I cringe most when creative agencies themselves do bad creative on themselves.

How could this text be improved? [apart from the spelling mistake].

BUT its marketing as a major B2B organisation is lacking in clear focus and tactical integrity.

Remember our post about Reid Hoffman’s excitable communication?

Clearly ramping up for an IPO means more revenues will be needed…. but to send out two emails within a day to subscribers with pretty much the same offer is just muddled thinking.

I am happy to get the “try our professional upgrade free for a month” service.  [you do have to input payment details... but it's a good offer].  But I got the next email even beore I’d commpleted the action from the first one.  Talent Finder.

Also free for a month….

C’mon guys.  I think I’m smarter than that – you might have gotten two upgrades from me if you’d spaced out your offerings over a couple of weeks.

Linked In free trial offer email

Take a read of Benjamin Ellis on fine form writing about “Making an Apology”.

He writes “as a bare minimum I expect

• A genuine acceptance that what happened was wrong.
• In as far as is reasonable, an explanation of what went wrong and why (i.e. does the offender understand? Is it under control?) – Not everyone agrees with this one.
• A commitment to a) put it right and b) ensure that it doesn’t happen again (i.e. lessons learnt).”

Have you ever had to make an apology in business?

Can you tell us what the key things you felt needed to happen

What were the customer reactions?

Did something good come out of the situation?

Image by imjustcreative via Flickr

Sometimes it’s nice to be on the receiving end of some in-bound agency marketing.  There’s a nice branding agency we have been following based in Birmingham, UK.  They sent us a little slide deck.

It had some background slides about the company and some case studies of client work.  All very nicely presented.

BUT

There was no apparent purpose to the communication.  The deck arrived with a nice covering letter but no call to action, no reason for the email except to say they had some ‘exciting news’.

So we launched in to a critique and sent them this email

That’s a very interesting slide show you’ve presented. Thanks for sharing it.

However, you really do sell yourself short in an email shot like this – what would a prospective client like myself think after reading it…… “Nice slideshow. What was the ‘exciting news’ anyway? What now? Back to my work.”

Using some direct response copywriting in the covering letter/email can you provoke me to deliver a response? For example – get an answer to questions like ‘what did Rebecca think?’ and ‘could they do this for my brand?’ Both questions that will help to narrow down your list of ‘suspects’ and take them one step closer to becoming prospects and then clients.

What about building on the campaign like this?

• Having a special website landing page just for people who got the email?
• Use the landing page to measure click throughs and get a poll / survey / comments / discussion going?
• Sharing the slides on slideshare / docstock so others can embed them and let them go viral
• Putting them up on your website for others to ‘like’ on Facebook / Twitter
• Asking for a meeting in the email text so you can show your credentials in more detail
• Asking questions about my brand so I can see if I ‘suffer’ from the same problems you solved for your clients

Anything but just sharing your slide deck…

So that’s just my two pennyworth suggestions for you – free of charge.
You can take them and put them into practice yourself.

This is an unsolicited approach offering you some free advice on how to improve your marketing. I just happen to be on your mailing list and so hope I’m trusted.

And they replied

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

This soft launch does indeed have a plan underpinning it, with more activities to come.

That said your passionate response is appreciated. We will keep you in mind for future activities!

What would you do in response to an unsolicited email?

Three examples of website failures

Careerzone

A helpful site advertising high level marketing and business development jobs.

1. Failure to provide a filter tool that aligns my profile with the information sent = FAIL1
2. Failure to give contact details on the website (except for advertising sales – and that went unanswered) = FAIL2

Careerzone - location filters FAIL

Dot Digital Group

A listed marketing agency group “the digital marketing experts”. Lists in their contact page their bankers, PR agents, solicitors, accountants and share registrars.  Not one has an email address or a hyper link.

1. Failure to list any electronic communication medium for Group-level contact = FAIL1
2. Failure to apply the corporate tag line to any of their own corporate level collateral = FAIL2
3. Failure to have clear links from the group website to the individual company websites = FAIL3

Dot Digital Corporate contact page

It advertises positions, allows you to set parameters including job type, location, salary range etc.

So when she re-set her preferences to only receive email alerts from CareerZone about jobs in the New Zealand south island – why does she continue to get ones like this?

Plus, there’s no contact information on the site, except for advertising and her emails to that address remain unanswered.

FAIL CareerZone, fail!

South Island NZ jobs for North Island NZ locations

I am subscribed to a few of their emails (although unsubscribing is an issue) and today received a message asking me “How are you using telemarketing as part of your demand generation or new business activity?”

As a rule I like to take part in surveys becuase as a marketer I rely on people doing them for me.

This was an unmitigated disaster.

How not to structure a questionnaire survey

I started to answer the questions but more and more doubts arose about the quality of information I was imparting and the ability of the company [who presumably paid to do this] to use any answers I gave.

