Discounts Drive Email & Facebook Signups; Too Much Contact Drives Them Away, Study Says

Originally Posted on MarketingLand

 

Email and social media are pretty similar when it comes to what drives consumers to connect — or disconnect — with brands.

A new study from email provider Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey shows that the chance to get discounts and special offers is the primary reason that consumers “like” a Facebook page and why they subscribe to a company e-mail list.

The survey, conducted in late 2011, involved 1,481 adults in the U.S. who completed a 15-minute online questionnaire.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they subscribe to a company mailing list to get discounts and special offers, while 41 percent said that’s why they “like” a company’s Facebook page. In both cases, it was the number one reason consumers take those actions (see far right below).

The number two reason was also discount-driven — to “take part in a specific promotion.”

Altruism isn’t much of a factor for consumers — only 15 percent join a mailing list and 25 percent like a Facebook page because they want to support a company/organization that they like (see far left above).

Meanwhile, consumers also have similar reasons for both “unliking” a company on Facebook and leaving a mailing list: too much contact and irrelevant content.

“Too many emails” was listed as the top reason for abandoning a mailing list, while “the content is no longer relevant” was the number two reason. When it comes to unliking a company on Facebook, those same two things tied as the main reason.

The Constant Contact data shouldn’t be a surprise. About 18 months ago, a similar study from ExactTarget showed that discounts and promotions are the main reason why Facebook users “like” a company. And just about a year ago, a separate ExactTarget study also showed that too many posts was the main reason why fans stop following companies on Facebook.

Here’s the full set of slides with additional data from the Constant Contact survey.

10 Facts About Why and How Consumers "Like" and Subscribe

Study says email and social engagement patterns correlate

Originally Published on BtoBOnline

Brand and Subject Lines Fuel Email Opens; Clutter Drives Users Away

Originally Published on MarketingCharts

Developing strong relationships with consumers and writing strong subject lines appear to be the best ways to ensure email opens, according to [download page] March 2012 survey results from Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) and Constant Contact. When respondents were asked what makes them open an email from a business or nonprofit, the organization the email is from (64%) and the subject line (47%) were far more popular than other factors such as liking the offer (26%) or the first few lines of the body of the email (14%).At the same time, getting too many emails from an organization (45%) was the second-most common reason for deciding not to open emails, behind not being interested (61%).

Offers Inspire Likes and Subscribes

Although liking an offer was not a top factor given for opening emails, consumers are motivated by discounts and special offers. In fact, those with email accounts said that receiving discounts and special offers (58%) was the top reason for subscribing to emails from businesses or non-profits, while those with Facebook accounts also said this was the leading reason for liking a Facebook page (41%). Similarly, specific promotions drive opt-ins for both email subscribers (39%) and Facebook members (28%), slightly more important to both groups than being a customer or supporter of the business (37% and 28%, respectively).
According to a survey released in December 2011 by AYTM Market Research, 80% of consumers say that coupons, promotions, and discounts are their most preferred type of content to receive from brands, ahead of brand news (8%), answers to questions (5%), how-to’s (5%), and interviews (2%).

Over-Communication Has Opposite Effect

Consumers appear to be quite clear on one topic: too many emails and notifications have an undesirable effect. When the CMB respondents were asked why they unsubscribe from an email list, too many emails topped the list of reasons given by those who have subscribed to an email list, cited by 69%. The same reason sat atop the list among Facebook likers, at 42%. An equal concern given by Facebook likers was the information no longer being relevant to them, which was the second-most important reason among email list subscribers (56%).
Results from an Upstream survey conducted by YouGov and released in February 2012 also shows overload being a major turn-off: data from that survey indicates that two-thirds of US and UK consumers would unsubscribe from a brand’s promotionsif they thought the messages they were receiving were too frequent.

Other Findings:

• One-quarter of email list subscribers and 28% of Facebook likers responding to the CMB survey said they are more likely to opt-in to a local business than a national business. The majority reported having no preference (58% and 61%, respectively).
• Although laptops or desktops were the primary device used to access email for 84% of respondents, two-thirds of two-thirds of those under 30 use their smartphones or cell phones to access their email.
• Laptops or desktops (82%) are also the primary device used to access Facebook. More than half of those under 30 use their smartphones or cell phones to access the social network some of the time.

