This week’s Masterclass is all about using YouTube videos in your own e-newsletter. YouTube is a rich resource of professional and amateur videos, some of which could be just perfect in the next issue of your own e-newsletter. Read why and how to brighten up your next issue with a YouTube video.

Q. OK, Dom, why use a YouTube video?

A. It’s free and easy to do, plus it’s interactive and your subscribers like watching videos online. It’s fun and therefore increases the value of your e-newsletter to your readers. Free, easy, valuable and fun.

In this Masterclass I  feature the brilliant Evolution video made and uploaded by the cosmetics company Dove in October 2006. Funny response parody video here. Like them you can do it too - remember how Blendtec did it with their home-made ‘will it blend?’ videos?

OK, Dove’s is an expensive shoot, I confess. However some of the best videos are the authentic (low budget) ones. Forget high production values. Grab your mobile and show your customers how to connect the leads to your widget, or unpack a delivery to show what your customers get when they order from you. Easy, low tech and use real people. (TIP: If you find yourself wanting to storyboard you are going too far. Grab your mobile instead Spielberg!)

Geek alert! For those who care about web code, please remember that simply embedding the YouTube embed code does not work in an HTML e-newsletter, although it’s fine on a web page. To get around this, I take a screen grab of the YouTube web page and crop it down to just the movie itself, as a jpg. (For advanced geeks, grab the first few frames and make an animated gif). Then I copy the URL of that movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U) and link to it from my movie jpg (see above). Readers clicking on the ‘movie’ jpg in their e-mail, will automatically play the YouTube movie in their browser - and don’t feel a thing!

YouTube say Broadcast Yourself ™: Dove uploaded their Evolution video in October 2006, since when it has had (at the time of writing this) 1,758,354 views. Think about how you can grab a mobile phone or a cheap camcorder and film a quick ‘how to’ video showing the best way to use your top product, or film some customers talking about how they decided to buy from you. Upload it to YouTube (it’s free video hosting) and then link to your own company YouTube video in your e-newsletter. Stay tuned… Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about where to get great images from, for your own e-newsletter. Loyal followers of this Masterclass will know that I usually start off my posts with an image - but where do I get them from?

You have several choices when sourcing an image: use your own company stock, buy in microstock photography (definition) or make use of free resources. (It is important that you check whether permission is required - sometimes a credit to the photographer is enough, sometimes a fee.) For your own company’s product shots, you already have these in house, however sometimes you need something a bit different to make your point. Time to search online…

I source everything online, and very quickly. These are my recommendations:

Shutterstock: Shutterstock.com (5,067,486 images) provide a free vector and photo every week to tempt you in to buy a subscription. Very high-quality images and a fantastic range. Subscription costs around £150 a month for 750 hi-res downloads a month - that’s 20p per image. My favourite.

Flickr: free shots available at www.flickr.com (zillions of images - they don’t say how many) as long as you check the rights of the photo you want to use (and always credit and notify the photographer). I use them occasionally but it has lots of amateur photography to wade through.

Stock Xchng: A free microstock site worth a visit is stock.xchng  www.sxc.hu (380,000 images)  - search, view and download free images, or choose their premium range at www.stockxpert.com (2,200,000 images). You get free and premium results returned after a stock.xchange search.

NB: If you are wondering about images from Youtube, I will cover this in a future issue. By all means include links like the one back to Flickr above (their webmasters love links in), but the golden rule is: “don’t use other people’s online images to promote your service, unless you have permission.”

Start with a search and see what comes back: Microstock websites have great search tools - Shutterstock.com has the best search by far. Very often you will find a quirky image that helps you spin your article in an interesting direction. Don’t to be tempted to use Google images http://images.google.co.uk and just download an image and use it. The chances are the one you use is protected and it will come back to bite you later. Yes Google is great, but not for sourcing free images. Until next week… Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about how visitors sign up to your e-newsletter. This is about the practical and technical web requirements - a bit geeky but a bit vital too.

OK, the easy stuff first:

Q. Why get sign ups? A. More readers. more views, clicks and sales (we love sales) so far, so good.

Q. How? A. Provide a web form online so visitors can subscribe themselves. Hmm, a web form? Here is where I unleash the geek within in Dom’s six easy tips:

1. At the very least, ask for their e-mail address only (this is enough to deliver your message). Some forms ask you to type it in twice, but my experience is that people don’t mis-type their own e-mail, so I don’t ask for it twice.

2. Don’t ask for extra info unless you will use it. I ask for your first name on the Masterclass because I use it ‘Hi (firstname)’ at the top of every issue. (Yes it’s our system, not me personally typing your name, but you knew that anyway).

3. Don’t ask ‘which format - html or text?’ Your e-newsletter is html as are very nearly all your readers’ e-mail capabilities, so you communicate in html as standard. No text option.

