ROCKINsider Newsletter by Rockhouse Media

Who's seeing your messages?
More importantly, who's not?

Step One: Campaign to Design Transition
After your email campaign idea has been finalized, it's time to turn your initiative into something visual your audience can relate to. It's time to involve a designer - a designer familiar with email marketing, image and code optimization, and best-practices. The design and development of the actual email is as, or more, important than the campaign itself. After all, if your prospective clients aren't able to view your campaign, it's nothing more than a space filler in someone's spam box. So, before you generate your email blast in Microsoft® Word, save it as an HTML doc and send it out from your company email address, it's in your best interest to contact a professional.

Step Two: Your List
Who are you sending this masterpiece of marketing to? Do you own your own list (acquired through sales or other campaigns)? Will you be purchasing an industry-specific list? All questions that need to be answered before Step One is on the radar. If this is your list, you should already have a good understanding of the demographics associated with it. Any reliable list broker will also have this information and usually base their pricing upon this and many other specific details, i.e. click-thru and open rates, business or consumer, etc. – critical data if you plan to track conversions and other sales-oriented information, which I highly recommend.

Step Three: Sending the Email
Wrapping everything up and getting this email into buyer's hands is often a very stressful operation and tends to be the most rushed portion of the project. Deadlines looming, campaign launches hanging in the wings, etc. Again, I cannot stress the importance of staying focused and on track. Statistics show the best day of the week for receiving offers, newsletters, and general information via email is Tuesday – which means the best day to send your email blast will either be Tuesday morning or very late Monday night. The time of day is anyone's guess. I've seen this stat vary over the years, but with the addition of Intrusion Protection Systems (virus and malicious software detection equipment) becoming more and more common within mid-to-large companies, the delay between the time you hit send and the time it hits inboxes could be up to 2 hours.

You may say to yourself "Well, if everyone knows Tuesday is the best day to send offers, shouldn't we avoid a crunch by sending on a different day?" – Great question. The most important thing to remember is these people have requested (opted-in) to receive your information because they either think it's important or they are interested in purchasing your widget. Even if you purchase a list, those people have been opted-in based on your industry, your product, your company's location, etc. They are expecting it. If you think in terms of when you are busiest, when your mind is more apt to be focused on performing your job, etc. this whole "Tuesday" thing makes more sense. For example, how apt are you to pay attention to email when all you're thinking about are the things you need to get done over the weekend (Friday). How many emails welcome you every Monday morning? Do you really want to click thru an email offering you low cost ink-jet cartridges? see my point?

Resources
I have included some of my favorite resources below. These are packed with useful information, terrific services, and even a few freebies sprinkled in here and there. Before you launch your next email campaign, be sure to consider the items listed above and do you and your company a favor by allowing professionals handle the elements you may have troubles with. It'll pay off in the long run.

	Constant Contact
	http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp
	VerticalResponse
	http://www.verticalresponse.com
	Wikipedia's Email Marketing Entry
	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_marketing
	About.com
	http://email.about.com/od/emailmarketingtips...

This Week's Topic: Keyword Research

Research your keywords and update them accordingly. The phrases you think your target market might be searching for may very well be incorrect. To find the optimal phrases to optimize for, use research tools such as KeywordDiscovery, Wordtracker, Google AdWords, and Yahoo Search Marketing data. Compile lists of the most relevant phrases for your site, and choose a few different ones for every page. Never shoot for general keywords such as "travel" or "vacation," as they are rarely (if ever) indicative of what your site is really about.

Thanks to Wendy Boswell for this article.

This Week's Topic: Blogs

Do blogs have any effect on your business? Do they increase traffic? And ultimately do they influence a prospective client to give you their money?

Here are some thoughts on developing and maintaining a Blog to promote your company, product(s) and or services:
	Online Buzz:
	A Blog is a good platform to create an overall buzz about your company and products.
	Consumer Referrals:
	If highly credible and visible people talk about your products, it will help your sales..... keep in mind this is a two-way street. The content of your Blog plays an important role in how the Blog is perceived and thusly, how it's talked about.
	Inbound Links:
	So, should Blogs be part of your marketing strategy? I would definitely say yes. However, like I would say for most other online marketing efforts, focus on quality rather than the quantity. Hundreds of posts on spammy Blogs could hurt you more than help you.

