10 Proven Techniques to Write Engaging Emails

email marketing

Most content marketers would agree that email marketing is unavoidable for businesses. If you have got quality content, marketing emails can be more engaging and successful. Adopt these 5 easy ways to create engaging emails in your marketing strategy:

Create a meaningful Subject Line:
The subject line will often be the reason for the user to read your email. A good subject line should be short, simple and on point. Ask questions, give statement, or highlight unexpected facts, and your email will likely be opened.

Produce Great Content:
When you add great content, your email will obviously be improved. You can draw the attention of your customers by creating content that is intriguing and useful. More importantly, your content should satisfy their requirements.

Make Emails Responsive:
Making your emails responsive will enhance user experience . Design your emails and optimize them to display better on tablets and smartphones. When you create emails that are easy-to-read and navigate, you will notice more click-through.

Add More Imagery:
Good emails should be precise and attractive to keep the readers engaged. Even if you have a great subject line, no one would prefer reading a massive paragraph of text. Alongside concise content, the email should incorporate necessary images, graphics, and other components that would attract a reader.

Don’t Forget Automated Emails:
What if the customer makes a purchase? You would need to create an automated follow-up email as it is important to create a good impression for your business. An automated email that is poorly designed wouldn’t do well. Use professional templates and take some time to design such automated emails.

Make it Short:
During proofreads let every long and unnecessary sentence be eliminated so that you can remain with content that is direct and addressing what you intend. To succeed in this, you can focus on cutting your original writing into a half.

Sound Friendly:
When writing your email to many people, you do not need to sound like a big corporation that is passing information to their clients. Make sure you address a single person by name, not as general subscribers.

Your Greetings Should not be Repetitive:
Do not stick to a single greeting every time you send an email. Use various greetings being conscious of seasons. You can use greetings like “happy holidays ” or “warm wishes” or “Hello from…” Do not think about a strict formula when writing. Express yourself in the best way you can.

Your Voice Should be Natural:
Let your audience realize that you are genuinely interested in the value they will receive from what you are trying to sell them. Just the way you would address a customer at a store. You can use ‘you’ to address them directly.

Reward People for Checking Your Emails:
Who doesn’t like rewards? You need to ensure your subscribers can benefit from checking your emails regularly. You can reward them in the form of e-books with exclusive tips related to your industry or inspire them with free e-courses.

Creating engaging content along with user friendly emails will help you go a long way in content marketing.

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SEO in 2018, Which Practices You Should Avoid and Why.

SEO is a never-ending race and marketers and bloggers know that. In order to achieve success in the SEO world, it’s important to stay updated on Google’s changes, impact and new avenues, therefore, these are some important pieces of advice on which practices you should avoid while optimising your content online.

Link Building: Avoid Forum Posts

John Mueller posted this after someone asked if Reddit comments are dofollow. The guy wrote: “I recently commented on another thread regarding this, and I just did a double-take and Reddit comments indeed appear to not have the « nofollow »-relation? So are Reddit comments then essentially dofollow and SEO-worthy? How do they work?”
John Mueller’s response: “How does link spam with forum comments work? Very badly »

Keyword Research vs Search Volumes

Search volumes are the key to understand how your blogs and your content could impact your impressions. In order to do that, you must know the fact that targeting low search volumes could be a great avenue, especially if your content is very niche related and with an overall small following online. A solid example would be related to very high-level tech companies providing specialized tools for websites/warehouses and such. Given the number of search volumes, finding the right keyword could drastically boost your traffic, even if it has low searches.

Mobile Is The Focus

Many mobile app development companies are relying on backline optimisation for their website. Why? Because the internet is fully mobile dominated at the moment, which is why Google is now indexing mobile websites. By having an optimised mobile version of your landing page, your conversion rates and impressions will be drastically increased. This has to be done either from a technical point of view and from a content one.

Link Building Meters, Why Trust Flow Is The Essential One

By browsing websites with Majestic, it’s pretty simple to see which are the ones who are organically ranking on Google for topical trust flow. This meter is still the best tool you must check before approaching a website for link building. Once you decided which trust flow would fit your website, act accordingly and try not to break it.

To Conclude 
By avoiding forum posts and by improving already existing strategies, SEO in this second half of 2018 will be an easy task for you and it’s proven by stats that these ones are the absolute best approaches you can have within the craft.
Author Bio

Paul Matthews is a freelance writer in Manchester. His aim is to inform people about the power of the internet, while he still focuses on his office. You can often find him mountain biking or at the local library.

