Loop's eMarketing Spot

Drive-Thru 2008: Online Marketing Essentials Presentation Summary

2008-09-20T15:27:00.003-04:00

1. Customers are using the internet to search for solutions, products and services.

a. 80% of internet traffic begins at the search engines.
b. 68% of the search market share belongs to Google.
c. Website pages need to be optimized so they can be picked up by Google and displayed in the search results. Optimization involves page Meta Data, text on the site pages and back links to your site.
d. Sponsored search (pay-per-click) provides geographical targeting of ads, content targeted ads and 100% control of the ad message.

2. Customers compare information from multiple locations.

a. Company and competitors websites.
b. Independent product/services review websites. Ex. Cruise Critic or Consumer Reports
c. Blogs
d. Price Brokers. Ex: Travelocity or Hotel.com

3. Customers love video…a lot.

a. 73.7 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video in March 2008.
b. 139 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 83 videos per viewer in March 2008.

4. Once customers find the information they are looking for, they don’t want to have to search for it again.

a. 36% of internet users say they have a customizable web page, such as iGoogle or My Yahoo.
b. Subscribe to eNewsletters or email alerts
c. Use aggregators such as iGoogle to receive RSS feeds for news and information in a single place. Information that can educate and influence purchase.

5. Customers have cell phones and are texting (SMS).

a. 84 % of Americans have cell phones.
b. 74% of all mobile phone users are active SMS (Text) users.

6. Customer trust their friends and family when it comes to purchase advise.

a. Consumers trusted recommendations from consumers 78% more than they did any other forms of advertising.
b. They are using social networks such as Facebook and MySpace to communicate with people they trust and ask for purchase advice.
c. A marketer’s job is to engage with social networks to listen, learn and correct what communities say about your product and services.

Summary: Customers are interacting with the internet at multiple points and with different tools. Customers are seeking information form various channels to help them make the best purchase decision. Not one single channel provides all the information the customer is looking for in order to purchase. Loop Consulting Group helps marketers determine which channels need to be developed in order to achieve effective integrated multiple-channel marketing communications focused on increasing sales and brand awareness.

Online Communications Tools Map

2008-09-09T16:34:00.009-04:00

This is a great visual model of the conduits to conversation. As marketers, we should be aware that our clients are engaging with all of these tools on and offline to communicate with friends, research products and services and much more. These tools shape the way we interact, how we interact with others and how new information is organized. Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks, explain he's map like this "The conversation map is a living, breathing representation of Social Media and will evolve as services and conversation channels emerge, fuse, and dissipate."

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

Drive-Thru: Online Marketing Essentials Seminar- Sept. 18th- Rizt-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami

2008-08-27T11:45:00.005-04:00

A breakfast meeting, designed as a "get in, get out" mini-seminar on what every online marketing and communications manager should know. We will talk about the tools and tactics currently in use, and their performance for online marketing and communications.

Topics:

Search Engine Optimization: What are the 3 things you should do to make sure your website is found by search engines. The top 5 SEO
myths and how to avoid them.

Mobile Marketing: The do’s and don’ts of mobile. How to use and integrate the mobile channel. How to design a successful (SMS) text campaign.

Video: How to best use video? What does it cost to produce? What kind of results tracking can I expect?

Social Marketing: What are the benefits to the brand? How to get started? How to monitor your reputation? What to do right and what to avoid?

The promise: In a little over an hour, you will get an overall understating of which online marketing tools are delivering good results. It will be quick, fun, and informative, and will provide you with actionable ideas you can implement yourself.

Speaker: Marcos Menendez, President Loop Consulting Group
Date: Thursday, September 18th, 2008
Where: Amadeus Salon, Ritz Carlton Hotel- Coconut Grove- Map
Time: 8:30 am Breakfast; 9:00am to 11:00am
Cost: Complimentary RSVP A Must: Cinthya M. Longarte, clongarte (at) loopconsulting (dot) com or 305.271.9915

Social Networks Help Pick Our Next President

2008-08-23T15:10:00.007-04:00

The Power of Social Media: Digg Your New President?

As a writer, I’m naturally curious, and I’m always looking for new research tools. So recently, I decided to become involved in social networking, or as it’s beginning to be called, “the new media”. I wanted to experience this rapidly growing phenomenon for myself, and I also wanted to see if there was true marketing potential there.

Since Digg appears to be the largest and most popular, I chose to join there. All I can say is, “Wow.” At first glance, it seemed almost like something from a Superman comic; suddenly, everyone seemed to be Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen, rushing to get their story on the front page of the Daily Planet. But as I “dugg deeper”, I quickly realized that social networks are rapidly becoming the preferred way for millions of people to consume content on the web. And even though I’m not technically a marketer, even I could see the vast marketing potential that lies within the social network media.

Want proof of the growing power of social networks? Well, here you go: CBS News and Katie Couric have posted a video on Digg, asking members to submit questions for the Presidential candidates; Ms. Couric then suggests that perhaps some of these questions will be presented on the CBS Evening News, or even asked to the candidates themselves at the conventions. In my opinion, if the national news media is starting to recognize social networks as a viable media source, then that makes them a force to be reckoned with.

But wait, there’s more. At this year’s Democratic Convention, to be held at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO, approximately 50 bloggers (one from each state), have been given press passes and access to the Convention. Digg then announced that they will be sponsoring a 9,000 sq. ft. tent, called “Big Tent Denver”, just outside the Pepsi Center, to accommodate more members of the “new media” to participate in the Convention via blogs, podcasts, and more. Although the number of bloggers allowed access to the Big Tent is still unclear, it’s definitely evidence that social networks are gaining power.

There are still those that feel that social media is just another passing trend. But even if that’s true, the very core of marketing is about following and capitalizing on trends. And who knows? Maybe twenty years from now, instead of going to the voting booth, we may be going to the computer and simply “digging” our vote for our next President.

(Oh, by the way, feel free to post this to Digg…)

Kathryn Smith
Chief Editor
www.loopconsulting.com

Miami Dade College to Launch New Online Campaign

2008-08-15T15:59:00.006-04:00

Spotlight on School of Community Education

Miami, Florida, July 15, 2008: The Miami Dade College School of Community Education has hired Loop Consulting Group to create an integrated online marketing campaign which will feature an eNewsletter called “Learn. Grow. Succeed.”. The college hopes to increase Community Education enrollment across all eight campuses. This campaign aligns itself with MDC’s mission to make education more accessible to the public by providing Community Education course schedules and enrollment online. The goal of the campaign is to generate awareness and inform prospective Community Education students that training and education for personal and professional growth is accessible and available to all Miami Dade County residents.

Geoffrey Gathercole, School Director, stated, “We’re pleased to be working with Loop Consulting Group. We’re very confident that this project will let the public know that the Miami Dade College School of Community Education can help anyone attain their educational and professional goals, regardless of what those goals may be.”

Marcos J. Menendez, President of Loop Consulting Group added, “We are delighted to be involved, and grateful to MDC for continuing to entrust their online marketing efforts to us. We look forward to developing a very successful program for the Miami Dade College School of Community Education.”

Loop Consulting Group is a Miami, FL, based internet marketing firm, dedicated to helping organizations and businesses reach their online sales and communications goals. Loop Consulting Group specializes in Integrated Online Marketing Communications (IOMC), which focuses all online marketing and advertising into a single digital voice. Loop Consulting Group creates powerful winning strategies for organizations and businesses that transition to the online marketplace across all channels.

There’s A New Search Engine In Town: Cuil Review

2008-07-28T15:44:00.004-04:00

Cuil pronounced “cool” (use a heavy Irish accent) is the creation of ex-Google brain Anna Patterson who said to CNN that her new search engine offers “better ways to search”.

I’m always interested in better ways to find what I’m looking for, so I visited www.cuil.com to give it a test:

What I liked:

1. Simple home page, ala Google

2. Suggestive search box (based on what you type, it suggests words)

3. Folder style tabs recommending additional content sections (nice, requires less thinking, I think)

4. More visually appealing than Google

What I didn’t like:

1. Results seemed scattered on the page, but this probably because I’m used to scanning the page from top-to-bottom and Cuil presents results in a three column format.

2. Some results seemed a little confusing since they appeared with images along side and the image may not be relevant to the content.

Even though Cuil has $33M in venture funding and it’s just a couple of days old, I’m not sure if it’s unique enough to make a dent in Google’s armor. What I do like is that fact that people are trying to improve on the standards and even change them and this is how we all win.

But the ultimate judge of performance is you, www.cuil.com

How to Make Your Website Search Engine Friendly

2008-07-19T13:56:00.003-04:00

Google engineer Matt Cutts, who’s quite popular with the techies, offered some simple yet great advice on how to make your website easier to find by your prospective customers.

Here’s a quick summary of what he says to USA Today in his interview:

1. Add “keywords” to your site’s content; keywords are the words you think people will use to find your site when they use a search engine. The more keywords you use in your content, the easier your site will be to find.

2. Title Tags and Description Tags are the information Google displays about your website in the results page.

3. The more people that link to your website the better. People will link to your content if it’s interesting and of value. (By the way, please link to me!)

4. Advertising on Google does not get you preferred treatment. You will not rank higher in the free results because you advertise.

5. Normally, Google refreshes its entire inventory once a month. This means that Google may visit your site to look for new content every 30 days. However, don’t wait a month for Google to visit your site; submit your site to Google at http://www.google.com/addurl.

I’m not the best person to summarize interviews, but if you liked the tips above, I’d recommend taking time to watch the five-minute video interview and hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

The Power of the “Oops, We Made A Mistake” Email

2008-07-15T19:00:00.003-04:00

On her July 7^th article “Top E-mail Tips to Drive Response”, Jeanniey Mullen from The ClickZ Network shares some tips about driving email response. She mentions that forms (search, first name, telephone, etc.) and rich media (Flash, animated .gif’s) work well in terms of getting action (clicks or completions), but forms and animated graphics may be blocked by some email clients. This is so, because in the fight against spam and viruses most email programs, especially web-based email clients (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.), block embedded forms and Flash files.

What comes right to your inbox and gets a ton of readership is honesty; yes, old- fashioned acceptance of a mistake turns out to get a lot of readership. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense, because everyone likes it when you “come clean” and apologize for a mistake, then you admit guilt and ask for mercy.

This works just as well face-to-face as it does in email communications. I’m not suggesting you start sending apologies to your clients and prospective clients to improve your email marketing success; what I want to bring to light is that if you make a mistake, it is important to apologize quickly and take the opportunity to increase readership by offering amends… and a promotional coupon, offer, or incentive.

Want proof of the power of apology? Check out JetBlue CEO David Neeleman’s video apology. Take a look at the very positive comments below and don’t overlook the fact that the video has over 329,000 viewings.

Voices for Children to Partner with Loop Consulting Group

2008-06-30T13:58:00.007-04:00

Children’s Advocacy Group Hopes to Raise Funds, Awareness

Miami, Florida, June 19, 2008: Voices For Children Foundation has selected Loop Consulting Group as their integrated marketing communications partner, in charge of their online communications and rebranding efforts. Voices For Children Foundation (http://www.voices4.org/) is responsible for raising funds to support Miami-Dade’s Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Program. The ultimate goal of the GAL Program is to provide every abused, abandoned, and neglected child in Miami-Dade with a representative voice to speak in the best interests of dependent children in court proceedings. Additionally, Voices For Children raises money to support the medical, emotional, and social needs of these children.

Nestor Rodriguez, Voices’ Chief Executive Officer stated, “Voices is entering a critical stage in our developmental and organizational growth. We’re very excited about partnering with Loop Consulting Group at this particular time, and look forward to working together to benefit the lives of the abused, abandoned, and neglected children we serve.”

Carolina Schwarz, Voices’ Director of Communications, added, “From our initial meetings, Loop looked at both our developmental and marketing initiatives from a holistic perspective, and asked questions that noted deep interest in our activities. We’re very excited about the ambitious plans already in place for our future online integrated communications initiatives, which will deliver effective fundraising and awareness-raising results.”

Loop Consulting Group’s President, Marcos J. Menendez, also stated, “We’re thrilled to be working together for such a worthy cause. It’s a great honor, and an excellent opportunity for us to give back to the community by using our marketing talents and expertise to help raise awareness for Voices For Children Foundation, which will propel this cause forward.”

Integrated Marketing: A Marketer’s Primary Concern

2008-06-23T18:12:00.001-04:00

According to a study done by the Association of National Advertisers, “achieving effective IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) campaigns is a marketer’s primary concern.”

Bob Liodice, President of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), goes on to say, “Although 74% of firms we've surveyed say they are using IMC approaches for most or all of their brands, only 25% rated the quality of their IMC programs "excellent" or "very good" -- underscoring the need to identify best practices and address the barriers that can impede IMC efforts.”