About the Data: The CMB survey was conducted through the CMB Consumer Pulse and supported by Constant Contact. Data was collected from 1,481 consumers aged over 18 in the US through an online questionnaire fielded in Q4 2011.

Facebook engagement is like e-mail (infographic)

Originally published on ZDNet

Summary: Marketers should remember this. Consumers subscribe to your e-mails lists to get discounts, promotions, and exclusive content. Facebook users Like your Pages to get discounts and promotions.

The reasons consumers Like your Facebook Page and the reasons they subscribe to your e-mail list are pretty similar. While you definitely can’t apply everything you know about e-mailing your customers, there is some overlap, especially when it comes to things you shouldn’t do.

The findings come from a new study conducted by market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and engagement marketing firm Constant Contact. They surveyed 1,481 U.S. consumers 18 and older in Q4 2011 using a 15-minute online questionnaire.
Here are the top 10 findings (from the PowerPoint presentation embedded above):

1. Despite the widespread use of mobile devices, most people still primarily access e-mail from their computers.
2. While 30% of consumers access Facebook from a mobile device some of the time, most still prefer their computers.
3. Relationships with an organization and a strong subject line are key to getting e-mails opened.
4. Marketers need to take advantage of best practices like not sending too much to cut through the clutter of e-mails.
5. People sign up for e-mail lists to deepen their relationships with you and to get discounts, promotions, and exclusive content.
6. Consumers primarily Like Pages for discounts and promotions.
7. People opt-in to e-mail and Facebook for similar reasons.
8. Over-emailing and irrelevant content are the top reasons people unsubscribe from mailing lists.
9. Producing content that is no longer relevant to your audience and over-communicating drives both Unlikes and e-mail unsubscribes.

If you prefer the more visual version, here’s an infographic:

MediaPost: What Facebook 'Like' And Email Have In Common

Originally published on MediaPost

The reasons a consumer might click on a Facebook "Like” button and subscribe to an email list are similar, according to a study released Tuesday.

The study, released Tuesday from Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey, finds that consumers are more likely to opt in to receive communications from local businesses than national businesses in email and on Facebook.

The study analyzed the behavior of 1,481 consumers ages 18 and older in the United States. It reveals that producing not-relevant content or over-communicating messages drives consumers to unlike and unsubscribe. The top reason that consumers subscribe to a business’s email list is to receive discounts and special offers.

Consumers primarily "Like" Facebook pages for discounts and promotions. Consumers decide to opt in to email and Facebook for similar reasons. One-quarter of consumers prefer to opt in to local businesses compared with national businesses via email and Facebook.

Despite the widespread use of mobile devices, 84% of consumers primarily access email from their computers. About 30% of consumers access Facebook from a mobile device, and 82% prefer their computers. Lack of interest and over-sending content are the top two reasons that consumers do not open emails from a business or nonprofit.

And the organization's name and subject line topic are two of the most important reasons that consumers open emails from a business or non-profit company. Some 64% said they would open an email from a business or non-profit if it had the organization's name attached, whereas 47% referred to the subject line.

As marketers know, when it comes to influencing organic search rankings, however, the click of a Like or an open button will contribute different signals. 

All Facebook: Facebook Engagement Resembles Email

Originally published on All Facebook

Consumers’ choices to interact with businesses and nonprofits are very similar on Facebook and via email, according to a new study from engagement marketing firm Constant Contactand market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey.

The study of 1,481 U.S. consumers 18 and older found parallels between why consumers like Facebook pages and opt-in to email lists, including a tendency to interact more with local businesses than with national companies.