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Sting : Electrifying Energy, Ultimate Taste

Brand: Sting
Company: Pepsico India

Brand Analysis Count: #586

Sting is the Pepsico India’s challenger brand in the Rs 200 Crore sports and energy drink market in India. According to Livemint, Indian sports and energy drink market are in a nascent stage with a consumption of 45.2 Million Liters in 2016. Redbull rules the market with a share of 64%.
The size of the Indian market and the growing interest of the consumers towards non-carbonated and less sugary drinks has made this a very attractive market for these products. Moreover, the government has come out with norms for energy drink market which makes a clear regulatory framework for the players. 
Sting is launched with the positioning of product performance. The tagline of the brand is  » Electrifying Energy, Ultimate Taste ». The launch ad is effective in communicating the positioning but cannot be claimed as anything creative because it reminds of the Center Shock ads of the past. The ad is targeting the health conscious young Indian consumers. 
The brand is priced almost 50% less than the market leader Redbull. I have not seen this brand in my city. I guess, the national rollout has not happened yet for the brand. 
Indian sports and energy drink market is still a niche market. Although there is a shift towards healthy drinks, consumers ( in my opinion) is little confused about the product usage. In marketing terms, the category lacks salience. The brands in the category need to educate the consumers about the product usage and usage situations in order to expand the category. Although we can argue that the product descriptor ( energy drink) is there in the product label, that will only help in category identification. If the category needs to expand, it should make more usage situations for the product. Currently, the category is popular among sports enthusiasts which restrict the growth of the market in terms of market size. 
The low price of Sting may induce more product usage for the brand and thus offer a challenge to the market leader. However, Sting needs more than the quirky launch campaign to challenge Redbull. 

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Brand Update : Skoda lures with Peace of Mind

Skoda came into the Indian market way back in 2002 with the highly successful premium sedan Octavia. Ever since the brand has created an image of a premium brand with very sturdy cars. However, the brand was eclipsed when the Indian market saw the likes of BMW, Audi, and Mercedes fighting it out with new models and brand promotion

. Somewhere down the line, the brand went into a slumber, my assumption is that when the Volkswagen brand was promoted heavily, Skoda went into sleep.

2018 is witnessing a comeback of sorts for this brand. According to newspaper reports, Volkswagen group is planning to put Skoda brand in the center of India 2.0 strategy. 
One of the issues that the brand is facing is the perception ( rather truth) of Skoda being expensive to maintain in terms of service and spare costs. This issue was faced by Ford who ran a big campaign trying to change the perception. 
To change the perception, Skoda is offering warranty and service package to the car owners and a celebrity-driven brand campaign. 
The brand has roped in Boman Irani as the celebrity endorsing the new campaign. Interestingly Boman Irani is also endorsing Cars24 portal. Seems like he is the new favorite of Auto brands. 
Skoda needs to change the perception of being expensive to maintain since the brand is expected to launch a series of products that will drive VW’s share in the Indian market in the coming years. 
Because of this perception, Skoda cars are not in the consideration set of most of the customers who look for an upgrade in the mid-range segment. In my opinion, Skoda is a kind of squeezed in the Indian car market with the luxury segment being dominated by brands like Audi, Benz, BMW etc while the premium segment is witnessing the intense competition between the likes of Honda and Suzuki. 
The money that the brands like Skoda and Ford had to incur to change the perception of being expensive to maintain brand is a lesson to marketers. Perceptions are easy to create and often created without a thought. Once the perception is set in the mind of the target market, it will burn a hole in the brand’s pocket for a long time. 

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For Our Marketing Team, These 7 Super Awesome Commercials Are Big Winners

Our Favorite Super Bowl 2019 Ads

Our Favorite Super Bowl 2019 Ads

It’s an absolute phenomenon.

According to the sacred laws of modern television, digital, and on-demand viewing, consumers spend a whopping 364 days a year actively avoiding advertising and marketing messages.

From strategic bathroom breaks and the embracing of alternative, bingeable entertainment channels to the installation of ad-blockers, consumers want to avoid unsanctioned commercial interruptions—whenever and wherever they’re enjoying content.

But when Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, it’s Opposite Day—and for a few glorious hours, we’re on the edge of our seats with excited anticipation of the next ad to dance across the screen. It’s the Super Ad Bowl.

For the average consumer, this phenomenon is simply an entertainment tradition. For marketers, it’s a series of case studies in marketing storytelling, creativity, and boldness in action.

And this year, there were several case-in-point ads that entertained the TopRank Marketing team as consumers and inspired us as marketers. Below team members share their winning picks for the ads that won the “Super Ad Bowl.”

#1 – Google’s “100 Billion Words” Leaves Us (Nearly) Speechless

In a time of political and social upheaval—a time of distrust and divisiveness—Google takes time remind us that we are united by a common language: A language of gratitude, affection, and connectedness. And, of course, it’s multilingual Translator service helps bring people and these love languages together.

