Measuring Social Media ROI: Still More Art Than Science

One of the most stunning results from this study is that when online brand marketers were asked whether the need to measure the impact and contribution of their social networking marketing efforts was a high or low priority for them, fully 45% answered that it was indeed a low priority! That’s nearly half of all the online brand marketers operating in social media who are spending their companies’ time, budgets, and resources in the world of social media and they don’t even think it’s important to measure what effect their efforts have on the bottom line! It is definitely a brave new world that has such people in it!Related Articles

1. Where in the World Are You Email Marketing? The Weekly Wrap


2. Emotional Marketing: Reaching the Consumer’s Motivation


3. Mastering the Art of UnMarketing for Social Media Success

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Creating Email-Opening Worthy Content

Creating content seems easy. But creating valuable content that’s worth a spot in your emails? Now that’s a different story… Yet it doesn’t have to be.

Writing content for email is vastly different than writing content for other publication channels, such as your blog or social networks — and it should be treated that way.

To ensure your emails are filled to the brim with content that produces results, here are some tips to help you get started:

Exclusive Content

When the first customer-facing email was created, its purpose wasn’t to send content that people had previously heard or read. Instead, the intent was to open a new line of communication to keep prospects regularly engaged and prevent them from turning into stale leads. Although email today is often used by brands as a promotional tool peppered with “marketing-ese,” breaking this habit is crucial to creating emails that your subscribers actually find interesting.

While your content should accurately reflect your brand, it should be something your audience looks forward to when checking their inbox. Consider offering “insider” tips, ideas, and curated news that are relevant to your business. Keep it casual, concise, and as selfless as possible.

And unless you’re teasing content to encourage email subscriptions, keep the content off of your website and social media. By presenting content your readers can’t get anywhere else, they’ll be more likely to open your emails.

For example, if you run a dog grooming business, exclusive content might include a list of preferred dog shampoos and why you recommend them, tips for getting an anxious pet to calm down during bathtime, how-to guides for preventing hair mats, etc. Curated content might feature the latest releases of your favorite products, sales on grooming equipment at local pet stores, and more.

TIP: By making your business a must-have resource, your value will be irreplaceable. The goal is to attract new customers by providing valuable content, not just stuffing a newsletter with things YOU want to say.

Images

Visuals are a pretty big deal, and they can be extremely effective in capturing your audience’s attention and sparking interest in ways that text alone cannot. Why? People only remember 20 percent of what they read, but they remember 80 percent of what they see. We also process images 60,000 times faster than text.

If you’re a power-mom who loves blogging about recipes and children’s fashion, colorful imagery can help bring your ideas to life and inspire your readers to take action. A recipe for butternut squash and goat cheese pasta may sound okay, but it’s the delicious photo that’s going to cause stomachs to grumble and influence your readers to make it later for dinner — and then snap a pic of it to spark envy among friends.

TIP: Whether you use a graphic designer to create high quality visuals or you take advantage of AWeber’s free stock image gallery,including those elements can help nurture subscriber loyalty.

Great Subject Lines

There are a number of things we do to present ourselves in the best way possible when making a first impression, whether it’s combing our hair or choosing the right words to say. Well, your email subject lines should be getting the same treatment, too.

As the first piece of content readers see from you, your subject lines should be carefully constructed to make a good impression. Keep them short but relevant to the content in your email. They should also be inviting so your readers will be encouraged to interact with your message. Some of the best subject lines include how-to statements, numbers, direct statements, and/or personalization, such as these:

Asking a question is a great way to approach your subject line. This one in particular works so well because it addresses a strong concern of every subscriber to this email list: How should we prepare for the future of B2B marketing? By sparking curiosity and supplying an answer in your email, readers will be sure to click through.

This subject line works well because it’s actionable (“quench”) and concisely tells the reader exactly what the email is all about.

Bad headlines on the other hand, look a lot like this (so avoid these!):

Refinery29 may create good email content, but this subject line tells subscribers little about why they should open this email. So the company’s own shopping addiction got worse? That means nothing to the readers. Instead of focusing on your own brand, tell your audience why they should become addicted to your products/services.

Pumpkin spice and concerts go together like…Well, nobody is really sure, to be honest. Sure, the seasonal topic is timely, but we don’t need to pumpkin spice all the things. If you want to jump on the now-trending bandwagon, make sure it’s also relevant to the content in your email.

TIP: Subject line split tests can be a great way to see what messaging works best with your subscriber list. Even if your email message is valuable, the content can’t do its job if no one gets past the subject line.

User-Generated Content

Sometimes, the best content isn’t anything you’ve created on your own. Rather, it’s the type of content created by your customers — a.k.a. user-generated content (UGC). From Facebook to Yelp!, there are a number of places where consumers come together to share their experiences with businesses all over the world. So why not make use of these powerful communities to unearth helpful content for your emails?

An owner of a local bakery, for example, might want to feature their most shared items on Pinterest or even reviews from Facebook followers who raved about a new cake flavor.

When prospective consumers can identify with the real people interacting with and benefiting from your business, they’ll be more encouraged to do so as well.

