Customers Targeted via Email Marketing
April 30, 2009
How do you reach your customers for your business? What methods do you use to market your products or services to them? Do you use a mix of traditional methods plus web-savvy strategies? The Internet has grown to such a capacity that email marketing has now become a more preferred method of targeting and reaching customers about your service. No, it’s not spammy, only if you don’t know how to send a targeted email.
But, what better way to reach today’s savvy online peruser than in email? I for one simply love the convenience and flexibility that comes with being able to check my email and send a text from my fingertips within minutes. Today’s online trafficker needs something that will work on their schedule and during their flexible and convenient times.
I have signed up (and still do) for several online customer shopping alerts for the things and consumables that interest me:
- children’s clothing sales
- information on asthma, and asthma-related illness (my 5 year old suffers with it)
- marketing (business)
- media (business)
- professional speaking (business)
…and the list goes on and on. There are so many alerts and email subscriptions that I have created folders to help me keep them all straight! Online consumers want information that is readily available, interesting, engaging, insightful and ready. This is what drives the Internet and makes it so wonderfully enticing. The readiness of information can spoil one so to the point that we actually become impatient when our browser takes longer than 5 seconds to load!
ExactTarget and Pier 1 are targeting companies via an email campaign that is sure to get lots of hits if not inquisitive visitors. But, they’re not so novel in their approach, right? Of course not. Email marketing has been around and has become popular for quite some time. But what ExactTarget and Pier 1 are doing that catches one’s attention is the tag-team marketing efforts.
Again, not so novel, but just think about the potential that your company could have from dual team or triple team efforts in your marketing campaign. Although corporations generally do not do much marketing in terms of flash, they do still look for ways to get their message out. Teaming up with other businesses or even individuals who complement what you’re doing can actually be beneficial.
What services do you offer that would or could complement other businesses? How conducive is your corporation to co-marketing or targeting a particular niche market? Would it work for you? Why or why not?
Diversity on the Corporate Website: The Challenge of Messaging
April 30, 2009
The second post in the Diversity series covered strategies for integrating diversity messaging. considerations about presenting diversity. So now we look at a second group of considerations—both practical and ethical—associated with presentation of diversity on the website. That takes in both subtle factors (such as imagery and language) and obvious content, such as policy statements and executive messages.
This post is a story and some questions. No answers!
The story: A few weeks ago, I came across a mid-sized company that had a most enticing recruiting brochure (available on their website as a PDF). I was about to add the company to my “places I want to work” list when I realized that there does not appear to be a single person of color in the whole brochure. There are dozens of people shown—even a snapshot of a company picnic—and everyone is, to put it plainly, white.
There are two possible exceptions, discovered when I returned for a more detailed trip through the brochure. But they are so subtle I didn’t notice them the first time.
Anyway, here’s what I found on the second review. And let me say loudly, this isn’t an interpretation or an indictment, it’s just a description:
Cover: Posed photo of four white people—two men, two women.
Page 2: Posed photo of white male CEO.
Page 3: Two pictures in classroom settings, with white female teaching white students. In the smaller picture, with extra magnification, it looks as if one student at the back of the class might be of Asian ancestry.
Page 4: Photo of white man talking to white woman at a desk.
Page 5: Group photo depicting employee recognition. Six men, six women, all white.
Page 6: Snapshot of family. Man, woman, two children, all white.
Page 7: Company picnic, at least 50 people in view. With extra magnification, all appear to be white, except for a Hispanic woman in an apron, who seems to be part of the catering staff.
Page 8: Pictures of a fitness facility. White man on treadmill, white woman with dumbbell.
Page 9: Two photos relating to health benefits. One shows a white male doctor, the other shows a white mother taking care of a white child.
Page 10: Two photos relating to career opportunities. One shows a white man looking over some papers, the other shows two women wearing headsets. One of the women might be African-American, but I don’t think most people would be certain of that.
Page 11: Picture of white woman.
Page 12: Picture of building exterior.
For context, this is a regional company, located more north than south, more east than west. It employs more than 800 people, and has won workplace awards. The text in the brochure hits every single right note about valuing employees, communicating with employees, work-life balance, community involvement, and so on. In fact, they have a whole page that details the array of parties and events—and it looks like a fun place, let me just say!
So let’s consider the possibilities:
- They just don’t happen to have any non-white employees. This would be unusual on a percentage basis, with a total population near 1000, but it’s possible.
- Some or all of the people in the brochure are not employees, so they don’t necessarily represent the make-up of the company. (Except for the CEO, no one is identified, and several of the illustrations look like stock photography. But the picnic is obviously real, and the employee recognition shot looks real.)
- No one considered the images as part of the message. This seems odd, since they went to the trouble of printing a full-color brochure (or at least the trouble of creating a PDF to represent same). But again, it’s possible.
- All of the above.
And now for the questions:
- If they don’t have racial diversity in the company, should they pretend to? After all, if they are using stock photos, they could add a touch of color . . . but would that be dishonest? Hypocritical? And come to that—would it be dishonest (or at least misleading) in general to mix stock photos with real pictures?
- Will readers notice that the possibly Hispanic lady is a caterer and the possibly African-American lady is the only employee shown wearing a headset? (It’s clearly a call-center headset, not something for hands-free at the desk.) If not consciously, then subliminally?
- Is it fair to drill down on a marketing document with this degree of scrutiny? Should we draw any conclusions about the company on this basis?
- Will prospective employees draw any conclusions? And if so, will some be bothered by the lack of diversity, while others find it attractive?
- Could this messaging be accidental? Could it be intentional?
