Facebook for Restaurants

By Caitlin Fegley, RCM Social Media Fanatic

Whoever thought that when we were all making our Facebook pages years ago that it would turn into what it is today? I know I didn’t. But what I do know is that Facebook has become a networking tool not only for those of us looking up old classmates and posting pictures, but also for companies who want to make their businesses stronger by connecting with their audience on a different level. My focus today: restaurants.

We started a project recently that involves creating a Facebook page for a QSR (which I just learned stands for quick service restaurant). In starting this venture we realized that the focus is not so much on the creative, but on the dialogue. We needed to research how QSRs can be implemented into social media in the most effective way, and here is a little bit of what we discovered.

When it comes to restaurants, new studies point to social media still having somewhat limited impact on the overall consumer universe, but a very strong influence among younger audiences. In fact, one-third of fast-food diners reported not using any social networking sites; however most of these non-users are over the age of 54.

One interesting statistic I came across is that 48% of early-adopter groups confirmed that a restaurant’s presence on a social network (such as a branded Facebook fan page) positively influences their decision to try that restaurant. These early-adopters (who use social media the most) are also likely to be among the first to broadcast their opinions about a restaurant promotion, a new restaurant concept or one that they have tried for the first time.

That isn’t all. Restaurants can use social media to get immediate feedback on food, service and pricing, and to enlist fans as ambassadors to grow restaurant brands. The benefits are continuous and this is why we are seeing social media play a large part in so many restaurants’ marketing efforts. Among those who have used social media in relation to fast food, nearly 70% said that it’s extremely or very important for fast-food brands to participate in these media.

Strategy before Creative always!

Social Media Done Right: Estee Lauder Case Study

All this talk about social media is just that, talk. The genius of social media lies in the simple: marketers must ask, 'will my client's target audience find this useful?' I want to applaud whoever came up with Estee Lauder's latest promotion: offering free makeovers and photo shoots at its department-store cosmetics counters to produce shots women can use for their online profiles.

Instead of a 'free gift', the gift of an online profile includes the Estee Lauder logo in the background and could give the brand lasting presence on Facebook beyond its own 27,000-member plus fan page. The promotion is being plugged on their Facebook page, on the company website and in press releases.

With a target market of ages 35 to 55, they are hoping to modernize the brand for younger women while recognizing that the 'older women' are online everyday as well.

Obviously, this will help direct sales at makeup counters as well. Simple and Genius.

Metrics for Social Media

Marketers are in two camps when it comes to social media: those who believe social media is THE answer and tweet about everything and anything, and those that believe FaceBook and Twitter will soon join other irrelevant fads. Time will tell.

I happen to believe in social media. But that's not the point of the article. It's the age-old problem in marketing: how do we decide the level of investment to devote to social media and how do we determine if that investment is worthwhile?

I believe it's the message, not as much as the following. The message will get you the following. For example, the blogger down the street providing relevant information to his target audience is more likely to influence behavior with his 100 readers versus Ashton Kutcher with his million Twitter followers.

Let's look at traditional media. There we have been able to determine what matters: the credibility of the source, audience reach, and opinion leadership that can be quantified with useful metrics that ultimately allow us to make educated investment decisions about advertising and PR programs.

Most of the commonly used metrics for social media are: unique visitors, members, posts, pageviews, number of groups, comments & trackbacks, time spent on site, contributors, completed profiles, connections between members...you get my drift. These are a victory in themselves.

However, while we can measure the ability of sites like the Huffington Post to reach and influence an audience, it's nearly impossible to measure the reach or influence of blogs. The tools that allow us to become a citizen journalist through blog posts or Tweets fragments the communications streams to the point that we no longer have the ability to measure the impact of most bloggers.

Why I'm a social media believer: Through collective force, it can be a great influence. It's a great tool when you want a focus group. The value for me is using social media to help me understand the conversations and issues surrounding brands and topics.

