Twitter has been around for quite some time, but as we move into the holiday season, we’ve been seeing Twitter used more in email campaigns, on Websites and via SMS. We thought we’d take a quick look at some statistics and trends around campaigns our clients have been sending, as well as some quick hit ideas you can use as we head in to the holidays.

What we know about Twitter and its audience:

We know that Twitter’s audience skews young. Experian Marketing Services has found that more 18-25 year olds are utilizing the social media giant than other sites like Facebook or Pinterest. We also know it’s a great source for real-time news information, customer service interaction and gathering instant feedback. Additionally, a previous study by Experian Marketing Services has found that using the word “Twitter” in subject lines can increase open rates by up to 14% and click through rates by up to 2.3%.

But what about other creative ways of using Twitter in your emails?

We noticed a growing trend with hastags recently being used in subject lines, specifically with retailers that cater to the teen market, so we took a deeper dive to see how they were performing across our client’s campaigns.

What we found:

We looked across campaigns with hashtags in their subject lines between June and September 2012 and compared results to the same client’s overall quarterly performance. Hashtag mailings appear to generate a modest lift of 4.8% in open rates, but we also noticed a drop in both click and transaction rates.

Conclusions and advice:

If you’re looking to grow your Twitter base and build your brand, a lack of transactions might be okay for this type of email. But if you’re also looking to get those transactions and clicks, think about what you are asking your subscribers to do, as even your subject line can contain a call to action. If the subject line is directing or encouraging recipients to take action to tweet the hashtag, it is possible that the drop in click and transaction rates is a reflection of the action the email is asking the recipient to take.

While hashtags in subject lines may look like a great opportunity to lift opens, it’s important to be careful with the rest of your message if your main goal is to also increase clicks and transactions.

Sample campaign 1:

Subject Line: Our #SoCalStylist just added a new video in Hollister Club Cali!

Above, they are asking customers to “tweet now” in the secondary part of the email, but the main call to action is to “join now.”

Sample campaign 2:

Subject Line: #Liveyourlife

Again, the main calls to action direct users to the sales occurring at the time, while separately calling out the hashtag campaign American Eagle is touting.

Other ways to incorporate Twitter in to your marketing mix:

After checkout, think about asking users to tweet about their purchase. I’m sure many of you have seen share functions on Websites like Amazon post purchase. Here, Gilt Groupe takes this concept one step further, giving their customers and incentive to share.

Also remember to include customer tweets in emails:

The above example shows a great way to include your community, and make your customers work for you. Experian CheetahMail has found that when including customer ratings and/or reviews in emails, we see a lift in transaction rates. You can use tweets about your programs or products as you would a review. People love hearing from other folks like them, so where appropriate include those customer tweets.

And take it one step further with live tweets:

Here, DirecTV is streaming live tweets from events in their email. This is another great way to keep your emails current and targeted.

If promoting your Twitter presence is right for your brand, now that you know its core demographics and uses, incorporating some of these tactics might also be right for you. As we always say, you’ll never know until you test, test, test.

And if you want to share results, tweet me @gouldliz

About Liz Gould:

Liz Gould brings over 13 years of knowledge, passion and experience in digital media to her colleagues and clients at Experian CheetahMail. In her current role as director of strategic accounts, Liz advises CheetahMail’s largest accounts on their email, mobile and social strategies. She began her career at agencies like Euro RSCG, advising clients such as Mastercard, Goldman Sachs, Genentech, and Electronic Arts.

As a long time resident of Manhattan and now Brooklyn, I have been crushed by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy to my beloved state and outlying areas.

While the storm was still raging, and even afterwards, as we all pick ourselves out of the ruins, marketers continued to work diligently as we move closer to the holidays. While many campaigns seemed to go out as planned, other marketing campaigns sprung up anew. Some campaigns were seemingly opportunistic, while others surprised us with generosity and thoughtfulness.

I recently re-read an interesting quote from John F. Kennedy:

“When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”

While opportunities present themselves, as marketers, it’s how we react to crisis that matters most, and how we take hold of those opportunities.

As we move forward with regaining normalcy in affected areas, I thought I’d share a roundup of the stand out campaigns from our colleagues post-storm; a heartfelt letter from a CEO, news of donations based on purchases, effective usage of social media (Twitter), as well as an email that was perhaps less sensitive to victims of the disaster.