The ANA and Mr. Liodice label the barriers to IMC as:

1. Strategic Consistency

“An IMC campaign should start with a compelling consumer insight that can be translated into a strong, differentiated marketing strategy. This leads to the development of a creative "brand idea" that drives each discipline's tactics.”

Simply put, this means that the message must be consistent across all customer touch points.

2. Common Measurement Process

“Although organizations have become more skilled in crunching numbers, there is no single, consistent set of metrics that transcends discipline-centric measurements.”

This is true for now; all metrics, whether they’re email open rates or website sale conversions, are being gathered by separate sets of systems. What we do at Loop is manually gather the data of the campaigns and organize it in a dashboard format for the client to see. Soon, metric companies will start to design applications that organize all marketing data into one integrated dashboard, but for the time being, we have to make do with manual gathering.

3. Functional Silos

“For too long, marketing functions have been vertically organized by media type. This “silo” approach is mirrored on the agency side, with rewards based on discipline-specific P&L models.”

What Bob is saying is that marketing spending has traditionally been arranged by the type of media to be purchased. Instead of taking an overall look at what the message is meant to say to all customers, we design the message based on the type of media in the budget. For example, if we need to talk about four product features, a TV or email message can mention them all; conversely, you can only fit so much onto an outdoor sign, so the message is altered in exchange for the type of media purchased.

4. Professional Skills

“Achieving strategic integration requires a top-to-bottom reinvention of the marketing organization. This transformation must be led by "renaissance marketers" -- a new breed of holistic professionals who are system thinkers, customer-centric believers, innovators, and dreamers.”

I think top-to-bottom reinvention can be a little drastic, but I do agree with an organizational change in marketing philosophy. In order for a company to truly achieve an integrated message, the company and all its directors must view the message from the customer’s perspective, and then tailor the distribution of the message based on an overall view of all customer touch-points.

Content Relevance Kills Content Perfection

2008-06-14T18:40:00.003-04:00

Vin Crosbie of The ClickZ Network on his article Good Enough Triumphs Over Perfection writes “Once content is good enough to be relevant, it needn't be perfect.”

He is referring to the way traditional media (TV, Newspapers and Radio) views the level of quality and perfection needed to distribute a message. Crosbie goes on to saying “YouTube has triumphed over the traditional video networks online, despite all their investments. Wikipedia, despite inaccuracies, has triumphed over Encyclopaedia Britannica and other publishers who attempt perfection. Google News and Yahoo News each have more users than the Web sites of any newspaper or news broadcaster. All because their content, although not perfect, is good enough.”

On the web we don’t seem to mind if the message is not placed on a flawlessly designed website or if the video showing you how to fix your particular problem is not adequately lit as long as we can find what we are looking for.

The reason for this is that all of us use the web for one thing…and that is to find answers to what we are looking to solve. And if we find the answers we don’t seem to care much if they are not presented in the best “paper”.

This does not mean that you should through your brand’s image out the door and forget quality and creativeness, it just makes a point that relevance of message and timing to market are more important that a flawless look.

I'll have a hard time selling this to our designers... : )

37 Things You Should Check Before Sending An Email- Seth Godin’s Email Check List

2008-06-07T15:24:00.004-04:00

Author and marketing genius Seth Godin has presented a list of 36 points you should consider before sending out an email to one person or a group. From a marketing perspective my favorite points are:

19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).

21. Could this email be shorter?

36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

I’m going to suggest to Seth one more point, point number 37.

37. Did this email add any value what so ever for the recipient? Did it make them smarter? More informed about something they care about? Did it help improve their professional or personal life in any way?

Inbox attention is getting more and more precious for you and your prospective clients. This mean everyone has to quickly prioritize what they will pay attention to. Make sure that what you deliver is worth their time and attention.

Your Friends Will Have A Say In Everything: Web-Wide Social Networks?

2008-05-17T18:21:00.010-04:00

The Adage.com “Coming Soon: A Web-Wide Social Network?” article picks up on the continual evolution of the “socialization” of the web, the continued expansion towards further connecting us to one another. The idea of a web wide social platform that extends beyond the walls of Facebook and MySpace into every page we visit and allows our network of contacts to follow us, is in sync with the way the web works.

For marketers this means more of what we have seen over the past few years, more people with more ways to talk about our product and brands. And the continued effort to centralize and gage in real-time that overall opinion of our products and services.

I don’t know how far we are from this but Google Friend Connect, Facebook and MySpace are certainly moving in the direction of a web-wide social network. I’m sure we will hear a lot more about this in the coming months.

Marcos J. Menendez
President Loop Consulting Group -Integrated Online Marketing-
www.loopconsulting.com

The Marketing Agency of the Future

2008-05-10T16:44:00.004-04:00

We know the future of online marketing agencies lies in the ability for the agency to understand, produce and harness online communications technology and merge the technology with creative and targeted results oriented marketing.

Loop recognizes that the new challenges for marketers within corporations will be technical awareness of communications solutions and the ability to use and integrate them in their overall marketing objectives.

The marketing consulting agency of the future will have to have a mix of talent that can develop and understand software design and integration with marketing knowhow in order to provide the solutions that will send brands apart from their competitors.

Loop Consulting Group is positioned in the market to help Chief Marketing Officers understand, evaluate and execute their online marketing efforts into a sustainable, value driven, accountable and integrated brand and product position.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
Loop Consulting Group
www.loopconsulting.com

2008-02-15T10:43:00.018-05:00

Interview: eMarketing Tips, Mistakes and Best Bets

I was recently interviewed by Décor Magazine, the oldest and most prestigious national print publication for the art gallery and framing industry. Décor asked me about internet marketing and how it can help its core readers, which are mostly high-end art gallery owners.

Below you will find my answers to Décor's interview and an audio podcast of the interview.

1) Tell me as much about your background as you're comfortable with-- family, education, professional life, and how you got into online marketing and communications.

A. I was imported from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, FL by the software giant Oracle Corp. to launch the Internet Sales Division for Latin America and the Caribbean. This was during the pre-internet bubble days, or 1999, when times where great for technology, big salaries, and big budgets. While I was with Oracle, I was introduced to the world of online marketing and communications. Soon enough, I realized that eNewsletters were our best performing marketing tool and I thought that perhaps there was an opportunity to show other companies how to use them. So I gathered my courage and left Oracle to start Loop.

2) Tell me about Loop Consulting Group and the extent of your duties as President. What exactly is the company and what does it do?

A. Loop Consulting Group helps organizations use the Internet to achieve their online marketing, communications, and revenue goals. We specialize in the use and integration of online communications tools like websites and search engine optimization, eNewsletters, business blogs, and online video production and distribution.

3) What unique challenges face small, independently owned businesses in trying to get their marketing messages out? Obviously, smaller budgets, but what else? How can they overcome these challenges?

A. I think one of the biggest challenges is choosing the right marketing vehicle, or marketing tools options. There are dozens of ways for a business to get their message out. Businesses can use tools to increase website visibility, they can set up a "pay-per-click" program, add an eNewsletter, a blog, or an online video. They can also use podcasting, writing articles for trade publications, adding sponsor sites, banner ads and so on. The best way to overcome the communication vehicle selection process is to define, as specifically as possible, who the target audience is and then determine where they are online. Once this is established, then select the best tool to reach them. For example, if your target audience is tourists that come by your gallery, find out what they read or where they go online to find information about your city's art galleries; this could be a good place to position your message or sponsor.

4) What are the biggest misperceptions that businesses have about online marketing? Why do they have these misperceptions? How do you cure them of said misperceptions?

A. It's a mix between traditional marketing, the way things have always been done, and a new online channel. People tend to think that because they don't personally use the web, email, or search engines, then no one else does either. There are approximately 6 billion humans on earth, and from that number, 1.3 billion connect to the web in some way or another. I remember when the internet was called a trend, and now it's they way things get done.

5) What are the biggest mistakes that uninformed companies make when starting their own online marketing efforts? What are some pitfalls to avoid?

I think assuming that by having only a website, you are covered. A website is a home base for information; the next step is to tell others what you are doing.

Ways of getting your message out to your audience are eNewsletters, properly designed websites for search engine visibility, and publishing or updating the website with new content.

In terms of pitfalls, I always stress that online marketing involves persistence and focus on objectives and measurement. There is no quick, get-it-now solution to increase sales; there's only reasonable judgment, execution, and measurement of efforts.

So beware of offers that promise to get you first place in Google for 20 bucks a month. If this was true, it would be like controlling search results, and I think Google would agree with me on this.

6) What are the most crucial tips you can give people who'd like to achieve successful online marketing programs?

The beauty of the web is in its ability to launch products, services, and information in real-time, and then test it for results. No other medium lets you actually test the message with the actual audience in its fully functional environment. The web allows you to track all the activity and monitor results in real-time. This allows you to measure your success or potential right away; if you like what you see, keep building it--if you don't, fix it, retry, or delete. But you must try new channels!

7) The art and framing industry is one with very visually-oriented products and services. With that in mind, do you have any ideas for specific things people in this industry should include in their online marketing efforts?

High-resolution images and professionally-taken pictures or video of your product is absolutely essential. Not only is the product displayed in all its beauty, but high-quality images communicate to web viewers that the company is a credible and serious source. Ask yourself if you would make a purchase online from website that was unorganized, with missing pages and small, grainy product pictures. That's why many successful online retailers allow you to enlarge pictures of their products. Also, these pictures or video can be included in your website, eNewsletters, email campaigns, Facebook, etc. Once the product is properly captured, you can reposition the same media in as many channels as you think will be effective.

8) Tell me more about the 80/20 rule. Are there any instances where a company can get away with including more than 20% advertising in a newsletter/article? Why are 80 and 20 the magic numbers?

The 80/20 rule is just a rule of thumb or an easy to remember tip. It comes from the old marketing saying that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers, so you should focus most of your marketing efforts on that 20%, since they generate the most revenue. When it comes to content, the 80/20 rule helps give the writers a guideline so they focus the message on what matters most to the reader; that should be 80% of your content. The remaining 20% you may use for advertising and promotion, and this applies to every tool--websites, emails, etc.

9) What has been your greatest success in online marketing?

Marketing is a work in progress, part art and part science. A campaign that is successful today may not be successful tomorrow. By using different online tools, we've created very successful campaigns for the following clients:

Pet Supermarket- a large chain of stores that carries pet food and related products. We created an eNewsletter called "PetScoop" following the 80/20 rule. (80% content on advice about pet care and 20% on advertising and promotional.)

Results: By using the survey tool at the bottom of each issue, we've found that 60% of the readers find the advice "useful", so they keep opening the eNewsletter issue after issue. With an engaged audience, you see results such as 50% of the readers requesting the special saving coupon. That coupon costs the company nearly nothing to send, and absolutely nothing to print. These savings coupons are then taken to the store, and this means sales. "PetScoop" current issue...

The Latin Builders Association is South Florida's most influential professional association for the advocacy of real estate development. We create and produce an online video channel called LBATV.

Results: The response from the members has been overwhelming, and the response from the organization's sponsors has been even better. All the member companies want to sponsor an episode, and that means revenue for the organization. But what I like most about LBATV is the ability to use video to raise the image of the organization within the community and region. Video allows people to "see" what kind of work the organization does, whether it is to bring 1,800 brand new bicycles to underprivileged kids or set the stage for interaction between political leaders and business leaders. LBATV video archive...

10) How much do e-mail monitoring and spam filter-penetrating services cost? Are they worth it for small businesses? Why or why not?

Prices range depending on the sophistication of the software and your network needs. Most small businesses already receive some kind of anti-spam protection at their PC level or ISP level.

But they're worth it from an efficiency standpoint, because they protect the small business from wasting time and resources that could be best used in other tasks instead of inbox cleaning or spam deleting. So I would recommend that businesses purchase these services at the highest level that they can afford.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in enhancing your online marketing communications efforts, contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez
President Loop Consulting Group, LLC
www.loopconsulting.com
mmenendez (at)loopconsulting (dot)com

###

Congratulations!

Apex Logistics Corp. is an industry-leading custom logistics planning and freight forwarding company. With the help of Loop Consulting Group, they have successfully launched their brand online. LCG designed the new brand image and delivered it online through the creation of a new website supported by an automated freight quoting system and a strong search engine optimization program. We included the latest website analytics technology designed to measure and quantify the amount of total visitors that turn into new sales.

View their inaugural website.

2008-01-29T17:34:00.000-05:00

Loop-Decor Magazine Interview Excerpt

What are the biggest mistakes that uninformed companies make when starting their own online marketing efforts? What are some pitfalls to avoid?

I think assuming that with only the website you are covered. A website is a home base for information; the next step is to tell others what you are doing.

Ways of getting your message out to your audience are eNewsletter, properly designed websites for search engine visibility and publishing or updating the website with new content.

In terms of pitfalls, I always stress that online marketing involves persistence and focus on objectives and measurement. There is no quick, get-it-now solution to increase sales, only reasonable judgment, execution and measurement of efforts.

