Email Marketing Timing – Dick’s Sporting Goods Case Study

April 2, 2010

I’ve been waiting awhile to do this blog post.  Since 6:16 PM on January 24th, in fact.   I bet many of you reading this in the Indianapolis, Indiana area do not even remember what happened on January 24th.  I will give you a hint.

Do you remember that NFL team EVERYONE seemed to be talking about.  Why did their coach throw the perfect season away?  Is Peyton Manning the best quarterback ever?  Yes, January 24th was the date the Indianapolis Colts won the AFC Championship and seemed like they were going to be a sure winner in the Super Bowl.  But we all know how that turned out.  My how quickly we forget!

It’s okay.  Right now Indianapolis is focused on the Final Four & cheering on the Butler Bulldogs.  I wonder how long it will take us to forget all about Butler should they lose?

Timing is so important; especially in Email Marketing.  And on January 24th at 6:16 PM Dick’s Sporting Goods got their timing right.  Like many others I was watching the Indianapolis Colts as they claimed the AFC Championship.  And like many others I had my computer and mobile device within an arm’s reach that evening.  Instantly I received the email below from Dick’s Sporting Goods will all of the AFC Champs apparel for the Indianapolis Colts.  Not only was their message highly targeted – it was also PERFECTLY timed!  Now I could instantly order the items the players were wearing on the field.

Check out the screen shot below and think about how you can plan ahead for your next email marketing campaign to be timed perfectly.


Qdoba Email Marketing Case Study

February 15, 2009

A Few days ago, I added an email marketing case study featuring a McAlister’s Deli email piece I received.  Overall, I considered this particular email campaign to be very good

Today, I would like to share an email marketing case study on Qdoba that I consider to be very bad.  This particular case study is a series of two emails that were directly connected- one being an apology for the other.  Below are the screen shots from each email along with my analysis:

Qdoba Email Marketing

Qdoba Email Marketing

Distribution List- This was the ONLY good thing about this email.  It was sent to people that subscribed, but then again it was sent to distribution lists at the  wrong locations.  Qdoba could not even get that right.  Maybe this wasn’t good after all.

Email Subject Line-
While this is attention-grabbing, I still have no idea what is behind the email or why I should open it. 

Design-
  No design at all to this email.  Simply text.  Nothing stands out other than one link.  It appears as if not much time was spent in planning this campaign.  I am surprised I even read it.
Qdoba Email Marketing Case Study

Incentive-
While this is a decent offer, it is still not enough to make me want to redeem any type of coupon.  Then the follow-up email tells me this was accidentally sent to me and I cannot even use this special offer.  HORRIBLE.  Suck it up and honor the offer…it was Qdoba’s mistake, mine.

The Message-
Probably THE most confusing email I have ever received.  I am still not sure exactly what Qdoba’s intention behind this email was, but the whole email seems to be a mess. 

Discovering New Customer Touch Points with Comments

December 18, 2008

One of the key success factors to a blog is having “guest” bloggers help in producing content. This week I was fortunate enought to have Chip McComb, Director of Internet Marketing at Fusework Studios stop by the set and share some of his thoughts on customer touchpoints. Look for plenty more guest appearences from Chip on my blog. Thanks for tuning in!

With everyone talking about internet marketing these days, don’t get overwhelmed by all of the cool new toys and forget to actually interact with your clients.  With Twitter, Facebook, blogs, email marketing, and tons of other social media touchpoints, the lonely little “comment” button is easily forgotten as companies try to market online.  Don’t make this mistake!

Comments, @ replies, and status updates are easily the best way to begin having a relevant and profitable discussion with a new or already existing client.   Why?  Because it allows for you to engage…  Watch the video and see what I mean.


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