Video6

So, you’ve found that email marketing is beginning to have a positive impact on your business. You’ve investigated our FeedMail service and RSS sounds pretty impressive and the sort of thing you should be getting into. So take a few minutes out now and we’ll proceed together. The Graphicmail FeedMail gives you the ability to send live newsfeeds giving the latest activity on your blog or website straight to email - that’s simply what RSS feeds are ! Like a mini headline that’s sent directly to the inbox of all your subscribers who can then click on the link to be sent straight to your blog or website to get the complete story.

This technology allows your subscribers to be always up-to-date with all that’s happening with you; new promotions, special offers or added services and you get an expanded and much more targeted contact with all your subscribers over an extended range of communication channels. An absolute win, win situation.

So now’s the time for the video - to clearly see how FeedMail operates!  It not only explains the service, it also shows you where to locate it in your account – so grab that coffee or Tea and take a few minutes to relax and view that video

Video 5

Well the weekend’s over and we’re back to the grindstone with another of our GraphicMail videos!
This one is gives you more details on the use of TriggerMail, the new feature launched last month. Now you’ll have the benefit of seeing the way that these advanced AutoResponders work. You’ll know already how timesaving the TriggerMail feature is, well take the extra advantage of sitting back and watching this brief but informative TriggerMail introductory video and you’ll be further impressed by the features as well as the benefits. You’ll like it !

The newest benefit to email marketing is now having the ability to incorporate video into your emails.  Also – you can now add a still shot from a YouTube video into your emails – how cool is that ? check it out, use it and see how your subscribers begin to respond.

Video 4

Are you seeing those ‘Buying signals’ ?

No doubt you’ve heard that ‘Telling isn’t selling’, who hasn’t ! But it’s amazing how many amongst us still artistically create, tweak and, with highly organised regularity, email the resultant newsletters to their ‘customers’ and ‘prospects’. Then, when it’s gone, they congratulate themselves on a “Job well done”. In case this scenario is describing you, ask yourself this….. “How many received it, opened it, read it, interacted with it and took the content as a call to action?” 

If your answer is a little vague, then you are missing the biggest trick of all on Graphicmail’s email marketing platform - our very detailed Reports & Statistics. If you sent out a newsletter more than 24 hours ago and less than 28 days ago, you can check that area now to find out how many were sent, how many delivered, which subscribers opened it, which links they clicked on and much, much more. All that in-depth information is just sitting there waiting to provide you with the feedback which will explain to you how your readership reacted to all the hard work that you expended in generating the newsletter.

This video shows you where to find the reports and the different email metrics together with helpful tips on how to improve them. So, when you’ve taken a look at this we can all be sure that the above scenario will no longer include you, you’ll be the one with the results! well done!

There are 2 very important things that a restaurant needs to do in order to increase its revenue and that  is to reward it's regular customers and to ensure every customer becomes a repeat customer. This may seem obvious however the question is how does one go about this when every day is hectic and it's impossible to become an overnight advertising specialist

Many business analysts agree that mobile marketing (SMS) will indeed become the mass advertising of the future. According to forecasts, mobile marketing and advertising spends will increase from only a few one hundred million U.S. dollars in 2008 to $ 3 to 5 TRILLION by 2012. The so-called 'Gen Y' generation (people aged 18-29) have already made it clear that their mobile phone is the most important device that they own (Smallbiztrends.com March 3, 2010).

What does this mean for the hospitality industry? Reduced marketing cost, targeted group communication, immediate availability of the customer, personalization, interactivity, user friendliness, and rapid implementation.

The applications for the hospitality industry are far reaching. For example, imagine it's going to be a quiet evening in your establishment with very few reservations. One mobile marketing campaign message sent to your customers can change that. Customers all over the catchment area receive your message just at the time they are thinking about what they may have for dinner.

Alternatively you may wish to target those who have already made a reservation and immediately increase their antisipation of the evening ahead, sending them details of your appetizer menu or tonight's specials

You can even send coupons to selected restaurant guests that can be redeemed on quiet evenings. Your guests take this coupon around with him in their mobile phone and are constantly reminded of you ensuring that your establishment is always at the forefront of their mind when considering dining out. The success rate of mobile coupons is above average, especially in restaurants and cafes with an increase in success of 5-15% over that of its traditional paper coupons. (Marketingrestaurantonline.com, March 3, 2010).