So, beware of offers that promise to get you first place in Google for 20 bucks a month. If this was true, it would be like controlling search results and I don’t think Google would agree.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
Loop Consulting Group www.loopconsulting.com
mmenendez(at)loopconsulting(dot)com

2007-11-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

Keys to Success: Search Engine Optimization and Blogs

Last month we presented our first annual "Drive Thru: Online Marketing Essentials Breakfast", a "get in, get out" mini-seminar about what every online marketing and communications manager should know. We talked about the tools and tactics currently in use, and their performance for online marketing and communications. We enjoyed a great turnout and to our good fortune, the majority of the participants (62%) found the seminar to be "Excellent". See what the event was like:

Drive Thru: Online MarketingEssentials Highlights Video

From the "Drive Thru: Online Marketing Essentials Breakfast" survey, the majority of the participants found "Search Engine Optimization" and "Business Blogs" to be the topics they enjoyed most.We also talked about Online Video and Podcasting, but I'll focus this issue of our eNewsletter on a quick summary of the "Keys to Success" for "Search Engine Optimization" and "Business Blogs" as presented during the seminar.

Search Engine Optimization- Keys to Success

1. Why is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) important? Because when prospective clients look for your product or service, your company's website should be one of the first to show up in the first page of the search results.

2. Search Engine Market Share Focus: You have finite budget and resources to commit to SEO, so make sure you focus on the search engines that will deliver the most amount of traffic to your website. In today's market, Google is king. Google receives approximately 50% of all searches done online.

3. Site Design: Your website needs to be designed so that search engines like Google and Yahoo easily pick up your website's content and add it to their database. This way, when people search for your product/service, the search engines will be able to display your company's information as part of the search results. Site design is a technical and broad topic, so I won't discuss it here. I will tell you that those Adobe Flash based websites-- you know, those pretty, animated, "wait while the site uploads" websites-- are not indexed or recorded by search engines.

4. Key Words: The best way to think of keywords is to think of a person using a search engine to search the web. The search engine field will ask the person to type in the keywords for whatever they're trying to find. If they're looking for pet food, they may type words like "dog, food, sale, Miami". The general idea is that your website is tailored so that the keywords potential clients may use are the same keywords found in your website's content. These are also the same keywords that search engines store in their databases in order to match the results and display an answer based on your query. Yes, it gets more technical, but that's the basic idea behind keywords.

Business Blogs- Keys to Success

1. Why are blogs important? Because they are the fastest way to publish and distribute information online.

2. Set Content Subject Matter and Objectives: Your blog needs to communicate to the potential readers what the blog is about and what they can expect from the blog's content.

3. Publish Frequently: Blogs thrive based on regularly published content. How regularly? To the tune of two new entries per week. The content on a blog is quickly published and quickly consumed; that's why new content is vital to its ability to retain readers.

4. Make It Useful: If you reposition the same information as everyone else then your content is not unique and the reader can get it everywhere. The idea is that you will talk about how the news or product affects your readers. That's what makes it useful.

5. Use Your Keywords: You want to use your website keywords in your blog as well to help search engines display your blog as part of the search results. The main idea that I communicated through Loop's "Drive Thru: Online Marketing Essentials" was that marketing and communication officers need to look at the online channels and determine how to present their messages in the mediums (blogs, eNewsletters, podcasts, videos, etc...) that will best appeal to their target audience, and not the other way around.

Marcos J. Menendez
President Loop Consulting Group, LLC
mmenendez(at)loopconsulting(dot)com

2007-10-17T12:34:00.000-04:00

Work Sample: Loop's Video Production for Latin Builders Association- July 2007 Luncheon at the Ritz Carlton

2007-08-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

Drive-Thru: Online Marketing Essentials Breakfast

A breakfast meeting, designed as a "get in, get out" mini-seminar on what every online marketing and communications manager should know. We will talk about the tools and tactics currently in use, and their performance for online marketing and communications.

We will talk about:

Online video: Is it worth the time and investment? How to best use video?

Blogs, what's the bid deal? How do they work and how can they work for you?

Podcatsing: How can you use it?

Search engine marketing demystified, simplified, and how to know if your web designer is BS'ing you about it.

How tools like digg, del.icio.us, and reddit help you get your message to your audience.

Word-of-Mouth: The essential steps that make it work in a digital channel.

The promise: In a little over an hour, you will get an overall understating of which online marketing tools are delivering good results. It will be quick, fun, and informative, and will provide you with actionable ideas you can implement yourself.

Speaker: Marcos Menendez, President Loop Consulting Group
Date: September 13, 2007
Where: Amadeus Salon, Ritz Carlton Hotel- Coconut Grove, Map
Time: 8:30 am Breakfast; 9:00am to 11:00am
Cost: Complementary-yes, we are good like that!
RSVP A Must: Cinthya M. Longarte, clongarte(at)loopconsulting(dot)com or click here for RSVP form.

2007-08-15T17:16:00.000-04:00

How To Use eNewsletter For Search Ranking

Over the past few months I've noticed a change in the way search engines are displaying our clients' search results, particularly and specially Google, since Google accounts for about 46% of all searches online (Nielsen/NetRatings).

I would type in our clients' name in the Google search box and the first page would display the client's website URL, as expected, but that's not the most interesting part. They thing that caught my attention was that the additional results were links to our clients' eNewsletters.The second, third, and sometimes fourth results were not the clients' other website pages, but past issues of their eNewsletters. I've always known that eNewsletters help with search ranking, but now I'm seeing this type of search outcome more than ever.

Search engine developers are smart people; they design their page crawlers or spiders (the software used to index new pages) to search not only for keywords , but also for how the keywords are represented within the content.

What does this mean? That the nature of the content of your eNewsletter, its value, and the right keywords are high priority elements to help your business get a top position on search results through your eNewsletters.

Don't take my word for it, try it... type in Google University of Miami Hurricane Club and sure enough, their eNewsletter Inside the U pops right up in the first page results. Of all the pages the University of Miami Hurricane Club has, their eNewsletter issues make it to the top of the results. These are first page results of over 1.3 million results, according to Google.

3 Key Elements Your eNewsletter Program Should Have to Help Your Business Search Ranking

Key Words: Since most search engines index your pages based on your keywords, make sure that all your eNewsletters include keywords about your business. For example, this eNewsletter at the bottom of the issue includes keywords like "eNewsletter" "Marketing" and "Miami".

Search Friendly Design: Search engine crawlers are only able to read text and links found within simple HTML design. This means that if your content is part of an image and/or your eNewsletter is mostly images, you are not giving the search engine much content to work with and index.

Publish Frequently: Search engines are relentlessly looking for new content and indexing new content first. Every eNewsletter issue that you publish gives you another chance at producing better search results.

eNewsletter are a great tool for building and maintaining relationships with customers, but they also should be part of a well-executed search engine optimization strategy.

Marcos J. Menendez

President

Loop Consulting Group, LLC

www.loopconsulting.com

2007-07-10T17:08:00.000-04:00

How Online Video Boosts eNewsletter Performance

Summary: Learn about the value of adding online video to your communications and see how our client's eNewsletter results improved dramatically.

I spoke about New Tools To Reach A New Level of eNewsletter Effectiveness. I mentioned how online video could help take your eNewsletter program to new heights.I'm not one to recommend something that I have not seen firsthand. So we put online video to the test.

We wanted to see if incorporating video to an eNewsletter would improve its performance.One of our clients, the Latin Builders Association (LBA), had the foresight to see the value of online video, and how it could help add richness and depth to their brand. Through online video, we helped the LBA produce and deliver to the LBA membership what their very successful monthly luncheons are like.We created a new media channel called LBATV, and through video, we were able to fully incorporate the monthly luncheons sponsor into the event video.

LBATV- May 2007 Luncheon Video at Intercontinental.
Play May Luncheon Video.
See Video within LBA's eNewsletter

Did you enjoy the video? See anyone you know? Okay, let's talk about the results. How did video improve the LBA's eNewsletter? What other impact did LBATV have?

LBA eNewsletter Results:

Open Rate: The total amount of recipients that opened the eNewsletter was 26%. This has been the long established amount of readers. We predict that as LBATV gains in popularity, so will the amount of readers.

Click-Through: The total amount of recipients that viewed the video was a whopping 64%. This is the highest request for any link within an eNewsletter that we at Loop have ever seen. It moved the overall links requested from a 9% to a 41%, wow! This shows that video is a very attractive channel for recipients.

New Channel: Through LBATV, the Latin Builders Association has created a new medium to communicate their message, as well as a new product for sponsorship revenue. Video augments the sponsor's message outside the venue walls.

Experience: Video brings another good reason for the members to read the eNewsletter, and a way for prospective members to see what the LBA is like in action.
Online video has many other benefits such as improved search engine ranking, increase in website traffic, and a positive enhancement in how messages from an organization are perceived. You may want to consider adding video to your existing online marketing mix, but make sure that you plan carefully and consider using a professional company for production and editing.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in starting or improving on your eNewsletter program contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
Loop Consulting Group, LLC

2007-05-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

New Tools To Reach A New Level of eNewsletter Effectiveness

Last month I participated in the 2007 Email Marketing Summit provided by the good people at Marketing Sherpa. This conference is held once a year with the objective of rounding up experts and solution providers for the email marketing world.With that said, lets get down to what was interesting about the conference... the edge. Yes, the famous cutting edge of our industry and how the near future can benefit your email marketing efforts.So, here's a peek into what will be the upcoming trends in email marketing for sales and communications:

Eye Tracking

Provider: Eye Tools (http://www.eyetools.com/)

What is it? A system to determine what parts of your email message visuals are attracting the eyes of the recipient.

The color red signifies the highest level of viewing.

What's cool about it? The neat thing about this for us marketers is that it gives us an idea as to what part of our messages creative is drawing attention and what parts are being ignored.
What's not cool about it? Once the results are in, you may need to rethink the creative completely and retest. This may delay the campaign and it can get pricey.
How does it work? A demographically similar focus group is selected to view your message. Built-in monitor cameras that track eye ball movements and interpret that data into a heat map layout, which is superimposed unto your email message.
Will Loop use this? Depending on the campaign objectives, it can prove to be helpful.

Guaranteed Deliverability

Note: The issue with email delivery is getting more and more popular since emails are getting harder to deliver to the recipients' inbox. This is due to the myriad of SPAM filters settings and technologies.

Provider: Goodmail Systems (http://www.goodmailsystems.com/)

Messages get the blue ribbonicon on the subject line.

What is it? A certification that tells ISPs that the incoming email is from a legitimate source.
What's cool about it? The thought that every single one of your emails will reach the recipients inbox perfectly.
What's not cool about it? There is a per message fee, sort of like a postage stamp per message.
How does it work? Each mail is stamped with a token that lets the ISP know that the email sender has been verified by Goodmail.
Will Loop use this? Unless the client asks for it specifically, probably not. Most ISPs are moving into a "reputation based" model for allowing email through. This means that legitimate, trusted and certified senders, like Loop, will get their emails to their recipient's inbox with no additional fees.

Online Video

Provider: It depends on the level of quality you want. Videos can be made with a webcam, a video camera, video production company or through us at Loop.

How To Make A Video

What is it? It's the direction the web is taking in terms of how we can receive and view information.

What's cool about it? It's a more enriching and sensory way to receive information and expand brand attributes. Also, ease of distribution... think YouTube and RSS.
What's not cool about it? Higher production time and investment involved in creating a high quality message. The time it takes to present the information is longer. Reading is still faster than watching a video.
How does it work? Record video and audio with a digital camera and upload video file to YouTube.
Will Loop use this? You betcha! We think it can provide our clients overall online marketing communications efforts with a new channel that can be profitable as well as enriching for the brand. See example of "How to Make A Video"...

I have described the tools above so you can start thinking about how they may add value to your existing marketing communications efforts and determine if they can be a good fit for your objectives and your target audience.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in starting or improving on your eNewsletter program contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez

President

Loop Consulting Group, LLC

2007-03-30T10:23:00.000-04:00

E-Newsletter + Blog - A Double Whammy

Here are two powerful tools that can be combined to work together and reinforce each other.

The e-newsletter, reaching out from a data base, finds and delivers the marketing message to chosen prospects. Publishing monthy, it talks about the major current matters, interfaces with your web site and links to resources. One of these links is to your blog.

The blog allows simple instant posting and this permits several postings a week, if desired. Then, those who read the blog postings can make comment that provides valuable feedback.

As the blog gains a following its link to the e-newsletter and web site generates action for those media.

Want to know more about this exciting concept. Just get in touch and we will give you more details.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2007-02-19T13:01:00.000-05:00

Sail to Success with the Cruise Ship Approach

Regardless of the type of marketing and advertising you do, whether it's fantastic, award winning, sales generating, or simple run-of-mill advertising, people will only buy when they are ready to. Not a second before, and not a second after.