Often Blogs are referred to as Better Listing On Google. The frequency of updates, trackbacks, pings, comments, blogrolls and RSS all add to the search engine juice. Additionally, RSS alone is great for link building. Paul Chaney explains how to deploy a Blog to compliment your search strategy. Stephan Spencer goes into greater detail how you can use RSS to improve your organic search results.

Blogs help with organic search. To achieve higher results with search engines, incorporate keywords/phrases in your posts on a frequent basis.

This Week's Topic: What Can Green do for Your Company?

On the surface, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind when thinking about introducing environmental awareness to the workplace, is helping the planet or saving a few bucks by changing light bulbs, installing motion sensitive switches, going "paperless", and reusing boxes or packing supplies. In reality, you're doing much more:

	By saving a few bucks on utilities, supplies, etc.
	You're decreasing your bottom line. This may not be noticeable right away, but after a few months, your accounting department will start to see some change.
	By decreasing your bottom line...
	You're able to allocate funds to programs or services that may have been out of reach previously: Marketing, QA, Training, Sales Incentives, Trade show Budgets, etc.
	Direct effect in the marketplace
	By decreasing your company's expenses you may now have the option of lowering the cost of your widget, directly effecting how your company competes. Showing that you are helping the environment through your business practices can do as much or more than showing a 5% lower cost than a competitor.
	Publicizing the reduction in your Carbon Footprint
	Any good marketing director will know how to push your initiatives into the public eye (or at least in front of your customers). Adding a marketing page to all of your brochures and presentations is the simplest way to let people know how you're helping. Marketing to the community is the next best way. Communities love to hold up the companies that are working to stay involved and be socially conscious. It could be a way to become a community sponsor and open up new lines of business.

Take the next step, gain certification through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - visit their website for more info: http://www.usgbc.org

This Week's Topic: Does Your Branding Need a Facelift?

Over the past few years I have noticed an overwhelming amount of companies promoting themselves with outdated or old & tired design. You'd be surprised how many of these companies are Fortune 1000 and even Fortune 500. Times have changed, the way consumers do business has changed, and yet companies seem to lose track of how their business is perceived through first impressions. A well-dressed, polished sales person meeting with a prospective client to pitch a widget is so far from business reality it needs a mobile GPS unit to find it's way home. The sales cycle is driven by two means of acquisition: #1) The Internet and Tech Communications — #2) Solid relationships. 85% of the time, a visit to your company's website is the first impression a prospective client has of your business, your products and services and your marketing initiatives. If your branding has been stuck on a Y2K treadmill for the past 8 years or your marketing team still listens to "Dance hits of the '80s" and wear fluorescent leg warmers to work, it's time for a facelift.

Benefits and misconceptions of changing/modifying your company's branding:
	Changing your branding does not mean changing your logo
	For some companies, changing their logo is business suicide. A well established logo is priceless and should never be changed. However, modifying the brand that supports the logo is common and should be done carefully and frequent enough to stay current.
	Keep things fresh, but don't fall victim to fads or trends
	If you're serious about changing your company's branding, website design, or even starting from scratch, be sure to do your homework. Avoid trendy design – prime example: "New Coke". Remember when Coca-Cola introduced a new product to compete closely with Pepsi's higher sugar content? We all know how that turned out. The same goes for your website, brochures, stationary and letterhead. Stay true to your company's roots, maintain your company's integrity, and have a professional designer work closely with you to achieve a fresh, progressive identity.
	Sometimes a website re-design is all that's needed
	You don't have to break the bank to reinvent your company's identity. Approach this new change in phases. Start with a new website design and see what the reaction is. Try something different, but as I mention above - stay loyal to the founding principals that made your company successful to this point. Maintain the same colors you've always used, but add more, or change the hue of these colors slightly to achieve a look more common with the 21st century (Web2.0) environment.

"So what is a brand? A brand today is all about engagement. It is about capturing consumers' hearts, minds, and wallets (or votes) throughout the purchase and relationship cycle, at each and every “touchpoint” between the consumer and the company's product or service."