For now, I suggest following three rules for social media:
1. Measure the value by the insights it provides, not the numbers it delivers (the medium may change, the message does not)
2. Just because digital media is easier to measure, don't confuse that with it being the end all be all.
3. Use social media as one component of your communications.

That's my two cents.

Brands & App Strategies

This September will mark two years into the age of the iPhone app. Doesn't it seem so much longer than that? I want to share some lessons I've learned in the process:

1. People will pay for value. Examples are my personal favorite, the $9.99 Pantone app along with national examples like the $9.99 MLB At Bat app and Kraft's $.99 cent app. Zagat's iPhone app is the 77th top-growing app in the Apps Store out of 58,000.

2. Apps must be real-time. Don't make an app that is your website--people's expectations with apps are much higher than that.

3. Figuring out the price. That's the million dollar question isn't it? Just remember, it's easier to drop the price than to increase it.

4. Don't be scared of feedback. People will point out flaws in your app on the web. That feedback is a free focus group people! Adjust your app accordingly and send through an update. Consumers want to know people are listening to them and you will earn their respect by listening.

5. Free apps do work. If you have a product or service, a free app is a great tool to drive sales. An example is Benjamin Moore's Ben Color Capture app, built to build brand awareness for its subbrand Ben, as well as drive traffic to stores. The app lets users snap a photo of something in the world that matches colors in the photo to pain shades in the brand's library. That often leads to paint purchases, and the app uses GPS to direct users to their nearest retailer. Genius!

6. Apps shouldn't be one-off projects--they should be part of integrated campaigns.

7. Engagement is better than downloads. You should be happier to have 100 engaged consumers than 1000 downloads.

8. Guerilla marketing is key: people find apps through other people. Get into the blogs, the forums and inexpensively market your app.

Digital Marketing Thoughts

While using new technology in itself will not bring success -- it's still about the content being creative and engaging -- there are some new trends I've been mulling over.

I have loved the use of viral videos when done the right way. What I'm excited about are viral video analytics becoming more sophisticated. YouTube is expanding its video analytics offerings, and small companies are jumping on board to provide comprehensive viral monitoring services across multiple online video platforms. So what I'm thinking about investing in is this: viral seeding strategies. Promoting videos via online influencers, Facebook video-sharing apps and targeted paid placements. And now I can develop and select ads with the most viral video potential before investing.

Still am not sure about mobile advertising vs online advertising. It's still a new medium and there remains consumer resistance (myself as an example) to mobile advertising.

Am investigating an interesting service called FourSquare--a mobile game that allows users to broadcast their location to a network of friends and other users in their cities. It allows marketers to tap into an engaged network of users, whether offering special promotions, etc all based on reported location. Am keeping an eye on this as I expect this to grow.

Would love your opinions on any of these topics!

Advertising Insights for 2010

I know I'm late in wrapping up 2009, but am reading Advertising Age, and column by Dana Severson and I wanted to share his/my thoughts with you. I will only mention the points I agree with though (or else why share? ;)



1. Print media is not dead. Don't even think about the research, think about your favorite magazine and how it inspires you in your everyday life. Magazines are closing their doors because advertisers are spending less. It's not because we stopped reading them. That's what makes it sad. Domino magazine: Come Back!



That being said, don't eliminate print from your advertising plans--just invest more in one magazine. Instead of doing small ad sizes in bunch, invest in the one that hits your target audience the best and go all out with a full page. It has been working for me: rates are cheaper, there's less competition for the reader's attention and your ROI will be much greater.



2. Social networking only works if you commit to it. Unless you are conversing with your audience, there's not point to use Facebook or Twitter. It's better to have none at all then have one sitting there with something you posted 6 months ago.



3. Your online banner ad still generates interest--the measurement of success from your efforts will show in sales numbers and can be totally unrelated to the number of clicks. The presence is still worth something. Ad networks have us all thinking that the only value in online ads is conversions. It's not true.



That's all for today folks. Thanks.