So, what can you do to help sell your products and services? The answer can be found in how cruise ships approach marketing.

I just came back from week-long cruise vacation with the family and we had a great time. We ate until.... well let me just say this.... after the first day aboard I don't remember being hungry again!

Back to the question at hand, if customers will only buy when they are good and ready, what can we, the people responsible for the sales and marketing in the company, do to stimulate our customers to buy? The answer is, do what cruises do, set the stage for purchase!

My sources in the cruise ship business tell me that cruise companies do not make the larger part of their money from ticket sales. Ticket sales income only covers the operational expenses of having people onboard. The big money comes from what they call "onboard revenue". These are the dollars that come from what the passengers purchase onboard.

Most passengers purchase alcoholic beverages, jewelry, clothing, tours, and excursions.

How do the most successful cruise ships increase their onboard revenue? They make things easy, readily accessible, and enticing.

The Cruise Approach

Easy: Cash is not used onboard. Instead, you use your room key as a credit card for everything you buy. The purchase transaction cannot get any easier. There is no change due, just a signature. And for those who do not want to wait in line to purchase the new Ralph Lauren cologne (me), you can buy it through your room TV, the same way you would order a movie in a hotel room.
Readily Accessible: When I'm ready to purchase I want to be able to look up and find a store. Cruise operators know this well. They locate bars in every corner. If you cannot see a bar within your visual range, simply lifting your hand will call the attention of a waiter. This is what I call service! This is what the cruises call "readily accessible".
Enticing: It's a mix of "easy" and "readily accessible" with a sprinkle of "tempting". The cruises are designed to make every place you may be enticing to stop and participate. This includes places to sit and have a drink, browsing a store, or dropping into an entertainment venue. Any place you are is a place to enjoy - and spend.

Put all these features together, then add the vacation set of mind, and now you have one great environment for selling your products.

How To Take The Cruise Approach

What I want you to think about is how you can further increase sales of your product or service by taking the "cruise approach". Start by asking yourself, "Is our product is easy to buy?" If the answer is no, think about what you can do to make it simpler. How can you reduce the purchase steps? Then, ask yourself, "How can I make it more accessible? Should it be available for purchase online?"

And finish by taking an objective look at your product or service to determine if it is enticing, alluring, or tempting enough to attract buyers. Think about how perfumes are advertised. They look so good it practically doesn't matter how they smell.

How Can We Get You There?

We keep thinking about how Loop's services can help our customers fit with the "cruise approach". We can develop the element of ease of purchase. We can also make purchase instantly accessible. And through graphics and text - and even videos -, we can make your products and services more enticing.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in starting or improving on your eNewsletter program contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez

President

www.loopconsulting.com

2007-02-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

E-Newsletters vs. Web Sites

This heading makes it sound as if there is a an either/or choice between investing in web sites or in e-newsletters. That interpretation would not be correct. Both have an important place in the marketing communications media spectrum.

However, we frequently hear prospective clients say that they need to upgrade their web site before they get into e-newsletters. This type of priority setting ignores the fact that they are not going to significantly grow the audience they are reaching by fixing up their web site. People come to a web site by choice. so, how will they know the site has been upgraded if they have never opted to come in and look at it?

E-newsletters, by contrast, reach out to an audience that can be selected for demographics and size. E-newsletters open the door to people who may never have had experience with your product or services. So, when you lay your message in front of them, they are inclined to open it and see what it is all about.

Now, here is where e-newsletters can do more to improve traffic to your web site than tinkering with its graphics or contents. In your e-newsletters you post a prominent invitation - with link - to visit your site. Now you are doing something proactive to generate web site traffic.

We can tell you about how this has worked out for our clients. Get in touch and we will do so.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2007-01-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

The Biggest Challenge - Getting It Done

There are a lot of people we call on who agree that eNewsletters are a valuable medium. And they are interested in having an eNewsletter program for their organization. But, they do not come aboard as a client of Loop Consulting because "We can do it ourselves."

So some extent this is true. They can put together a letter and get it out. But that is only part of having a successful program. There needs to be a protocol of testing for Spam blocking, testing to see how the letter appears in various ISPs (MSN, AOL, Netscape, etc.). Then there is the important activity of reading the performance analysis of the letter - and using this information for constant improvement. And there is more. Can they do this? Or, more to the point, will they do all this?

But these comments are not the key issue.

This is the key issue: We have had five years in the eNewsletter business and our marketing strategist had extensive experience with running paper letter programs for clients - most of them ad agencies. We have found that those who choose to do it themselves rarely continue the program for more than a few months.

There are too many other things that get in the way - and the eNewsletters gets pushed aside. Then, finally, they discontinue publishing.

But, when we run the program it is guaranteed that the letters will be gotten out every month, month after month.

If you want to have an eNewsletter program that will be successful, you simply turn it over to the pros. And that is us.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2007-01-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

Like To Meet Us? We Reach Out To You

It takes face-to-face discussions for us to educate a prospective client about the benefits of having a professionally-produced eNewsletter campaign. Up to now that has meant that we have a client list that is limited to South Florida.

But, starting in 2007 we are beginning to reach out. We have regional managers in place in Orlando , FL (for Central and Northern Florida), In Bloomington, IL (for Illinois, Missouri and Indiana) and in Southern California.

This means that you will able to call on these people to learn about eNewsletters and what they can do for your enterprise. It also means that there will be a live human being to learn about your operation and your needs. This is a person who will be responsible for managing your account and assuring satisfaction.

Want to have one of them pay you a visit? Email us at mmenendez@loopconsulting.com
and we will get together with you.

Marcos Menendez
President, Loop Consulting Group
www.loopconsulting.com

2007-01-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

Archiving - The Key To Saving Good Info

Most of our clients will archive past issues of their e-newsletters in their web sites. But some do not do so. The result is that their past e-newsletters, full of good information, are gone forever.

What a waste!

The alternative is to set up an archive of past issues within the e-newsletter. It is interesting that blogs offer this - and it is time that e-newsletters do also. Our experience with blogs is that readers do go into the archives and enjoy things they find in past postings.

We have worked out a way to set up these archives and can do it for you. Let us know if you have any questions about this.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-12-06T16:36:00.000-05:00

Why Aren't All Your Emails Delivered?

Not all emails sent are delivered. Yes, this may come as a surprise; we're sure that when we click the "send" button, that message will be received. We hit the send button and turn our backs with a feeling of satisfaction, a job well done.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Sending an email is very much like door-to-door sales in the old-fashioned sense. The emails you send are like the salespersons, and they go door-to-door (to different contacts), asking if the message can be delivered.

First, there's the famous "knock-knock", and then "Hello there, Mr. or Miss..." coming from the vacuum cleaner salesperson.Then, there are only three possible outcomes to knocking on the recipient's door:

1.The recipient is home, available, and the message is delivered:
Email Terminology: Available recipient.

2.The recipient is not home, and you try again later:
Email Terminology: Softbounce recipient.

3.The recipient is not home because the house is abandoned:
Email Terminology: Hardbounce recipient.

The first and the third outcomes (Available and Hardbounce) are easy to understand; the email is either good, or the email is dead.The interesting part of this story is what happens when your recipient's email is classified as a "softbounce".

To understand a "softbounce" better, I'll define it further:

A "softbounce" is an email that gets as far as the recipient's email server (front door), but is bounced back undelivered before it gets to the intended recipient. Source.

Why do the emails softbounce?

The recipient's inbox is full, or the inbox memory is over quota.The recipient's mail server is busy and can't deal with your message right now.Your message is put on hold until the server has time to handle it appropriately.

What can be done to manage "softbounce" emails?

The first line of defense is to maintain a clean and up-to-date email list. This will reduce the amount of softbounces.

The second line of defense is to set a "softbounce management policy" at the email sending server level. What does this mean? Your IT person gives the email sending server instructions as to what to do with the returned softbounce email. For example, all the eNewsletters we produce for our clients that softbounce are redelivered every three hours for the next 72 hours, in an attempt to complete the delivery.

Do you have to worry about softbounces if you're sending one email to one recipient?

Probably not, unless it's a super important message and you want to ensure the recipient gets it. Softbounce emails really become a concern when you're communicating to a large group: you've spent time, money, and effort in creating a message, and you want to ensure that it reaches the largest number of recipients possible.

Keep in mind that the best thing you can do to manage softbounce emails is to keep your email list updated.I hope I was able to shed some light on the ever-changing and complex world of email communications.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in starting or improving on your eNewsletter program contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez

PresidentLoop Consulting Group, LLC

www.loopconsulting.com

2006-12-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

The 10 Best Practices for eNewsletters

Part of the reason our clients hire us to produce their eNewsletters (besides the fact that they don't want to do them because it's not an easy program to maintain) is because they perceive that we know how to best create their eNewsletters. Thank God for that!

Below I'm going to present the top 10 best practices for an eNewsletter Marketing and Communications Program.

1.Provide a Subscription Point in your eNewsletter.

a.Your eNewsletter gets forwarded on to other non-subscribers offering them the option to subscribe. This also helps you distinguish your business and eNewsletter from Spam.

2.Provide an Unsubscribe Point in your eNewsletter.

a.Not only is it required by the "Can Spam Act of 2003" but if someone does not want to receive your eNewsletter it makes no sense to keep sending it to them.

3.Provide a "Forward To A Friend" link.

a.Give readers the opportunity to send your eNewsletter onto others that may not be part of your email list. This expands your reach and assures that your eNewsletter is received by others as intended -- not as the garbled text and images that forwarding from the mail client can do.

4.Display a Sender's Physical Address.

a. It is required by the "Can Spam Act of 2003" and it lets new recipients know where they may contact you and that you are a legitimate business with nothing to hide.

5.Display your Website link.

a.No need to say why.

6.Provide a Contact Email address.

a.Part of the reason why you have an eNewsletter program is to open up a dialogue between you and your current and prospective customers. Your "contact" email address provides one of the ways for them to reach you.

7. Provide a Telephone contact number.

a.Some clients may want to talk to you right then and there. eNewsletter have an incredible ability to remind clients and prospective clients of you.

8. Remind recipients to add you to their "Safe- Sender" list.

a.Many email clients (like Hotmail and AOL) will not block email coming from people or organizations that are on their "safe-sender" list, also known as the recipients address book. For an example of this, see the message at the very top of this eNewsletter.

9. Provide a Web Version.

a.Some recipients cannot or will not allow for images to be displayed in their email. Provide this version for those that cannot see images by including a link to your online version of the eNewsletter.

10. Give your eNewsletter a Name.

a.You are creating a vehicle that provides value and resources to your readers. Give your eNewsletter a distinct identity by creating a name for it. An eNewsletter name helps recipients recognize your eNewsletter and sets it apart from other messages in their inbox.

These are the most fundamental best practices for any eNewsletter. Of course there are many more but these will help you cover your bases.

As always, we are here to help. If you are interested in starting or improving on your eNewsletter program contact us.

Marcos J. Menendez
PresidentLoop Consulting Group, LLC
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-11-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Upcoming Innovations For eNewsletters

Our director of technical services, Martin Gaido, just presented us with a statement of developments in eNewsletter technology. He advises that we will be able to provide some advanced techniques to our clients early in the coming year.

One of them is the use of flash animation in the letters we produce. This provides a new type of impact and can give the letters an aura of excitement.

Another avenue he is pursuing is technology that will allow our Enewsletters to be viewed in more types of remote equipment - Ipods and cell phones, for example. This is a logical extension of our present capability to have letters viewed on PDAs and Blackberries.

We will be telling you more about this later. But the message here is that the clients of Loop Consulting Group will always be in the forefront of electronic newsletter technology.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

New Client Announcement

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have just added a client to our roster that puts us into a new area of activity. This client is the Miami University Athletics Department. The enewsletter we will be doing will be talking to supporters of their sports programs - and those whose support they seek.

This new client comes on the heels of our most recent client acquisition, Pet Supermarket. Their first issue appeared two weeks ago and was a big success.

Forgive us for blowing our own horn, but we feel that are justly proud of the clients we are serving. Business can be fun and exciting and that is an element we bring to the scene.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-11-04T13:59:00.000-05:00

Interested In Getting Into The eNewsletter Business?

Loop Consulting Group is now on the move. Within the next three months we will have offices in four major areas of the U.S.

Here is how it has come about. We have recognized that we now have a system that works well. Over the past four years we have learned from the ground up
what it takes to succeed in the business of creating and publishing enewsletters.

Now we are offering a package of services that enable interested parties to get into the business under our Loop Consulting Group name.

Essentially, it works like this:

-- The interested party agrees to undertake the generation of business in a designated geographical area. They also agree to manage this business.

-- Loop Consulting agrees to perform the functions of setting up enewsletters and publishing them.

-- Loop provides training for the operators of these satellite offices.

-- Loop provides tools that are needed to conduct the business. This includes new business presentations.