[embed]https://youtu.be/uXfJc8up6cM[/embed]

As a search engine that is increasingly powered by machines, in this piece Google showcases the tangible human benefits its platform offers, while also encouraging us all to choose unity. It’s a stunningly beautiful message and incredible brand marketing. This one topped my personal list of 2019 faves, and my colleague, Social and Content Marketing Manager Lane Ellis, felt the same:

“Google helps put the ‘G’ in global with its Google Translate Super Bowl 2019 spot, with a touching look at how its translation services are being used every day to say small things that mean so much,” he shared.

#2 – Bud Light and HBO Riles Game of Thrones Fans

Since the summer of 2017, Bud Light’s medieval marketing campaign featuring the “Dilly Dilly” catchphrase has been a beer lover’s favorite. With several commercials now part of the series, it’s safe to say that Super Bowl viewers were anything but surprised once the beer company’s newest ad started rolling on Sunday—that is until “The Mountain” of HBO’s hit show, Game of Thrones, made his appearance.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fhOItB0zUM[/embed]

“It was a good reminder that breaking audience expectations is really effective in creating genuine surprise and excitement,” Content Strategist Annie Leuman shared.

But the real marketing magic, Annie said, is happening on social media—with both brands leveraging the “Bud Knight” as a way to continue the buzz and excitement.

Game of Thrones Bud Knight on Twitter

Good Night Bud Knight

Valar Morghulis Bud Knight

Of course, with many avid GoT fans around the office, Annie wasn’t the only one moved:

“This ad had a fabulous surprise ending and we saw the merger of two fabulous brands,” Debbie Friez, Influencer Marketing Strategist, said. “I’m not sure it sold me on Bud Light, but as a Game of Thrones fan, I’m even more excited for the final season.”

#3 – Burger King’s #EatLikeAndy Stands Out Thanks to Simplicity

Creativity in marketing comes in many forms—and sometimes it’s in the simplest form. With over 50 Super Bowl commercials competing with each other and the hype of the game, there was a lot of noise during this year’s event. And for our CEO Lee Odden, the most memorable ads were simple and singular in their focus.

“The commercial that exemplified simplicity best for me was the #EatLikeAndy spot from Burger King,” he said. “There’s basically no dialogue or promotion. It’s just vintage video of the real Andy Warhol opening a BK bag, pulling out a Whopper and eating it, finishing with the #EatLikeAndy hashtag.”

[embed]https://youtu.be/8fIfPKpY7HQ[/embed]

Lee added: “It may have been the retro simplicity that made the BK commercial stand out, the fact that we can all relate to the ketchup bottle struggle, or Casey Neistat’s recent BK joke video making the Burger King brand top of mind. Whatever the reason, the #EatLikeAndy commercial is the one that stood out amongst a blur of ads during one of the most boring Super Bowls I’ve ever seen.”

#4 – Microsoft “Levels the Playing Field” with Emotional Storytelling

Our brains are programed for stories. And Microsoft’s story-centered ad aimed at showcasing the power of technology—accessible technology that is—engaged our minds and our hearts in its cause.

Everything about this commercial tugged at the heartstrings,” Account Manager Claire O’Neill shared. “There wasn’t a dry eye in my house.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2QJO2IDFo[/embed]

Storytelling can help marketers build trust. Storytelling can break down barriers. And stories can build connections.

“This ad pulled at my heartstrings with all the feels,” Debbie seconded. “But what made it really incredible was the story—it was great content; a great story with a beginning, middle, and great ending. In addition, Microsoft has featured some of these kids in other ads, too, showing off some creative repurposing.”

#5 – Bubly Busts the Awareness Bubble with the Help of Michael Bublé

Over the last couple years, sparkling seltzer has become the new battleground for many drink makers. Of course, La Croix is perhaps the most well-known of brands. And as any up-and-coming or niche brand knows, gaining awareness ground is the first order of marketing business.

PepsiCo’s young Bubly brand is coming up in the world, according to Influencer Marketing Strategist Jack Fitzpatrick.

“For me, nothing will beat Michael Bublé sitting on the floor of a gas station pouting, surrounded by cans of PepsiCo’s Bubly sparkling water,” he laughed. “This commercial fit perfectly into the brand’s fun-loving personality and featured the well-liked Canadian singer as the spokesperson. This total please-all ad for a makes sense for a brand that is working to grab market share from sparkling water goliath, La Croix.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1uNrSJKV34[/embed]

#6 – Hulu Strikes Intrigue and Fear with Trailer for Season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale

Tension is a key storytelling element—and perhaps one that marketers don’t leverage often enough. Tension builds excitement and intrigue, and it commands attention.

Hulu’s intense adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale checks all those boxes—within each episode and it’s teaser trailers.