I also wanted to share a few tactics, which can be found at the bottom of this post, for fellow email marketers that might assist you in the coming days or weeks, as follow up to Superstorm Sandy.

1)      Seamless.com

The first standout marketing and operations team I want to highlight is that of local delivery service Seamless.com. For those that are not familiar with Seamless, they are a restaurant delivery service that most New Yorkers live by. Either online or with their various apps, you can view which restaurants all over the boroughs are delivering, including time estimates and reviews. During Superstorm Sandy they really stood out as a business who was both prepared but also quick on their feet. Fast Company also reported on Seamless’ Sandy response here.

Not only did Seamless.com work hard to accommodate their customers by over-communicating with their restaurant partners, they went out of their way to set customer expectations, as well as find alternate channels to contact their customers. Twitter became a huge vehicle for Seamless to communicate and, in turn, earned them props from their customers. Without this technology to communicate, Seamless may not have triumphed as they did with their customers.

2)      United Airlines

The second company I want to call out is United Airlines. Here is the text of an email they sent to customers on November 1:

Subject: Support Superstorm Sandy relief efforts and receive bonus miles

Dear Liz,

We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Our thoughts go out to all those who are coping with the aftereffects of the storm. As the recovery efforts get underway along the East Coast, we are working hard to restore normal travel operations. However, the storm has caused damage at some of our airports, and customers may experience flight delays throughout our network. If you are flying with United, we encourage you to check the status of your flight at united.com/flightstatus before leaving for the airport.

Travel change exception policies issued for the East Coast
As a result of Superstorm Sandy’s impacts, United has issued exception policies for customers flying to, from or through select cities on the East Coast. For details and other travel updates for United flights, please visit united.com/importantnotices.

What you can do to support Superstorm Sandy relief efforts
We can all help support the American Red Cross, AmeriCares and Feeding America in providing aid to those affected by Superstorm Sandy. Join the relief efforts by donating to one of these organizations, and we will reward your generosity by providing you with a one-time award mile bonus. MileagePlus® members who give $50-$99 USD will receive 250 bonus miles, and those who contribute $100 USD or more will be rewarded with 500 bonus award miles. We have committed to awarding up to 5 million miles to members for contributions made before November 30, 2012, to support this initiative.

Donate now

MileagePlus members can also help by donating their miles to a charity through united.com. Visit united.com/charitymiles to provide a mileage donation today.

We appreciate your support of these relief efforts, and our thoughts remain with those affected by the storm.

Not only did United send a timely message to its customers, but they’re also offering donations to charities via a source their customer’s already know: MileagePlus points. This is a great way to allow their customers to feel like they’re giving back while booking or rebooking flights they would have had to make anyway. Kudos to United for being both smart and generous.

3)      Kenneth Cole

Kenneth Cole, who normally is known for pushing the envelope, sent out an email communicating a few key points post storm, but they also added a benefit for their customer: a 50% donation towards the Red Cross.

4)      Ann Taylor

While not all of brands donated profits, it was still nice to receive notes from CEOs expressing their sympathies, letting customers know the status of their business operations. Below is an example from Ann Taylor (Ann Inc).

5)      American Apparel

Our final example is a timely email, but perhaps not so sensitive, from American Apparel.

Their email was one of the first to be sent out in the wake of Sandy, causing customer outrage across news portals to Twitter.

Subject: ☁ ☂ ϟ Hurricane Sandy Sale! ϟ ☂ ☁ 20% Off Everything!

American Apparel reps tried to justify the send, explaining that “retail stores are the lifeline of a brand like ours so when they are closed, we need to come up with ways to make up for that lost revenue.”

In the meantime customers tweeted that they would be “boycotting” American Apparel stores, and the brand has garnered some negative PR. This email came off as insensitive to those suffering from the tragic event.

While this may have received a lot of press, most marketers would prefer to stay away from this type of negative PR.

What Experian Marketing Services recommends in the coming days and weeks post-storm:

• Geo-target your emails to those affected by the storm. You may want to adjust your messaging. Think about frequency, recency and offers. Remember that folks in New Jersey may not be running out to stores due to issues just getting gas. Perhaps it would be easier for them to shop online? Here is an example from West Elm with a specific discount to their Brooklyn Store in an area that was flooded by the storm:

Subject line: WE ♥ NYC | Take 15% off at our Dumbo store…

And one that went to those in a different zip code in New York:

The above is a great example of personalizing with known geographic information.