-- Operators of satellite offices are free to engage in other business activities. One of our upcoming satellite office operators runs a graphics arts studio. Another is in the advertising agency business.

-- Clients are required to sign a contract with Loop Consulting for the services. Loop then bills the client each month. The satellite operator sends Loop an invoice for the monthly fees that they have earned.

-- Loop provides all clients with a monthly report that accounts for all activity with the most recent mailing.

If this brief recap stirs your interest, we would be happy to discuss it with you and answer your questions. Just call Pete Lustig at 309-287-1061.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-10-13T16:19:00.000-04:00

E-Newsletters Coming Of Age

When Loop Consulting was started up, it was as an Internet marketing organization. We soon found out that people did not understand what this was all about. We recall a time when, after we finished expaining Internet marketing, the person asked, "Yeah, but what is it you do?"

At this point we reached the conclusion that there was one aspect of Internet marketing that people should be able to understand. That is e-newsletters. Everyone knows what a newsletter is. So we decided to make this our specialty.

However, we still found that we had a lot of missionary work to do in selling the concept of electronic newsletters vs. paper ones. Well, over the past four years we have found that recognition of e-newsletters has become more widespread.
Today when we are calling on prospective customers, more often than not we hear, "Yes, I think that we need an e-newsletter."

This makes the point that the success of this medium is gaining recognition. That is good for us - and good our clients.

When we speak of success, we are referring to the testimonials we have earned regarding the performance of our e-newsletters for our clients. They do cause things to happen.

So, if you are looking at this page because you are beginning to come to the conclusion you might benefit from an e-newsletter, we would be glad to further advise you on the subject.

No obligation, of course.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-09-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

E-Newsletter Responses - Go For Quantity or Quality?

This may seem like a question that has an obvious answer. That is, go for both.

The dilemma that marketers face is this: If you construct your e-Newsletter to pull a lot of responses you maybe setting yourself up for a lot of responses that are meaningless.

How do you cause this to happen? Maybe you have a special offer that entices people to respond. So people respond to get the "free" offer. Or, maybe the response you are getting comes from people who liked the entertaining aspects of your letter.

The problem here is that they are not responding with serious intent to purchase your products or services.

The other side of the coin is a newsletter that is very focused and appeals to a very limited group of prospective customers. It may be technically dense and only undertandable to a limited number of readers. So, you get a very few responses but each response is from a reader who is seriously interested in doing business with you.

The moral of this is: don't feel badly if you didn't have a huge responses. If you had only one response and that resulted in a large order, it will have paid for the e-Newsletter campaign and made you some money.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-08-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

How To Make Money With Blogs

The most recent issue of Business 2.0 magazine has a fascinating article "Blogging For Dollars." The subhead is "It's Not Just A Hobby - Some Small Sites Are Making Big Money."

It tells the stories of people who have, in a very short period of time, attracted huge audiences and attracted advertisers to their blogs. Some are grossing high into six figures.

Most started out blogging as a sort of hobby but, as their blog followings grew, dedicated themselves to blogging full time.

In this article, the writers have included a side bar by Saheli S. R. Datta titled "The 7 Habits OF Highly Effective Bloggers." Here are the key points:

1. Focus intently on a narrow niches.

2. Set up your blog so that each post gets its own permanent URL.

3. Think of your blog as a database.

4. Blog frequently and regularly.

5. Use striking images in your posts.

6. Enable comments and interact with readers.

7. Make friends with other bloggers.

If you want to get your blog going and take advantage of these rules, we are the people you can turn to for help. I have a personal blog that has attracted 170,000 visitors. So, we have been there and done this. Give us a call and we will see what we can do with a blog for your organziation.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-08-05T13:11:00.000-04:00

Can A Blog Be A Web Site?

The quick answer is yes it can. If you think about it, blogs have URLs. Blogs are based on HTML language. So this offers an alternative to creating and maintaining web sites the customary way. Instead of going through Dreamweaver or Front Page to set up a site, you can go to Blogger, pick out a template and immediately start inputting content.

This opens the door to a speedier, do-it-yourself way to set up a web site.

But hold on a minute. Does knowing a better mechanical way to set up a site lead to a better site? The answer is no. You can put person in front of a computer and ask them to write a novel. They may be able to put down words, but if they have nothing much to say and can't manage the language, it won't make a story.

The same creativity factor applies to creating web sites. For top level work the input from professional writers and designers is required.

And that is us. So, if you want to pursue this blog/website idea, ask us to help.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-07-25T18:26:00.000-04:00

How To Design Your eNewsletter For Quick Reading

From: Enewsletter Marketing Insights (Emi)- July 2006 issue.

Summary: If your eNewsletter is going to B2B recipients, the core tactic is to make your eNewsletter as easy as possible for your readers to quickly scan through. This calls for rethinking content format and layout. See how to here...

How To Design Your eNewsletter For Quick Reading Complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
http://www.loopconsulting.com/

2006-07-24T09:03:00.000-04:00

A Dilemma - Terse or Conversational eNewsletters?

There are some aspects of writing and setting up enewsletters that can challenge producers. For example -- studies we have seen indicate that about 19% of those who open a letter read it thoroughly. In a way this is good because it means that the publishers are getting into the minds of a large number of those who get the letters.

But we are eternally dissatisfied. We always want to do better. So, do we shorten our letters and make them more terse to have greater impact on the 81% who only scan the letters? If we do this do we sacrifice the personal tone of the letter that can make readers feel like they know the writer?

To further complicate this matter, a recent study reported that the feeling of personal relationship with the writer of the enewsletters is a strong reason for recipients to keep reading each new issue.

Well, the answer lies in making the copy of the main message as easy to assimilate as possible. That means short paragraphs, explanatory subheads and more bullet point text in lieu of solid text pragraphs.

It also means that there should be a very brief recap of the main message somewhere at the beginning of the letter. Then, if those who open the letter go no farther, they still get the gist of the message.

You see, we keep thinking ... we keep thinking ... we keep thinking. And I doubt that we will ever get to the point of smug satisfaction with our work.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-07-11T14:42:00.000-04:00

Blogs - Powerhouse Electronic Communications

If you think this is going to be a commercial for blogs, you are quite right.

It was not too long ago that when we mentioned blogs, people would say, "Blogs - what's that?" But by now most people in business know what blogs are and have read or heard stories about the huge audiences that they can draw.

In addition to readership, blogs have another powerful effect. They allow instant communication between the reader and the blog publisher. This quickly establishes a connection between seller and prospective buyer.

But blogs are not just for those seeking large audiences. They can also be effective for businesses that target a very small audience. The attraction here is that you do not have the high up-front costs of production that are required with printed mailings - costs that those reaching a large audience are able to amortized over a large audience. So, business that only want to reach a limited audience will find blogs to be the most efficient way to do it.

We do commercial blogs - and you are reading one of them right now. If you would like professional guidance and turnkey set up, leave us a message. OK?

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-07-01T13:44:00.000-04:00

ENewsletters - It's A Scan

Look again carefully at the headline. We said "scan" not "scam."

This is to make the point that studies show that most recipients of enewsletters don't read them - they scan them. We who produce enewsletters like to think that every golden word we write is read attentively. But scanners go over the letter in a different manner. They graze over the content and if the impression they get is that it has worth, they will read it more carefully.

So, the challenge is to grab them when they first enter the letter. This can be done in the way magazine publishers use highlight statements - usually in a block or box. These highlights present a sentence (or a quote from the letter) that is the crux of the subject matter.

Yes, you can grab those visitors to your letter and entice them into reading most of the content if you utilize this technique.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-06-16T14:10:00.000-04:00

How To Use eNewsletters To Become A Priority In Your Clients Mind

From: Enewsletter Marketing Insights (Emi)- June 2006 issue.

In this issue: Helping your prospective client think of you. How to stay in their radar screen? Complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
http://www.loopconsulting.com/

2006-06-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

Pretesting To Avoid Spam Blockers

Those who send out emailings have a gauntlet to run if they want to avoid offending recipients - or being shut down for spamming. This can be a fairly complex subject, but we will deal with two aspects of staying out of spamming trouble.

First, there is the choice of wording for the subject line. There is a lexicon of words that should not be used if the sender doesn't want to get in spam trouble. We know what they are and, if you don't, you should turn to professionals like us to be sure it is done right.

Second it is possible to test your enewsletters for words and phrases that will set off spam blockers. We used special software for this. This software checks the entire content of the letter for spam phrases and words.

Once these offending words have been highlighted, we can change them to be acceptable.

Want to know more? Hey, we're here for you - so drop us a line.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Loop Consulting Group
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-05-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

Use eNewsletters To Reach Late Life Audiences?

Many think that the older people in our population are not into computer use. But this notion needs rebuttal. These people are taking to computers to be able to have email. They know that their children are heavily into emal. So, they find that they get quicker response to the messages they send than if they had sent snail mail. In fact, many children are buying computers for their parents and grandparents so they can have the convenience of email.

So, what does this mean to marketers? It means that enewsletters are a medium that can effectively be used to reach late life audiences. And why would marketers want to reach late lifers? We are aware the there is a marketing mindset that focuses on young families. Yet, here are these seniors who buy expensive vacation packages, who are into investing, who have health needs that require special medications and foods. Furthermore this is a consuming group that has a higher level of financial stability. Those receiving pension payments and social security have money to spend, even when the economy is in a downswing.

And, if they are using computers for email, how long will take them to begin to buy products and services on line?

So, apply some creativity to your marketing and think about using enewsletter campaigns to reach this growing market.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-05-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

How To Add Point Of Sale Marketing To Your eNewsletter

Enewsletter Marketing Insight (Emi) - May 2006 issue.

In this issue: I bet I pay more for a tank of gas than you do. Point of Sale Marketing at the pump and in your eNewsletter. Complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-05-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

How much should you pay for an eNewsletter?

When we are talking to prospective clients for newsletters there always comes the moment of truth - when the prospect finds out what the program will cost. It is not unusual that they question the price.

Behind this is the perception that it is simple to design, write and send out the letters. But that is simply not the case.

The services that are required to publish the enewsletters are, for the most part, invisible to those who do not have an enewsletter program. The work that is required to create and publish the letter, then report out results includes the following:

Researching the client's objectives and what is required so the letters will get the client the desired result.
Obtaining the client's mailing list and servicing it.
Designing the format of the letter.
Acquiring information that will become the content of the letter.
Writing the text and creating or obtaining graphics.
Melding text and graphics to create the letter.
Testing to be sure the letters can be read in all formats.
Testing to assure that it complies with the no-spam laws.
Submitting the letter to the client for approval.
Making changes as needed.
Posting the letters.
Tracking the results.
Preparing a report for the client of the results.
Meeting with the client to formulate changes in the letter that will enhance performance.
Applying these changes.

There is more but this is a picture of what has to happen for the letter to be published and successful.

But again, why is the price justified?

We always suggest that they take a look at what their paper newsletters, sent by email, are costing. Elements of the costs are time spent designing and writing the letters, printing costs, postage costs, list management, mailing house fees. Then there are hidden costs including storage of supplies and past issues.

The postage costs alone are daunting and they keep going up.

And when all those numbers are totalled, there is the question of what did the clients get for their money? Do they know how many letters were opened? Do they have a reading on what elements of the letter are attracting the most interest. Do they know how many of the addresses are bad?

The answer to all of these questions is "NO."

So, we are ready to bet that enewsletters will prove out to offer better value - and better results.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig

Senior Marketing Strategist

www.loopconsulting.com

2006-04-26T14:13:00.000-04:00

The Fast Forwarding Factor

Many who receive enewsletters see something in the content that they think will be of interest to someone else. So, how easy is it to forward an enewsletter? Just click on the "File" drop-down heading and click "Send Link By Email." Not only does it allow for instant forwarding of the entire letter, it allows the sender to type a message to accompany it. Maybe like, "I thought you would be interested in this subject."

Now think about how you would forward a paper newsletter. Within the office you can attach a routing slip and name those to whom the letter should go. But then the mail person must pick it up and distribute the letter to the named recipients. It will probably be put into an in-box where it might languish for days.

Or, to forward it to a person outside of the office, it requires one to address and stamp an envelope, insert the letter and mail. This is an incovenience.

Enewsletters provide ease of action and instant forwarding. So this encourages receipients to forward the letter - thereby increasing the reach of your enewsletter distribution.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-04-18T07:24:00.000-04:00

Introducing The Media Toolbox

Loop Consulting has now taken electronic media to a new level. We are doing this with a new service we call The Media Toolbox. The concept is that we interface with all of a client's electronic media: enewsletter, blog, web site, monthly magazine. Then we employ the power of RSS and XML to make the clients postings instantly available to local, national and world-wide media.

RSS is used by media to have instant access to postings and publications in electronic media. Among the media using RSS are The New York Times, Forbes, CNET, CNN, Amazon, Travelocity, USA Today and News.com. The Media Toolbox gives our clients exposure to these media powerhouses.