4. Don’t offer an ‘unsubscribe‘ option next to the ’subscribe’ option. It is confusing and negative. Readers can unsubscribe using the link in your e-newsletter.

5. Some forms use ‘Captcha‘ (a random computer-generated graphic with a combination of letters and numbers you have to type in) to try to prevent naughty spammers from hacking the code. Few forms actually get hacked and are quick to lock down if they do. I use a  ‘Captcha‘ -ish widget - see the random: ‘KLK2Y’ here on my form ->.

6. Say thank you. Ensure your visitor (now ’subscriber’) knows they have been successful. At the very least an on-screen message, if not a ‘welcome’ e-mail, or even a double opt-in ‘was this you? Click here to confirm you signed up’ (more on opting in a future Masterclass).

Signing off now: As always, a bite-sized Masterclass, so six easy tips only. Those black belt e-marketers out there (you know who you are) know, as do I, that advice on anything technical like web forms could go on for several pages, but I kept this one short - but useful. Until next week… Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about whether to use long copy or short copy in your e-newsletters. Are fifty words too few? Is a thousand too many? Many e-marketers don’t know when to stop typing - read on for my take on when to quit pounding the keys.

Does this customer have the attention span of a gnat?

Aren’t today’s readers too busy to stop and read long e-newsletters? Shouldn’t it all be short and quick? (Aside: hmmm, like junk food?)

Each issue you assemble the words, picture and links. Too many words and you risk turning readers off (who wants War & Peace in their in-box?) but too few words and aren’t you short-changing them?

Getting the balance right seems difficult - or is it?

Everyone has an opinion on this topic, I think quality copy, however long, almost always works, but not for special offers:

Long copy (up to 1,000 words) - go for it! Chop up one issue into a  number of sections and keep each section between 30 to 70 words, excluding links and pictures. A headline per section allows readers to scan and stop on sections that grab them. Long copy issues get re-visited over time, creating a ‘long tail’ in your stats. I like long copy that is interesting. I find time to read it, and so will your readers. (This peroxide axe thrasher will read long copy packed with tabs, YouTube riffs and band tour news, and will come back to it five times over the next 3 months - because it delivers value).

Short copy (<100 words) - you must be selling something! You can also use your e-newsletter for a single-purpose special offer  (maybe mid-month if your regular issue is month-end). This is where short, punchy copy works best. Your stats spike within 2 days usually and then fall right off. Use fewer than 100 words to promote a single offer, not your whole catalogue. (Yes, I know that some e-tailers like ebuyer.com do send out e-newsletters with a grid of thirty or more products, but it’s always their headline product that gets the clicks, the rest are just padding, see this eBuyer e-newsletter example ).

Quick recap: Standard issues up to 1,000 words (be interesting and deliver value). Special offers in under 100 words (be focused and get clicks). Remember this Masterclass is about e-newsletters, not all marketing e-mails, so the rules change for product launches, updates, newsflashes, reminders, thank yous and so on. OK, get on your keyboard, your readers are waiting! Until next time… Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about the landing pages your readers click through to from your e-newsletter. Often you put so much into the e-newsletter content, that the landing pages can be an afterthought. Beware this expensive oversight!

One small step for man. (Here is his footprint.)

American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, stepped onto the Moon’s surface (in the Sea of Tranquility) at 02:56 GMT on 21st July 1969, and left this actual footprint in the moon dust. NASA asked him to take a snap of it for posterity - maybe they thought it might be useful in a blog 39 years later? I like to think so.

Neil wasn’t sure what landing on the Moon would feel like - but he stepped off the ladder anyway. See the moonwalk footage on YouTube here.

Your readers need to ’step off the ladder’ out of your e-newsletter onto your landing pages - and most importantly - they need to perceive value in doing so. Or they will stop stepping.

A step. A click. It’s the same thing.

Q. How can your landing pages deliver value?
A. The basic rule of thumb is to generate a clear expectation in your link and then check that the landing page meets that expectation.

For example: If you are running a special offer ‘widgets at 50% discount’ make sure your link clicks through to the actual discounted widgets page inside your webshop. Don’t just leave them at the front door - go deep and show them the 50% discounted widget page with only one more click to buy. The landing page must be relevant and useful.

Nothing frustrates a reader more than trying to work out why the link went to some obscure landing page. The home page seems to be the default destination for lazy e-marketers - ‘if all else fails, link through to the home page’. No, no and no a zillion times! Readers are not Google bots happy to crawl your site hunting for clues. If your e-newsletter creates an expectation in a link - meet that expectation with a properly thought through landing page.