Here are 10 key findings from the study:

1. Producing content that’s irrelevant or that over-communicates drives consumers to unlike and unsubscribe.
2. Despite the widespread use of mobile devices, 84 percent of consumers primarily access email from their computers.
3. While 30 percent of consumers access Facebook from mobile devices, 82 percent prefer their computers.
4. The organization it is from and the subject line are the top reasons why consumers open emails from a business or nonprofit.
5. Lack of interest and over-sending are the top two reasons why consumers do not open emails from a business or nonprofit.
6. The top reason why consumers subscribe to a business’ email list are to receive discounts and special offers.
7. Consumers primarily like Facebook pages for discounts and promotions.
8. Consumers decide to opt-in to email and Facebook for similar reasons.
9. Over-emailing and irrelevant content are the top reasons why consumers unsubscribe from email lists.
10. One-quarter of consumers prefer to opt-in to local businesses over national businesses via email and Facebook.

And Constant Contact General Manager of Social Media Mark Schmulen said:

The parallels between email and social media marketing are strong because both are forms of permission marketing. Whether someone likes your page or opts-in to your newsletter, they are effectively giving you permission to communicate; one happens to be in the newsfeed, and the other in the inbox.

The main reasons why people unlike or unsubscribe have to do with relevancy and frequency. Content isn’t king. Relevant content is king. Effective marketing is about earning your audience’s permission and delivering relevant and actionable content without being overly intrusive.

Small businesses clearly have the edge over larger organizations. By comparison, small business owners excel at customer experience and building lasting relationships. That personal touch translates exceptionally well through engagement marketing practices, including both email and social media.

Relationships are the cornerstone of any business, and they are one of the top reasons that emails get opened. Additionally, one-quarter of respondents indicated that they prefer to opt in to local businesses via email and Facebook over national businesses because of the personal relationships that they have with the organization.

Chadwick Martin Bailey Vice President of Marketing Kristen Garvey added her own comments:

While consumers decide to opt-out of email and Facebook communications for very similar reasons, they also decide to opt-in for similar reasons: to receive discounts and special offers. Consumers want great offers, and this is good news for marketers.

Regardless of whether it comes through email or on Facebook, a great offer can be a front door to new business, and a really good opportunity to begin to build a long-term relationship with new customers.

Readers: Have your experiences with marketing via Facebook and email meshed with the findings of this study?

Plain Dealer: Quick Response code usage is increasing and small businesses want in

Originally published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Manny Rai wants to be sure passersby know what's inside his North Coast Wine & Beer business in Lakewood.

So he had a 3-foot square QR code, short for Quick Response, plastered above the entrance and another one on the front door to promote his store at West 117th Street and Madison Avenue.

The black-and-white, two-dimensional matrix barcodes are made for easy linking to content on smartphones. Instead of browsing the Internet, a person can scan a QR code -- that can be found in magazines, newspapers, advertisements, almost anywhere -- and get specific information about a menu, a store sale, or video about a product.

The QR codes on Rai's building get plenty of looks. He's hoping people will take out their mobile phones from the street or from their cars and be curious enough to take the next step and come inside to view his monthly specials and perhaps make a purchase. The codes can be scanned as far away as 40 feet from the store.

"A lot of people ask us about it all of the time, and a lot of people scan it. We probably get eight to 10 hits (on his QR code source provider's site) a day," Rai said.

Small Northeast Ohio businesses like his are slowing catching on to the wonders of QR codes, but nowhere near to the tune of big businesses like Macy's, Walgreens and E Trade that have been using the technology for at least two years.

Realtors, manufacturers, restaurants and professional service firms are adding the code to their consumer products, tradeshow materials, signage, and even business cards to deliver contact information directly into a person's cell phone.

But are QR codes a fad or the future? Are they a novelty, as many thought Websites were in the mid 1990's.

Several marketing experts are convinced the codes are here to stay. They are particularly popular with young to middle-aged people as well as upper-income men, according to ComScore Inc., a global company that specializes in statistical and marketing analysis. More than half of all QR code scanners are between 18-34, ComScore said.

"A majority of people who are scanning are doing it out of curiousity. It's a new thing to try with their new smartphones," said Jeff Mckenna, senior consultant Chadwick Martin Bailey consulting firm in Boston. "But the idea of a quick response code - something that you put on a product or sign -- is here to stay. It's one more channel through which companies can communicate with customers."

