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The Hunt
I think we are all looking for ways to make our dollar stretch these days. Being a small business owner I source my minimal home office supply needs to many stores within the area. Ink cartridges for my printer, pens, notebooks, file folders you name it, I'm always looking to save a few bucks and get a great deal.
The Skunk
I enjoy Office Depot; they provide me a wide selection of goods and there is a location just minutes from my home. I have been receiving email from them for some time. I have recently noticed that the content of the messages they are sending me don't really fit into what I would normally be looking for to help keep my home office fully stocked. I'm not even really sure how I came to be on their email distribution list, perhaps I gave them my email at point-of-purchase?
In any case, this retailer serves both the individual that needs to pick up basic small office supplies as well as larger organizations that require big quantities. This message landed in my in-box recently and most of everything featured in the communication were in quantities that are way too large for my needs or not relevant to me at all. Yes, I know, this is just a marketing email and perhaps I'm asking a bit too much, but I think there are a few ways to help make the messages they send resonate specifically to me. 
The Resolution
I went back through the sign-up process online to see how I could classify myself as a customer. My two choices were a) personal, and b) business. These are a little too generalized to leverage my response for message targeting at a relevant level. A better solution would be to ask (or survey) your members just how much they usually spend on their office supplies or provide additional classification on what I need/want from Office Depot. If you knew me just a little better, you wouldn't be trying to win me over with a deal on a big case of copy paper or 15 rolls of paper towels for my home office.
There is an offer for HP printer cartridges which is not being generated on previous purchase behavior...I have an Epson. But what a great opportunity to find out (via online survey) what type of peripherals I do use in my home office. I would love to get special offers for items that enhance or compliment equipment that I use on a regular basis.
By asking recipients or giving them the opportunity to provide more information about their needs, marketers can leverage increased relevancy within their messages and delver communications that suite the individual recipient's needs. If a customer has signed up to receive special offers, make sure they are offers that are of interest. If you don’t know what they want, ask.
The Hunt
We all feel the need for speed - with faster internet that is. More bandwidth to get information to and from your customers, blazing fast downloads and quicker uploads for more data intensive applications. Fiber-optic internet into the home/office will help to get everything moving just a little quicker. This might be the next generation of connectivity that everyone is clamoring for but make sure that with any type of product announcement the information that you are emailing to your customers is classified and positioned in the correct way.
The Skunk
My internet service provider just informed me that their new fiber-optic internet service will soon be available in my area (see message below). Hurray for me! My concern however is that they consider this a service-type email communication and not a marketing piece. They will not allow me to opt-out of future emails - and they actually tell me (in small print) why I can't remove myself from these types of messages. Now I know this is a service that they plan to offer but why wouldn't they give me the opportunity to remove myself from future communications regarding this type of service if I’m not interested. This is a marketing piece to upgrade my service, not a critical message that affects my current service. It's not related to a bill, payment or any type of possible service disruption. I should have the option to opt-out.
The Resolution
First things first, know and classify the types of messages that you are sending based on the content. In this case, the message that was sent is a marketing message that talks specifically about how I can upgrade and spend more money with the internet provider. This is all fine and good, but this in no way affects the continued service into my home/office if I choose not to interact with this message, it is simply an offer.
Second, do I really have to verify if the service is available in my area? They mail me a bill each month and they surely know my address and zip code so why not build out that messaging dynamically with a custom message based on this information? They know darn well if the service is or is not available to my residence – so it is a "teaser message" and that's ok – I'm excited at the prospect of fiber optic connectivity but position it as such.
The only types of message that can circumvent the inclusion of an opt-out are true transactional messages - you buy/download/transact with an online merchant or organization, you get a confirmation message. Even electronic statements should have some sort of opt-out or email communication settings. The onus is on the provider to deliver these types of account updates in the manner that the recipient chooses.
If this message was to tell me that I would be switched from a regular cable modem to the fiber-optic system (and I had no choice) then you could legally remove the CAN-SPAM compliant one-click opt-out but every message that you send should have the ability to modify your email subscription settings to help the customers maintain their messaging frequency from you - period!
The Hunt
I'm not sure when being connected becomes more of an addiction rather than a necessity but it happened to me a few years back. The thought of being without my mobile device sends anxiety pains right through me so it is no surprise that when I heard rumblings of the new Blackberry App World I started salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs. For mobile device die-hards, it's not just about the equipment; it's about what new and great things you can do with it. Sign me up!The Skunk
One of the key selling features for my new Blackberry was that my perception of these types of devices is that they are geared for the business user. The trade-off when compared to the iPhone, applications created for these devices are not as varied or robust as those on the open platform that Apple has created for the iPhone. Enter Blackberry App World. This past month I received two messages to sign up and be one of the first to be notified when this new service is available. My first official message was on March 6; I promptly followed the link and signed up. A second email came on March 26 which came with a similar call to action. The issue with the second email is that I had already signed up and there was no new news on when I could expect this service to be live. Kinda frustrating right? 
The Resolution
Besides the obvious question, why are you asking me to sign up twice, I hoped that the second teaser message had additional information about when I could expect this service to be up and running. I'm a huge Blackberry fan and will most likely post the launch of this service to the social sites that I belong to but with little or no information on when the live site is expected, these types of "hurry up and wait" communications become more inbox clutter than informative.
Another point with this messaging strategy is that I'm already subscribed to receive email communications from Blackberry - the reason I got the original message. Beyond building the "buzz" will there be any differentiation between the types of message that I've now signed up to receive for my initial notification of the launch versus the regular marketing communications that will be sent to regular subscribers? I'll be keeping an eye out and yes, I will be the first in line when App World opens.
The Resolution
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