Best practices for Transactional emails

What is a transactional email?

Transactional email is the eMail send to a customer to apprise him/her about the status of any transaction. These customer service email communications are sent as a result of shipment notification, order, service requests, password changes or any other biz alerts - better known as transactional e-mail.

Compared with other email to subscribers, transactional e-mail have higher conversion rates - open rate, higher click-through rate. Due to this high open rates, many online strategist emphasis the use of use of service-based email in the marketing mix to tap up-sell opportunities.

Now let's find the use of Transactional email Messages:

• Purchase confirmations
• Shipping notices
• inventory-stock
• Receipts/charge
• Regular statements
• Service request received
• Notifications/Alerts
• Updates
• Cross-sell/Up sell
• Reminders

Here are the best practices for transational emails:

• Send by using an unique IP & domain
• Use sender authentication ( SPF )
• Use recognizable from address
• Quickly send transactional email ( best in less than a minute)
• Use identifiable ('from name and "from address")
• Track email metrics ( opens, click)
• Use riveting subject line( informative & compelling)
• Display transaction details on the upfront
• Give a personal touch to the transactional emails
• Include a request to the user to add email address to their address book ( personal white list)
• Give customer support info
• Design transactional emails based on website navigation exp
• Give more priority to images ( Increases click-through)
• Customized email based on customer info
• Customize cross sell offers
• Anticipate & answer customer questions

By leveraging transactional e-mails, you can generate incremental revenue while reinforcing your brand awareness across the customer base. Your effort to reach more with customer service email communication is the first step of doing more with less.

Now's the time to kindle and dress up the transaction emails to attract more customers and open doors of opportunity for your business.

Rise above the in-box noise
Why don't you make the best use of transactional emails to capture customer's attention and interest? Capitalize on the next big wave in email marketing with fine tunned customer engagement emails.

Need help on transactional email messages?

Contact us for 20 minutes no obligation consultation with our online data specialist. Sign-up now with your details for immediate call-back.

How Competitive Analysis help you understand competition?

How well do you know your competitors?

Running a business is not just about you and your customers. It's important to know how the competitors run their game-plan to attract customers. In the current market scenario, it is important to keep your eyes and ear open on the ever changing marketing strategies in the market space.

You can add the most suitable and effective marketing strategies to your marketing mix by studying the marketing strategies employed by your competitors.

Here are few points for your competitive analysis framework

• Who are your competitors?
• What is the organization size?
• What market share they hold in ebiz?
• What are the markets they target?
• What is the price point of their offer?
• Which lists do you both use?
• Which biz lists work for them and not you?
• How often do your competitors send email campaign?
• When do they mail?
• What is the frequency of their mailing?

Track your biz peers on how they are positioned in the market

• Why clients buy your products/services?
• What extra benefits do you offer?
• What is the price of your offer?
• Who are targeted for your biz proposition?
• How does your marketing mix compare to other competitors?

This short note gives a gist of how you can go on to develop a comprehensive competitive business strategy. If you haven't looked outside your biz, then this last quarter of 2009 will be the right time to imbibe new lessons from your biz competitors.

Turning Data to Insight through Competitive Analysis

Data Check Central has developed database marketing strategies for several European multinational companies and for many companies in the U.S. market.

Our data analysts analyze and documented product/market requirements of our clients and recommend the best-fit data management solutions to meet their business requirement.

Email address Appending -

Data check Central offers unique data append service that will 're-kindle' your existing database marketing program. Through this program you will acquire valid email addresses of your existing customers for very little cost per email-id and in less time.

Definition of Email Append:

Email address appending (Email Append), is a process through which individual's e-mail address is annexed to the missing email fields of the database. This is done by matching your database against a third-party national database. During this automated process, the software will locate similar data field and append permission email address to the matched record.

Data Check Central's data appending sends opt-in email to the matched records before it overlays deliverable email addresses to your existing customer file.

How does data appending process work:

First you need to send us your database in a clean format (no blanks, first and last name in different columns, columns line up, etc). We create a copy and upload your data in our proprietary tool to match it with our master data. During the append process, the software locates similar records and appends relevant details to your file.