TIP: Testimonials can be an important part of user-generated content that adds credibility and value to your emails. Think about using quotes and ideas from customers that can help your subscribers, not just flaunt how amazing you are!

Irresistible Offers

According to a study from Blue Kangaroo, seven out of ten people say they made use of a coupon or discount from a marketing email in the prior week. In addition to using coupons as a way to incentivize people to sign up for your emails, they can be leveraged for encouraging them to open emails on a regular basis.

Just make sure the offer is valuable to them. Exclusive discount codes or coupons are always a win, but consider offering something they wouldn’t be able to get from a competitor in the Sunday paper, such as a helpful how-to guide or a top secret ‘never been shared before’ recipe.

TIP: In addition to coupons and discounts, offer your subscribers sneak peeks to new products or services, exclusive chances to pre-order sure-to-sell-out items, or have a “last call” clearance sale available only to them!

Still Not Sure? Just Ask

If you don’t know what kind of content is valuable to your audience, why not ask them? All it takes is a brief email survey that invites feedback on information they’d like to receive from you in the future. Once you have that information, you’ll be ready to create amazing email-opening worthy content.

Want to learn more tricks of the trade? Sign up below to receive helpful blog posts (like this one) right in your inbox!

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The Top 7 Re-Engagement Email Strategies

If you manage to give your lapsed customers a real reason to return, they will reward you with lasting loyalty!Related Articles

1. Getting Recognized in a Crowded Internet


2. Email Marketing from Your International Kitchen


3. 5 Things I Learned from Declaring Email Bankruptcy

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The Keys to the Cloud

Email marketing companies need to embrace the marketing cloud, or risk being left behind in the industry.

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Tumblr: For a Spin on the Blog

No need to reiterate how important content marketing is for your business, but it’s now time to refine your content and start posting things that people will actually enjoy reading!Related Articles

1. The Weekly Wrap Is Offering You a Chance to Win a GoPro HD Hero


2. Would You Pay to Post on Tumblr or Facebook?


3. Happiness Is Coca-Cola Getting Social on Tumblr

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Ginny Soskey: Hubspot's Call To Action Ninja

Calls To Action are an imperative part of any marketing campaign on any marketing channel. We invited the Section Editor for Hubspot's Marketing Blog, Ginny Soskey, to teach us all about them.Related Articles

1. Tips for Improving Your Call-To-Action


2. Ways to improve your email landing page


3. 8 simple and effective email marketing tips

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Membership Site Software and Plugins: 4 Tools to Grow Your Business

Whether you’re selling content products, training courses or exclusive services, launching a membership website is now easier than ever before.

Caveat: You still need the right tools for the job.

Since email plays such a vital role in growing a membership site, knowing which membership services will plug right into your email marketing gives you a big headstart.

That’s why we asked four of the top membership site software providers to describe their product, and extend a special offer to our readers. So if you’re looking to launch a new membership site, or exploring new options for an existing site, you can find a platform that works for you.

1. WishList Member

Tracy Childers, Co-Founder of WishList Products, Inc. Twitter: @wishlistproduct

Who is WishList Member best suited for?

Anyone that wants to protect their online content on their WordPress-powered website.

What sets WishList Member apart from other, similar apps?

It’s a premium WordPress plugin with no monthly fees, currently trusted by over 53,145 online communities and membership sites worldwide.

What benefits/results can marketers expect from using this integration?

With the WishList Member-AWeber integration, you can add anyone from a membership level to a specific list within your AWeber account. If the status of a member changes in WishList Member (such as a cancel) they will also be removed from your AWeber list.

This effectively lets you communicate with your members using the power of AWeber’s email tools.

Why should AWeber customers connect to WishList Member right now?

To take advantage of the custom communication and deliverability of AWeber, within each specific membership level inside of WishList Member. Automatically updating AWeber lists keeps you in synch with your membership audiences.

What’s the pricing model? Is there a special offer for AWeber clients?

WishList Member is offered in two different license formats: 1) Single Site Licenses are $97 one-time fee, and 2) Multi-Site Licenses are $297 one-time fee. The Multi-Site License allows for an unlimited number of membership sites owned by a single person, but is not intended for webmasters building client sites.

Special bonus offer for AWeber customers: First-time WishList Member users will receive a special plugin called WishList Scheduler ($40 value).

WishList Scheduler lets you set up membership content that will appear to members on a scheduled basis. For instance, you can schedule content to show up on the same days that your autoresponder messages are delivered for maximum impact. This creates an automated delivery system for protected members-only content.

Create your account with WishList Member here (plus bonus offer)

Get step-by-step help integrating AWeber with WishList Member here

2. MemberMouse

Dan Caron, Chief Marketing Officer of MemberMouse. Twitter: @membermouse

Who is MemberMouse best suited for?

MemberMouse is an easy-to-use WordPress membership plugin that helps you sell products, subscriptions and memberships.

With it, you can setup a password-protected member’s area, offer one-click upsells and downsells, manage customers, automate customer service, track critical retention metrics and more.

MemberMouse was designed to be easy-to-use, but has a powerful feature set that allows you to maximize your revenue and lifetime customer value. It also includes an extensive API and Push Notification System to allow for custom business automation rules and 3rd party integrations.

