Here’s a great example. A few weeks ago, the Denver area experienced a blizzard that dropped about two feet of snow. Many businesses shut down and grocery store shelves were barren. On the day of the blizzard our Creative Director, Missy Bergen, received emails from two local restaurants letting her know they were open for business. These restaurants seized an opportunity to be spontaneous and ran with it. I would wager a guess that it didn’t take much time to put these emails together since they used their predesigned email templates. By being prepared with predesigned email templates, both Mad Greens and Pasquini’s were able to act on a moment’s notice to tell the world (or at least the Denver area) to come dine at their establishments. Well done!

Mad Greens enticed subscribers to venture out by presenting a special offer in their snow day email.

Pasquini's lets their customers know not only that they are open, but that they can deliver even in the middle of a blizzard.

Received an email lately that made you go, “Wow!”? Send it to ahowes@swiftpage.com and we may feature it in a future post.

- Abraham Lincoln

Questions to ask yourself:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how determined are you to succeed in your business?
2. Are you surrounding yourself with employees and a network of people with a determined mindset? Why or why not?
3. What change can you make in your thinking today to strengthen your ‘resolution to succeed?’

Please note Swiftpage open with limited support coverage today.

The short answer to Leslie’s question is YES! You can add a Swiftpage survey to any website. The longer answer starts with why you would want to add a survey form to a website.

The Swiftpage Survey Tool is a powerful addition to your marketing arsenal. It is much more than just a tool to ask questions of your customers. It can be used to collect email newsletter sign ups, track RSVPs for events, update your database, and more. Read more about using surveys as webforms in this post.

To get started, create your survey in your Swiftpage account. Think about the kind of information you will truly use and eliminate unnecessary questions. Once created, every Swiftpage survey is given a unique URL. You can use this URL to add a link to any website or email. For example, Loy Surveys, a Swiftpage customer, had Bright Peak create a survey form to collect newsletter subscriptions that populates new contacts in their ACT! database. As another example, Lori Feldman, The Database Diva, uses a Swiftpage survey as the general contact form on her website.

For those who are more technically savvy, you can actually embed the code from a Swiftpage survey onto a webpage. Just follow the instructions below.

1. Open the URL of the Swiftpage Survey you created.
2. Right click and select ‘View source’.
3. From the source, copy the “form” part of the HTML — everything fromcode.
4. Paste this code into your own HTML for your webpage.
5. In the beginning of the source code, the survey address will be listed as a shorter address.  For instance, you might see this:SurveySPFRecord/Survey.aspx”> You need to make the information after “action=” the full URL of the survey.  (You can find the full URL in the web address bar of the original survey that you copied the source from.) Once the change has been made, the beginning of the code should look like this: <form name=”Survey” method=”post” action=”http://www.swiftpageemail.com/spe.support/SurveySPFRecord/Survey.aspx”>

You can also take a look at this how-to video all about embedding surveys!

Inspired to start using surveys? Tell us how you are using the Swiftpage Survey Tool. We’d love to feature your story in a future post.

P.S. Have a burning question you’d like to see featured in FAQ Fridays? Drop Audrey a line and let us know! ahowes@swiftpage.com.

Add a Dose of Tone

Not many customers pick up a phone and make a call or take the time to type up an email if they simply want to say “Way to go! You’re great!” Therefore your typical contact will have a question or problem.  With that said it’s extremely important to be able to gauge and match the customers tone.  Upset customer? Our tone should be full of understanding and empathy. Excited customer?Our tone needs to reflect the same excitement.

Mix in the Right Phrases

We can project the right tone, but often miss adding phrases to match our tone.  Empathizing phrases that acknowledge the customer’s feelings such as, “I understand,” or “I hear what you are saying,” will go far when they’re frustrated or upset.   In addition courtesy phrases such as “please” and “thank you” speak volumes to customers. Also essential are ‘commit to assist phrases.’ These are excellent to use when the customer first states their issue. Respond immediately with, “I can help you with that” or “I will take care of that for you.” These phrases gives the caller immediate reassurance that they’ve made the right decision in contacting you.

Blend Together with Follow-Through

What is this great experience without follow-through? It’s okay to not know the answer or not be able to provide an immediate solution. Just be honest with the customer and let them know you will be in touch when a solution is found. Then be certain to contact them back with the solution… they’ll be tremendously grateful.  Following through with your current or later given solution will make or break the entire customer experience.