End of rant footnote: I guess it’s easily overlooked. But only once! Examine the next issue of your own e-newsletter (before you broadcast) and write down what expectation each link creates. If that doesn’t put the cat amongst the pigeons (and gets you to re-write some of those links with a strong call-to-action), then check that the landing pages meet those expectations - that’ll do it! Until next time. Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about your e-newsletter’s header. The header is at the top and is the very first thing your readers see when they get your next issue. It has a very important job to do, way before you start to deliver content further down.

Q. What does your e-newsletter’s header do?

A. Your header delivers your brand (your logo and strapline), the date of this issue, the ‘in this issue’ text links section (linking to online content), some topical content (a photo from the lead story) and possibly a navigation bar (similar to your website).

Dom’s tip: Brand and date are vital, however ‘in this issue’, topical content and nav bar are optional.

OK, in order of importance:

1. Your brand reassures readers that it’s you again. Good old familiar and trusted you. Mmmmm! Warm and cosy, defences down. VITAL.

2. Your date states this is the latest issue, ‘come and get it whilst it’s hot’. Helps with your back catalogue too. VITAL.

3. ‘In this issue’ previews ‘below the fold’ content, plus it can help with those dreaded spam filters if your issue is image-rich but text-light. OPTIONAL.

4. If each issue starts to look the same, include a topical image in your header bar to differentiate between issues. OPTIONAL.

5. Readers often can’t tell the difference between e-mail and browser - the transition is now seamless. Many will use your e-newsletter’s nav bar to explore your website. Great! More clicks! OPTIONAL.

Summing up: your e-newsletter’s header is at the top of every issue of your own e-newsletter, so even though you may overlook it after a few issues, it matters to your readers. I see this all the time: the same old header, month after month (and maybe therefore the same old contents underneath?). Isn’t it about time you gave your header a spring clean? Think of it as a regular publication - what do these (online) news publishers do with their (OK, website) headers? www.timesonline.co.uk , www.guardian.co.uk , www.thesun.co.uk and http://news.bbc.co.uk .

This week’s Masterclass is about saying ‘thank you’ to your readers. After all, you are in the privileged position of being granted permission to communicate with them via your e-newsletter, so why not say ‘thank you’? (This issue includes a free gift from me, read on…)

It’s all about permission. Your readers can always opt out of future issues, so your e-newsletter has to keep them entertained, educated, amused, intrigued, shocked, etc (whatever your own e-newsletter style is) or they will leave you. Ouch! When that happens, it hurts.

Isn’t it about time you rewarded their loyalty to you?

STOP! This is not about disguising a special offer, this is not about generating revenues and adding on a free widget if the order exceeds £100.

I am talking about something for nothing. No deal or ‘if you do this, we give you that’ approach. Just plain old fashioned giving. No acres of small print required.

Yes, it will cost you. No, the bean counters won’t see a direct ROI. Live with it.

My gift to you, dear Masterclass reader, is a free book worth £24.69 - Total E-mail Marketing (2nd edition) written by the Yoda of e-marketing, Dr Dave Chaffey, very possibly the ultimate Jedi Master in e-mail marketing today. ‘Hmmm, make your e-marketing strong, this will’. Examine the book here on Amazon. If you like it, then just e-mail me your details (sorry, all copies have now gone!) and I’ll order it and get it shipped directly to you. For free.

I have to limit this to twelve books, so it’s first come, first served, one each. I will reply to you one way or the other, don’t worry.

Summing up: This is my little way of saying ‘thank you’ to you for continuing to receive and read my Masterclass. I know you always have the option to opt out, as do the readers of your own e-newsletter. Your e-newsletter is a commercial vehicle with clear financial objectives. This is one of the running costs. Also, it’s a warm fuzzy feeling for me and you. What will you give away in your next issue?

This week is all about making your links look obvious in the next issue of your e-newsletter. Making links look obvious is almost too basic isn’t it? Why then do more companies send out e-mails with great images and graphics, but apparently nothing to click?

So, does this image hide a link? Try exploring every pixel with your mouse. Very often, images in e-newsletters do actually click through, but there is not a link in sight to let you know. Is that a good idea?

If your readers can’t see links to click - they can’t click them.

You can’t expect your readers to explore every inch of your e-newsletter with their mouse, looking for the cursor to change into a hand. (No, there is NO link in the image above, so sorry about that but I hope I made my point.)

This is what a text link looks like. It’s the classic underlined hyperlink - usually in blue, but actually pink (unclicked) in my blog - and still gets higher clicks than clever links hidden in images. Some designers however don’t want to use traditional text links in their e-newsletter designs. They prefer a Utopian world where their readers ‘get it’ and know where to click instinctively to unearth the links hidden in their designs. This approach is faulty and is costing them valuable clicks. Make links obvious.

Summary: your own e-newsletter must communicate clearly. There is no time for design subtleties. It works best when it is clear what your readers should be clicking. It works against you if your readers have to try hard to ‘get’ your designs, discovering hidden links. Have a look at your next issue - make sure clicking links is child’s play. Simple always works.