ROI from email appending

Our prices for email appending are based on results. We charge only for the records found by our appending process. This price structure suits most of our clients and reduces the cost of the project.

The append percentage varies, project to project. Based on the quality of b2b data, the percentage of good quality records retrieved varies. Most often we are able to provide match rates from 25% to 60%.

How Email appending benefits your business:

1. Reduces b2b communication costs
2. Enhances digital marketing mix
3. Enriches email ties with customers
4. Reduces undeliverable emails
5. Boost email campaign responses

Why Data Check Central for email appending

Our email address appending can replace wrong email address of your customers with fresh email address. With our master database of 120 million business records, we offer superior match rates and cost-effective email appending solutions for your business.

Learn more about Data Check Central's email appending solution through our sample append test program. Contact us today to test this limited offer and learn how we can help you regain digital ties with your customers.

Email List Building - dos and don't

According to a DMA report, email marketing produces ROI of $57.25 for every dollar spent. That's roughly more than 150 percent ROI than any other digital marketing channel. Amazing isn't...

Anyone who's into email marketing knows that email list building is the life-blood of any email marketing project. To achieve continued list growth, every marketer works with a plan in hand. But most often these plans don't turn to numbers because of improper implementation or due to the lack of knowledge.

One best way to drive list growth is by harnessing multiple media channels. Here are the few other dos and don't that will guide in acquiring more users to your database.

Email List acquisition Dos and Don't

1. Keep the opt-in process simple- Don't overwhelm new registrations with too many info
   
   
2. Send "Thank you" message to new users. This lets new users to know that they have successfully joined the group
   
   
3. Include sign-up page at the places in your website which attract more eyeballs
   
   
4. Send Welcome email to new subscribers to include privacy policy
   
   
5. comply with CAN-SPAN requirement
   
   
6. Remove bounced emails from your email database
   
   
7. Ask permission before sending anyone on your list an email
   
   
8. Capitalize up-sell opportunities through transaction emails
   
   
9. Track the source of new subscribers
   
   
10. Focus to build high-quality opt-in subscribers
    
    
11. Explain your privacy policy on the registration page
    
    
12. Utilize all touch points to gather permission user data to your database (point of sale, in-store, call centers, Sign-up form, conference/trade shows, webinar registration, etc.)

Don't

1. Make subscribers to submit all details during registration
   
   
2. Forget to send confirmation mail after immediate sign-up
   
   
3. Use harvested addresses. They are not opt-in.

How clean was my database then!

Not so long back I started database marketing with a squeaky clean database. My biz flourished with impressive revenue from targeted email. Time moved and with it the my customers too moved. Result was high email bounce from email campaign!

“33% of email addresses change annually.”

— Jupiter Research

Too many non-existing or invalid email addresses in the campaign will result in flood of undelivered mails in the campaign. Such hard email bounces will always carry the risk of your IP address or your SMTP server being blocked by ISP's.

Now it has reached a point that my email campaign has turned unproductive and even damaging my reputation. I've forced with two question.

Shall I hit on delete and erase the entire old database

or

Shall I salvage the existing email address & get deliverable email address

Then I hit on the idea to use email change of address(ECOA) process to retrieve email address from the dirty pile.

What's NCOA process?

NCOA process compares the customer's data with the National Change of Address database to find individuals or companies who have moved. The NCOA database contains the recent address of individuals, families or companies that have moved to a new location and those who have filed change of address with the USPS.

NCOA process performs the following vital screening on your email database:

• Identify un-deliverable email addresses- "dead" email ids
  
  
• Identify incorrect and correct obvious errors( typo mistakes, such as jdramse@aool or djane@yaho.com.
  
  
• Locates prank email address, such as asdf@hotmail.com and test@gmail.com.
  
  
• Identify and remove email ids such as abuse@hotmail.com from your mailing list
  
  
• Remove duplicates email address from your database, such as same name entered in different variation( prefix,title case etc)

NCOA process acts like a preventive doze against sweepage of email address in your database. With this process you can reconnect with your customers before your competitors find them.

That's a great way to clean your database and minimize bounces and customer defection. Next time, act early on data cleansing to maintain the sheen of your database. In this way your investment in database marketing is protected and viable revenue is guaranteed!