We do not have space to fully explain the concept here, but would be pleased to present it to you with a PowerPoint presentation. If you want news about your organization presented big time, here is a striking new way to do it!

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-04-07T11:59:00.000-04:00

Don't Be A Stranger - Help Your Prospects to Know You

Enewsletter Marketing Insight (Emi) - April 2006 issue.

In this issue: Wouldn't you like to have your prospective customers get to know you before you arrive for a first meeting? It sure beats the stranger-to-stranger situation. Complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-04-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

A Greeting to Tim Lazor

This is a demonstration, Tim, of the ability a blog offers to respond instantly to a contact from a prospective client. We talked about three minutes ago, and here is a posting that relates to our conversation.

Impressive, isn't it?

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-03-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

Change Strangers Into Friends With eNewsletters

In the upcoming issue of EMI, Loop Consulting's enewsletter, Marcos talks about the difference between going in to pitch a total stranger and presenting to one who knows things about you. Quite plainly, one has an advantage if the prospective client or customer has a positive impression of you before you arrive for your first appointment.

The strategy is to send a copy of your enewsletter to the prospect immediately after setting your first appointment with him or her. Your appointment may be as long as a month away and it is certain that you will be forgotten until you arrive. This makes the stranger-to-stranger presentation somewhat awkward at first. It can also result in cancellation of the appointment.

Prospect to secretary: "Who is this guy I have an appointment with tomorrow? What does he want?"

Of course the secretary doesn't know, so the appointment gets cancelled.

But, if the prospect has received the enewsletter shortly after the appointment was made, there is greater likelyhood that he will remember.

By the way, be sure to copy the secretary or executive assistant when you send the letter. She will probably save it and, if needed can print it out for her boss.

So, there you are - newsletters have all kinds of benefits for you.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting. com

2006-03-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Keep It Simple

We recently were reviewing enewsletters in the category of equipment parts. What we found in our searches was dismaying. We saw letters that were so complex and content laden they were formidable to read. We surmise that people in this business have the catalog syndrome. They are accustomed to selling via catalogs and flyers (which are condensed catalogs). So they load up the page with a multitude of headings in small type.

But that is not what enewsletters are all about. Enewsletters that are not inviting to the person who opens them are very quickly dumped. You might say that most enewsletter readers are not patient. So, the challenge is to make the page they see easy to assimilate - and interesting. The readers need to be captured by some easily understood sales proposition and enticed into going deeper into the letter.

Readers just don't have the time to fight their way through cluttered pages. So, the starting point is to keep things simple.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-03-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

Commercial Blogging Works - Here's Proof

This week we had a call from a marketing director who is considering the use of enewsletters to reach a huge audience of prospective customers. That's exciting, but even more exciting is his plans to do monthly enewsletters for each of the six segments of his audience. We are preparing a presentation for him right now.

How did he find us? He did a search for blogs about enewsletters. He found Loop's eNewsletter Marketing Spot, read it, then contacted us.

Another measurement of the success of this blog, is the many requests we have gotten to be added to the subscription list for our own eNewsletter - requests that came from our blog readers.

Want to enjoy some of this kind of action? We are ready to talk to you about how we can make it work for you.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-03-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

How To Ensure Your eNewsletter Gets Done!

From: Enewsletter Marketing Insight (Emi)- March 2006 issue.

In this issue: Yes, I have committed the ultimate sin in eNewsletter communications, I have skipped publications. Mea culpa, I have not published. I may never grasp the direct effects of breaking the distribution cycle. I do know that loss of revenue due to potentially missed opportunities is one is one of the effects of not publishing. But, the most obvious one will come when this issue's delivery is analyzed. Complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
http://www.loopconsulting.com/

2006-02-23T11:05:00.000-05:00

What Should You Expect In The Way Of Opens?

In the best of all scenarios, the open rate for your enewsletters would increase each issue. But, it doesn't often happen that way. Here's why:

You, the owner of the enewsletter, expect that it will be so devastatingly fascinating that readers will be looking forward to reading the next issue. Well, for some readers this will be true. But many more readers will have found that the letter just doesn't do much for their needs. So this latter group won't bother to open the next issue.

This should not be a surprising situation. After all, the recipients of the enewsletter didn't (except for a handful of opt-ins) ask to have it sent to them. You built or bought a list of people you thought would be important to your enterprise and you fired out the letter hoping to make friends.

Well, some will become friends and some will just want it to go away. That's why you have the opt-out choice in your letter. But most of the recipients who are indifferent won't bother to do the unsubscribe bit.

So, the open rate drops some after the first letter. Don't sweat it. Your letter may be just right for a core audience and they become prospects for you.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-02-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

Introducing The Guide To eNewsletter Success

Here is something that could be very important to you. We have compiled a 50-page collection of postings that offer advice and tips that can make an enewsletter campaign more effective. The subject matter includes the following:

Doing It right
What readers like
The creative factor
Making it happen
Technology
Getting letters read
Keeping score
Target marketing
The blog tie-in
Where do you go from here?

Distribution of this guide is going to be very restricted. However, you are among the selected few who will have a chance to get this manual without cost.

Here is our offer.

If you will invite us to come and discuss a potential enewsletter program for your company, you will get a copy free. Or, if you will refer us to someone who is thinking of doing enewsletters for his or her organization, we will send you a copy with no obligation.

It is easy to get in touch with us. Just call 305-271-9915. Or email us: mmenendez@loopconsulting.com

2006-02-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

How To Set up A Successful eNewsletter Program

This can be the year that your organization will enjoy the benefits of an enewsletter program. Over the past year we have given you a multitude of tips and hints for making an enewsletter program successful. But, perhaps, some of you are wondering how to get lined up to start such a program.

1) You start by appointing a qualified person to be the manager of the program. This appointee should be one you feel can have sole authority for supervising what happens with the program.

2) Then you make a decision as to whether the pick-and-shovel work of writing and publishing the enewsletters will be done in-house or by outside enewsletters professionals.

2) You now need to identify the invididuals to whom you would like to communicate.

3) Next you have to decide how to obtain email addresses for these people. . You now have a decision point regarding using email addresses you have on hand and/or purchasing lists. If you opted to used outside professionals, they will help with this.

4) Here comes the critical issue. From where will you get the content for the enewsletters? You have some choices here. You can use your internal knowledge sources to develop text that address issues of importance to your operation. Or, you assign your outside professionals to do this for you. They of course would be working under guidelines you establish.

5) At this point you address the issue of budget. After you have made decisions about size of list and who does what, you can start looking at the money factor. If you use an outside professionals they will set up a budget for you.

6) Set up timetables. The main reason for failure of enewsletter programs is lack of discipline in establishing due dates for work progress and enforcing them. Set up due dates for content input, writing of text, graphics/design development, publishing and follow-up reports. Allow time between steps for in-house approvals.

7) Establish a program for tracking the action of readers of the enewsletters. Then demand that these reports be submitted after each publication date - and reviewed for suggested improvements.

8) Be constantly thinking about how the letters can be made better. With the information you will be getting and your knowledge of your business, you should be able to achieve constant improvement.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-01-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

How Are They Receiving Your eNewsletters?

In the enewsletters we produce there is a note at the top that says
"If you can't see the images below click here." Those who do so will be able to read the text even though they cannot get the graphics.

Why don't they get the graphics? It may because they are receiving their email on a Blackberry. It may also be that they use Google gmail which will be text-only unless the users ask to show graphics. Whatever the reason, we note, when we do tracking of enewsletters, that the use of this text-only option is increasing.

In addition to having the text option link to deal with this situation, there is a design issue here. Enewsletters can be designed so that, even if the recipient can't see graphics, the letter will still be readable.

Whoever said that producing enewsletters is easy? It is really complex. To get the most out of them there is a lot to know and we have that experience.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2006-01-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

New Year - New Medium

In 2005 you may have become aware of enewsletters as a possible medium to advance your enterprise. You may have been thinking, "Yes, we ought to give more thought to using this medium." But thoughts such as that have a way of disappearing into thin air after a week or more goes by.

So, here is a reminder - a wake up call to get serious about getting an enewsletter program going.

There are those that we have called on and to whom we presented the enewsletter story. Most of you said you saw value in it and would "think about it." OK, now is the time to turn thinking into action. If your organization is on a calendar year for budgeting, this is the time that there is money on hand to apply to a new program for growth of your enterprise.

It won't be hard. We do all the work for you. So, give us a call, won't you?

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsultinggroup.com

2006-01-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

Never Underestimate The Power of Pictures

I was recently doing a tracking report for a client and got to the part about ranking links in order of number of clicks. This client, Latin Builder's Association, has periodic social events such as golf outings and parties. Pictures taken at these events are included in their enewsletters. The most clicks, by far, were on the links that brought up the pictures. This pattern is a continuation of what was experienced in previous newsletters.

What is it about pictures that has their interest? Well, we have gone slightly mad with picture taking in the U.S. Witness the popularity of camera phones. But there is particular interest in viewing pictures of people we know.

And the greatest interest is in pictures of oneself.

So, we are certain that the popularity of the pictures link in the LBA newsletter was driven by the interest of readers in seeing if there are pictures that include them.

The message here is that those issuing enewsletters should find opportunities to include pictures of their clients and prospective clients.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-12-29T10:21:00.000-05:00

Blogs - Frequency Makes The Difference

In essence, a blog can be very much like an eNewsletter. So, why bother with running a blog?

One reason is frequency of publishing. Most newsletters are issued monthly. Blogs are usually updated at least once a week, sometimes daily. That means that new postings are added to the blog on a frequency that attracts interested readers to become continuous visitors. This can develop a strong bond between the publisher and the readers.

A second reason is that things that happen during the 30 days between issues of an eNewsletter can be posted to the blog easily and immediately.

In the best of marketing programs there will be inclusion of both an eNewsletter and a blog. They work together to constantly keep the publishing company top of mind with customers and prospects.

Do we practice what we preach? You bet. This is our blog and you will find here a link to EMI our monthly Loop Consulting eNewsletter. We find that one feeds into the other, reinforcing the effect of our messages.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-12-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

Yeah, Anyone Can Get Out Their Own Newsletter

Not!!!

The fact is that being able to do ones' own newsletter is a far cry from getting one out each month.

Because we are hired to do other peoples' enewsletter, we absolutely, positively have to get them out each month. But it isn't easy. We do require, at the very least, that they read and approve what we have written. It is almost a rule that we have to follow up, follow up, follow up to get back letters with the client approval.

A frequent occurence is that we get the letter back with extensive changes - or even a complete switch of subject matter. Meanwhile the month is going by and we are sweating the possibility that we will miss a month.

Now consider this: This happens when we have the responsibility to create the content of the letter. But how about the clients who say that they will provide the content? If it stresses their schedule to approve what we have written, how difficult will it be for those who have to deal with creating their own content?

Can you get out your own enewsletters? Yes, it is possible. But is it likely? Yes for some clients, but no way for others.

Want to be sure they get out? Hire naggers like us.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-12-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

Save A Lot of Trees

This the season when we are besieged by commercial mailings. Junk mail, if you will. A lot of trees are being killed to jam up the mailbox with printed pieces that just get thrown away. Not that I am a tree hugger, but it is such a nuisance to try to stop these mailings that I don't even try.

Now contrast this with eNewsletters. They take up no physical space - in a mail box or trash can. They can be stopped instantly if you don't want any more of them. And they do not use up natural resources.

There you have it - a medium that is not intrusive, does not fill the trash dumps, that can only survive by the recipients' willing acceptance.

Add to that the key ingredient: it works and this can be proven for each mailing.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-12-01T17:02:00.000-05:00

What Interests Email Readers?

Marcos has just written a piece for this blog in which he has a quote about the importance of not being boring. So, what do readers consider to be "not boring'?

I have a personal blog that has drawn a large audience (135,000 visitors since last spring). With such a large a base to sample, I can see by the number of comments each posting receives just what interests people the most.

The winner, far and away, is postings about personal matters with which the readers identify. I post an item about health problems and readers post responsive comments. I do semi-humorous pieces about the changes in one's body in late life, and they comment. I talk about the freedoms of late life and they get back with comments.

What does this indicate? I think it gets down to the fact that nothing is more interesting to readers than writings which make them think of themselves. I talk about my situations and they compare it with theirs. So, we now have arrived at personal involvement - and those with personal involvement will never be bored.

Is this a lesson to businesses that communicate by email? It should be, but it is universally ignored. The concept of personalizing a company is very hard for them to handle.. Now and then you will find a company that has managed to develop a family feeling. Such companies can talk to their customers in terms that touch the customers' personal feelings and experiences.

When the customer reads such communications they will be thinking, "This company knows what I have been through. They know what I am like." So, they see the company as a helpful friend - one which can be believed in.