This week is all about creating dynamic versions within the next issue of your own e-newsletter. Why create dynamic versions? Why doesn’t the ‘one size fits all’ approach generate as many clicks?

(Olympic distraction: Before I start - did you know that the Bronze medal is solid bronze, the Silver medal is solid silver, but the Gold medal is only gold-plated silver? I didn’t. As I write this China leads the medals table.)

Back to the Masterclass: To start with, let’s assume you send a monthly e-newsletter to 50,000 subscribers (customers and prospects) and everybody on the list gets the same STATIC version.

Q. Does that generate the highest clicks and sales? No. Because what you want to say to a customer you can’t say to a prospect, so you end up writing compromise copy. This copy is halfway between both messages and works badly for both. You need two messages if you want to be relevant to two different groups, ie:

1. Customers can extend their service agreement at a 25% discount this month.
2. Prospects can request the ‘try before you buy’ free sample.

Q. Can a single issue work for both? It can but only if you merge in dynamic content to that issue - dynamic content that delivers one message to customers and another to prospects.

If your subscriber list has 25,000 customers and 25,000 prospects, here is how the numbers might look comparing the ’static’ approach with ‘dynamic’ content - over 50% more clicks:

A piece of cake for your ESP: As your ESP (E-mail Service Provider) broadcasts your e-newsletter for you, their special broadcasting software looks out for customers and dynamically inserts the customer offer, and for prospects it inserts the prospect offer - automatically. Just like an old-fashioned merged direct mail letter used to, but it can merge in whole graphics, text, links inside your e-newsletter. It can even change the subject line.

Today’s takeaway: Dynamic messaging is more relevant than static messaging. If it is more relevant, it will get higher opens and clicks (and sales). You don’t need to change everything. Most of your e-newsletter content will be suitable for both customers and prospects, however your main offer may be entirely different. Take the time to write two relevant offers and drive those clicks even higher! And finally, if the legendary Olympic breakfast from Little Chef is more your type of Olympic feat, have a great breakfast! Until next time… Dom.

This week is all about personalising (using subscribers’ names) each issue of your own e-newsletter. Either in the subject or inside the message the choice is yours - do you personalize the text with your subscribers’ names?

It would be nice to think that using personalized text like ‘Hi Charlie’ increases the effectiveness. But does it?

Let’s start with the easy part - personalising the Subject line. It’s a ‘NO’. It looks contrived and can reduce the open rate and irritate your subscribers.

OK, what about inside the message, in the text? Well, using ‘Dear Charlie’ is no longer appropriate (a hangover from the good old direct mail days). Certainly use ‘Hi Charlie’ if you have a good relationship with your subscribers - my own rule of thumb for a good relationship is ‘would I take this person to lunch?’ if ‘yes’ address them with their first name, if ‘no’ don’t. This is not about food, it’s about how well you know your subscribers and whether both parties would be comfortable using first names. Lunch is a good test.

Why does this matter?
If your subscribers want you to greet them personally you have a higher chance of generating revenues. If they keep you at arm’s length then sales will be harder to win. Remember that your e-newsletter is building and developing the relationship, and must work to increase the chance of doing more business. E-newsletters survive when they achieve solid commercial goals. Go for the clicks (and then the sales).

Retire your fountain pen: Yes, classic direct mail letter copy often went for the personal touch (topping and tailing in Royal Blue Quink ink). E-mail however is not direct mail. E-mail allows a shortened style of communication and can be just as effective without personalisation. Bear in mind that there are almost always hidden (data processing) costs if you are going to use firstnames. If in doubt - leave it out.

This week’s Masterclass is all about explaining why you are e-mailing your subscribers. To you it is obvious (hopefully) but is it quite so clear for your subscribers? Ask them and they will say ‘no it isn’t’. Learn how to fix this common problem before it’s too late.

Let’s set the scene: you are about to launch a website using a monthly e-newsletter. You have a list of e-mails (all in-house, no third-party rentals or dodgy web-scraped directories) and you have a ‘welcome to our new web site’ message to deliver. Just hit ’send’ then, yep?

Whoa Neddy! This is all about permission and legislation. Gone are the wild west days when careless e-mailing had no comeback.

You should assume they can’t remember or don’t know why you are e-mailing them. Also assume they are too busy to understand your marcoms planning like you do. Nowadays you can be caught out if you are not clear about this, so listen up pardners.

How to get this right: before you upload your list for broadcast, do a bit of homework, ie: find out where those lists came from. They will be one of three types:

1) Customers - you send them e-newsletters for retention and extension.

2) Enquirers who have expressed an interest in buying from you (got a quote, requested a catalogue, made an online enquiry, etc), but not bought yet - you send them e-newsletters for acquisition.