8 data enhancements to reach best B-2-B prospects

Appending or enhancing business intelligent data to your existing customer records enable you to know more about your customers and translate this information into profitable customer relationship management.

Now let's know more about customers

Does your database include such information as, who are your competitors and their primary source of customers? If not, then you are not alone! Many biz owners are unaware about customer's preferences nor about the competitors strenght and weakness.

For successful marketing, you'll have to spend some time researching about your customers - find their marketing preferences, business traits, business strength, name of decision makers, etc. Assemble all the traits of your customer and make high-priority and low-priority. This detailed list could demographic, firmographic, marketing or geographic data about your customers.

Features and Benefits of DCC's data appending

Data Check Central's data enhancement service enable our clients to leverage valuable data input and later help you build a better relationship with their customers.

• Communicate with preferred channels of communication
• Increase lead quality through personalized offers
• Segment marketing campaigns
• Personalize your message for better response
• Raise more $$$

How Data Check Central acquires quality data:

We team with leading data suppliers, business communities, trade shows, conference, accredited trade bodies, biz directories; business white page directories, annual reports, Govt records, State records, etc.

Data enhancement details

• Contact Name
  
• Biz title
• Contact details
• Industry
• Employee Size
• Sales Volume
• NAICS
  
• Area Code
• and more...

Our data Append process - Expected results

In data appending there is no single formula. We review each request on data management and data appending, case by case.

Our data append process deliver from 40 – 60 percent of new data to our clients, but this figure can go up or come down, depending on the quality of data (type of industry, business requirement). However, before we start your work, our experts will access the data and report the probable data append figures for the project.

Moreover we review your data by using NCOA updates from the U.S.P.S. Our quality measures help our marketing and sales team to intensity target marketing opportunities.

How you gain from data appending

• Gain more sales opportunities
  
• Enhance the value of customer file
• Reduce the cost of communication
• Increase response from direct marketing

Data Check Central's data appending solution will add value to your current customer file. With more valuable data about your customers, you can get better results from CRM solutions. Moreover, our solution integrates with all the leading CRM application like salesforce.com, sugarCRM, etc.

Our master business database has over 120 million records. This pool of verified business data enable our data append process to locate similar data matches.

Submit your contact request in the online form, and get fresh details about your customer.

Enhance biz marketing with reverse email append

Do you have a list of email address in your database, but don't have full name & postal information? In this scenario how to quickly get offline contact information from email address?

In this case, you could use Reverse Email Append service.

Through reverse append services you can find full name, postal address of your customers on the basis of email address.

While Email appending process adds email address to the existing customer records, reverse email append process unearths postal address of client based on online information. Reverse appending process enable marketers to acquire offline channels to send direct mailers, brochures, catalogs and postcards.

Adding offline communication touch-points into your customer data fine will add more opportunities for your to reach prospects through their preferred marketing medium.

Data Check Central's Reverse Email Append service

DCC's premier reverse email appending solution will find your customers off-line postal address associated with the email-address. This unique process is done by matching our large business to business database with your in-house customer file. Through an automated matching process, the matching records are appended to your file and returned back to you.

Our b-to-b database has more than 110 million permission records. We clean the records in our database through monthly data validation process and cleansing process. The database is derived from multiple sources; network partners, Govt records, biz news, research papers, survey responses and permission-based websites.

Our reverse Email Append rate ranges from 35% - 65%.

Our proprietary Reverse Append process makes use of latest data filtering process. We do manual verification to get better match rates from our reverse appending.

Reverse appending improves the efficiency of your marketing campaign and utilize multi-channel marketing strategies.

Reverse appending maximizes the value of your online customer records by adding :

• Name
• Postal Address - CASS Standardized
• Phone Number
• Business Name
• SIC Code
• And more…

Best of all, there is no lag time in Data Check Central's reverse email append process. In a short turn-around time, you will add value to your prospect's record with relevant postal file enhancement.

Until next time.

Clive

Tips to reduce hard bounces in your email campaign:

Clean up your database

After every campaign, go through your email database and check the hard bounces. Separate the hard knocks from the active responses. Have a second look at the email address for typos, wrong domain names etc.