When a company's communications have a achieved this, selling their products and services becomes infinitely easier.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-11-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

Designing eNewsletters For Previewing in Outlook

This is a great article by Loren McDonald “Designing Emails For the Preview Pane and Disabled Images”. It is based on survey findings done to study how email recipients use the preview pane of their Outlook and Lotus Notes.

I went through the article and it's worth reading. If you are time constrained, I extracted the bullet points that I thought were the most relevant to eNewsletter marketing.

- More than 9 of 10 email users have access to a preview pane, and 7 of 10 say they frequently or always use it.

- 75% of email readers who use the preview pane use it in a horizontal format and most often see either 4-5 inches deep of content (44%) or 2 to 3 inches (41%).

- The sender's name and/or address remains the most important factor readers look for in the preview pane when deciding whether to read further or open the email (60%), followed by the subject line (54.3%), the headline (53%) and any teaser copy (30.3%).

- Only 31% of email users say they always or frequently add the B2B newsletters they asked to receive to their safe-senders list or address books in order to avoid losing them in bulk or junk folders.

- Once again, the most valuable real estate in the corporate newsletter format will be the top left section, where the horizontal and vertical preview panes intersect.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-11-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

Scoring The Effectiveness Of Your Message

Michael Katz from Blue Penguin Developments hits the nail in the head with one of the most important aspects of online communication…removing the boredom. Michael says “They are your audience, and if you don't find a way to engage them, you'll lose them.” He provides a way for marketers, eNewsletter publishers and public speakers to “assesses the effectiveness of your business communications” with a quick and easy reference card to rate your message.

Check out he’s free PENGUINscore™ card and determine the overall attractiveness of your messages, visit http://www.penguinscore.com/

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-10-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

Getting A Higher Open Rate

The name of the eNewsletter game is "Opens". Nothing happens until someone opens your letter so this subject deserves a lot of attention. So, what brings a higher percentage of opens?

It all starts with the mailing list. If the list is not composed of people/companies that might have an interest in what you have to offer, you are dead from the start.

A second factor is the "Subject" line of the eNewsletter. These few words are what is going to stimulate them to open the message. You can write the rules as well as we can - about what the subject line should say. It is common sense that there should be an implied benefit in the subject line statement. Another effective hook is the promise of useful news. A third appeal is a personal one - a subject line that suggests the eNewsletter has something to say that affects the reader personally.

Of course there are many other considerations but we aren't going to give away all of our secrets!

A third factor affecting the opening rate is the day and time of day that the letter is published. You need to have the eNewsletter appear at a time when the prospective reader is most likely to be looking at his email. Like first thing in the morning.

As for day, Mondays and Fridays are usually full of distractions and email reading can be deferred on these days. For most clients, we like Tuesday morning.

Actually, there is so much to be said on this subject of opens, we could do a chapter on it. So, talk to us if you are not happy with your open rates. We are confident that we can improve them.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-10-18T11:40:00.000-04:00

RSS For Ads

The article below by Bill Flitter got me thinking about RSS technology and its existing and future potential for information distribution. The article is mainly about RSS Advertising, but it provides a good look at the details of user segmentation and information distribution using RSS tech.

How to Buy RSS Advertising - Part II: The Media Plan by Bill Flitter

Give it a look. It got me thinking of the future- maybe it does the same to you.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-10-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

Growth Actions For Loop Consulting Group

We are growing rapidly and need additional room, so we have leased space at:

9485 S.W. 72nd Street
Miami, FL 33137
305-271-9915

Accompanying this expansion we are seeking to hire someone to back up Marcos. This person should be knowledgeable about E-commerce communications, well organized and able to handle work-flow charts, bird dog jobs in work, do billing and paying, attend meetings with our account managers and write conference reports. There will also be some writing assignment for blogs and e-newsletters. Initially this will be a half-time job.

If you are interested, or know of someone who may be, send us a resume via email to mmenendez@loopconsulting.com

2005-10-10T11:09:00.000-04:00

Special Effects In eNewsletters

Did you know that your eNewsletters don't have to be restricted to just text and static pictures? Because these are html documents you can have all of the effects that are possible for web sites.

Want some music to automatically play? You can have it.

Want to have a video play by selection from a link? It can be done.

Want to have a visitor registry? No big deal.

Just stretch your imagination when it comes to your eNewsletters and you can make them come alive -- can make them stand out from the usual offerings.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-10-04T17:59:00.000-04:00

How Many Emails Are Too Many?

A very smart lady, who is a pro when it comes to public relations, asked me the following question:

"Someone asked me if there was a statistic that cites how many emails are too many? On a weekly basis let's say, with product announcements. Any ideas?"

With utmost respect for the recipient’s privacy and time, the nature of product/service determines the frequency of delivery or how many times to deliver a message.

For example: If it's ultra critical beta testing development software that require new patches every other day, then the recipients (developers/designers) will be glad to receive product updates by email every week. Another example would be, stock fluctuations information for stocks you are heavily invested in or are hedging, this might be news or updates you would want daily.

Bottom line: Ask yourself the golden question “Is what I’m sending add value to my client or prospect?” Does it enhance the product or service?

This article may help as well. When Does More Email Become Too Much? By Nick Usborne

I hope I was able to help.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-09-30T10:14:00.000-04:00

About Aversion To Advice

When it comes to writing enewsletters, it seems that everyone feels qualified to say how they should be done. We must confess that it bothers us more than a little that we write letters that apply the basic rules for attracting and retaining readers, yet sometimes find our way of doing it being overruled.

We recommend writing letters that have a conversational tone. The idea is to have the reader feel that it is a personal message, not an advertisement.

We recommend keeping letters as short as possible.

We suggest the the name of the newsletters should convey the idea of what it will be about.

Yet, we sometimes find that the client wants an online brochure - not an interactive communication.

We often find that the name of the newsletter will have more to do with a company slogan than with its content.

And, with a few exceptions, we find that the content we submit for approval comes back with "suggestions" that we add lengthy items.

Of course, the newsletter is their newsletter, so we do our best to accommodate our clients. Then, we will admit, there are occasions when the client changes do perform well. But, we keep wondering, "Why hire professionals if you can't accept their advice?" We do know this, the enewsletters that do best are the ones where we were left to do it our way - the professionally enlightened way.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-09-22T10:36:00.000-04:00

Professional Blogging - Is It For You?

Web logs are such close cousins to enewsletters it was inevitable that we we at Loop Consulting would become active here. We have recently added two new companies to our blog client list. In both cases, the blog is used as an internal communications medium.

But why would a company hire us to create a blog format and keep it running? Couldn't they do it inside?

The answer is that maintaining a blog becomes one more task added to the work load of someone in the company. Blogs have to be continually refreshed, particularly if you are aiming at an outside audience.This means posting at least once a week - preferably more often - if you want to keep visitors coming to your site.

So, the staff person responsible for the blog has this monkey on his or her back all the time. It becomes a nuisance and that means that, as time goes on, postings are made less frequently. This leads to a slow death for the blog.

That is why we are getting business from companies who want their blogs refreshed on a continuing basis. When the responsibility is ours, the job gets done.

2005-09-13T15:42:00.000-04:00

Blogs For Internal Communication

Web logs are close cousins of enewsletters. They are composed in HTML language, are designed to present thoughts, ideas and news. One difference is their flexibility - the ease with which text and illustrations can be posted up - or removed - from the blog site.

Instant postings are no problem and you don't need to go through a web designer to do them.

In recognition of this speed and flexibility we have had clients ask us to set up blogs for internal communications. These blogs are talking to groups of empoyees - bringing them up date on late developments in their fast changing business world.

We have gotten text from the clients and had it posted up to the blog site within an hour.

The audiences for these blogs are advised to check them frequently. If there are questions, email links are are included so they can fire them back or comment. Alternatively, readers can use the comment boxes. These can be set up so that the comments can only be read by the publisher of the blog.

We have seen great enthusiasm on the part the users of this type of blog. We'd be happy to discuss it with you.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-09-07T17:14:00.000-04:00

What Not To Name Your eNewsletter!

From: Enewsletter Marketing Insight (Emi)- September 2005

In this issue: how to create a name for your eNewsletter that sets your publication apart. The two most important things to consider are...go ahead read complete article.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-09-07T10:39:00.000-04:00

A Finer Edge In Target Marketing

Direct mail has been the time-tested way to efficiently reach targeted groups of prospective customers. But, efficient as it may be, it does not have the ability to reach and pinpoint selected audiences that enewsletters have.

Speaking of reach, how do you reach people who are on the road, for business or vacations, with paper newsletters? Today people are checking their email - and reading it - when away from office and home.

How do you reach people who spend considerable time in alternate locations? These may be students at school - or people who live in the North but winter in the South. Mail may not catch up with them - but you can bet they are checking their email wherever they are.

Then, speaking of pinpointing, some of the most desirable prospects are people who are interested enough to want to read your enewsletters. They may reach you through an invitation to see your newsletter in your website. They may have seen your enewsletter because someone forwarded it to them. Then they liked it enough to click the "Subscribe" button and ask to receive your letter.

These new subscribers are a part of your prospect data base with very high potential to become customers. How could you do this with paper newsletters?

These are examples of how you can make target marketing more defined. Let's call it "niche marketing." Enewsletters can put a finer edge on your marketing efficiency.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-09-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

How Does Your Tracking Go?

Every month we do a tracking analysis for our enewsletter clients. It is interesting, and important, to watch for the trends. Are the "opens" increasing or decreasing? How many emails are coming from the letter? What parts of the letter are most interesting to readers (as seen in click-throughs). There are many more measurements we watch. Then we tell our clients what this data means.

But in doing these studies we come up with other observations about how enewsletter readers perform. For example, we changed the format of the letter for one client. At their request we ran the items of news sequentially down the page, instead of having them accessed only through links near the top of the letter. The click-through dropped and the reason was obvious. The readers were going deep into the page rather than clicking a link to bring up a specific item.

This made the point that long letters are not necessarily a bad thing. People will read on deep into the page if the material is interesting. However, we emphasize the point that the material had better be pretty attractive or the last items down the page will not be read by a lot of readers.

Each letter is different, it should be noted. What works for one, may not work as well for another. That is why we study the tracking data intensively and draw conclusions about what it is showing that will enable us to improve readership of the letter.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-08-26T10:53:00.000-04:00

The Blogosphere Goes Into The Stratosphere

Technorati weblog tracks "The State of the Blogosphere." Their August posting offers some startling data regarding the size and rate of growth of the web log world.

In March Technorati was tracking 7 million blogs. As of the end of July they were tracking 14.2 million blogs which means that their tracking nearly doubled in five months. They also report that the blogosphere continues to double about every 5.5 months.

They state that they are tracking 80,000 weblogs newly created every day - and that a new weblog is being created every second.

But here is the downside: only about 13% of all blogs are updated at least weekly. Also, about 55% of all blogs are active.

This is a pattern that we see in newsletters and enewsletters. People start them but then can't find the time, or can't come up with the material, to keep them going. Which is the reason we are in business. When a blog or an enewsletter is being produced by a professional in the business, they get done in a timely fashion.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-08-23T09:15:00.000-04:00

Nothing To Do With eNewsletters, All To Do With Zippers.

I came across this occurrence in the course of regular business day. If you are wearing jeans right now or almost anything that has a zipper on it, please take a moment to read what the zipper tab (piece that you use to pull on) say on it. More likely than not, it says YKK on it. Ever wondered why? Neither did I , until I came across this.

Hope you enjoyed the “hey look at that!” moment.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-08-09T18:24:00.000-04:00

How To You Get Your eNewsletter Done Faster

I came across this article by Janet Attard a small business author, speaker and founder of small business help desk known as Business Know-How ® and thought that it might be helpful to those producing their own eNewsletters.

I know that at times getting the issues out the door can be a battle.

Five Ways To Speed Up Newsletter Production by Janet Attard

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-08-09T18:06:00.000-04:00

Emi: People Buy From People They Like. Does Your Business Have A Personable Image?

Enewsletter Marketing Insight- August 2005

In this issue: Uncle Ray made me think about the importance of personalizing your company. Who is Uncle Ray? You may be surprised when you find out. Read on...Complete article...

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-08-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Mistakes People Make II

Continuing the list of mistakes people make with enewsletters:

Publishing a novel: An enewsletter is best done as a quick read. Yet many do yard-long letters that few will read to the end.
Overdoing acronyms: This has been the bane of the Internet scene. ASAP. WYSIWYG, WI-FI -- it goes on ad nauseum and many people just don't understand them.
Broken promises: Such as, "We'll tell you more about this in the next issue (and it doesn't happen). Or, "Send us an email and we will get right back to you (maybe next week?)
Failure to document: Such as, "Our product is 200% more effective than competitors (who says so - and who are they?)