A satisfied customer gets all three of these within their interaction with customer service.  World Class customer service is when we obtain 100% of satisfied customers. 100% customer satisfaction should be, and is an obtainable goal for all of us.

Announcement

What is it: Email  announcements are a way to keep your contacts informed of what is going on in  your business or in the world that directly affects your contacts. For example,  if you hire a new staff member, send an email to announce the hire to your  contacts with a brief bio about the person and their contact information. For businesses  in specific industries such as travel or finance, send an announcement when  weather may affect travel or when stocks jump. Announcements keep your business  in front of your customers and instill confidence in your brand and expertise.

When should I send  it: Announcements are the one type of email that can’t usually be planned  for. Consider having a template designed and ready for when an  announcement needs to be sent. Having a template at the ready prevents you from  scrambling to write content and design a template. As an expert in your field,  it is important to discern when sending an announcement will boost confidence  or cause unnecessary worry.

Here are two great examples of email announcements.

Why it Works:

• Animoto neatly packages their announcement in 4  words: Animoto – Now with Instagram.
• Main Call to Action button stands out and has  ample white space surrounding it.
• Secondary announcements don’t detract from the  main message.

Why it Works:

• In more of a press release format, the header  and headline make the announcement clear.
• Text provides concise information as to how the  app functions.
• Both the image and the Download Now link act as  the Call to Action.

Now that you are familiar with the types of email marketing,  sit down with your marketing team this week and add email marketing to your  calendar. Consider creating several templates that match your brand so you are  ready when it is time to hit send. By carefully planning your email marketing  in tandem with your overarching marketing strategy, you will strengthen your  marketing efforts exponentially!

Remember to send us your examples! We can’t wait to see them.

1. Login to your Swiftpage account.
2. Click on the Reports button.
3. Click on the Scheduled Email button at the top of the screen.

Once you are in the Scheduled Email area, you can view all of your scheduled email and delete the email campaigns as needed. Wah-lah, now your rock climbers won’t be wearing camo and your wife can enjoy her birthday without the company cocktail hour.

What else can we help you with? We’d love to feature your question in FAQ Fridays? Drop Audrey a line and let tell us – ahowes@swiftpage.com.

Invitation

What is it: Email  is an excellent medium to extend an invitation to an event, webinar, group,  etc. When an email invitation is opened, the invitee is likely within a few  mouse clicks of their calendar. This allows them to quickly respond and add the  date to their calendar. Email invitations give you excellent reporting and make  it easy to collect responses. Take a  look at our Event Marketing guide for more insight.

When should I send  it: As you are planning events throughout the year, include sending email  invitations on the to-do list. For a conference or larger event, you will  likely want to start your email communication a few months in advance. For  smaller events such as open houses, 4-6 weeks out is generally a great time to  start inviting. If you are hosting events online such as webinars or chats, 1-4  weeks in advance is generally ample time to collect a good group of attendees.

Here are two stellar examples of an email invitation.

Why it Works:

• UDF lists information in order of importance,  beginning with the event date and time.
• The event description is informative and reads  nicely in bulleted format.
• Registration link is provided along with contact  information if registration assistance is needed.

Why it Works:

• Arctic Cat keeps the email very brief and  focused on the tour.
• The Call to Action is very obvious and not lost  in clutter.
• Branding is consistent with the Arctic Cat look  and feel.
• Social media links are included as is social  sharing for readers who want to invite friends to the tour.

Have a standout email design or just want to invite us to your event – send the email our way. We’d love to feature it in a future post (and maybe come to your party). One more post to come on Monday… all about announcments.

Promotion

What is it: Email  promotions are targeted emails that highlight a specific product, general sale,  tell a customer story, etc. The goal of email promotions is generally to  increase sales and maintain brand awareness. Many email promotions come across  as blatant advertisements. The most successful email promotions provide  valuable content such as product reviews, customer experiences,  problem/solution scenarios with one of your products as the solution or free  samples or gifts. This content adds value to your customer, making the promotion  more enticing.

When should I send  it: Promotional emails can be sent at any time, but it is best to place  them on your marketing calendar throughout the year to spread out your marketing  opportunities. When generating your promotional emails, develop campaigns of  multiple emails instead of a single email. As your inbox likely proves, promotional  emails are sent more frequently around major holidays. Think about sending  promotions around more obscure holidays to stand out from the crowd. Check out  our email scheduling calendar for 2012 holiday dates.

