Greening Your Online Efforts

Of all your online marketing efforts, e-mail seemingly has the least environmental impact.

But sending e-messages hasn’t led to a completely paperless office. The more we use computers and printers, the more paper and energy we consume. Most of us assume global warming is caused by burning oil and gas. Truth is, between 25 and 30 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year — 1.6 billion tons — are caused by deforestation.

When you add the gas and oil we use by running computers to read e-mail — and to check it constantly on our Blackberry devices — you can see that e-mail isn’t completely environmentally benign.

With Earth Day upon us, we wanted to offer a few ways to make your e-mail a little more green.

1. Print less with GreenPrint: When you print e-mail and Web pages, there’s usually one useless sheet at the end, the one with the unsubscribe message, your e-mail provider’s logo, legal disclaimers, etc. You can eliminate printing unnecessary pages by installing GreenPrint. The software previews the document and highlights potentially unnecessary pages for removal. If you agree a page isn’t needed, it won’t be printed. It works with Word or any other program.

2. Unplug Your Blackberry: Checking e-mail from a Blackberry seems environmentally neutral, as no paper’s involved. But did you know chargers for Blackberry, cell phone and handheld games can consume 10 percent of the electricity in your house?

3. Recycle Old Electronics: Consumer electronics products contain thousands of substances, some of which are hazardous to human and environmental health. If old equipment isn’t properly recycled, these can seep into air, soil, and water. Everyone should make an effort to learn more about how to recycle your devices.

4. Use Earth Friendly Products and Recycle: At Namaste, we’ve been scrutinizing all of areas of our business. From implementing an in-house recycling program, to using recycled paper, to sustainable hosting for our web designs, we are committed to lessening all of our online marketing footprints.

Let’s work together to make every day Earth Day!

** Adapted from a recent Click Z article.

Top 10 Email Marketing To Do’s

We have come to rely on EmailLabs to provide insightful and timely email marketing guidance. Remember, email is a strategic tool that helps you to better understand and manage your customer relationships. To maximize results and keep your program in line with the trends, we like the fundamental and strategic ideas in the latest EmailLabs Top 10 Must Do list.

What is the Monday Peak Phenomenon?

And what does it mean for your email strategy? According to a recent report, Monday is the biggest day for online holiday purchases – an interesting departure from the rest of the year. The Atlas Institute Report concludes that shoppers are heading to the brick-and-mortars during the weekend this holiday season, but many are following-up with online purchases on Monday. The report shares that the 12-3pm time frame is receiving the most online activity.

Does your Email Deliver Brand Impact?

Email campaigns are often disregarded as an important extension of a companies brand image. However, with permission email communications being the most responsive form of customer marketing, strong brand representation is critical. Click Z offers 10 quick questions to ensure your messages deliver on the brand promise.

Click Z Shares “Best Advice” for Business Owners Considering an E-Newsletter

1. Know your e-newsletter’s goal. Do you to keep your name in front of prospects? Position yourself as an expert? Show samples of your work? Shaheen finds a lot of self-employed people are overly humble about talking themselves up. It’s your time — and your dime. If you put out an e-newsletter, make sure it achieves your business goals.
2. Don’t send an e-newsletter as a mass mailing through Outlook, Eudora, or Entourage with all your recipients’ names in the BCC field. You won’t be able to track whether they open your message. You need an outside company to send the e-mail for you.
3. Set up a publishing calendar and stick to it, such as the second Wednesday of each month. Many readers will actually look forward to your e-newsletter and expect to receive it on a regular schedule.
4. Version your e-mail to different audiences. It doesn’t take long and will increase your response rates when your e-newsletter shows relevance to your reader’s needs and interests.
5. If you’re not a writer, include links to interesting articles from other sites or invite your colleagues to contribute articles. Lead off the e-newsletter with an editorial note from yourself, and be sure to include your photo for brand recognition.
6. Keep on top of spam filter triggers. Instead of saying “free,” say “no cost.” If you sell products with red flag words such as “mortgage,” put the word in an image, which is less likely to be picked up by spam filters.
7. Link back to your Web site so you can track what your audience is really interested in.
8. Review the data. Shaheen says practically no one does this. You can find out what topics really resonated with people, and you can follow up individually with highly interested prospects.

We would include running a permission pass to lists that have never been mailed to, utilizing a double opt-in process and of course balancing good appreciative content with promotions.

Interested in Improving Email Response?

We’re always on the lookout for good ideas and strategies. This month, Click Z Network shared five ways to improve you email communications efforts. Check it out.