Microsites: The Skinny

Now with the age of iPhone apps, I'm hearing the term 'microsite' thrown around quite a bit. I want to get back to basics first, so we can see how they can be used as a web marketing tool.

First, a microsite is an extremely focused, targeted 1-3 page website. Exactly what you would think when you hear 'microsite'. It can be used to promote an iPhone app, but also can target an event (example the new "Drive Through Healthy" Taco Bell campaign), a new product--anything you can think of using a single keyword phrase.

Now how can they be used for marketing? Obviously anything that is highly targeted is already a cut above, as visitors aren't distracted with information they don't need. If designed right, microsites should be consise and to-the-point. Visitors shouldn't have to click through flash elements, etc. to know what it is you are promoting or selling, etc. Basically, they help cut through the clutter when you want to promote something specific, and your message maybe or probably is different than your main website--that being said, a microsite should only focus on one topic. Or else you'll just end up making another website.

By promoting just one product or service, visitors get only the information they want--so the conversion rate is higher, and you can always integrate the lead form or purchase link into your main website.

So with microsites: single topic: good. More than that and you don't really have a microsite.

For an iPhone app microsite, I happen to love the one for www.iphorest.com. It's short and simple, tells you what the app does and the features it holds. And it's all about the app.

Working Around the Economy: An Inspiring Example

With the economy's ups and downs, every industry has been forced to 'get creative' in terms of generating revenue. One example stands out to me, and its roots are in the publishing industry. But I think every industry can learn from this.

In publishing, book sales are down 3% compared to last year. What creative idea did they come up with to try to negate those numbers? The authorless book tour. Yes, you heard that right.

First started successfully by Random House, the 'leaving the author at home' idea is gaining momentum. Random House launched its 'Stupid Smelly Bus Tour' six years ago to promote a book series for kids, leaving the author at home and gaining a $3.3 billion bonus within the $24 billion book industry.

Instead of focusing on the author, the tours focus on the books' characters--something that is way more exciting for kids. What a great idea for the children's publishing industry. And something that simple and logical is all every industry needs--a solid, creative and simple solution/addition.

Amulet Books did a 20-day 'Ice Cream Truck' reading tour this summer, giving out free scoops at 31 city libraries to publicize the Oct. 2009 launch of the fourth book in the Wimpy Kids series geared towards kids ages 7 to 12. It has sold more than 20 million copies to date.

Not only do these 'authorless' tours generate more revenue, they give the authors' more time to write--something the publishing house needs when they have a hit on their hands.

Brilliant, surprisingly simple, and inspiring.

Make Each Piece of Your Direct Mail Count

Let's start with the bottom line first: Your customers and prospects can't respond to your direct mail piece if they don't receive it. Sounds simple right? The good news is that it is, as long as you take the proper steps to ensure your addresses are correct, complete, and updated.

Most of us get tripped up on the 'updated' part. Since every piece of mail that doesn't reach your intended audience is wasted money (on postage, on printing and mail prep), commit to updating your mail list at least 3 times a year if not more.

What does this mean? Pay attention to the obvious: accurately entering new addresses by including all elements of the address: street number, proper spelling of the street name and city, secondary addresses such as suite numbers, and the most important is the zip code.

When you are trying to get a presorted postage rate, 'quality addresses' are rewarded with the deepest automation postage discounts.

The most common data entry errors that prevent my clients from getting the presorted rates are: wrong or missing abbreviations in the address, street name misspellings, missing the N,S,E or W in the street address, and transposed or missing numbers in the primary address number.

The biggest money waster if you've always kept your list 'clean'? They're the things you couldn't possibly know about: address changes. Forwarded mail is delayed, which may cause customers to miss the timeliness of your mailing. Making sure you have the most current addresses before you mail is simple, and the answer is NCOA. Make sure your mail house applies NCOA to your list, as it taps into a USPS database containing change of address notices submitted within the last 48 months. NCOA matches your mailing list against this file before your mail pieces are sent. When a match is identified, records with new addresses are updated and those listed as moves without a forwarding address are deleted. The result? A list with the highest chance of accuracy, timely delivery and minimal wasted postage.

