Customer Reviews

Email Marketing By the Numbers: How to Use the World's Greatest Marketing Tool to Take Any Organization to the Next Level

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been making an awesome living for the past 5 years using the internet and creating databases of customers for my company and interacting with them is the oxygen to my revenue stream.

As much as I think myself as a well read web guy, this book not only schooled me about how to grow my customer list but the most important aspect is what to say to your customer's, much like a nerdy guy needs help on a first date with pretty girl and keeping her interested long after.

There aren'y many great books that will:

1. Be brutally honest on what it takes to make money on the Net
2. Actually give you a hype free(hear me, Joe Vitale and others) hand held instructions on being effective using the internet/email to market your business profitably.

My book has been ear-marked, written in, and full of side notes that I may need another copy. This is when you know the book is great and worth your hard earned money.

Thanks for opening my eyes and teaching me what I thought I knew.

I have done email marketing for a long time, but this book really goes through the broad range of issues around being more effective with email marketing. I learned a lot and have made it a must read for our staff that is involved in marketing as well.

The key is to understand the bigger picture. Anyone can assemble a list of emails and blast out an HTML email message to them. But can they build a complete strategy around creating stronger relationships and taking advantage of opportunities most companies miss? If you read this book, you will be able to do just that.

The challenge when purchasing "how to" business books is finding the book that fits your level of advancement. A book that's too detailed and advanced is just as useless as one that's too basic and general.

I found "Email Marketing by the Numbers" to be the perfect blend for my organization, Cantaloupe.TV. We've been doing email marketing for about 2 years and for us the book provided a satisfactory introduction to the most important email marketing topics (i.e. if you just focused on and mastered these areas you're well above average) but it also had plenty of information for us to grow into (i.e. we're probably 6-24 months away from implementing many best practices).

If you're already doing Taguchi testing to optimize your email templates, you'll learn something from "By the Numbers" but it's likely not going to take your organization to its "next level"; however, I would still argue it has value for any individual wanting to learn the complete email marketing picture. This book is a fantastic guide, with actionable advice for mastering email marketing best practices.

P.S. My organization does mostly b2b marketing and the fact that the book sometimes uses b2c examples did not detract from the relevancy of the lessons.

With a title like Email Marketing by the Numbers, one would expect the book to cover testing and measurement. "The organizations that embrace testing as an integral part of their programs simply outperform those that don't... Rarely can the people within a company judge what is going to be successful outside of it."

Baggott encourages testing frequency, but doesn't get into any depth about this. Personally, I'd be very cautious about taunting my customers to unsubscribe. That's the ultimate confirmation that your frequency is too great.

He points out that Open Rate is a meaningless metric, since many email clients have image rendering turned off by default, and many handheld devices don't render graphics. (Opens are tracked by referencing a small graphic file on a web server.) Instead, pay attention to Click-Through Rate and Unsubscribe Rate.

Other noteworthy points:

Segmentation "is one of the most effective ways to boost engagement and prevent list fatigue... The smaller you can make the segments, the more likely you are to deliver a relevant message."

"Email is not an acquisition tool - it's a retention tool."

Talk to your customers like they are human beings.

"The 'from' line of your email may be the most important factor when a recipient decides whether or not to open your message... Who owns the relationship with this audience?"

Additional topics include building a database, APIs to integrate an email marketing system with a CRM system, viral marketing, triggers, and deliverability.

Each chapter starts with the author making his point followed by some short case studies. Then other experts weigh in with their thoughts on the topic. Many, but not all, of these contributors are employees of ExactTarget, the email marketing company which Baggott co-founded. Each chapter ends with a review of key points in bullet point form.

I have worked in the email space for over 6 years and before that in the direct mail universe. This book provides real life examples and stories of how actual companies are bringing the right brain and left brain together to create, launch and manage successful email campaigns. Chris was at the fore front of the email marketing space when it took off and became the force it is today. This book is perfect for those starting out w/ email and others who have been running programs for years.

Chris and Ali compiled an amazing amount of information and advise for Email Marketing by the Numbers. If you own or operate a business with email marketing, this book is the only one with any substance that should be required reading for your staff.

As an email marketer, you will read this book, write notes, and dog ear pages cover to cover. On any given day, you should flip open a page - each and every one is filled with practical advise that works. According to all studies, Email Marketing has the highest return on investment than ANY other medium. Why wouldn't you invest a little bit in a book that could transform your company?

Buy a copy for each of your staff today.

If you own a pizza parlor and want a collection of somewhat vague email marketing hints, GET THIS BOOK. Otherwise, stay away. It definitely has some good thoughts about what to do and not do in email marketing, but it is entirely devoid of the details that create actionable plans. The "By the Numbers" part of the title is very misleading. The reader is led expect detail and gets none.

I repeat: Do not buy this book thinking it has what you need to know to start an email marketing effort. It has close to zero value for a business-to-business marketing plan.

E-mail marketing, the electronic descendant of direct mail, has changed the way businesses communicate with customers. The problem is that many marketers misuse it. Enter Chris Baggott, who brings to the table years of experience both in marketing and with e-mail software. Writing with Ali Sales, he provides a solid presentation of the topic and plenty of real-world examples showing how companies have used industry-tested e-mail techniques to attract and retain clients. This guide includes input from other e-mail experts and users, offering readers a variety of helpful opinions and handy pointers for measuring the success of an e-mail campaign by looking at the numbers. getAbstract recommends this eminently practical, direct book to anyone looking to find more effective ways to influence buyers.

*very detailed
*goes through the entire process
*doesn't leave you with more questions than before you read it
*gives you the steps needed to follow along
*very valuable information about spammers

Chris Baggot's Email Marketing by The Numbers is packed full of practical knowledge and real world examples of email marketing that works. Chris has an extensive knowledge of Internet marketing and demonstrates again and again his deep understanding of online tactics to convert prospects into lifelong customers.

Internet marketing is driven by data and data is king. Email Marketing by the Numbers provides the reader with tools to measure results and act accordingly. It teaches database marketing fundamentals that can be used in all marketing endeavors. Highly recommended for both beginning email marketers and Internet marketing veterans.