envelopes or packaging to increase open rates.

The survey also revealed the size and location of a company play a major role in determining whether to use direct mail or e-mail

Two types of companies that tend to see better results from direct mail:

1. small companies of 100 employees or fewer that cater to a close-knit pool of customers, and
2. companies located in rural regions, where e-mail isn’t as widely used (or popular) as direct mail.

It’s a real problem many online retailers shrug off or simply ignore — and it’s costing them big money.

Only 13% of Internet retailers have proactive plans to re-market customers who’ve abandoned shopping carts and bring them back to the site, according to a new study by e-mail marketing firm Listrak.

The most effective way to bring customers back: Follow up an abandonment by e-mailing the customer within 24 hours, before the customer’s had the chance to completely move on mentally.

Sixty-two percent of retailers that do have a remarketing plan in place e-mail customers within a day of abandonment, found Listrak.

But to do this, companies must plan ahead to collect e-mail addresses before abandonment. The most popular strategies:

• 95% of retailers surveyed ask customers to provide an e-mail address at the start of the checkout process, and
• 83% ask for the address before taking credit card information.

Finally, most businesses need to address the problems leading customers to walk away in the first place.

Solutions include:

• Offering free shipping (nearly half of the customers who walk away bail because of shipping costs)
• Liberally displaying security icons from trusted companies (Verisign, McAfee) at every opportunity
• Showing links to return and privacy policies
• Making the checkout process as easy as possible (the more forms/fields customers have to fill out, the higher abandons climb), and
• Providing a clear path to customer service representatives via links and/or phone numbers.

There’s no doubt, cold calling isn’t easy. But there are some secrets to success – such as having the mental toughness to accept rejection and using a combination of these four tactics.

1. Prioritize prospecting times (and days)

In most industries, the cold-call contact rate is significantly higher at certain times of the day (or week).  A quick look at key metrics can generally help determine when the best time to reach prospects via phone is.

Your reps should schedule cold calls during that time period and make it a point to firm up specific callback times when dealing with gatekeepers.

It may also be helpful to monitor the call-to-appointment ratio (as well as the contact rate) on a weekly basis to determine if the strategy is having an impact.

2. Map out goals in advance

The author Lewis Carroll once wrote, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” The same holds true for cold calling. Success lies in the ability to know what the goal is beforehand so conversations can be orchestrated accordingly.

Pre-call research may give your team a better understanding of what each prospect’s needs are, and why your products and services offer ideal solutions.

A goal should be set for each call, whether it be scheduling an appointment, learning more about a prospect’s needs, or getting the prospect to agree to a follow-up call the next week.

3. Use e-mail as a buffer

It’s effective to send an introductory e-mail before a cold call. While it’s rare for prospects to engage in a dialogue via e-mail, the strategy may be a good way to break the ice.

Opening calls by mentioning that your company’s sent some information via e-mail a day or two prior usually results in prospects: acknowledging they received the e-mail, or admitting they haven’t had a chance to read it.

Either way, a rep now has an opening to discuss your product or service.

4. Focus on improving one skill at a time

Many reps are reluctant to make cold calls. And overcoming that reluctance rarely happens overnight.

One way to start: Rather than expecting the tide to turn immediately, choose one prospecting skill reluctant reps should focus on each week, as well as a way to measure progress.

As you begin to see progress in each area, it’s almost inevitable your team’s
overall success rate will increase as well.

Adapted in part from “14 Steps to Successful Cold Calling,” by Mark Hunter.

While the law says you have to give customers a way to opt out of mailings, it’s also important to keep the door open just a bit.

Remember, just because a customer wants off your e-mail list doesn’t mean your relationship is irreparably broken.

Some subscribers might be changing their preferences for communications from companies like yours. Some customers might be shifting most of their load to social media networks.

The easier (and more civil) you keep the unsubscribe process, the more likely it is you could be invited to join another mode of message sharing.

If your unsubscribe process is difficult, you can bet people will remember you — but for all of the wrong reasons. And former customers are sure to spread the word to their friends and peers if your unsubscribe process is clunky.

A few pointers on achieving an amicable parting:

• Make the exit clear. Don’t bury links in other texts or make readers jump through other pages to get opt-out access. Once a subscriber zeroes in on the opt-out tab, make it quick and easy. One click should do it, with an immediate confirmation.
• Ask why. Offer subscribers the opportunity to explain why they’re leaving. This shouldn’t be a required step in order to achieve opt-out, though.
• Offer different options. Would the person like to receive e-mail on a different day? Perhaps the person just isn’t a fan of e-mail anymore. Try to find out what the customer is looking for now, and what the best format is for presenting it. If possible, ask if the person would like to friend you on Facebook or follow you on Twitter instead.