Mark Levine, owner of Bistro 185, a trendy restaurant in Cleveland, has been using the codes in print ads for about a year to promote specials like Vegan dinners. While he has no way of tracking how effective the QR codes are, unless a customer mentions it, that has not dampered his enthusiasm for the technology.

"Look around any restaurant and you see people using smartphones, whether they're using the flashlight app to look at a menu or they're looking up a word on the menu," Levine said. "Smartphones now are basically handheld computers."

Chef Johnny Schulze, a caterer in Wadsworth who operates Zydeco Bistro mobile truck, said he started a QR code special two years ago, but returns on his promotion - for a free menu item -- have been minimal.

"A very small amount of people have ever used it," he said. "It was just a way to speed up the process to get to my Website."

QR codes are hardly new. Created in 1994 by a Japanese subsidiary of Toyota, a two dimensional barcode was first used for tracking parts during the manufacturing process. Now they're starting to gain traction in the United States as a marketing tool. More than 90 percent of the nation's top 100 magazines have featured at least one mobile barcode since May 2011, according to mobile marketing firm Nellymoser Inc. in Arlington, Mass.

Dave Berman, creative department manager at Thunder Tech, an integrated marketing agency located in MidTown Cleveland, said small businesses are generally slower to adopt new technologies and trends because they have to determine if they want to allocate time, money and resources towards it.

"Smaller companies fending for themselves have a slower adoption rate because it's taking them longer to learn about new technologies," he said. "They need to find out if it's worthwhile, how it fits with their business and how it should be implemented."

Berman said some companies use the code "for the cool factor. It gives them the appearance that they're with a new trend. And sometimes that's enough. Others have more of a functional reason for doing it. They know they can get across more and different types of information in a limited amount of space."

Still, too many small business owners aren't using the codes as effective as they could, and they end up with disappointing content, pointing consumers to Websites that are not viewable on mobile phones or they don't offer a direct payoff like a coupon, video, or tutorial, area marketing experts said. That's a big turn-off to consumers who are already skeptical of the value.

Paul Siegel, vice president of GoPro Construction Solutions, a Cleveland manufacturer that makes brackets to build stairs, just ordered more QR code labels to apply to products and displays for tradeshows. But like several other companies that are using the codes to drive people to their Websites, he's unable to track it - unless they see it firsthand.

"When we're at a tradeshow, people pull out their Iphones and smartphones to scan our codes. Right now it's a novelty because not a lot of people in our industry are doing it," Siegel said. "For us it's a marketing tool to educate customers to go to our Website."

Michael Balas, president of VitreoQR, a technology company in Cleveland that specializes in QR codes, said codes should offer value - period. If a restaurant menu pops up along with an option to make a reservation, that's value, he said. A call to your phone when the table is ready is even better.

"You can do all of the planning you want to make sure your QR code works. But if that QR code delivers a mobile device to a regular web page, you've missed the point entirely," he said.

Dean Hanisko, senior vice president for corporate business development at Great Lakes Integrated, agrees.

His company recently put a QR code on a new type of bread offered by Orlando Baking company. Scanners get an educational video and an option for a 55-cent coupon. Another client offers a virtual tour of an apartment building, a tab for more information, and option to talk to someone at the push of a button.

"If you give them something of value, that's when they'll share it with their friends and that's when it goes viral," Hanisko said.

AdAge: How Tablets Will Soon Top TVs For Most Video Viewing

Originally published on AdAge

TV has tried to come to grips with the "second screen" for nearly 15 years. Once our computers started getting connected to the internet, networks have tried to harness that connectivity, and that screen, to add value and context to the broadcast products and advertising they were pushing. But now, a second screen is poised to supplant the first.

Back in 1998 when I was the founding content czar at cable network ZDTV, interactive and intelligent TV platforms were just starting to explore the combination of computing and video. Wink, OpenTV and Liberate were bringing computing smarts to settop boxes, while WebTV and others focused on turning the TV into a computer.

A third class of products actually synched up internet-delivered content on desktops and laptops with the TV you were watching at the time. And it seemed to work. Our companion website ZDTV.com (and then TechTV.com) saw huge traffic spikes when we talked up unique and related web content during our daily shows. Patrick Norton, Tom Merritt and Chris Pirillo were some of the early experts in the understanding of how to link up linear TV networks and the on-demand web.