Another way in which mobile marketing can successfully influence your restaurant, Bistro or cafe is to announce any special nights you may have eg movie nights, theme nights, live music and other special events. You can then accept advanced reservations via SMS.

The possibilities of mobile marketing are endless, but how easy is it to implement?

Of course, you could do all of this by sending your mobile marketing campaigns from your own mobile phone, however, this is not only expensive but also very time consuming due to the many contacts it would need to be sent to.

There is software available to do this bulk sending for you. GraphicMail offers its customers a compact, user-friendly e-mail and mobile marketing solution.

And here all the advantages of GraphicMail's SMS at a glance:

- Graphicmail is a web-based software which means there are no installation or advanced computer skills required

- Mobile Channel ID: You select the sender's number. Your mobile marketing campaigns are sent from your chosen mobile phone number which means that the recipients can easily identify your organisation and can reply directly to this mobile with their response/reservation

- If you already have existing address books held in other applications such as Outlook,Hotmail, Gmail etc these can be imported very easily and very quickly

- There is functionality and statistics available to analyze the campaigns sent

- The prices of bulk SMS are significantly lower than that of standard Network Providers.

Video 3 

Deliverability is such a mouthful. Yet, it is simply the process by which your emails arrive in your subscribers’ inboxes. Well, maybe not so simple. Whilst deliverability remains a major concern for email marketers, the ever-changing landscape continues to make it more difficult to ensure great delivery of your email campaigns.

Let’s be honest, no email marketing company can guarantee 100% inbox delivery.  It is your reputation, and by that we mean the quality of your message and your readers’ interest in it, that will greatly enhance your delivery rate.  Each time that one of your subscribers opens your email or clicks on one of the links contained within your email newsletter, it enhances your reputation.  Conversely, each time someone complains, it harms your reputation.

So how can you keep up-to-date with changes to ISPs, ESPs, legislation, opt-in, open rates, click rates and opt-out rates? What are the most up-to-date best practices? Are you aware of what is fact and what is fiction with regard to email deliverability? More importantly; do you know your own deliverability rate?

It will be worth your while to spend 3 minutes with email deliverability guru GraphicMail. During that time they will give you an overview of Yahoo, Comcast,  Roadrunner and other major feedback loops, the CAN-SPAM Act, permission methods and sender authentication.

Did you know?

GraphicMail is a member of ReturnPath, the EEC and Truste.

Video 2

How did you like video 1, our new email marketing tour?  Quite a good introduction to our Video Library eh ?? Well, read on for the next one in our series of video tutorials – we think it will be very useful for all aspiring email marketers as well as those among you who can be called experienced.
This one is all about newsletter templates.  There you are…….. you’ve got your account, you’ve set up your mailing list, then, when it comes to what you want to say, you hit a blank.  Great, you want to send out an email newsletter but how do you create one and how is it going to look?

Newsletter templates have to convey so much!  Content is, of course, important. You have to convey the right message after all, but it’s vitally important that your emails are consistent with your brand image to ensure that you attract not only those important once-off sales, but also retains your loyal customer base.  It needs to be both visually exciting and easy on the eye, so that your subscribers will actually want to read it – and then read it!

Our latest GraphicMail video, Free newsletter templates, provides a quick glance at how to get a template; whether you want to do this by importing one or creating one. It also shows how to use one of our 100+ free templates; and what to do with it once you have it.  It will take less than two minutes of your time and will give you some good guidance in creating your campaign.

We have set these email marketing videos in an attempt to save you time and, hopefully make your life a little easier – We also hope that you’ll find them a bit more exciting than reading a brochure!

Video 1

 Are you one of the people who’s subscribed to our newsletter or maybe you signed up for the 60-day free trial account, but just never quite got round to actually checking out our website. Maybe there’s another reason that you’re not up to scratch with the new email marketing features that we recently launched.