1. How can you use two points in a matrix that are on both horizontal and vertical axes to gain any meaningful data? see question 5 below the fold.
2. If the answer to question 8 was ‘no we don’t use telemarketing’, how can you answer question 10 about how closely integrated email marketing and telemarketing are?
3. question 12 “Do you use email analytics to help assess the effectiveness of your campaign and assist in prioritisation of telemarketing activity?”  This is two questions in one.  What if I use email analytics but don’t use it to prioritise telemarketing?
4. Question 17 “Which of these processes would you describe as the most effective?”  How about making this a top 3 choice?  You’d gain more insight from the answers.
5. Consider these three questions (18, 19 & 20) They can be organised better through an automated questioning so that when yes or other is clicked a new question 19 appears.  Freak this is SO basic.

18. Do you regularly seek to enhance prospect data to ensure more effective marketing in future? Yes/No/Don’t know

19. If you answered ‘yes’ how do you do this? Through telemarketing/Through email newsletters and dedicated offers/Other

20. If you selected ‘other’ please specify

6. Is this question written in good English? How accurate would you describe the current size/status of your business database?  Plus the tabulation is crap.  First select the size of your database, then answer the quality question.

What do you think?
The full survey text follows

B2B Marketing Demand Generation Survey

How are you driving new business?

1. In terms of your marketing priorities, how important is generating new business or sales leads for your organisation?

It’s my top priority
It’s in my top three priorities
It’s on my ‘to-do’ list
It’s not a priority in 2010
It’s not something which we’re doing this year
Don’t know

2. What percentage of your overall marketing budget do you allocate to generating new business?

0%
1-5%
5-10%
10-15%
15-20%
20-25%
+25%
Don’t know

3. If you selected ‘don’t know’, please specify which of the following reasons best explains why

Still awaiting confirmation of budget sign-off
Have not started the budgeting process for this financial year
Don’t know what previous spend was
This is confidential

4. How will this allocation changed in 2010 compared to 2009

It’s going to increase a lot (by over 25%)
It’s going to increase a bit (by less than 25%)
It’s going to remain broadly constant
It’s going to decrease a bit (by less than 25%)
It’s going to decrease a lot (by more than 25%)
Don’t know

5. Which of the following marketing techniques, tools or channels do you use to support new business or demand generation activities? Please identify which activities are part of your plan for this year, and which are one of your top priorities?

2010 activity     Is it a priority     No activity
Search marketing (SEO/PPC)
Email
Social media
Telemarketing
Events
No activity for new business

6. For what specific new business/demand generation tasks do you use telemarketing?

Prospect identification
Data cleansing
Qualification
Appointment booking
Conversion
General feedback
Other
We don’t use telemarketing

7. If you selected ‘other’ please specify

8. What role does telemarketing play in your new business/demand generation activity?

Telemarketing is the lead channel and focus of activity
We use telemarketing as a support function, following up emails
Telemarketing does not play a role – we focus on web, email etc.
Don’t know

9. Do you or have you considered outsourcing your new business/demand generation activity?

Yes, we currently outsource this function entirely
Yes, we outsource elements of this function
We are looking at this, but have not outsourced yet
We’re not looking to outsource
We’ve not even considered this
Not relevant to us

10. How closely do you integrate your telemarketing activity with your email activity, as part of your demand generation/new business process?

Email and telemarketing are very closely integrated
Activities are co-ordinated, but not completely integrated
Email and telemarketing are completely separate

11. Are you using demand generation technology, or a marketing automation application, to enable this activity?

Yes, we’ve implemented a marketing automation system
We’re seeking to implement one, and are currently evaluating options
We’ve looked at options but discounted this approach
We’ve not even considered this technology
Not relevant to us

12. Do you use email analytics to help assess the effectiveness of your campaign and assist in prioritisation of telemarketing activity?

Yes, we have a detailed and formal process in place
Yes, but only on an infrequent basis
We have the technology but don’t use it
No, we’ve not even considered this
Don’t know

13. Who is responsible for new business/demand generation-orientated telemarketing within your organisation?

The marketing team
The sales team
Neither
Both
Don’t know

14. Have sales and marketing teams agreed a framework for development, management and handover of leads?

Yes, we have a process adhered to by both departments
Yes, we have a formal process but it’s not closely followed
No, we have no framework
Not sure

15. What processes do you use to manage prospects from initial identification, prior to handing over to the sales team? Please select as many as are relevant

Telemarketing to enhance prospect data
Email to push out additional content
Marketing sets appointments via telemarketing
Tracking by social CRM
Invitation to events
Other

16. If you selected ‘other’ please specify

17. Which of these processes would you describe as the most effective?

Telemarketing to enhance prospect data
Email to push out additional content
Marketing sets appointments via telemarketing
Tracking by social CRM
Invitation to events
Other