3) Subscribers who signed up to your e-news - you send them e-newsletters for a mixture of acquisition, retention and extension.
To avoid the suspicion of you spamming them, each reader should be able to read (in their e-newsletter) a clear explanation of WHY you are e-mailing them. A real english sentence like this:-

“we are e-mailing you because <reason> and <benefit>.”

You supply the <reason> ie: ‘you are a valuable customer’ and the <benefit>, ie: ‘this issue brings you real savings not available elsewhere’.

The power is three-fold: firstly you ensure that your list is clean and contains no-one who shouldn’t be there, secondly you lower your subscribers’ natural defences by being upfront about your aims, and finally you actually STOP AND THINK before you broadcast. Why am I e-mailing these people? For me? For them? For a hobby? (Only by questioning do we find the true path) - is that Zen or Origami? I always confuse those two. Until next week, dear reader. Dom.

This week’s Masterclass is all about using your e-newsletter to launch your new website. Everybody eventually upgrades their website and wants to generate as much extra traffic to the new site as possible.

This is where your e-newsletter comes in. Also WIIFM - no, not the Wii. (The Wii is soooo addictive, but I digress.)

A site launch broadcast is so important I recommend that you dedicate at least one entire issue (two or three entire issues if you broadcast weekly) to this cause. That means temporarily replacing standard content items with site launch special articles. You must aim for clicks to your new website, so tempt your readers to click through and take a look. Go for clicks. Clicks = traffic.

GO! or rather… STOP! Just stop and think before you broadcast. Think like a customer - client, reader, subscriber, whatever you call them - these people shape the future of your business, but they don’t think like you think. Their first reaction to the news that you have a new website is ’so what?’ followed by WIIFM ‘what’s in it for me?’ Not exactly as excited about your new website as you, are they? Of course not. But they can get excited if you approach it properly.

Behind the scenes, your actual reasons for a new website may have included:

[ 1 ] we needed to upgrade our e-commerce/stock systems
[ 2 ] we finally have control over page content” (’the CMS myth’ )
[ 3 ] we need to embrace new technologies like AJAX, Flash, affiliate tracking, bla bla bla…
[ 4 ] it was time for a makeover, the design was looking so tired etc…

You get the idea - mainly all about fulfiling corporate/marketing/technical objectives (boring, yawn…) - absolutely diddly-squat about the customer’s needs, or improving the customer experience, or responding to those 20 neat ideas that came in from your ‘Contact Us’ web form completions. The bottom line: your readers don’t care about your boring strategic objectives. Your new website must be sold purely on benefits to readers. Your site launch must be benefit-driven, not feature-driven.

Stick to benefits - banish the boring:

“Quickly compare best-value products based on customer reviews”

“Save money with today’s recipe/tip/idea - a new one every day, 365 days a year”

“Search, choose and buy in under a minute”

Yes, your e-newsletter broadcast is only one part of your site launch. I found e-consultancy.com’s 4-part series of how to launch a website here: 1. design/creation, 2. Pre-launch, 3. Launch week, 4. Post-launch an interesting take on what else is required.

What to expect from a site launch broadcast: Firstly, you will get extra traffic for 2 days, most of it on the first day. If your landing page is engaging, this will continue for another 1 or 2 days. You will sell more products that week. You will be blogged about (especially if you ask visitors or provide remarkable content) and start to get unexpected traffic from bookmarking sites like digg.com, del.icio.us, etc. If the new website visitor experience is now truly remarkable, provides extra value and has compelling, engaging content, expect repeat visits and extra purchases. Above all, your e-newsletter site launch must promote the benefits only - just think: WIIFMR ‘what’s in it for my readers?’.

This week’s issue is all about writing content that stands the test of time. Why write an issue and only deploy it once with a 24-hour life span?

The mayfly only lives for 24 hours. Just like some of your e-newsletter issues. All that hard work and it’s over in a day. Ho-hum. Read on to find out how to extend the life of your mayfly issues.

To extend the life of my hard work, this week’s Masterclass contains a review of the thirteen most recent issues. Usually only viewed on my broadcast day (Wednesday) but worth reviewing. If you missed a Masterclass, catch it again below.

Re-discover hints, tips and examples you had forgotten (or missed the first time around):

Ask for help with research
Spectacular sky diving and innovation
Get noticed by making a stand
Christmas comes early
Marmite & Champagne
Writing three little words
Fight off the bean-counters
How to do a how to do
Free template for phone research
The big when question
Get out of jail free card
E-mails from top shops
Use ‘em or lose ‘em

In your own e-newsletter you should refer to previous issues if they still have currency today. Don’t fall into the trap, however, of believing that everything is still valid - it isn’t. (This is particularly true if you refer back to a sales offer that now has a broken link because your online store sold out weeks ago. Remember to check links!)