Well, Graphicmail has stepped into the spotlights with some real-funky videos!  (You’ll agree they are funky when you see the graphics…)  Each of the videos takes less than five minutes and they cover various aspects of our service – keep a look out for more information each day for the next week. What could be easier than sitting back with a coffee and watching a quick movie to find out all you need to know about email marketing services. 

You may want to begin with the Introductory Tour:  It explains how you can use email marketing, what it can do for you and what Graphicmail has to offer you.  It also gives you some insight into our various packages and features, all supported with sound and images that will show you how easy it is. 

All the videos can be viewed on You Tube, and we’ll provide you with links directly to each video as we tell you about them.  Don’t forget to keep watching this space all week!

Oh, and don’t forget your popcorn - and listen out for those little background sound effects…

Life is just about to get much, much easier! Why? Because Graphicmail have just launched their sizzling new Drag and Drop Editor!  It’s simple! It’s easy! - And it’s efficient! No more hours spent designing that elusive template. This is going to make your email marketing-life a great deal easier.

For those users who struggle to create graphic-rich, visually appealing newsletters using unfamiliar design tools, well we think we’ve created an editor that will un-crease your furrowed brow. You’ll soon be pronouncing “ Easy-Peezy, Lemon Squeezy” ( or something similar ! ).

In use, it does exactly what it says - you drag and drop.  Everything is designed in blocks.  You start by selecting the template and layout of your choice, then you click in the block you want to edit and begin to type or insert your image. Not happy with the look? Just move the blocks around to different locations – you just click, drag & drop – easy! What’s even better is – if you see an error or there’s some part that you don’t like in one of the blocks, you only need to edit that one block and there’s no effect on the rest of your design. Timesaving and stress-busting are really good words here!

 All that said, if you do encounter some ‘teething troubles’ our Support team is, as always, at the ready to help you out.

“Revamp” is possibly the word that best describes our current mood with three new home pages and stacks of new features – all keeping us busy to make your email marketing easier – but we think this is perhaps our most user friendly and greatest time-saving and idea to date. Well, that’s what we think – what do you think?  Check it out by logging into your account now or, if you don’t yet have an account, simply sign up to your own 60-day, free trial account.  When you’ve done that, give us your feedback, so give it a try - then give us a shout and tell us how it operates for you.  Just remember:  Click, drag, drop, click, drag, drop, click…

This one is really simple; After someone completes the subscription form that you’ve setup in your website or on your Facebook page, this trigger automatically sends them the email that you have setup in the system. Once again, this can be immediate or time-delayed, it can be a simple ‘welcome and thanks for subscribing’ or it can include links to products/services on your website

This works the same way when one of your readers clicks the unsubscribe link, TriggerMail can be set to dispatch an email confirming their request.  The datasets are updated automatically, ensuring that your lists are always up to date.

Congratulations, you are now fully up to speed and date with our new set of TriggerMail features!  (If there’s something you’ve missed, scroll down and read the previous entries of.)   All while saving you time, effort and money.  We’ve even impressed ourselves with this one.

Well there you are; the complete 6 Triggers. With so many options, your clients cannot fail to be impressed by your new, wonderful communication skills – and how you always seem to know exactly what they want! It also shows how effective and easy TriggerMails are to set up - and once you’ve set them up - they do the work for you! 

…………………  Coffee anyone?

By now we know that you’re impressed by the endless possibilities that triggerMail offers – but here’s another one…….

Email Open triggers

This trigger works, as you have no doubt guessed, from the point that your subscriber opens their email and can be time-delayed to dispatch your TriggerMail after a specified interval after the subscriber has opened your email newsletter. 

There’s a real benefit here to ensure that your email ‘promo’ does not get overlooked because your reader is busy and unable to respond to the ‘Fantastic Reductions’ that your newsletter is promoting. You can use this trigger to send out a reminder email a couple of days later that nudges them with a subtle…….. “Just a reminder not to miss our ‘Fantastic Reductions’, they end in 3 days time”

Let’s face it, times are tough and not all your subscribers can react at the instant that they read your newsletter - and, on the point of tough times, this saves on your email marketing costs, because these follow-up emails only target those subscribers who have already showed an interest – with no send credits wasted on those who didn’t.  After all, your send credits are precious.