Confirm email addresses

Send email confirmation to those subscribers who have joined your mailing list. This reduces inadvertent entries in your mailing box. Any bounces in this first screening will help you to cut down on the wrong ones joining your database.

Update customers' details

On an average 3% of the customers data churn in a month. To make good the change, give upfront information on you webpage for users to update their contact details. This will reduce email bounces from customers who have taken new email address.

Monitor delivery rates

Track-back the bounce rates from the mailing. Segment bounces from each domain. This help you to track the abnormal bounce coming from one domain. Too many number of returns from one domain could be as a result of blacklist or spam filter.

Check spam lists

Monitor the public spam databases or blacklists to ensure that your email service providers is not included in such blacklists.

Test emails before you fire

Time is short and pressure to show positive figures can make you blast emails one after another. Such unrestrained email campaigns can adversely effect the entire lot. Instead, test your email campaign on major email clients to see how your email looks before the real blast.

And finally....

Despite doing all you can to salvage a valuable prospect information,you'll end up on the dead beat. In such cases, it's better to remove such die-hard bounces from your email mailing list.

10 smart tactics to fire-up email marketing

Going forward to the last quarter of 2009, it's up in arms for many biz to cash in the 2009 holiday sales. While many marketers are adding opt-in list to their arsenel, many others are looking at the fine art of boosting Internet shopping cart sales.

Before you get equipped on other those soft skills, its time to horne the exisiting online strategies to boost revenue forom the holiday congregation. Here're the top 10 strategies that can create an avalanche of online lead geration:

>> Avoid rush-hour traffic. Wait for users to settle the early morning inbox clutter. Send at a time when your mail gets instant attention and not drowned inbox clutter

>> Do not highlight text when it's not warranted. Moreover avoid underlining text. Users will confuse it as a link

>> Provide online signup form on all vantage points in your website

>> Sort out opt-out request using automated tools

>> Test, test, test. Email campaign can be optimized in a million ways. Tweak changes in content, design, link placement and even time of email blast. Test one element at a time so that you can track the results and better the campaign results

>> Send campaigns in text/html format. Some user's email clients don't support HTML emails

>> Build permission list through multiple list building process. With time, the subscriber base will add to a mountain

>> Test how email renders on various email clients. Double check the spelling, grammar to avoid any slip

>> Increase the share of repeat biz through email marketing to existing customer base

>> Include the forward to a friend link to encourage viral effect to your emails promotion

Customer Email address accuracy

"Better, faster, cheaper": Guess what, these words clog our cyber- babble from surfeit of email marketing. But a critical look at business-to-business database reveals the dark patches of your data-scape. Recent study revealed that up to 55% of a company's email address is bad; resulting in duplicate mailing, bounces, lost opportunities and lower ROI from email marketing.

Most often the source of pleasure becomes your pain center. Ongoing economy upheavals has tumultuous effect on the churn of executives, developers and key associates working small, mid-sized and large biz enterprises.

Companies are also facing increasing challenges managing digital data— as information continues to grow exponentially. By the end of 2011, digital data will reach zetabyte sizes! Waiting is over, time to take full control of data at the entry point is the need of the hour.

Email data validation advantage

Upfront data cleansing is the best thing you can do with your database. Restrict the entry of scrupulous data by supporting data entry with contextual hints.

Real time Email validation will reduce the in-flow of bad records in your email database. Through the use of these features

• Real-time dynamic data updates
• Detecting general format and syntax errors
• Restrict syntax errors in email address
• Sort if the email address is free, or an alias
• Detects improper email address format( AOL, gmail, hotmail )
• Validate top level domain ( .com, .net, .pl, etc)

How email validation service benefit you:

• Improve lead and customer conversion rates
• Increase quality and effectiveness of email campaigns
• Reduce wrong typos with point-of-entry validation
• Reduce load on your system
• Improve the efficiency of CRM
• Reduce the cost of data management

Strive to Keep you email data through real-time validation. As data piles up, the task to rectify becomes mountainous and the associated cost too burgeon. Get freedom from the hassles of un-productive email address in your customer database and improve your campaign performance by a big strike.