As Account Manager Jane Bartel describes it: “The trailer capitalizes on all my fears as well as they do in the show, and makes me not want to miss the next season.”

[embed]https://youtu.be/PuWg6AyzETg[/embed]

“From a marketing perspective, it very effectively teased the content to existing viewers (and probably attracted some new ones) by using an almost ‘propaganda-esque’ opening showing how women are entering the workforce in large numbers, and healthy babies are being born all over the place,” Tiffani Allen, Associate Director of Search and Analytics, adds.

“The spot then takes a turn to show that this is, in fact, not the reality and shows the movement of women actively fighting back and ‘burning’ the system,” she says. “It was powerful to see that kind of contrast within messaging while staying on narrative.”

#7 – Stella Artois Plays on Familiarity While Encouraging Change

Nostalgia and familiarity are incredibly powerful marketing and engagement tools. Look no further than the resurgence of classic tales such as those from the Star Wars franchise hitting the box offices every year.

This year, Stella Artois leveraged three iconic characters—each of who are well-known for having a signature drink—to evoke nostalgia, while also challenging potential customers to embrace change.

And yes. I said three iconic characters. Sarah Jessica Parker reprises her Carrie Bradshaw character from Sex and the City, while Jeff Bridges appears as “The Dude” from the cult classic The Big Lebowski. Finally, in the full version, we briefly see Jonathan Goldsmith, who for a decade portrayed “The Most Interesting Man in the World” for Dos Equis.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=439muvajodg[/embed]

Share Your Super Ad Picks

When Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, the brands and their ads are the showstoppers. Which ads and marketing messages resonated most with you? Tell us in the comments section below.

You can catch TopRank Marketing at several upcoming events, including this week on Feb. 6, 2019. Join Lee Odden as he presents a live webinar with BrightTALK on the future of collaborative B2B content.

The post For Our Marketing Team, These 7 Super Awesome Commercials Are Big Winners appeared first on Online Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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So You Want to Be a CCXP…

Image courtesy of CXPA

Are you looking to earn your CCXP this year?

I get a lot of questions every week from customer experience professionals who are interested in taking the CCXP exam but aren’t sure how to prepare for it. There’s a website for the exam with a lot of details and resources; it now also includes a document that lists books, whitepapers, websites, etc. that you can read to help you prepare.

But there’s no substitution for experience and having done the work.

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Brand Update : Welcome back Santro

This October saw one brand coming back to life. Hyundai decided to name their new entry-level hatchback as Santro. Indian market is witnessing an interesting brand name phenomenon of a resurrection of dead brands. After Santro, Mahindra is launching the Jawa brand. Ads of Dianora ( remember Dyanora brand ?) brand is there in some channels in Kerala. 
Santro in the earlier avatar had a dream run in the Indian market. It paved way for Hyundai to become the second largest car maker in the highly competitive Indian market. However, Hyundai decided to put the brand to rest and opted for a strange alpha-numeric brand i10 as the successor. Although the brand found acceptance, it was not a blockbuster brand like Santro. 
The new Santro has no similarity with the old models. Neither in looks or in the technical specification. The product looks like a car born out of i10 and Chevrolet Beat. 
In the brand communications, Santro tries to link itself to the old Santro’s USP of a tall boy design, however, the new Santro does not look like a tall boy. 
 Just like the relaunch of Baleno, here the company has used a very famous brand name for the new launch. There is no need to be nostalgic about it. There was some nostalgia when I heard the news of Santro relaunch but that vanished when I saw the new Santro being totally different from the old. 
So why a sudden rush for dead brands. The only reason is the brand awareness that some of these brands carry across all these years. For example, Jawa and Yezdi still have huge awareness among the Indian riders. We also know that these bikes were real headaches in terms of mechanical failures and ride quality. You need extra-strong calf muscles to make a Yezdi start. But since those were the only options, consumers tend to buy it. When better bikes came, these brands died. 
In the case of Santro, it had strong equity created out of excellent product performance. Old Santros are still running without any issues. 
By launching the new product with an old brand which has excellent brand awareness ( recognition + recall) gives a  real boost to the launch efforts. There need not be any investment in building awareness by using an old brand. Since Santro did not have any issues in the previous life, it does not come with any baggage. Hyundai just had to fuel a hype of an old brand resurrected, the media will take care of the rest of promotion because of the news value. The launch of Santro had earned a lot of earned media space just because of the brand name. 
Hyundai had priced the new Santro in a sweet spot and according to auto-portals, the product offers excellent value for the price paid. Automobile market success heavily depends on product and service related attributes and less on brand-related attributes. Santro again depends on how the car works and with Hyundai’s track record, it will not be a problem for the new brand. 

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