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Archive for November, 2009



Brian Michael

11/30/2009

Awesome Excel Add-On
11:40 am by Brian Michael

In the email marketing world, you often find yourself inheriting lists of contacts for email delivery on behalf of clients.  Besides ascertaining the origin these lists (opt-in, matched file, etc.), it is important to do an initial cleansing of the lists.  This includes removing duplicates, filling in missing data and removing erroneous data.  If you have a person responsible for database administration he or she could probably get this done by loading the lists into a MySQL, SQL, or Access database and running a few scripts.  However, this person may not understand the specific logic that the data must follow (i.e. this type of record trumps this type), because it is often not known until someone actually rolls up their sleeves and starts digging.

So when you need to manipulate data using a fine point rather than the broad brush of database scripts, Microsoft Excel is a natural solution.  However it has its limitations in terms of sync-ing multiple lists.  Thankfully, DigDB is a useful Excel plug-in that allows you to do much of your data manipulation yourself.  Its website also features step-by-step instructions for common tasks like de-duping lists.  Check it out, it’s pretty cool and extremely useful.

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Paul McKay

11/24/2009

Giving Thanks
07:24 pm by Paul McKay

Thanksgiving is hands down the best holiday of the year. This morning I went to my kindergarten son’s Thanksgiving assembly and was reminded of the true spirit of this holiday — the spirit of giving and reflecting on the concept of gratitude.  I was also struck by the joy of Thanksgiving when I heard seventy five 6-year olds belt out a song that wove the lyrics “Thank you teachers, thank you Mommy, thank you Daddy …” with “Turkey! Turkey! Yummy! Yummy!”  It was pure bliss.

This year I have a lot to be thankful for including the health and happiness of my family; the opportunities to learn from and grow with my colleagues at IWS; and the joy of coming to work everyday and work for great clients to help them advance their ideas and products.

Have a safe and joyful Thanksgiving.

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Max Fose

11/24/2009

Time Online
04:10 pm by Max Fose

Traditional avenues for communicating a message are losing ground everyday to online communication tools. As the following two charts show, online is capturing more and more of an individual’s attention and time.  And, unlike competing options, online communication tools provide users with an immediate avenue to engage in the conversation that is measurable in real time.

1081071

108113

 

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jmcglasson

11/19/2009

We like to think of ourselves as Santa’s little helpers
11:51 am by jmcglasson

img_4033With the current economic strain that our country is under, we do not have to look far to see a need. There is projection that this year there will be a record number of families who will need assistance this holiday season. Integrated Web Strategy may not be able to put a huge dent in the needs of our valley, but we can sure help. For the last 10 years, IWS has been committed to giving back to the community in any way that we can—regardless of the economic climate. Whether it be our continued pro-bono work for numerous not-for-profits, sponsoring community events, adopting families at Christmas or our turkey donations to help feed the hungry, giving back has always been a priority of our agency.

This year, IWS has a partner in our quest to help. And it’s not just anybody! We are working with the big man himself – SANTA! Bob Grinnell, a valley resident has been lighting up the lives of many children for years! Each year, he is focused on the mission to give kids a Christmas who will likely not have one. Bob’s long time mission to improve kids’ lives and spread the spirit during the holiday is one that is remarkable to see and exciting to be a part of. Santa Bob is a member of the Real Bearded Santa’s and for years has not only volunteered through hospice, lighting up children’s lives, but he orchestrates a yearly drive to assist needy families. Each year, the need grows which makes his job much more challenging. The families that he cannot find sponsors for, Santa Bob donates the money he earns for “hiring out as Santa” so that no family is turned away.

My own family has had the great joy of having Santa be part of our annual Christmas celebration for the last 4 years. Our family and friends feel it to be an honor to be able to assist him in his cause. As we quickly approach the holiday season, Santa is still in need of help! He has many families that he is hoping to fulfill wishes for. IWS would like to invite you to join us in our efforts this year. If your family or company is thinking about adopting a family, please contact Bob Grinnell. Or if you would like to surprise your family and friends at your upcoming holiday party, all proceeds that he makes as Santa go directly to providing needy children with joy on Christmas morning.