Conclusion

Bad leads is as good as no leads and dampen your lead generation efforts. Plug in the leaks before it burst your lead pipeline. It's fast, easy to use and cost effective for your organization.

If you require data support or like to know more about your data managment support services, please speak to our representative or sign-up for a free consultation.

Understanding Data Churn

Understanding Data Churn
WHAT? What are the fields used to identify data churn? Demographic, firmographic, behavioral or more
WHO? Which customer are likely to churn? Attributes/profiles/
WHEN? When do customers churn? Length
WHY? Why do customers churn?
HOW? How can you prevent or reduce customer churn? Flag vulnerable customers, use intelligent data

5% reduction in customer churn rate can increase profits by 25-125%

Customer churn is the defection of customer that results in the loss of existing clients or customer. It's a prime challenge to business, esp at time when we're battling recessionary pressures. But no matter what you do, customers deflect to other pastures leaving you high and dry.

Customer churn rate varies on the type of customer and on the basis of business. Financial, Healthcare, communication services loose most of the customers due to customer churn.

Even though it's an inherent part of customer behavior, you can't stay as a mute witness to the free exit of an existing customer. The part of the solution lies in uncovering the fault lines in customer chrun and by taking back-and-forth dialog measures to fortify such deflections

"Companies should also be aware that if customers leave you at this hour, the price you pay for a new customer would be more than six times he cost of retaining an existing customers”

Our solution to curb customer churn is based on robust analytical and advanced bounce management system. We break down each defection down into sub-categories and then draw qualitative inference to locate the cause of data churn. With such detailed ground-work, we help our clients to save data from attrition.

Retain high value customers with churn prevention solutions

Data Check Central offers a way forward for small and medium enterprises by providing a decisive churn management and prevention solution. With our multiple data solutions, you can get the best fit remedy without spending heavy capital on data management and gain competitive edge through customer retention.

Contact us now to know how we can implement customer centric and churn prevention business processes for your business.

Enterprise Data Management Services - Clean B2B Data

Effective database management

Data Check Central's powerful email address and list management solution enables efficient use of customer data across the enterprise. We work by studying your business rules and tailor customized data management solution that best fit your enterprise model. Our simple, but effective solution can reduce complicated spreadsheet processing, and reduce dependence on expensive data consultants.

Data check Central's data management include key features such as:

• Data Consolidation
• Email Appending
  
• Opt-In Management
• Data Hygiene
  
• Opt-out Management
• Bounce email Processing
• Phone validation and updating
• Customer churn prevention
  
• Un-Subscribe Handling
• Data Suppression
• Reverse Email Appending
  
• Address Management
• Data Enrichment
• Competitive Analysis
  
• Customer Profiling
• Email Validation
• Data Appending
  
• In-depth Reporting
• Data Audit
  
• Address Correction
• Data Enhancement
  
• Interactive form Management
• Data De-Duplication
• Data Mining
  
• Ongoing Data Maintenance
• and more...

What you get from quality customer data

Fresh data in your repository will enhance customer relationship and build personalized dialog with every prospect.

Increase lead conversion - Double prospect conversion. Turn prospects into hot leads

Boost response rates - Increase your campaign click rates by sending offers to customers based on their specific interest and action

Unmatched sales intelligence - Drive more creative strategies based on intelligent customer profiles

We support all data-intensive organization like retail, financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, transportation and more. Our automated data scrubbing tool systematically examine data flaws with relevant business rules, algorithms, and look-up tables, thereby bringing superior value from your data.

Don't just email - Engage them

Armed with accurate, complete and insightful customer data, you can engage the prospects with the best suited lead nurturing lead track. However, in B2B email communication understanding of critical subscriber behavior is key to meeting higher response from your marketing.

Customer data is widely used by B2B marketers in numerous customer touch points and to build effective interaction:



• Acquire profitable customers
• Reduce marketing cost
• Improve relationship management
• Optimize database marketing
• Minimize sales cycle
• Increase customer retention and loyalty
• Improve revenue

Around 96% of B2B online marketers use email as it provides a measurable data to track the success of the campaign – email open rate, click rate, email delivery rate, and sales conversions etc.