I've found the most sophisticated mail houses include NCOA at no additional charge. But you MUST ask the question.

Movement Towards Small Agencies Ring Truer Than Ever

People have been predicting the shift to small agencies forever. Well maybe not forever, but forever in media time. But now, with IBM, Wrigley and many more companies reaching out to the smaller agencies, the shift is happening and it is public.

Of course my vote is for the small agency that can not only execute highly technical creative projects, but also leading some to wonder whether the biggest digital players are becoming a thing of the past.

Small agencies are faster, there's not doubt about it. We are not organized like the big companies we work for. We don't have the traditional cascade approach, where strategy flows to production to design to technology, we have different people with one vision handling all three at a time.

Basically, large agencies have huge infrastructures and have grown so large that they don't have the creative capabilities the small agencies have. Or they take forever. I'm making the argument that small agencies can not only do banner ads and press releases, they can also provide comprehensive deliverables like digital media.

There is no 'time' anymore to speak of. Big agencies are costly and slow. So there's my argument for the small agency. Small agencies can not only do what big agencies do, but they can do it in half the time b/c there aren't eight departments involved.

That's my case for the small agency.

A Tie-In Collaboration That Worked: Windows 7 Meets The Whopper

Quite fascinating indeed. Take a product like Windows 7, which buzz tells us is hard to install and not worth the money. What to do? Partner with Burger King in Japan? Yes, they did it and they did it well.

I always like to share these stories because they provide us with inspiration -- no matter how weird it sounds, it just may work.

Microsoft--in efforts to publicize the release of Windows 7--teamed up with Burger King's Japanese unit to sell a seven-patty hamburger at the burger chain's outlets in Japan. Weird right? It was a major success: It was first going to be a 7 (get it?) day promotion and they extended the offer because the Windows 7 Whopper sold out each day at all15 Burger King outlets for $8.60 each. After that, the price is $16! For a Microsoft Burger. Genius.

Social Marketing worked without Microsoft having to lift a finger: YouTube videos customers posted trying to get their mouths around the 2120 calorie burger were posted immediately.

Not only did the campaign serve Microsoft, but Burger King raised profits and they got great publicity. That equals a great campaign. Now, how to get one from Japan?

Inspiration from Hulu: Money Well Spent on Advertising

Am inspired by an article I read in Fast Company this morning regarding Hulu.com, the main representative of what is considered "Web TV" today.

Lessons that can be learned from their strategies to give more value to companies advertising on their site:

1. Let viewers control part of the ad experience: Viewers can choose which commercials to watch--from BlackBerry to Fancy Feast cat food. Even better for viewers, they can choose between one glob of ads before a movie or several segments that are shorter.

2. Viewers can vote with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on each ad. THIS IS THE GENIUS PART. Viewers get satisfaction of providing feedback and lets Hulu customize their ads from that feedback. Moreover, as we can all argue about advertising, how to gauge it, etc.--we do all know that it works. With viewer feedback, advertisers can truly know if they are going in the right direction with their ad campaign or not. Businesses value ANY kind of feedback (hence the popularity of Twitter), even the bad so they can change course and stop wasting money on something that doesn't entice viewers.

3. Users of Hulu supply demographic information--all of this enables advertisers to achieve far more precise targeting than our regular 'ole TV provides. I must include my friends that love Hulu as a lot of them are in the creative industry and use Hulu to pass time while huge files are uploading, etc. "I have a big belief that if you don't have children under the age of 2, you don't need to see a Pampers commercial," Kilar of Hulu says. "That's not money well spent for an advertiser."