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iws

11/17/2009

How well do you know Mr. G?
01:26 pm by iws

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short, is the complex process of improving a website’s traffic via online search engines. Blah, blah, blah. By now, most of us are at least somewhat familiar with this rather confusing and intimidating acronym, but I am here to give you my take on it. As an architect of the pages we view, scroll, click, shop, sign-up, comment, peruse, and ultimately rely on for a myriad of daily use, I am here to help sort out the enigma that is SEO. g

Of course I have to say, search engines (plural) in most cases when I’m talking about SEO, but lets face it, for now there’s really only one that matters. Who is this king of the search engines you ask? This internet moderator who answers those tough questions in life, like “Who delivers Chinese at 2 am?” or “How many feet are in a mile??”  Well I could let you take a guess out of……hmmm, I’ll say three, but I’ll just give you a hint instead. His name begins with G and ends with duh.

For most of you who know him, Mr. G is a pretty neat guy. He’s very popular, hip, clean cut, savvy and for the most part, friendly. Friendly of course, only if you speak his language and dress in his style… and guess what, he can be very choosy. Mr. G is at times extremely judgmental, especially if you try to climb his LONG ladder of friends unfairly, by bending his rules. The fact is, his popularity has given him certain rights. There are certain standards he has set in place that allow him to govern how you or your company rank on his coveted list of friends. Oh and by the way, just because you dress Flash-y doesn’t mean you’re automatically buds with G either.

Ahh, the science of SEO… this is where I come in. Though this “science” is complicated, tedious, and dull with outside opinions; I am a firm believer that the basic underlying concepts of SEO will for the most part remain the same. By following a few key rules any site can attract G’s much needed attention. These rules are simple: Have interesting, up-to-date content on a well-designed and developed infrastructure and, bing! your website will skyrocket to the top of Mr. G’s friend list faster than you can say Balloon Boy.

Maybe you love him, with his quick responses on how to spell words like “unconstitutional” or his perfect timing to remind you that, yes, it is actually Sesame Street’s 40 birthday. Maybe you struggle with Mr. G and his fickle, ever changing taste in websites and where he decides to rank them in importance. One thing is for sure: like him or not, the next wave we get from G….. probably won’t be a wave goodbye.

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admin

11/06/2009

Simple Email Marketing Tips



05:13 pm by admin

According to Forrester Research, by the year 2014 interactive marketing, will hit almost $55 billion in the US. It’s expected to grow from 12% of overall ad spend in 2009 to 21% over the next five years. What does this mean? More and more companies are adjusting their ad budget to spend less on traditional advertising, like print ads and billboards, and going online to market their company. One simple way to do this is through email marketing. Here are 6 questions you should be asking yourself when starting an email-marketing program:

1. What is the primary purpose of the emails that your company sends?

If your company is using emails to send out monthly newsletters consider expanding your message to action-oriented emails. Poll your readers to find out what messages and/or offers they would be interested in learning more about.

2. How are your company’s emails deployed?

Sending emails out manually through your Outlook or any individual email account can make you and your company look like amateurs, not to mention that you could even be sending your customers viruses. Use a third party online marketing tool specifically designed to send emails, such as Lyris, Activate Direct, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor. These systems offer features to track open rates, click throughs, and can even integrate other applications your company may be using like a customer relationship manager (CRM).

3. How does your company design and manage email assets?

Designing emails from scratch each time you want to deploy an email can be very time-consuming, utilize a template approach. Users may lose interest if you continue to use the same template over time so design a series of templates for your email campaign.

4. Does your company utilize landing pages for your email campaigns?

There is a balance of marketers that feel implementing individual landing pages is far too time consuming, but they could not be more wrong. Directing all traffic to one specific place eliminates the ability to effectively traffic the success of your campaign. It can also be frustrating for your user if they get to a page and the page is not specific to the email they received. The most effective landing page uses a combination of the offer, making the user feel the offer is unique to them and include a call to action.

5. Does your company test offers, lists, subject lines or creative?

Your company should constantly be testing email communications to your readers. This will allow you to refine your message(s) and get rid of poor performing campaigns or programs along with segmenting your list of users. Select a percentage of your database like 10-20% and test a two different messages or offers, even test the subject line within these messages.

6. Does your company test to optimize deliverability, as well as frequency, and days in which email deployment is most effective?

Deliverability is important information for every successful email program. The time and frequency of email deployment can also be a factor in the success of your deliverability. What works for one company may not work for yours. The only way to truly know what works for you is to test, after all isn’t email marketing a game of “trial and error”? Having conclusive results will help you refine your email campaign and build a more effective outcome.

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