• Provide discounts where you can – reduced or waived express shipping fees, friends and family offers (order on behalf of those who can’t).

• Like Kenneth Cole and United, send a campaign or campaigns promoting a donation for each dollar spent.

• Update your customers of any changes or impacts that may be occurring based on the storm. Is shipping delayed? Stores closed? Are phone lines busier than normal?The example below from Coldwater Creek calls out store locations that may have been affected:

• And finally, watch your tone. Are New Yorkers ready to “storm” your sale, as one retailer put it? Probably not. While I’m all for staying on brand, if you think you’re going too far or might offend, you probably are.

With technology making it easier than ever to reach and target customers quickly and simply, the above tactics should be ones you already have in your marketing arsenal.

How you handle your marketing communications to consumers, especially those affected directly or indirectly by the storm, will be looked at with particularly critical eyes in the coming days and weeks. Don’t miss your opportunity to be looked upon positively in the face of a crisis.

How do you think your company performed in the face of the Sandy crisis? Leave a comment below or tweet me: @gouldliz

About Liz Gould:

Liz Gould brings over 13 years of knowledge, passion and experience in digital media to her colleagues and clients at Experian CheetahMail. In her current role as director of strategic accounts, Liz advises CheetahMail’s largest accounts on their email, mobile and social strategies. She began her career at agencies like Euro RSCG, advising clients such as Mastercard, Goldman Sachs, Genentech, and Electronic Arts.

Connect with Liz on Twitter: @gouldliz

Welcome to the first edition of Trending Now, covering the latest trends in email, mobile and social marketing. Twice a month, I’ll be bringing you a hot trend, zeroing in on it and helping you determine if this trend is something that could help build your brand or business.

To give you an example of the types of trends I might highlight, I thought I would start by examining a few past trends.

Earlier this year, Experian Marketing Services polled email marketers on a number of topics and found pockets of new and emerging trends. One was the use of website pop-ups. 22% of marketers polled said they use this type of email acquisition method. 22% might sound small, but think about what that means in terms of how you shop, read articles or surf online. That’s almost 1 in 4 sites utilizing an email acquisition pop-up. If you want to test the statistic, go online and shop or read away. I tried it myself and was surprised to see the number of sites using this method.

Sport Chalet recently published numbers for their site’s pop-up which showed more than an 85% lift in valid email addresses over using a site footer or header link – impressive stats for a simple implementation. So now that you know that a site pop-up worked for Sport Chalet, what else should you know?

1.  For non-retailers, yes, you should test it. While we are only sharing stats for one retailer, our anecdotal data supports that this works across verticals. If B2B, financial or travel industries have the resources we suggest testing this tactic.
2.  Test how the pop-up should function. We suggest using cookies to only show a pop-up to those who visit your site the first time and exclude those who have filled the form out already.
3.  Try testing this pop-up in different parts of your site. For publishers who might have different newsletters to sign up for, this can be especially valuable.
4.  Remember to track your source differently. If they came in through the pop-up, make sure you know that. This will be helpful for reporting if you have deliverability issues stemming from this source, or if you want to speak to these users differently than you might speak to a user coming in through checkout or in-store.
5.  Another useful tip around the holidays is to acknowledge that your emails might go to spam. BHLDN’s campaign is a great example of letting their subscribers know to check their spam folder if a welcome email doesn’t come right away – an easy message to add as you’re updating a pop-up on your site.

As we near the holidays, we anticipate new trends emerging with marketers thinking outside of the box in terms of how to penetrate overcrowded inboxes. Stay tuned for our take on these new trends, what we see working and what might just be a flash in the pan.

About Liz Gould:

Liz Gould brings over 13 years of knowledge, passion and experience in digital media to her colleagues and clients at Experian CheetahMail. In her current role as director of strategic accounts, Liz advises CheetahMail’s largest accounts on their email, mobile and social strategies. She began her career at agencies like Euro RSCG, advising clients such as Mastercard, Goldman Sachs, Genentech, and Electronic Arts.

Connect with Liz on Twitter: @gouldliz