Q3 2003
As promised in the last newsletter, we have added 2 case studies on CoreNet Global
and turq jewelry to our site. They provide an overview of two different challenges and opportunities that BrightWave Marketing managed. If you would like to submit a case study, please email me.
BWM was recently profiled in Georgia Innovations. (Subscription required) The
introduction of this edition was "Our new profiles include a security innovation (still the hot area in Atlanta), email marketing (low capital requirements but an area 'in play' and subject to special attention), and an intriguing multi-sensory technology (yes it passes the 'smell test'). "The full profile can be found at http://www.innovationspublishing.com/georgia/loadcompany.asp?id=220, although you must be a subscriber to view the profiles.
In a sign, that both the overall economy and internet sector are poised for
a quick rebound, this article provides some specific growth figures, including:
-U.S. online advertising spending is expected to account for $8.1 billion of
the country's $293 billion total media budget by 2006, marking a return to
2000's Internet spending spree figures.
-Final figures from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed "keyword search" as the growth leader of
2002, accounting for 15 percent of ad revenues ˜ compared to 4 percent in
2001 ˜ and the category earned 21 percent of total ad format revenues in 4Q
2002.
-Greg Stuart, president and CEO, Internet Advertising Bureau acknowledges
that companies are reinforcing relationships with their customers as they
become increasingly more reliant on the Internet. This is why BrightWave
Marketing exists, plain and simple. Gone are the days of overnight dot com
sensations and immediate online sales. Relationships, not the transaction itself, are the key and all companies need to realize this, for any type of long term success in utilizing the internet as an effective sales and marketing channel.
Similarly, a study by Channel Intelligence, forecasted Net-Driven Sales to
Surge and shows the importance of the internet in all aspects of a consumer
transaction (research to purchase).
An interesting study on the overall effect it can have on the bottom line as well as an interesting look at the frequency of emails sent by companies. The most glaring statistic: Cost of acquisition drops 20% while revenue per online customer increases 25%, by using email marketing.
E-Mail May Cost More Than You Think - A good article about how you can
misuse email because of its flexibility and low cost. A timely warning to
many companies diving head first into email marketing.
Yahoo to Buy Overture in $1.6 Billion Deal. A deal reminiscent of the dot com glory days of the late 90s. This pits Yahoo! vs. Google. Once partners and corporate cousins (they share the same venture backers) and now prime competitors. How this effects clients remains to be seen. In an email I received from the Overture CEO, he said no changes will occur in their offerings. The fact is most people using keyword buys as a marketing program probably use multiple networks anyway. The questions is, how do you benefit from their large reach and major differences? For more information about how this might affect you or to learn more, please contact the BrightWave Marketing team.
Two articles on the merger can be found here : New York Times (Registration Required)
Reuters
More search engine news....
Overture Launches New Contextual Advertising Product - Read the article - Google already offers this and Overture is following this as it extends the reach of its advertisers.
A more detailed look at this new wave of search engine advertising. Google, Overture Eye Content-Based Advertising
Ebay Gets in the game and plans Keyword Bid-For-Click Ad Program
The Wall Street Journal Online to Launch News Feature on America Online's Instant Messenger Services; New Interactive Service To Provide Dow Jones News Summaries And Stock Quotes To Millions of Instant Messaging Users
Finally , someone seizes the ubiquity of IM for enterprise solutions. This is the beginning of something very big - both in B2B and B2C.
Below are a series of excellent articles on key aspects of email marketing.
One of best and most thorough articles about whether or not to outsource your email marketing programs. BrightWave Marketing will be publishing an article on this issue very soon, as well.
E-Mail Newsletters That Sell
Permission to Sell
Six Ways to Grow a Subscriber List
Reactivation Campaigns: Reviving Your Long-Lost Customers
How Red Hat Has Kept its Email Newsletter Open Rates Higher Than Average for
Four Years in a Row
Powerful Sender and Subject Lines
Crafting a Personalized Subject Line
How Often Should You E-Mail People?
20 Rules of Writing Effective Business E-Mails
Morph Your Newsletter
Two large companies (DoubleClick and Jupiter Research) and some timely research findings, including:
-Open rates increased 8% from Q4 to Q1 (36.4% to 39.2%), and click-through
rates increased eleven percent from 8.0% in Q4 to 8.9% in Q1.
- "The most encouraging news in the Q1 Email Trend Report is that the sp*m
crisis is having less impact on the performance of legitimate marketers than
many of us had feared," said Eric Kirby, Vice President of Strategic
Services at DoubleClick.
-Discounted shipping and handling continues to be consumers' favorite online
promotion.
-33% of buyers often or sometimes make unplanned purchases to take advantage
of a special deal or promotion.
DoubleClick Q1 Email Trend Report Shows Stability in Performance Despite Current Spam Crisis
Jupiter Research Finds 'Retainable' Online Shoppers
In the ever changing world of email marketing legislation, a few
developments.
DO-NOT-E-MAIL BILLS PASS MICHIGAN SENATE
Current State Statutes and How They May Define Email Practices
This is a must read from the Chief Privacy Officer of DoubleClick.
Our user experience note of the quarter takes on the PDF file and its usage
on the web.
PDF - Unfit for Human Consumption
The Summary:
Users get lost inside PDF files, which are typically big, linear text blobs that are optimized for print and unpleasant to read and navigate online. PDF is good for printing, but that's it.
Don't use it for online presentation.
Government and Email - When Slowness and Inefficiency collide with Speed and
Effectiveness - Something has to bend. White House E-Mail System Becomes
Less User-Friendly (registration required)
Last, but most certainly, not least, those French are at it again.
French Government Bans Term 'E-Mail'
If you have any interesting articles, thoughts or case studies, you would like to share for a future BrightWave Report, please email them to us.
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