The hardest thing in the world is to explain something so simply that someone “gets it” the first time. This is especially true of technology and Web 2.0. New media is especially confusing because original ideas are created at lightning speed, and the early adopters–mostly all A.D.D.–run with it and don’t spend time distilling it for the rest of us.
Clarity is elegant.
I collect great examples of communication. I collect knock-out headlines, other people’s handouts, sales letters, and BIG ideas. I mostly print them and store them in personal “swipe files” that now take up 2 lateral file drawers (and countless online file folders. But I hate online filing systems).
Here are 2 great additions to my online favorites. First is Lee LeFevre’s brilliant site, Common Craft, where in a free library of “how to” videos he explains popular-but-mysterious ideas, like Twitter, in 3 minutes or less. This one is “Twitter in Plain English.”
The second addition is Zappos Shoes CEO Tony’s easy explanation of Twitter and how to set up a Twitter account. If you still don’t “get it” after reading his post, you’re thinking too hard. But it’s another great example of taking something new, unknown or complicated and distilling it down to elegant simplicity.
(By the way, after deciding to Follow Tony on Twitter, he returned the favor and now Follows me. The man is a populist.)
Do you have favorite examples of utter simplicity?
If you publish an email newsletter using ACT Software, you use a Lookup in ACT to create your mailing list. But since your newsletter is sent regularly, it’s more efficient to create an ACT Group of newsletter recipients. But not just a “regular” ACT Group–you need a Dynamic ACT Group.
A Dynamic Group automatically omits bounced email addresses and opt-outs from previous sends. It automatically adds new group members who meet your query criteria: new customers, new prospects, new networking contacts, for example. It will also automatically limit the list to contacts with email addresses.
Instead of fiddling with Lookups to build a list each time you publish your e-letter, with an ACT Dynamic Group you just create a Lookup of the Dynamic Group members. Your newsletter is ready to go.
I also create a Dynamic Group for bounced emails to follow up with readers who change email addresses or to find the replacement for readers who left their company (good sales follow up strategy, too).
I don’t like losing subscribers I worked so hard to get! As soon as the email is updated, it automatically “leaves” the bounce Group and pops back into the newsletter list Group. No muss, no fuss.
Here’s how to set up an ACT Dynamic Group Membership list:
Go to Groups (on the left panel of icons). Right-click and create a New Group called “E-Newsletter Group.”
Click the Add/Remove Contacts button. The Add/Remove Contacts dialog appears.
Click the Edit Criteria button. The Group Criteria dialog opens.
Begin building your list criteria. For example, the first thing you want are only contacts that have email addresses. So select Contact for the Type of field, and click the drop-down arrow for Field Name. Type “e” to find the email field. Click the drop-down arrow for Operator and choose “Contains data”. The “Value” box will grey out. Now click the Add to List button.
Continue adding other criteria. For example, you may want to exclude vendors or out of town contacts.
To exclude opt-outs or bounced email addresses from previous mailings, you will need to create an ACT! field to track this. In our office we have a field called “List Preference” with a multi-select drop down for “do not email”, “email failed”, “do not fax” and “do not mail.” We keep this updated (Swiftpage can automate this process), and then use it in our criteria selection.
Mind your “AND” and “OR” operators as you add each line of criteria. Test your results by pressing the Preview button.
Here’s a snapshot of our newsletter’s partial list criteria (some of our groups have 20+ criteria!)
If sending your email newsletter takes too many steps, you’re not as likely to keep publishing. ACT! Dynamic Group helps simplify the mailing list process.
This month I’ve given 6 speeches to more than 500 people on drip marketing! The response has been overwhelming.
In my talks I say Drip Marketing is the perfect answer to today’s Perfect Storm: A questionable economy, the availability of affordable business technology and the shift to education-based marketing. If you haven’t figured out yet that to stay viable in business means more customer communication–not less–it’s time to WAKE UP.
So many people have asked me how to get started, that I decided to just sit down and write an “application guide” to launching a drip marketing campaign. Who doesn’t want to put database marketing on autopilot?
The guide walks you through each step to setting up a drip marketing campaign yourself or gives you 7 ways to hire Aviva to set it up for you. My experience has been that people want to do it themselves, but it’s complex enough that they want help getting started.
The report is at the top of the page and the pricing is at the bottom. The webpage also contains…
A link to a free trial of Swiftpage Drip Marketing software if you haven’t already signed up
A free download of a “new customer drip marketing campaign” that includes 7 pre-written communication templates I wrote that you can steal and use as is or modify to suit your business.
The recorded interview of the teleseminar I gave to more than 100 people (which caused such a commotion in my office this month…this will actually be posted on Monday)
I’m very interested in your feedback, so let me know what you think.
I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe to the economic headlines du jour. Our company is busier than we’ve been all year, numbers are up over last year, and this month I have 6 speaking engagements on database marketing (I usually book one a month).
Aviva also won–for the 2nd year in a row–the APEX Award for Newsletter Writing Excellence and we earned one of only 10 coveted Swiftpage Certified Consultant designations. Email marketing is still a force, and Swiftpage’s new Drip Marketing program is an incredible business booster.
I attribute all this activity to the uber-marketing Golda and I did all year. If your business is “shaky” and you’re thinking about hunkering down, DON’T! Instead, pump up the volume on your marketing, and forget you’re in the fill-in-the-blank business. For now–and for the foreseeable future–you’re in the MARKETING business.
For example, Golda attends weekly networking events, and we add her new contacts to our database so they receive this “Hotwire” and other drip marketing campaigns.
I painstakingly drilled down (segmented our database) so I can send really personalized and relevant messages to you.
October is my “plan-next-year’s-marketing” month. I’m so excited about all the new projects I’m working on. For starters, I’m publishing my first database marketing how-to book. I’m not ready to unveil the title yet, but I believe I’m on the cutting edge of a big marketing trend that every business will try next year. Stay tuned. As a “Hotwire” reader, you’ll be alerted first when it publishes.
Second, we have officially opened a Kansas City branch of Aviva LLC (dba The Database Diva). As lovely as it is to work around the country via the miracle of remote desktop access, it’s always nice to do eyeball-to-eyeball sales calls, too. If you know anyone in Kansas City who needs a high-performance customer database or wants to set up drip marketing campaigns, please let me know.
How is your business faring right now? (My economic recovery tip: Stop watching 24-hour news stations! Your blood pressure will lower at least 20 points instantly.) Please take this anonymous poll:
