The From Line

iPad passes Mac computer in sales. The tablet is the new frontier.

It’s official. Consumers are tablet crazy; so much so that they are choosing the mobile devices over computers. It’s that time again marketers, just when you’ve finally optimized for mobile…

A look into Apples record breaking year provides an impressive example of the tablets’ rapid rise in popularity. In 2011, the company sold over 156 million iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch), 55 million of which were iPads. To put this in perspective, in just one year combined sales of these mobile devices have exceeded the 122 million Mac computers ever sold. Since it was first available for pre-order in March of 2010, the sales trend of the iPad has blown all other Apple products out of the water (see figure below). CEO Tim Cook commented “This 55 is something no one would have guessed. Including us. To put it in context, it took us 22 years to sell 55 million Macs. It took us about 5 years to sell 22 million iPods, and it took us about 3 years to sell that many iPhones. And so, this thing is, as you said, it’s on a trajectory that’s off the charts.” There has been buzz for some time of the possible upcoming announcement of the iPad3, and today we have verification via Mashable that Apple has sent out invitations for an event on March 7th. The invitation states simply “We have something you really need to see. And touch” and according to Mashable is "superimposed on what is almost certainly an iPad". Knowing this, it is more crucial than ever for marketers to take to heart the magnitude of this trend. It has been rumored that the newest generation iPad will have a full operating system, providing the user with a full blown hand held computer, and conceivably further intensifying this trend. Yes, Apple is just one example, but I think it’s safe to say they are usually ahead of the trend. Assessing how we communicate via tablet will be paramount. 

If you're using markting automation that combines web analytics with email marketing get ready to change your game plan.  Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), head of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced a new privacy bill Monday that instructs the Federal Trade Commission to craft rules establishing standards for a universal do-not-track mechanism.  If passed, this new legislation could cause logistical headaches for marketers, especially B2B ones, who use web analytics to track and "score" leads (subscriber activity).  If you're thinking about PAYING EXTRA for these types of marketing automation systems, my advice is to hold off a bit to see where this proposed legislation ends up. 

This week we look at a way for marketing campaigns to increase their exposure through better timing of tweets. Automated tweeting of an email message or blog post is common. But there are ways to repurpose that same tweet for better engagement, more retweets and increased subscriber/follower base. Tools to help you test are available, and various tweet methods can be used to find the right timing for your business.

TREND:

In growing efforts to combat email SPAM, ISPs continue to put more power into consumers’ hands. Consumer desire for controlling SPAM (or perceived spam) is what drove Gmail and Hotmail to introduce priority in-boxes, a way for the user’s interaction with emails to be used to determine future in-box placement.

The key word in this trend is “perceived.” Many marketers following email best practices still find themselves managing SPAM complaints through feedback loops. So why is this happening?

Understanding how and when to use Action Based Messaging, or ABM, starts with knowing what ABM is. ABM is a process that allows you to send follow-up messages to an initial campaign based on the action that they take. An action-based message is automatically sent to the recipient in response to their action. For example, if the reader clicks on a link for more information, they might receive a follow-up message that asks if the link they were taken to provided the information they needed or if they have additional questions.

 ABM is an effective tool to follow-up with readers, automatically customize messages based on their response, and increase the success of a campaign. So, why isn’t ABM used in every campaign? The simple answer is that it doesn’t fit every campaign. ABM works best when there is a strong call to action and the opportunity to customize the follow-up messages.

The benefit of ABM is that it works automatically. Despite our best intentions, marketers often forget or ignore the importance of consistent follow up to encourage readers to take the next step. ABM solves this problem because, once set up, it does the work for you.

Follow these instructions to add ABM to your next campaign.

1. Move the cursor over the Outbound Messaging item in the Main Menu Bar, then select the Scheduling menu item.

2. Select the Campaign that you want to send (schedule).

3. Click the appropriate radio button to determine whether you want to schedule the date and time to send the Campaign, or if your want to Send Campaign Now. If you choose to schedule the date and time, use the calendar component to select the date. You can also set the time zone using the drop-down menu.

4. Check the box if you want to add Action Based Messaging to the campaign.

5. Click the Continue button.

6. Review the Campaign's Message before you execute the Campaign. Inspect both the HTML and Text messages to ensure that they contain the information you want to send.

If the HTML and Text messages are correct, click the Execute Campaign button.

If the HTML message and/or the Text message need to be modified, click the Do Not Execute Campaign button. Use the Message editor to complete your changes, then re-start this process to schedule your Campaign.

1. If you checked the box labeled I would like to add Action Based Messaging to this campaign, another window opens. Select the campaign that you want to use ABM from the ABM List.

2. Click on the New icon.

3. The Add ABM section appears. In this section, you specify the parameters for the Action Based Message.

Select the message to send -- this drop-down menu lists the available Messages.

NOTE: The Message you want to attach to the action must already exist.

Select Action Type -- click on the radio button that best describes the action taken by the recipient on which the Message will be based. Depending on the action selected, another set of fields and/or menus appear to further define the action.

1. When you have completed describing the action, click on the Add ABM button.

2. You will return to the ABM List window. Click on the Complete button.

3. You will return to the Schedule Campaign window. At the bottom of the window, you should see your campaign added to the Campaign Queue. From here, you can cancel the scheduled campaign, or you can edit the execution time for the ABM (if used).