How to get maximum value from each issue:

1. Include content that stands the test of time, ie: tips or testimonials.
2. Make each issue available online as a web page, in an archive - mine is in a blog.
3. Get Google to visit your archive/blog every week/month.
4. Ping the blog directories too - the blogosphere is a big community.
5. Add a periodic review - recycle previous content.

Make your e-newsletter content available to the world, not just your subscribers and for 24 hours only. Allow new customers to discover old issues and click through.

It makes sense to maximise each issue. You put a great deal in, so why must it only live for one day like the mayfly? Talking of mayflies, Vodaphone’s ‘Make the most of now’ campaign has a great microsite, worth a visit: www.vodafonemayfly.co.uk (not convinced their data capture policy is compliant) but the creative is sheer genius.

This week I am going to talk about asking for help in the next issue of your own e-newsletter. This is all about asking your e-newsletter readers to take part in some (research) activity as they read your latest issue.

This worked really well for a national children’s charity we worked with for 11 years. As a (profitable) sideline the charity sold branded merchandise but had to choose the most popular item from a shortlist of new potential products each year. Difficult with unproven products.

The last thing they could afford to do was to gamble on a hunch. They needed to know which product would sell better than the others. Their e-newsletter readers had the answer.

The charity asked their e-newsletter readers to choose their favourite product from a shortlist, and type in why they liked it. Sometimes the answers surprised us, but the product with the most votes always went on to sell really well. (NB: The reasons given also guided future product shortlisting until product selection was down to a fine art.)

Here’s how it worked:

1. The e-newsletter was a single-focus issue - ‘we need help’.
2. It linked to a web page with (4) products on.
3. Readers chose their favourite and typed in their reason.
4. They clicked the ‘vote now’ button to send in their answer.
5. The research lasted for 6 days only.
6. Answers were stored online and analysed on day 7.

The outcome:
Readers felt good about helping the charity get it right. Readers were always right about the products - and to prove it, many then came back later and bought the chosen product. We eliminated guesswork. From start to finish we had the answers in a week. Fast, easy and reliable.

Salmon, prawns, duck, lamb & carrots, chicken & peas? Had to look at the Whiskas website and now think we have gone mad. It seems 8 out of 10 cats now eat better ingredients than our grandparents did! However, Whiskas also have a great e-newsletter sign-up - they give away a FREE Whiskas Kitten Care Pack to get you to sign up to their e-newsletter. Just purr-fect for cat owners.

Summary: Stop guessing and start asking. Your readers will help you because they want their opinion to make a real difference. Remember to finish off with feedback - in the next issue thank everyone and publish the results for all to see, ie: ‘8 out of 10 customers chose our X product because of its reliability’ - link to the product and see interest in that product soar. REMEMBER: People like what other people like, so find out why your top product/service is popular and tell everyone.

This week I am going to talk about staging a spectacular in your own e-newsletter. It’s a special, never-been-done-before event that your e-newsletter promotes and links to. It’s about being different, innovative and breaking the traditional e-newsletter mould.

Honda’s UK agency Wieden & Kennedy rose to the challenge with Honda’s ‘Difficult is worth doing’ campaign and staged Britains’ first LIVE skydiving TV advert last Thursday. It aired at 8:10pm on 29th May 2008 on Channel 4.

Nineteen skydivers formed the word “Honda” in mid-air - in three minutes and 20 seconds. Shot, mixed and aired live - awesome! Watch the advert on YouTube.

(The ASA don’t let you run live TV adverts normally because they need to regulate broadcast content - they worry that you might show your bum, so this was a big deal.)

How to relate this ‘Jump’ advert to your own e-newsletter:

Well, to start with, not too literally. You don’t need to hire skydivers over Spain, and you don’t need to persuade the ASA to let you air a live TV advert.

1. Use issues leading up to the event to announce that something big is coming. (Don’t give the game away, just tease and drop hints).

2. Create an online experience (a microsite featuring your spectacular). A microsite because it can deliver video, sound and extreme interactivity - like a Flash game maybe? A standard e-mailed newsletter just does images and words.

3. In the actual e-newsletter issue, link only to the microsite with a killer call-to-action. Nothing else - so you don’t dilute the clicks. You might say it a dozen different ways, but you will only link to your spectacular microsite.

Summary: The spectacular issue’s job is to drive microsite traffic - nothing else. In this issue, you must hold the news, product releases, customer reviews, hits & tips, etc. Be single-minded about this. 100%. Your microsite awaits, so give your entire issue over to ensuring you get traffic.

