May
14
By Evan Adlman
Director, Business Operations
Summer is almost here. Time to roll out some summer campaign ideas.
Executing a lead generation campaign capturing email addresses while most folks are out enjoying sun and sand can be a challenge. But it's a lot easier if you use the season to your advantage. What types of content could you offer to make people give you a few minutes of time and fill out a form?
Print and color pages: It might seem quaint with some many minivans sporting the multiple DVD players, but some good off-screen fun can also help keep kids occupied during long car trips this summer. Offer harried parents a quick and easy download experience and promise more pages for back to school, Halloween and the holidays. ...
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Apr
24
By Craig Swerdloff
VP and GM of Customer Acquisition Solutions
While Ad:Tech was a lively show this year - it was not quite as mobbed as it had been the last few years. You can make your own assumptions about the cause, but for me it is evidence that the marketing budgets of advertising services companies are tightening.
But what is not totally clear is, why. Are recession fears driving reduced revenue expectations for these advertising services companies? Or has the ridiculous number of conferences, seminars, and events finally reached an inflection point? My guess is both. But I am not-so-secretly hoping that we have reached a point where the industry cannot support this many events. My family is openly cheering for it.
Aside from a decline in sponsorship and attendance, here are a few trends we saw last week and predictions for next year ...
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Apr
16
By Dennis Malaspina
VP, Sales and Client Development
MarketingExperiments just published two fascinating case studies on the use of incentives to drive email capture and free trial conversion.
Incentives have a mixed history in the annals of interactive marketing. The truth is, they work. And, as MarketingExperiments shows, when they are optimized they work really well. But they have been abused by some marketers and, if used poorly, can actually degrade performance.
That said, you gotta read this report now. It's really fascinating.
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Apr
08
By Dennis Malaspina
VP, Sales and Client Development
What are you planning to send your Mom this Mother's Day? Candy? Flowers?
Excuse me for saying so, but BORING! Now think about how many other people are out there struggling with the same boring ideas. We think this makes Mother's Day an ideal holiday for a little bit of acquisition magic. People look to email to give them fresh, new ideas. Take advantage of that by putting together an email campaign aimed at acquiring new customers who are looking to be the favorite kid this Mother's Day.
Be bold: Remember, you are trying to appeal to folks who are tired of sending the same old, same old gifts. ...
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Apr
03
By Craig Swerdloff
VP and GM of Customer Acquisition Solutions
Earlier this year the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released a set of best practices for online lead generation. As I've written about in the past (here, here and here), online lead generation is a smart strategy when it is executed well. But when you work with shady partners who are more interested in fulfilling invoices than in creating great subscriber experiences, your ROI and even your brand reputation can suffer.
So it shouldn't surprise you that we at Return Path have been involved in the creation of these lead generation best practices. And we are proud of the contribution the IAB has made to the overall health of the lead generation industry. It reflects our view of the world ...
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Mar
12
By Anita Absey
SVP, Sales & Marketing
So you are sitting at your desk, staring at your email promotion calendar thinking "Is there a single new idea left in the world? What do my subscribers really want? What are the newest rules for getting to the inbox? What are other marketers doing to get out of the rut?"
If this describes you, then you need to come to Return Path's Email Expert Seminars . The smartest minds in email today will be on hand to give you a fresh perspective on email. You'll view the world from the perspectives of subscribers, ISPs and your fellow marketers. You'll also get a fresh perspective on email acquisition and learn some bold new ways to apply those same old best practices.
Our experts are coming to ...
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition | Email Deliverability | Response
Mar
11
By Dennis Malaspina
VP, Sales and Client Development
Not obtaining the right level of consent can pose a serious risk to the success of your campaigns, your reputation and overall subscriber experience. Permission to send email needs to be proactive and voluntary by the subscriber and as an email marketer; you should take every precaution to ensure subscribers will in fact welcome your message into their inbox. The reward is that actively engaged subscribers that value your offers will result in positive subscriber experiences and ultimately, more revenue.
There are essentially five levels of permission you need to consider when designing your email programs. Each has their pros and cons and its usage depends on the type of program you are developing and the subscriber experience you want to provide. When trying to decide which one to implement, it might be helpful to assess the amount of risk that is associated with your opt-in program and take into account the relationship you want to build with your subscriber.
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Feb
14
By Dennis Malaspina
VP, Sales and Client Development
Some same opposites attract, but email and postal are a match made in heaven. Both are direct media and both want to elicit a response from the intended audience. The only place they differ is in their delivery, but so what? You don't have to choose one or the other. You can have your cake and eat it too! All you need to do is figure out which one is Venus and which one is Mars for a campaign that creates a lasting impression.
Categories: Acquisition
Feb
04
By Craig Swerdloff
VP and GM of Customer Acquisition Solutions
Permission and privacy are the big issues in the email universe particularly where the FTC is concerned. The FTC's proposed Behavioral Marketing Self Regulatory Principles could have a direct impact on ad targeting for all marketers including mailers. Couple this with the proposed legislation spearheaded by Governor M. Jodi Rell to make behavioral targeting "opt-out" in the State of Connecticut; marketers have some cause for concern.
The FTC's call for "greater transparency and consumer control" along with the protection of sensitive data is of particular interest to those companies utilizing behavioral advertising to influence consumer behavior. Marketers who rely on behavioral targeting to create relevancy are concerned about their response rates, but is what the FTC proposing really so terrible? Let's examine.
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
Nov
28
By Craig Swerdloff
VP and GM of Customer Acquisition Solutions
The strength and diversity of our publisher network makes the Postmaster Network one of the best places for marketers to reach their audience. This belief is hinged on the fact that the entire network is strengthened by the diversity of its many publisher members. It's a cliche, but the whole really is worth more than the sum of the parts.
So you can see why we are pleased to publicize the addition of a few premier publishers, which really add a lot to that whole sum. Return Path today announced that Forbes.com, Fotolog and TravelerID have joined the Postmaster Network.
Tell me moreCategories: Acquisition
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