4. Example: In launching their new search engine Bing, Microsoft ran a "Bing-a-thon" which in a nutshell was a 72-minute telethon parody that was truly funny and featured actors from SNL. Every Hulu ad that day was a Bing-a-thon clip, and the infomercial was the day's 4th most watched program. An ad being a top program? Get out! THE GENIUS OF THIS: Viewers could do a Bing search within the Hulu screen and tell friends about it. There is no other platform within TV that allows you to do that right now. And, viewers tuned in for approximately 30 minutes--the equivalent of nearly 60 30-second spots.

While Hulu needs to grow it's advertising dollars to make money, as they offer a free service, I think they are on the right track. Anything from here can only be better. They are truly tuned in and I admire their strategy.

We can all learn from this, and apply it to our own advertising dollars spent.

The Genius of Facebook

It seems to me that everyone throws the word 'social marketing' around these days to describe everything. I want to get back to the basics. To me, the genius of Facebook can be described as any example. When I want to find out the latest movies to see, the latest baby products that REALLY work, even down to the next car I should get, I poll my friends on Facebook. Say you have 600 friends (and yes, people do) and 30% respond with similar answers, what do you think will sway the buyer more?

An ad (print or online) can generate an idea (the idea to purchase), so in no way is that being discounted. Companies just forget to take that a step further, and that's where social marketing comes in.

Even Twitter comes into play. I shop a lot online, as do most people in their 30s do. I follow retailers, hoping I'll come across a great deal they post on Twitter. While scanning through my tweets (oh, I hate that word), I see other people I follow commenting on their latest purchases.

Facebook Connect is genius. People are starting to get it--retailers use this service, get a Facebook log-in window on their website, allowing users to tap their friend lists for input as they shop. Think about it--one person becomes a fan, all your friends see it, and they become fans too.

My take on the future, whenever that may be: shoppers will start using Facebook instead of search engines like Google, where most retail buys happen today.

Social Marketing in a nutshell: As more media outlets grow, the more word-of-mouth marketing opportunities the better. Don't discount friend power.

Boost Direct Mail Visibility with Promotional Products

I tend to write what's on my mind at the moment, namely at 2:42 am tonight.

As I spent the day sourcing retro products for a high-end corporation (which I will ultimately customize packaging for the products with custom sound--then fulfill and mail) it got me thinking.

The campaigns I do for this company generate a high response due to many factors.
It's an innovative fulfillment campaign (not a flat static postcard) which will increase visibility to their prospects and be the first or third step in generating sales (as we mail to the same list 3 times at least).

For the creative concept, dream big first, logistics second. Because there is ALWAYS a way if you work with an agency that can start at concept, or take yours to make it a reality. There are many sources and agency has access to, companies that won't sell directly to one person.

Here are some rules to guarantee success once you have your creative concept down:

1. Above ALL, make sure your mailing list is accurate. Your mailing is as good as your list. The more you have narrowed it down, the better.

2. Get a business reply account at your local post office. You will save a ton in postage. Instead of being charged postage for every reply card you include in a mailing, you'll only get charged for the ones that get mailed back. Visit usps.com for more information on business accounts. $500 a year is worth it if you do direct mail.

3. What makes a promotional product mailing? When it's mailed as a "dimensional": in a box or tube. Recent research from Baylor University shows that such a dimensional mailing can increase response rates by as much as 75 percent!

4. Send something that is related to what your company offers, and make it interactive (anything that they will want to stay on their desk, play with, or show to other people within their company).

5. Use "delayed" mailings: create anticipation when doing a 2, 3 or 4-tier mailing to the same mail list. Target prospects receive only one part of an item with another "theme matching" piece to follow. This is key that maybe I should have made it #1.

Good day, and good mailings!

Writing a Press Release - simple and not simple

You can write press releases all day, every day, but if they don't get an editor's attention, you can consider your time wasted. Editors read press releases in 1-2 seconds, have a well-trained eye, and will toss your release you worked hours on if the first paragraph doesn't attract them.

So, what to do? Think about being the editor. You want simple--who doesn't? You want to make the least edits as possible--who doesn't? So the more coherently a release is written, the better its chances of getting picked up by news sources.