Honda’s advert re-wrote the rules: you may well know by now that I am a Honda (TV ad) fan (read my 7th January post with 3 Honda ads in) - I am constantly impressed by their creativity. You can read Honda’s blog about the making of this advert. Honda’s skydiver, Pam, (here on the right) is smiling because they pulled it off, live on TV. Could your e-newsletter re-write the rules, linking to a microsite including live content - a product demo maybe?

This week I am going to talk about gaining visibility for your e-marketing messages - in your own e-newsletter. You have subscribers, you broadcast regularly, but how visible are your marketing messages? Aren’t your e-mails just getting ignored?

Hmmm… maybe I have got ahead of myself here. OK, I assume you broadcast (or are planning to broadcast) a regular e-newsletter, and your motivation is commercial. This e-Masterclass is my weekly nudge towards your continued e-marketing success, using e-newsletters.

A really hot topic right now is standing out in a crowded in-box, being visible, increasing views, clicks, loyalty and revenue.

Three more assumptions:
1. Your subscriber list is clean (you have a decent subscribe/unsubscribe mechanism).
2. Your editorial team (hey, is that you on your own mostly?) generates content each month/week.
3. Your goal is to get your e-mails read, and then clicked (driving readers online, closer to buying from you).

How to get noticed:

Stop doing what the competition does - do everything very differently. (Saab cars want you to disregard their unconventional styling and believe that they have strapped 4 wheels to a jet fighter - it sells Saabs.)

Write your e-newsletter from a particular standpoint - disagree with the status quo (not those rock dinosaurs, I mean the usual platitudes peddled in your industry). Go take a stand against the way it has always been (caution here: Dove admits their ‘Campaign for Real Beauty‘ hasn’t pulled in the sales expected, despite being highly visible, beauty still outsells reality!).

Start smoking and swearing - be edgy, take a risk. Guaranteed to frighten the board and shorten your marketing career? Think again. How many albums sell because of the swearing? Unlike smoking warnings on cigarettes, the ‘Parental Advisory’ warning label is a badge of honour for street-smart iPodders (and yes, some even pay for their downloads!). Fifty Cent is not short of a bob or two thanks to this one. (Do I need to remind you about the pinch of salt with this one?)

Summary: why add one more apple to a row of apples and expect to be seen? Aren’t there enough boring, pointless e-mails out there without you contributing one more? Aim for visibility every time and increase your chances. Just think of the numbers - zillions of stay-safe, forgettable messages already out there! (Make sure your editorial team reads this one.)

This week I am going to talk about the Christmas 2008 issue of your own e-newsletter. (It’s no accident that this is the middle of May, with over seven months to go.) This issue is special and needs planning, and if you are going to run a Christmas promotion, start early.

I make no apologies for the Christmas kitten photo. It is absurd and it’s the wrong time of year. (But would a Year Planner photo really have got your attention?)

Your Christmas issue is obviously not ready yet, but may I suggest you make a start next week with the planning?

Your subscribers are going to expect something special at Christmas - because that’s what they are used to - decent marketers the world over end up firing off hasty and ill-conceived, last-minute bargains and offers. But not you. Not this year. This year you will create and send out something rather special.

Still think I’m being premature? Read how seven months is just not long enough - be honest, can’t you hear yourself saying the following?

May: “way too early! we’re still counting results from Easter…”
June: “figuring out whether we will run a summer promo…”
July: “planning and writing that summer blockbuster…”
August: “everyone off on holiday, no decisions possible…”
September: “back to work, back to school, ages yet, too early for Christmas…”
October: “hmm, maybe we should think about Christmas? Do it next month?”
November: “Christmas ideas anyone? Original, quick, and creative please!!!”
December: “HELP! WHAT ARE WE SENDING OUT?”

Summary: This year, your Christmas issue will get more views, clicks and sales revenues than ever before. You are planning ahead and by the end of this month, you will have given your creative team approval to develop their ground-breaking concept. Hmmm, maybe that sounded a bit didactic? “3-2-1 you’re back in the room.” Stage Hypnotist Kenny Craig (Little Britain) on YouTube here.

“Chestnuts roasting by an open fire…” Nat King Cole sings it here. To avoid getting your chestnuts well and truly roasted by your FD as you close Q4 down on revenues after a last-minute crappy Christmas promo, delight him with a request for your Christmas promotional budget early! (I resisted the urge to say: “don’t let this year’s Christmas issue be a real turkey” but I’ll leave you with the thought instead!) Merry Christmas everyone! See you next week.

This week I am going to talk about creating a Special Edition of your own e-newsletter. It’s about presenting the ordinary (your usual e-newsletter format) in a unique way to increase views and clicks.

My wife gave me a gift this morning - a golden 250g jar of Marmite with a touch of Champagne, packaged as a Limited Edition gift with the wording ‘for my lovely Marmite Lover’. You either love it or hate it - and I love it!

What a great concept! How easy to reproduce the effect in your own e-newsletter. A Special Edition e-newsletter.