- Paul Gibler, The Web Chef

This Week's Topic: Outer Glow is the New Drop Shadow

The next time you need your text to stand out against a colored background or just want to add some depth to the text within your composition, try the Outer Glow layer style within Photoshop (Effect > Stylize in Illustrator). Tinker with the spread and opacity settings until you achieve your desired result. See below examples:

I find the Outer Glow layer style to be much softer and visually appealing. Over the years Drop Shadows have become over-used... and even when a great designer needs to utilize a drop shadow, it almost seems to take away from the rest of the layout. Give it a shot - you may never go back!

	EMAIL MARKETING
	With opportunities for mistakes lurking around every turn, be sure you get it right the first time.
	SEARCH ENGINES
	Keyword Research is often overlooked but if performed regularly, can set you apart from your competition.
	WEBSITE MARKETING
	Do Blogs really have a place in your marketing plan? Can they really increase traffic to your website?
	CAMPAIGN IDEAS
	What can Green do for your company? Save you money, increase your market share and generate positive PR - oh, and also help the environment.
	BRANDING POLICE
	Is it time to think about changing your company branding? Trying to sell products and services in 2008 using visual marketing from 2001 does more harm than good.
	DESIGN DESK
	Try something different when applying layers styles or text effects to your compositions. Try the Outer Glow layer style before you add a drop shadow, you may like what you see.

"Marketing is not an event, but a process . . . It has a beginning, a middle, but never an end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it completely."

Brooke Savage , Vice President of Marketing at XRSolutions XRSolutions (website)
	Briefly describe what XRSolutions (XRS) does.
BS	We provide RFP and Proposal Automation Software to Government Contractors who are selling to Federal, State and Local governments. They have stringent document requirements in submitting proposals and our software helps make the process more efficient.
	How often does XRS update it's website? - this includes images, content, news, etc.
BS	We upadate weekly for webinar schedules and training classes and as needed for other content.
	I see on your website that XRS offers a newsletter (Keep me Posted) - do these newsletters include marketing content or are they informational only?
BS	Working on our first newsletter now and hope for a blend of neutral industry related content and some product information from us.
	PC or Mac?
BS	PC Only
	As the VP of Marketing, what is your involvement with your company's marketing initiatives?
BS	I'm responsible for all marketing intitiates including Advertising, PR, Web Content and product related marketing.
	Does XRS use printed collateral to support sales efforts? If so, what type of collateral do you offer your prospective clients? i.e. slicks, brochures, pocket folder "kits", etc.
BS	We are moving away from printed collateral to fully web-based material. We publish some limited product datasheets for trade shows and professional meetings.
	Is XRS currently participating in or have any future plans to incorporate environmental awareness programs within the workplace? i.e Going Green
BS	Our offices are housed in refurbished textile mill which is Green to the extent that it was recently outfited with higher insulation, energy saving windows and lighting.
	Does XRS use an agency for creative work or do you have someone in-house?
BS	Everything is done in-house in partnership with small professional organizations such as Rockhouse Media which we rely on for web development and other creative services.
	Does XRS maintain a Blog or Blogs? If so, what sort of content is published?
BS	No blog yet but looking to start one. Will focus on the proposal issues faced by Governement Contractors.
	If you had $5,000 cash and had to spend it in the next 15 minutes, what would you purchase? The money must be spent on something that could improve your current position at XRS.
BS	Email and banner ads to our target market.

Many thanks to Brooke Savage for contributing to this months ROCKINsider. Brooke will receive a fresh can of Barbeque-flavored SPAM®.

Whether you're company is 3 people or 300, Rockhouse Media offers several different website design packages to specifically fit your needs & budget.

Email Marketing Trends
	38% of companies have a centralized e-mail marketing department according to Jupiter Research.
	83% of companies are using e-mail marketing according to Forrester Research.

e-Mail Usage is lower and declining among teens as they substitute instant messaging, text messaging and social network messages according to a recent iMedia Connection article. The article references that even among college students we're seeing a declining usage of e-mail as they engage with the immediacy of alternative message delivery.

Fantastic parody about a common issue that all designers can relate with - closet designers.

Need to produce more in less time, with less money? Seems to be the trend these days.... well this tutorial provides great insight into how you can improve your efficiency without changing your normal design process.

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