Here are the "musts": Make sure you're writing about a newsworth events. They include things like new product launches, technology updates, company donations to the community, etc.

Realize some editors get over hundreds of releases per day, so think before you write: "Is this something I would want to read about?"

Old school PR says "know your audience". I say "know THEIR audience". The goal is to get this published, and an editor will pick something they think THEIR audience will enjoy, not just yours.

Old school PR is right about something things though--never forget these basic elements:
-identify the who, what, where, when, how and why
-make the headline attention-grabbing
-include quotes
-include a background
-finish with a corporate summary
-provide contact information, even if it's just your website

Good luck!

iPhone Apps Today are Just a Hint of What's To Come

Okay, I like to pare things down into what works, and what doesn't. This is a process I always use when getting ready to brainstorm the creative, and the creative usually comes to me in this process.

So, to boil it down, I check out the latest apps that I think are cool, and those that aren't. And it always comes down to "why do some work, and some don't?" . The answer? Easy! Is it something I would use? It's kind of like buying a present for someone you care about--you buy them something you think they would actually use.

Now let's see what I think about what works and what doesn't:

Coca-Cola offers "Spin the Coke", which is basically spin-the-bottle on an iPhone screen. If I don't have better things to do than this, shoot me.

The Date App, which helps socially awkward people figure out what to say on a date. Um....no.

Now, let's apply it to branding, since most of the apps out there are "entertainment", I say the time is now to apply creative + branding + this new media as one element of social marketing, which in essence is all about creating and maintaining a fan base--the creation of goodwill translates into dollars for non-profits, associations and corporations.

Here are some of my favorites--and what do they have in common? Useability! Something I would actually use:

1. Disney World Wait Times & More: the concept is to get feedback from people who are at Walt Disney World waiting in line for rides--people who happen to also have iPhones loaded with Wait Times software get the most accurate wait times for rides such as Space Mountain.

--now imagine the possibilities with any lines: hospitals, Saturday night popular restaurants, opening nights of movies, etc. People feel a camaraderie with those they are interacting with, and that's good for any brand.

2. Benjamin Moore's Ben Color Capture app. I just downloaded this yesterday and it's too cool for interior design fans like me. I could take a picture of the green Buddha head on my desk (love love love that green, and would love it in my living room), and the app shows me the closest matching colors in the Benjamin Moore catalog. Imagine the possibilities! This can change how people come up with color schemes in their homes. Paint swatches will be soooo last century.

Anyhow, this is what I've been mulling over in my head for the last month. So many possibilities and so many chances to create. I can't wait.

Making Giveaways Part of Your Plan

The word "free" in business makes owners shudder--there is no profit in free. I say it's time to rethink "free". Money losers today can bring in paying customers tomorrow if done right. As the economy evolves, the things we value comes more in bits (virtual) versus material (bricks). Bits cost virtually nothing to copy and distribute in comparison to material.

Since I'm a new mommy, the example I have in mind is Webkinz. They're popular with parents because their kids can go online and play with digital versions of their plush toys. The online experience must generate and emotional connection - so the creative still has to be right - but Webkinz uses this successful tool to sell their stuffed animals.

And then let's take Radiohead, the band. At first, I was very unsure of their strategy: they let fans download its album In Rainbows for whatever they thought it was worth. Of course, a lot of people paid zero, but the average sale price was $6. This definitely made me do a double-check of my initial reaction. Radiohead ended up taking a big risk and through downloads, the band made more money than any of its previous records. Crazy right?

Personally, I'm rethinking "free".

Old-Fashioned Creativity Will Always Rule

If any of you are big TV commerical fans like myself (in my case viral versus television), you may have wondered why U.K. videos always seem to go viral, as opposed to (my opinion now) blah blah blah US commericals. If the best someone can give me are the Superbowl ads, maybe we can learn something from across the pond.