OK, let’s face it: adding Champagne to Marmite is crazy. I doubt you could taste it, in fact I doubt you could taste petrol added to Marmite, but that’s not the point. The lesson to learn is that you can produce a Special Edition of your own e-newsletter to get readers to take a closer look.

Q. What could you do to create a Special Edition?

1. Could you run a collection of special offers for one week only?
2. Could you present your service/product in a unique combination?
3. Could you change the graphics in your Header for one issue only?
4. Could you create extra interest by producing a different version?

Throw this idea at your freshest web designer and see what comes back. Don’t be surprised if her response is a raw and unique take on the e-newsletter you and your readers have all become very used to. She might suggest an edition in Russian? Maybe an edition just for Project Managers? Go with the idea - produce your own Special Edition e-newsletter and drive up views and clicks with your own take on Marmite and Champagne. Rule: Different gets noticed, Same gets ignored.

Summary: Marmite have 2 websites: www.ilovemarmite.com and www.ihate marmite.com to suit both tastes. You can buy a Little Book of Marmite Tips on Amazon.co.uk or even a Solid Silver Lid for connoisseurs. Yes, Marmite’s branding thrives on controversy, so what if your brand is a little more modest? Brilliant! It will make your Special Edition stand out even more. Go for it. Brief that designer today!

This week I am going to talk about adding three little words into the next issue of your own e-newsletter to improve clicks and revenues.

Q. Are those three little words really: ‘I love you’?

A. Yes and no.

I’ll explain: It’s easy to overlook the power of words, when you are creating content for the next issue of your own e-newsletter. You have too much to do, so sometimes ANY copy, as long as you have SOME copy, will do.

Writing copy is difficult. Writing great copy seems impossible for a lot of people. So we settle for OK copy. Then we get frustrated that we only get OK results. You get back what you put in.

Think about how you feel when someone whispers ‘I love you’ to you. It triggers some deep instinctive response, maybe also curiosity (if it isn’t your partner/spouse saying it!) and your emotional state alters. Words affect you. You know it.

Those particular three little words have impact. We use them judiciously and deliberately. Now let’s look at how you choose the words you send to your own e-newsletter readers.

How to write your own ‘three little words’:

1. Stop saying what you want to say - start saying what customers want to hear. Don’t know? Easy, take your Sales Director a coffee, he will tell you why customers buy (and it isn’t money!).
2. Provide value - if you list your service or product features you will only drive readers away. If you describe the benefits they get instead you have their attention.
3. Fix their pain - what you sell must relieve a business or personal pain that your reader has. Can you increase revenues or decrease expenditure?

Your e-newsletter is at the heart of your regular marketing communications. It is there to drive revenues. You must find your own three little words. You don’t literally want just three words of course, but you do want to write and use words that have the power to affect people.

Of course I care what you say: as with many aspects of running your e-newsletter campaign, it often comes down to time and resource. Invest in good copy writing and you will see an instant uplift in clicks and revenues. Find a budding writer colleague with ability and nurture them or outsource it. Great copy affects people at a deep level. Just remember: ‘I love you’.

This week I am going to talk about putting the business case for your own e-newsletter. If you haven’t yet justified this marketing spend, sooner or later you may have to, so be prepared for building a good business case. This should help.

Different companies react in different ways to tough economic conditions (I hesitate to say ‘recession’). A drop in revenues, real or anticipated, certainly concentrates the mind. The bean-counters give us all two stark options - grow revenues or cut expenditure (or both).

Q. How smart is it to cut marketing expenditure and still expect revenues to grow? A. Not very.

Think of your marketing as the flowing water that continually feeds your seedlings (marketing messaging that nurtures your customers and leads towards sales, repeat or first-time).

Cut back on (e-newsletter) marketing and the water turns off. Your seedlings wither and the chances of a bountiful harvest later in the year are nil. Don’t cut marketing, increase it.

Six reasons why e-newsletters work well in tough times:

1. They keep your brand visible between sales, more visible than your competitors.
2. They keep your readers updated about new services/products and offers.
3. They are measurable and can be optimised over time.
4. They position you as a leader, authority or specialist in your field.
5. They nurture relationships with a ‘drip-feed’ approach, preferred by readers.
6. As the competition (foolishly) cuts back, you are the only one left to take the orders.

Tough times reward the steadfast and punish the weak. It always has been a jungle out there, but cutting back on business-building activity (marketing) simply dries up those prospects who are coming on nicely right now.

Present your business case with confidence: Maintaining a professional e-newsletter programme is a fixed-cost, high-value contributor to revenues. Cutbacks may become inevitable, but in marketing they really don’t help to generate revenues. An e-newsletter sent on a regular basis builds relationships, revenues and a solid business presence. All vital in troubled times.