Here are two great examples of email promotions.

Why it Works:

• Promotional offer is placed towards the top of  the email and is clear and concise.
• Additional details are helpful, easy to  understand, and scan quickly.
• Call to Action phone number is bold and stands  out.

Why it Works:

• Content is friendly, but to the point.
• Call to Action arrows stand out and are easy to  find for recipients.
• Though there are a lot of click through  opportunities, the email remains short and requires very little scrolling.

If your have a great example of a promotional email, send it our way. We’d love to feature it in a future post. Come on back to the blog on Wednesday to learn about email invitations.

While we are on the subject of marketing needs, we’d LOVE to hear from you. Take a moment today to tell us how you use Swiftpage and what you’d like to see us develop next. Take the short survey now > (We really do mean short — it’s only 9 questions. Go on now, talk to us!)

Event Marketing with Swiftpage
Whether you are hosting an onsite event, presenting an online  webinar or throwing an all company shindig, Swiftpage can easily be used to  effectively promote your event, turning invitees into attendees. Read More >

Shortcuts to Loving Your Basic Template
Here are a few quick tips for building your template in the Swiftpage Basic Editor to wow your recipients. Read More >

10 Ways to Avoid Spam Filtering
You won’t see the ROI you are looking for if your email never makes it to your recipients’ inbox. Ten tips to increase your email marketing deliverability. Read More >

The Dos and Don’ts of Email List Building
There are countless ways to grow an email list.  Your email marketing ventures do not exist without a list –  and a qualified list at that. Read More >

Drip Marketing: Why Automate? A Tale of Two Campaigns
You’ve taken the time to design a multi-step marketing plan targeting your new leads, informing them about your business and pitch them on your services. You can execute your campaign the easy way or the hard way… Read More >

Strengthen Your Message With Branding
Businesses can greatly increase new and repeat sales by  becoming recognizable to their audiences with thoughtful and consistent  branding. Take these marketing strategies into consideration… Read More >

Don’t see what you are looking for? Check out our Education Center that is chalk full of helpful articles, how-to videos, whitepapers, and more. You can also tell us what you’d like us to write about >

Until next time — Happy Emailing!

Bestselling author Alan Lakein once said, “Planning is  bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”  We all start a new marketing season with the best of intentions, but somewhere  along the way we realize we have forgotten to plan and end up scrambling in our  marketing efforts. Email marketing is no different. Planning email campaigns as  you prepare your marketing for the year is essential to email success. To get you started on the planning path we’ve outlined 4 of  the most common types of email campaigns: newsletters, promotions, invitations,  and announcements.  You’ll learn what  they are, when to send them, and get a peek at some well-executed examples of  each.

Newsletter

What is it? An  email newsletter provides useful information and content to your audience. It  can be tempting to fill a newsletter with promotions about your products, but  you are likely to turn off your subscribers. Email newsletters are your chance  to present yourself as an expert in your field. It is not about what you sell,  it is about the expertise you can share so you can build trust towards making a  purchase later or increasing customer loyalty. Provide content that can better  the people or businesses you serve.  Promotions  can be included, but should be the unobtrusive, secondary focus.

When should I send it? Most companies send their email newsletters once a month. There are some who  send weekly newsletters and some who send quarterly. You will need to decide  first, what is manageable for your team and second, how often your audience  wants to hear from you.

Here are two excellent examples of email newsletters.

Why it Works:

• Intro is short, but informative.
• Content sections are interesting and give the  reader an opportunity to click through to learn more.
• Clement makes it easy to contact them with links  to Request a brochure and Arrange a meeting. They also provide their email  address and phone number.
• Images add visual interest, but they are not  necessary to understand the message.
• Design is consistent with Clement’s branding,  giving them more familiarity and credibility

Why it Works:

• The header is small, allowing the reader to get  right into the content.
• Articles summaries are straight and to the  point, making them easy to scan.
• Click through opportunities are provided with  each article.
• The sections in the right column are broken down  well and are kept short.
• Advertisements are present, but not in the way.
• Links to Fast Company’s social media pages are  found at the top and bottom of the newsletter.

If your newsletter is a stand out, send it our way. We’d love to feature it in a future post. Come on back to the blog on Monday to learn about email promotions.