If you haven't seen "Eyebrow Dance" (Cadbury), "Rollerbabies" (Evian), or "Dance" (T-Mobile), look it up on You Tube now. Even the most non-TV watching friends I've sent this too have responded with enthusiasm.

Trying out to find the difference between "their" videos versus "ours" was hard at first. Besides just saying "British advertisers tend to be edgier" wasn't enough. What was it then? A strong creative idea at the center of it all.

What did all of those UK videos have in common? An ability to engage the viewer emotionally, whether it be changing their mood, or even just having them wonder "was that real"?

Maybe it's just me, but in all areas of advertising, old-fashioned creativity has been lacking. It's time to bring it back.

Does Blogging Work as a Business Tool?

How do blogging and email marketing work together, and do they? My opinion: email as a tool is great for conversion and retention, but what about acquiring new ones?

I've heard that email and search still make up the majority of online activity. How do leverage 'search' to reach new people?

To use search as a way to get more new contacts, there is Pay-Per-Click and SEO. To me they are one and the same, except you have to pay for one.

If your website ranks among the top dozen results after a search, you're doing well and can probably stop reading here.

Most if not all clicks are made on a search engine results page such as Google.

So here's the problem: PPC only gets a small amount of clicks on search engine pages, and traditional website SEO tactics don't come close to fulfilling the volume of keywords that an organization needs to target.

The supplement? Notice I said supplement and not "the answer". Search engines, when it comes down to it, want to deliver relevant content. This is where blogging comes in.

When blogging, pay attention to the following: keywords (the more content, the more chances you have to use the keywords you want to be found on), page titles (a page with a title that matches the search phrase has a much better chance of improving their rankings), and frequency (blogs are updated more frequently--search engines put a higher value on pages that are updated more).

E-Mail Marketing Tips

I recently had a client call me and ask why there was such a high bounceback rate in her constant contact list, or many that ended up in the 'junk folder'. While there are many reasons that can occur--from what you put as the subject line in your email to a few irate people hitting "spam" when they see it--in her case, here was the fix.

In my experience, the reason failure rates started becoming an issue to marketers started many years ago from the spam/valid email dictionary attacks on ISPs.

This is how constant contact defines "high" bounce rate: "Constant Contact also expects your mailing list to be as "clean" as possible before you import it to our system. Your list should be recently aged, as well as scrubbed of both "role" and illegitimate addresses. <this is why I always say our list management services, whether email or direct mail, needs to be at minimum a bi-monthly commitment--we manage, add and delete emails for you--all you have to send us is an email with old/new names/email addresses/physical addresses>. These lists consistently result in high abuse complaints and bounce rates, and directly impact email delivery rates."

Constant Contact is a low cost ESP that targets small businesses and organizations. It's a self-serve model and so anyone can come to their site and sign up for the service. Accordingly, to protect their IP addresses, Constant Contact has the most stringent thresholds for the three main criteria that ISPs screen for to determine whether or not to block, or at worst, blacklist you:

1. excessive "this is spam" complaints
2. excessive bounces
3. existence of 'spamtrap' addresses

So we also provide services that will help clean your list and flag/remove closed domains, suspect and malicious email addresses, hygiene (i.e. syntax, typo, formatting, misspelling, etc) and top level domain errors. What we try to avoid is having our clients function with an old list that contains a significant percentage of validly formatted emails (e.g. anniej@hotmail.com) that are no longer in use. We step in, 'hygiene' the entire list and then message the remainder of the file that otherwise looks OK. Given that most email address lists experience a 30% annual churn rate, it's easy to see how companies can get blocked or blacklisted if they're not being diligent about keeping their email lists fresh and up-to-date on a regular basis.

Give us your old list and let us start maintaining it now. You can design the most attractive email campaign in the world, but at the end of the day, it's only as good as your list. Same with direct mail.

Historically, B2B doesn't get as many spam complaints as B2C.

Try out our additional list cleaning services before sending out your next email campaign and see the 'failure rates' decline.