And now, today, social "check-ins" layer on top of co-viewing, as more convenient tablets and phones enter the mix. New services including GetGlue, GoMiso and a host of others provide viewers and advertisers a way to connect and share with each other, while delving more deeply into the video content. But interestingly, new technology makes these new co-viewing apps less valuable than you might think.

Sure, there's tons of value in sharing a live event with friends and strangers. Who wouldn't want to speculate in real-time about JLo's aureolean slip, or Madonna's Lady Gaga slam? But we're moving more rapidly away from live linear viewing, as more of the stuff we want to watch becomes available on-demand. There just aren't that many tentpole live events that require real-time viewing. And those social co-viewing apps just don't work as well if our viewing isn't synchronized with others.

But even more importantly, the focus on the tablet as a co-viewing device is wrongheaded. In fact, I believe the tablet is about to revolutionize on-demand video viewing, as it supplants the big-screen TV for a very large fraction of primary video viewing.

We see this at Revision3. Ever since we launched our HTML5 and tablet apps, we've been seeing more and more viewing moving to that screen. We're over 30% mobile now (which includes tablet and phone), and the numbers are accelerating.

New research backs it up. A recent study by Chadwick, Martin, Bailey showed that 63% of people watching TV on a tablet do so even though similar or the same content was easily accessible on a big-screen TV in the same place [[link http://blog.cmbinfo.com/in-the-news-content-/bid/75214/Study-63-Who-Watch-Video-on-Tablet-Did-So-With-TV-Available ]].

So let me make a bold prediction. Big screen TVs will more and more be used for tentpole, live viewing – for the types of programming that must be consumed live, including sporting events, awards shows, election and disaster coverage. The big screen will also be used to view those can't miss serial programs with friends and family, including the Game of Thrones season 2 debut, Survivor Finale, Mad Men and Modern Family. During these (relatively) few and far-between video events, our tablets will become co-viewing screens, allowing us to comment, rate, and share the experience with others – or to look away when the action wanes.

The tablet, however, will become the screen of choice for most other in-home video viewing. Whether it's catching up with your favorite made-for-web programming like Revision3's Phil DeFranco Show, Epic Meal Time or Tekzilla, catching up with the last 5 episodes of Weeds or The Office, or just poking around YouTube looking for a laugh, personal viewing will more and more happen on our tablets.

And with pixel density surpassing even the best HDTVs, these personal screens will become even more viewable than our big screen displays. Think about it. A tablet held 18" from your eyes fills up more of your field of vision than a 50" TV 10 feet away. Apple continues to lead the charge here. The company's new iPad3, which will launch next week, will likely include a screen measuring 2048 x 1536. That's 50% more pixels than a 1080p HDTV measuring 1920 x 1080.

With much of our daily video viewing moving to the tablet, that means big changes in content, advertising and distribution. On the content side, expect a more intimate style of programming to rise up, as the experience of cradling a screen in your lap provides more direct connections between hosts, stories and viewers.

For advertisers, this means viewers will already be connected to a smart device when watching your ads. But unwelcome interruptions are magnified when a screen is held in your fingers, meaning that earned interruptions – including sponsor-style integrations and mid-show ad breaks – will be more palatable than the pre-roll format used today. It also means that ads will have to be more personal, entertaining and intimate as well.

And for video distributors – read broadcast, cable and web original networks and aggregators – you'll need to make sure your tablet experience is as good, or better than on any other platform. You'll need to understand the difference between how live and tentpole events are viewed, and serially consumed on-demand, and build the platforms, user experiences and sharing experiences where appropriate.

Think it's a long way off? We're actually pretty much there right now. Jason Hirschhorn, editor of the popular Media ReDefined newsletter posted a screen shot of his iPad home page – and it's basically a cable VOD system.

And for those who are building co-viewing experiences, focus on live and large shared events. Because when you're curled up with a good show, just like a good book, you really don't want to be disturbed.