If you think of other questions, let me know. Except if the questions are “Why didn’t you mention disability?” and “What about invisible diversities?” I’ll get to those topics in the final post of the series.
Amazon Soars, eBay Tanks – Which Brand Will Win in the End?
April 29, 2009
A year or so ago, eBay made the decision to change the fee structure it charges sellers as well as a few other aspects of its business model that ultimately hurt both sellers and buyers looking for bargains on the top auction site.
Remember, eBay began as a second-hand merchandise auction site where anyone could try to make a few bucks and get rid of clutter in their homes while buyers benefited from great prices that left more money in their wallets. When eBay made significant changes, the brand was tarnished and neither sellers nor buyers felt like they were benefiting anymore. Suddenly, a site where anyone could compete on semi-even footing now became a site that featured primarily new products sold by retailers and eBay stores — and not through auctions!
That still doesn’t explain why Amazon is reporting a nearly 25% increase in revenue during the first quarter of 2009 over the same period a year earlier and eBay continues to report losses. Naturally, eBay blames their decline on the economy, but is that really the case? Have you tried to buy or sell anything on eBay lately? From the seller’s perspective, it’s very difficult for individual seller’s to compete, and from the buyer’s perspective, it’s harder to find good deals than it used to be. However, I argue that you can’t compare Amazon and eBay for one very simple reason (and this is coming from the consumer side, because I shop at both sites although I always check and prefer Amazon first). Shipping costs! Read more
Diversity and the Corporate Website: Four Strategies
April 28, 2009
In the first post of this series, I suggested there are four basic approaches to dealing with diversity topics on the corporate and career websites. I’m going to call them:
1. Not a Problem. Say nothing, except by implication.
2. Just the Facts. Post a policy or statement.
3. Effectively Engaged. Expand diversity messaging.
4. Devoted to Diversity. Make diversity a major feature.
Ideally, the strategy selected should fit the company—and realistically, the primary difference between a company that can use strategy 1 and a company that needs strategy 4 is size. The relative diversity reputation of a company may also be a factor (for example, a company trying to make up for poor PR in this area may need to be more aggressive), and some industry sectors may require more diversity initiative than others.
While none of the four strategies is inherently good or bad, each has both virtues and pitfalls. Here’s a quick summary of the pros and cons—based on common sense and my own observations:
| Strategy | Pro | Con |
| Not a Problem | Suggests the company is confident about diversity. | May suggest company does not care about diversity. |
| Just the Facts | Provides information without overemphasis. | May appear to be merely lip service. |
| Effectively Engaged | Demonstrates a significant commitment. | Message may become fragmented. |
| Devoted to Diversity | Makes it clear diversity is a primary value in the company. | May appear to be patronizing, exploitative or exploitative. |
To find examples, I visited three sites that I already like, on the assumption that they are probably doing the right thing! And one more that’s a diversity leader. So here we go:
Umpqua Bank, with about 1700 employees (9% minorities, 77% women), represents Not a Problem. No specific mention of diversity, just a brief, pleasant message about empowerment.
And although the Diversity portion of their Careers website is low-key in presentation, it is extensive and effective. A badge box revolves a series of diversity awards (they have more than two dozen), and sub-pages profile Sodexo “Champions of Diversity” and describe Employee Network Groups that cover a wide range of affinities. With over 100,000 employees, Sodexo is about half minority and more than half female.
Leadership Development–Context is the Key
April 28, 2009
Despite much advice from the $15 Billion Leadership Industry (business schools, seminars, books, tapes, journals), it seems that many so called leadership experts; business books and publications failed us.
…corporate America is in crisis, confidence in leaders is plummeting, and a recent DDI survey finds that more than one-third of all new leaders fail. What’s wrong with leadership development?
Leadership Development: Does Not Fit All
And it gets worse — in their recent report on leadership development, Global Leadership Forecast 2008|2009 Development Dimensions International (DDI), has a sobering chart on the declining confidence that HR professionals have in the ability of leaders to insure financial success.
Reasons for this include such items as:
- Lack of CEO involvement
- Leadership development not linked to strategic objectives
- As Jay Conger, one of the best thought leaders (see The Productization of Leadership Development) suggested: companies look for quick fixes
- Or perhaps the problem is what the doyen of business thought leaders, Warren Bennis, once said, “I don’t think [leadership] is yet a ‘field’ in the pure sense. There are something like 276 definitions of leadership.”
To some extent, all of these are valid reasons why Leadership Development programs don’t deliver. However, I think the real culprit is that these programs do not adequately capture the context in which a leader works. That context is the complex soup –
- of external factors such as the industry environment, political and social trends, regulation;
- of internal factors such as the corporate culture, administrative systems, “tone at the top”
These factors combine into a context that is indigenous to each company.
“Yes, business leaders need to have certain personal characteristics to be successful, but it is often the application of those characteristics within a specific context that define great success. It’s not only who you are, but when and where you are.”
Tony Mayo, co-author of “In Their Time: The Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century” (see The importance of context for successful leadership)
Mayo gives a real example of the importance of the context of leadership –
The list of once-successful CEOs who have failed in new business settings is long. Bob Nardelli is a prime example. His stellar career and track record at General Electric seemed to be just what The Home Depot needed. Nardelli’s success at GE was predicated on a command-and-control leadership style that fit that company. That same style was less suited to the participatory culture of Home Depot. Nardelli failed to recognize the importance of Home Depot’s culture and was unable to survive despite certainly having the raw talent to manage the company.
The context of a company is found primarily in the hearts and minds of managers in the C-Suite. One of the best ways to tap this valuable source of intelligence for developing new leaders is mentoring. The next post will profile companies who use leaders as teachers in Leadership Development.
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