18. Do you regularly seek to enhance prospect data to ensure more effective marketing in future?

Yes
No
Don’t know

19. If you answered ‘yes’ how do you do this?

Through telemarketing
Through email newsletters and dedicated offers
Other

20. If you selected ‘other’ please specify

21. How accurate would you describe the current size/status of your business database?

Up to 2500 contacts     2500-10,000 contacts     10,000 plus contacts     Don’t know
Excellent: 75 per cent highly qualified, accurate and up-to-date
Good: 60 per cent + highly qualified, accurate and up-to-date
Okay: Approximately half qualified and up to date
Weak: Less than half qualifed and up-to-date
Poor: Very poor and patchy data
Don’t know

22. What industry sector does your organisation work in?

Technology/telecoms
Business services (e.g. transport, logistics, post, etc.)
Professional services
Financial services
Automotive
Construction/property
Leisure/health/beauty
Retail
Manufacturing/engineering
Marketing/media/publishing
Other

23. If you selected ‘other’ please specify

24. Which turnover band does your organisation fit into?

Under £1 million
£1-5 million
£5-10 million
£10-30 million
£30-50 million
£50 million and above

Submit your responses to the questionnaire by clicking the “SUBMIT” button below.

Submit

Image by libraryman via Flickr

One of my clients uses Paypoint for its website shop payment processing.  Recently they sent over a customer satisfaction survey, which I was going to ignore.

But, on discussion with the client, I found that Paypoint had recently sent round a letter to all its customers advising that its base monthly fee was going to rise from £11.75 per month by an additional £2 in 60 days time. Now that's a whopping percentage increase forced on the customer for no additional services.  Recession blow or what?

So we agreed to do the survey, hoping that there would be a chance to put their views about the price rise.  Here's what happened. 

I have now received your survey twice.I filled it out two weeks ago when it first came round…. now you ask me to do it again but when I click on the link it says 'you've already done the survey, thanks'. 

I have some questions for your marketing team
1 – why didn’t you use the unique code in the original survey URL link to segment your marketing database before sending the last email?
2 – then you wouldn’t have sent me a reminder to do a survey I have already done.  You look foolish.
3 – in the survey itself there is no place for free text responses e.g. what do I think about your price rise of 17% due shortly?
4 – if you think getting great customer satisfaction scores from a survey that FAILS to ask the question about a recent price rise has any validity in terms of running your business and giving customer insight about future purchase intentions, you are mistaken.

I would like the opportunity to put my views about your price rise.
I would like to have an open forum discussion with other customers about your services
I would like you to offer more and different services and I’m prepared to tell you all about this

But you’re going to have to improve the ways you communicate with me before I’ll invest my time doing anything other than complain about Paypoint’s marketing communications.

Over to you to action.

And the Paypoint customer service team called up and had a constructive conversation agreeing that they messed up the survey unique links and the reminder and that they had been naive in thinking a price rise and a conincident customer survey wouldn't be linked in the eye of the customers. 

They withdrew the price rise.

So the point of the story is to TEST your market messaging before sending.  And don't' think the customer is a dummy.

Image by tonylanciabeta via Flickr

BBC's car programme, Top Gear, had a brilliant sequence in which Jeremy Clarkson and James May are sent to a 'London Advertising Agency' to make an advert about the new VW Scirocco Diesel.

They arrive at "Goodyear, Stickleback and Bundsen Burner" and meet two execs….. who are they?  A bit of detective work and I find it's DDB London .

They are taught that 'at the heart of all good VW advertising there's always a product truth' and are sent out to try the car and find that insight. Clarkson enquires why the VW Beetle has never been advertised as "Celebrating over half a century of Europe's greatest mass murderer" and the ad men don't even flicker a smile.  It must be the hardest audience he's ever played to.

They fail.  But along the way create about five separate versions of an advert using their own production team and some hillarious extras (a funeral director, multiple explosions, the mother-in-law and some great time-lapse nature shots).

Watch the iPlayer of the whole episode (it's the penultimate item)

Curiosly I only found one other blogger covering the story from the marketing industry.
maybe it wasn't that funny.

LATER: update from the lovely Grace Wright at DDB

The two men featured were Jeremy Criagen, Executive Creative Director and Jonathan Hill, Group Business Director for Volkswagen.

I got this page up when trying to unsubscribe from email notices

Subscription Management
We respect your rights and take unsolicited email very seriously. Your request will be completed within seven business days.
Please click the submit button if you do not wish to receive emails on this current audio conference promotion.

All well and good – but the button when clicked led to a page that said "Thank you.  You will no longer receive future e-mail promotions for this conference."

Which I consider to be darn cheeky. 

Paging down past a list of a dozen links to other promotional events, I found the button to unsubscribe from all their communications.  Now this may be the difference between US and European companies, but in my view, this is inappropriate 'hard sell' that just doesn't work in today's connected world. PB Conferences was the firm.

If you find a company that behaves exceptionally well or poorly – you can rate them using Plebble.  I've installed their toolbar on my web browser so that it automatically tells me if a site I'm visiting has been rated and the colours change to show positive and negative responses by customers. [aside - they call themselves 'a true e-mocracy', and I think that's true!]