What sets MemberMouse apart from other, similar apps?

MemberMouse is more than just a script to provide a password protected member’s area. It’s a business platform that tracks all the critical metrics associated with a subscription business.

Want to know your customer lifetime value? Want to know your retention rate? Without these numbers, it’s impossible to make decisions, improve weaknesses, and intelligently scale your business. If you’re not using data to drive your marketing decisions, or paying attention to the numbers, you’re wandering in the dark. Many other membership plug-ins don’t provide you with this depth of direct-response analytics.

What benefits/results can marketers expect from using this integration?

MemberMouse only integrates with best-in-class service providers such as AWeber. The MemberMouse and AWeber integration makes it easy to assign members to an AWeber mailing list, no matter if they’re joining a membership level or subscription, or purchasing a one-off product. Members are also automatically switched to the appropriate mailing list when they change membership levels.

Why should AWeber customers connect to MemberMouse right now?

Whether you sell digital products, subscription content, software as a service, or ship physical goods, MemberMouse provides a flexible platform that you can quickly shape to your business, with no programming required. The software gets you up and running quickly, and handles many of the common tasks in your business, freeing you to focus on your value proposition. Simply put, MemberMouse is one of the easiest ways to start your own online business.

What’s the pricing model? Is there a special offer for AWeber clients?

MemberMouse pricing is designed to be affordable for businesses of all sizes. If you’re just getting started, the Starter Plan will get you off the ground quickly from $19.95 per month. For more powerful features, you can upgrade to Advanced ($99 per month) or Premium plans ($299 per month). All MemberMouse plans come with a 14-day free trial.

Create your account with MemberMouse here

Get step-by-step help integrating AWeber with MemberMouse

3. MemberSonic

Andrew Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of Plugin Results. Twitter: @pluginresults

Who is MemberSonic best suited for?

Internet marketers, coaches and personal trainers, looking for an easy way to deliver secure online content and products to their customers. Built on WordPress, this rapid content delivery plugin will allow anyone to create a complete membership site in less than 5 minutes using our wizard setup tool.

What sets MemberSonic apart from other, similar apps?

MemberSonic boasts all the core must-have features of a premium membership site software, with numerous integrations to extend the functionality. The intuitively designed user interface allows for any function to be performed in four clicks or less, making for fast deployment of any membership site.

What benefits/results can marketers expect from using this integration?

With this integration, new members will be automatically added to any AWeber mailing list specified. Membership site owners can better communicate with and engage members, thus increasing member retention and residual revenue.

Why should AWeber customers connect to MemberSonic right now?

Integrating through the AWeber API means a more secure and consistent method of adding new members to your mailing list. Direct integration means fewer steps for your customers and a better overall purchasing experience.

What’s the pricing model? Is there a special offer for AWeber clients?

MemberSonic is a one time purchase of $97 (includes lifetime customer support and product updates) for a personal use unlimited domain license. AWeber customers can save 50% with code AWEBER50 through October 31, 2014.

Create your account with MemberSonic here (use AWEBER50 to save 50%)

Get step-by-step help integrating AWeber with MemberSonic

4. aMember

Alex Scott, Owner of CGI-Central. Twitter: @cgicentral

Who is aMember best suited for?

Website owners who want to sell subscriptions or other digital products. A typical e-commerce setup with us includes WordPress (not necessary but recommended), aMember Pro and AWeber for email messages.

What sets aMember apart from other, similar apps?

If you need something complex, such as integration with forums, third-party systems, or selling software via subscriptions or group access (courses, for example), aMember is for you. We love complex tasks and working with clients to implement all their needs.

Another important benefit for customers is full control. aMember software is open source and installed to the customer web site, with no monthly fees.

What benefits/results can marketers expect from using this integration?

aMember Pro is a comprehensive ecommerce system that includes membership management, customer profile management, help desk, payments and subscription handling for over 100 payment systems, even an affiliate management module. Optional modules also include public members directory and software license handling, plus more than 60 integrations with popular website software titles like vBulletin, XenForo, phpBB, Joomla and other scripts. Of course full-featured WordPress integration is also available.

Why should AWeber customers connect to aMember right now?

To start selling e-commerce content or subscriptions, protect content and communicate with customers.

What’s the pricing model? Is there a special offer for AWeber clients?

Pricing is simple and flat. aMember costs $179.95 (one-time fee) for a lifetime license, including free installation and configuration by our professionals. We are happy to provide a $20 discount for AWeber customers: Use coupon code AWEBER2014, through October 15, 2014.

Create your account with aMember here (save $20 with AWEBER2014)

Get step-by-step help integrating AWeber with aMember

What’s next?

Check out these awesome services and send us your feedback in the comments. If you’re building a new membership site, let us know your results or questions. Or if you’re already using AWeber with one of these services, tell us what’s working and what challenges you’re facing.

Also, if you missed our recent apps roundups (September, August, July, June), check out the AWeber App Showcase to see more of our third-party integrations.

Olivia Dello Buono contributed to this post.

via Email Marketing Tips http://blog.aweber.com/email-marketing/membership-site-software-apps-roundup-october-2014.htm