There’s a key point I’m trying to push across to all digitally inclined email marketers. Optimal use of email marketing alongside other digital initiatives will expand your digital footprint on your markets. Finally, targeted emails to narrowed segments will maximize ROI from your budgets.

Master Data Management - Unpluged!

Data check Central’s Master data management (MDM) process, collates, maps, cleans, and maintains your data for an enterprise-wide "single source information". Our niche data management process is suitable for data-dependent business entities and for maintaining data within your CRM application.

The main steps for master data transformation are:

• Consolidating multi-source customer data into a one source
• cleansing and enriching data for value added use across the enterprise, and
• Synchronization hetrogeneous data to consistent format

After transforming of your master data file, you can leverage the information to improve customers service, target select customer segments, enhance campaign effectiveness, reduce data redundancy, improve operation efficiency, and improve short and long term marketing wins.

Our typical data management process consists of four steps

1. Domain analysis
2. Data integrity assessment
3. Data quality assessment
4. Process integration

Our reputed data management process seamlessly integrates your business data through end-to-end data monitoring. These process enable B2B and B2C organizations to transform disparate data, remove inaccuracies and standardize customer data based on unique business model.

Master data management from Data Check Central is available as a standalone business data solution

Read to learn more?

Call us or request more information.

Data hygiene - Clean your database

Improving customer data quality through data validation/cleansing results in exceptional customer service

Accurate customer record is the cornerstone of successful database marketing. Data as the core pivot, organization must ensure accurate data to communicate effectively with customers, and to develop single view of the customer. But most firms hardly go beyond the cursory look at their data. Such loopsided data mangement policies results in un-productive use of business budget and result in lack lusture ROI from database marketing.

What steps are you taking to maintain healthy customer database?

Let's go and understand how Data Check Central takes care of your data through data hygiene process.

Data Hygiene

As part of the data hygiene setup process, Data Check central passes your data thorough our automated proprietary email hygiene tool. The following process happens

>> Locates duplicate entries and flags it
>> Corrects common email address formatting issues
>> Corrects typo errors
>> Rectifies data entry errors wrong domain names
>> Flags dead domains
>> Meets new USPS® requirement
>> Normalizes customer data structure
>> Updates domains changed due to change in company name

After a typical data hygiene process, we guarantee more than 25% recovery of undeliverable email address. Moreover, this service makes your data more clean, consistent, and results in more profits from database marketing.

Benefits from data hygiene:

>> Reclaim up to 25% of your deactivated customers
>> Pay only for for deliverable matched records
>> Reduce overheads on data management
>> Maintain only good records
>> Save dollars on data management

Finally, Data Check central can free you from maintaining internal task force to manage your data. Our team will render 24/7 data support with half the cost.

Want to try our data solutions before you engage us?

Try out our free data hygiene/data audit/ data cleansing solution before you buy. It's a perfect way to try before you engage us. Determine which service best work with your unique business process.

Reduce undeliverable emails!

How do you reduce undeliverable emails from your customer database?

Hard Email bounces notification shows that the message has not reached the recipients in-box. The reason for hard email bounces is due to non-functioning addresses. Most often this is the result of mailing list's natural churn.

Customer data in your repository gradually looses its validity. Only way to reduce list churn is through data management and regular data cleaning.

Moreover, too many invalid email address in your campaign prompt Internet Service Providers to block your campaign for spam related activity.

Issues of complaints from users and from ISP side can jeprodize your legitimate mailing. Before it goes out of your hand, take steps to protect your data. Moving forward, you can either take data cleaning with your in-house resource or take support from professional data management firms.

We’re here to help! Data Check Central
Data check central one of the pioneers in data restoration and data appending can reclaim the dead email address of your database. Our full scale data appending process can replace non-functioning addresses with fresh, deliverable email ids. Our holistic data management solution can reduce undeliverable email and increase customer retention by 25%.

Get your campaigns to reach your target

Our data management advisors can track people, executives as they move. We use our B2B master database to track changes in your customer file. Reclaim the undeliverable email address of your customers through our proprietary data append process.

Contact for bounced email solution

Talk to our representative on how you can win back your customers through bounced email solution. Sign-up now for free information on how we can locate new email addresss of your customers.