Do you have anything to add to this list. Feel free to step up and do it.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig

Senior Marketing Strategist

www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-28T12:40:00.000-04:00

Mistakes People Make

Here is the beginning of a list that we may be adding to from time to time. This is a listing of mistakes we have seen enewsletter issuers make:

Dull presentation -- Many of the BTB letters we see are just plain drab and uninteresting.
Too much "Us" -- These are letters that overkill with self praise. They are all about "Our wonderful facility", "Our wonderful people", etc
Not enough linking -- Links to outside sources of useful info can expand the effect of a letter.
Not newsy enough -- They are called enewsletters, so why do some turn out to be sales pamphlets?
Sent out at the wrong time -- There are days of the week and times of the day that can be optimum for certain products and service. So why send them at other times?
Bad subject lines -- That line at the top of email inbox listings must lure the reader to open the letter. Some smell of junk mail.

Ok, that's our starter list. Please feel free to do some add ons.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig

Senior Marketing Strategist

www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-25T13:42:00.000-04:00

Massaging The Layout

The first try at a layout for an enewsletter can become a dart board. It is interesting how things become apparent when one sees the letter as it comes up from the Inbox. So, everyone involved should feel welcome to suggest changes and improvements.

Is this bad? Well, when not carried to an extreme, it is useful. We have just been through this with an enewsletter for an important client. In this case, a lot of the critique for improvements came from us. We are not so insecure that we are unwilling to criticize our own work.

The real villains, with respect to critiquing the first letter, are those who purposely ignore that fact that it can be improved. We cannot call this benign neglect. There is nothing benign about not trying to improve on one's work.

We view the enewsletter as a living, changing organism. We do not think an enewsletter should be carved in stone.

We may seem to be foolish for making more work for ourselves. But, in our opinion, this willingness to engage in change is one of the criteria of true professionalism.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

The Critical Importance Of List Management

eNewsletter programs are vitally dependent on mailing lists. They can live or die, depending on how well these lists are managed.

Once Loop Consulting receives the intial email distribution list from the client, a database is created and uploaded for storage. After the each issue is delivered a report will organize and classify the entries as follows:

Total emails sent
Total hard bounced emails (undeliverable or dead)
Total soft bounced (available but temporarily undeliverable. We resend every 3 hours for 72 hours.)
Total emails received
Total emails unsubscribed
Total newly subscribed emails
Total emails forwarded
Total emails opened

We provide our clients with a report of the list's performance based on the above criteria.

If you aren't getting this kind of attention from your service, you definitely need us!

Prescott "Pete" Lustig

Senior Marketing Strategist

www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-14T13:46:00.000-04:00

Who Should Be Doing Your eNewsletters?

So, are we going to tell you that Loop should be doing your letters? Not necessarily.

There is always the option of doing the letters yourself - and a lot of enewsletters are internally generated. In order to do this you have to own, or have access to, the software to distribute letters and track the action. You have to have someone on staff who manages the enewsletter campaign. You need someone with technical expertise. You also need someone who is a more than "pretty good" writer. And you need to have a expediter, a whip, who sees that it gets out every month.

That is a load! But if any one of these elements is not there, the chances that the enewsletter campaign will die a slow, painful death are high.

Yes, we can bring all these factors into play to do enewsletters for you. And how sweet it is for you to be in a position to drive the machine instead of being the horse that pulls it.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-12T12:04:00.000-04:00

Do eNewsletters Have To Be Drab?

We look at scores of enewsletters to see what is going on - and to see how ours stack up in comparison. From this informal survey we come up with this observation: most enewsletters are insufferably dull.

Why do you suppose this is? One guess that we make is that some corporate decision makers are nervous about not looking serious. To carry this assumption a step further, they may be afraid that someone in their corporate hierarchy may criticize them for a letter that has a little frivolity in it.

Another reason, we postulate, is that they simply haven't thought of the letters being any way but dead-on "businesslike."

But, if you take human nature into consideration, people will be more likely to read through letters that offer them a little smile -- even an occasional laugh. Or if a letter is written more in the form of a real life story, readership can be better. It is easier to get through than a letter that reads like a sales pamphlet.

If you want an example of an enewsletter that offers entertaining stories, take a look at EMI, Loop Consulting's monthly enewsletter. http://www.loopconsulting.com/emi/july2005/

We love to write letters that people like to read. How about doing it for you?

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-08T10:28:00.000-04:00

Taking Advantage of The Blogging Phenomenon

You must be into blogging or you wouldn't be reading this. It is amazing that out of the millions of blogs out there, one can still find a niche that attracts readers with specific interests. The sheer size of the blog-reading audience assures that a commercial blogger can attract a substantial audience for his or her products/services.

We know that people who come to our eNewsletter Marketing Spot are taking action. We are getting a lot of signups for our eNewsletter from it.

Also, I will share my experience with my personal blog, The Late Life Crisis in MSN Spaces. It was chosen as the blog of the week and that delivered 115,000 visitors to the site.

Successful blogging does require frequent postings. That can be a challenge when your business has so many other demands on your time. So, if you want to get into blogging, consider having us do it for you. You can be assured that we will keep it going.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-07-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Paper Letters Didn't Have A Chance

I was just paying a stack of bills and found that I was throwing out a lot of enclosed materials. Some of them were newsletters that were enclosed with the invoice. That is, enclosed along with a bunch of other pieces of advertising paper.

I simply sorted out everything that wasn't the invoice or the return envelope and dumped them in the waste basket. The newsletters were folded, so I didn't even look at the headlines. Whatever message the company wanted to get to me never reached its destination - my mind.

Now, contrast this with what would have happened if these had been enewsletters. First of all, I would have gotten some sort of a kernel of the message in the "subject" line of the email. Second, even if I don't fully open the letter, in the MSN Explorer email that I use, the opening lines of the message are displayed in the space below. This allows me to decide if I want to fully open it and read all of the message.

So, there have been two levels of attention getting - two stages of information imparted. This can give me the incentive to fully open the letter and read it.

I don't need to belabor this point, do I? Enewsletters have an attention-grabbing effect that paper letters just don't have.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-30T12:42:00.000-04:00

eNewsletters - Paper Newsletters On Hormones

We find that a lot people equate enewsletters with printed newsletters. They think that both are about the same, but we say uh, uh. They are quite different vehicles. It is like the difference between Shaq O'neal and Michael Jackson. They both can attract attention, but Shaq is the one who has the power to deliver.

Where is the power in enewsletters? Well, first of all, they not only deliver the message, they give the reader ways to immediately respond. The readers can email the sender, they can tell about their preferences in polls that are part of the content and they can they can tell the sender to buzz off by clicking on "unsubscribe."

Then there is the power of links that are built into the letters. They direct the reader to in-depth information sources at a single click. They direct the reader to the sender's web site from a link. They can send the reader to the sender's blog.

But a big part of that power is the timeliness and immediacy of newsletters. They weren't written weeks ago and sent through bulk mail that can take weeks to arrive. They can be in the hands of the readers within hours of the time the text is finished. So, the content has the power and excitement of freshness.

So, if you are stuck with printed newsletters, think seriously about adding enewsletters to your marketing communications mix.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-27T20:16:00.000-04:00

Content Always Wins - Everything Else Comes In Second

From: Enewsletter Marketing Insights (Emi)- July 2005

In this issue: It is a constant contest between form and content. Which is more important - how the eNewsletter looks or what it says? We have no doubts about the answer. Read on. Complete article...

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

Got a question or suggestion ? Post it as a comment.

2005-06-24T16:02:00.000-04:00

Want To Increase Your Click-Through Rate? Think About Your Readers

I was asked what I would do to increase the “click-through” rate of an eNewsletter.

And my answer was “after the design, layout and images are optimized to support your eNewsletter objectives the only thing that will spike click-through is compelling, useful and relevant content for the audience. With compelling content you can forget the other three”.

That’s it. If the content or the offer is gold, people will click on through to find out more.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

If you have any questions or want to say something nice (or not), post it as a comment and will answer it!

2005-06-20T14:05:00.000-04:00

Loop’s eNewsletter “Emi” Nominated For Award

On behalf of all the team at Loop Consulting Group I’m proud to announce that our very own eNewsletter named “Enewsletter Marketing Insights”, ‘Emi’ for short, is a finalist for the prestigious ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards 2005 under the category of Best B2B E-Newsletter.

ClickZ writes on its site "The ClickZ Marketing Excellence Awards recognize ClickZ readers' choices for achievement and innovation in online marketing technology, solutions, and execution."

Anyone can vote for the finalists at http://cp.jupiterweb.com/index.php/1341_default/. But we are at the end of the page. Please vote now since voting ends on the close of business day, EST, on Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Best B2B E-Newsletter:

Emi (Loop Consulting Group)

To vote for "Emi" click here.

Thank you for your vote.

Marcos J. Menendez
President

www.loopconsulting.com

Got a question? Post it as a comment and we’ll answer it.

2005-06-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

A New Way To Increase Your eNewsletter Subscription Rate

There are plenty of successful tactics to increase your eNewsletter subscription rate -- or the amount of new subscribers added to your eNewsletter. For example adding a sign-up form in every page within your website -- or providing incentives to attract subscribers. They all work well when properly applied.

Lately our subscription rate for “Enewsletter Marketing Insights”, our eNewsletter, has been steadily climbing and this is all due to our blog, yes this very one you are reading.

By simply offering our blog readers the opportunity to subscribe to our eNewsletter, they have been signing up. After all it makes a ton of sense. Our blog readers are interested in eNewsletter marketing and our eNewsletter “Emi” is all about that.

So, for the tactics record, adding your eNewsletter subscription link to your blog will increase your eNewsletter subscription rate.

Marcos J. Menendez
President
www.loopconsulting.com

Got a question or suggestion ? Post it as a comment.

2005-06-17T10:23:00.000-04:00

About Brent's Comment

We were pleased to get Brent's comment (see item below) because he is an emarketing professional who also does a blog that talks about enewsletters. When you visit his blog you will see that his approach is different from ours. We are focusing on how-to-do it tips and info. He does some of this, too, but takes a more industry-wide approach. Between these two blogs readers will be able to get a good perspective on that exciting medium - enewsletters.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

Tell Us - Is This Blog Worthwhile?

The tracking counter tells us that a lot of visitors are coming to this blog. However, we rarely get a comment. It is time see what is going on with our readers. So, we would like to ask a favor of you.

Will you please give us some comments about the usefulness of this blog to you? Tell us if the information we are providing is useful. Are we missing some subjects that you would like to hear about? Do you have reason to question some of our offerings? Would you like to hear about our real life experiences in this business? Anything else?

We'll be paying attention, so please talk to us.

Marcos and Pete
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-13T09:11:00.000-04:00

Catch Readers' Interest With Headlines

Text, not pictures or multimedia, grabs visitor's attention when first they visit your enewsletter. This was reported in a 2004 study done by several research groups (The Poynter Institute,the Estlow Center for Journalism & New Media, and Eyetools). Furthermore, the report disclosed that "dominant headlines" - not photographs - most often draw the eye when entering a page.

The study goes on to say that all headlines are not created equal. Some draw visitors in and encourage them to read the text below. But others act like visual stop signs. For instance, undefined headlines discourage visitors from reading further and acted as "visual breaks" that discouraged people from looking at items beyond the break.

The bottom line is that this study shows how important it is to create readable headlines and section headers.

Note that this applies equally to web pages.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

Do They Love You? How Do You Know?

Enewsletters open new doors to communication with readers. A device we find very effective is a little poll at the end of the letter asking for reader reactions. For example: "How useful was this letter for you?" Then you can offer a checkoff box indicating the degree of usefulness.

The poll questions can be shaped to find out other things you would like to know. "Would you recommend this letter to someone else?" Or, "How do you feel about the length of this letter?" Then there is a check off for varying lengths.

It is an effortless, instant way for the readers to respond. It just can't be done as effectively in printed newsletters.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-08T09:23:00.000-04:00

The Secret Ingredient - Passion

When we sign on a new client for our enewsletter services, it is usually the culmination of a long series of presentations and negotiations. So, we always try to find out what factors turned the decision in our favor.

Of course, the financial aspects are always important. We know that we have to be competitive.

However, we just closed a big account and when we asked the client how we became the winner, he said "Passion!" He explained that our intense committment to doing what it took to get their account impressed them. He also was referring to our passion for our work - and what it does for clients.

It strikes us that this passion for what a company does, and for its products or services, needs to come through in its enewsletters. It is not that we recommend belaboring this subject. It is that it must subtly be there - and be felt by the readers.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Marketing Stragegist
www.loopconsulting.com

2005-06-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

eNewsletters - A Launching Pad To Other Media

We have been noticing that EMI, our Loop Consulting Group enewsletter, is generating action for this blog. There was a link to our blog that was clicked on by a number of EMI readers. We also note that we are getting a lot of feedback to our web site http://www.loopconsulting.com/

The message here is that enewsletters can and should interact with an organization's other media. The digital media work together nicely. It is very convenient to be able to just click a link and go to a site with further information.

Prescott "Pete" Lustig
Senior Markeing Strategist
www.loopconsulting.com