28

Mar

Vertical Response Sets a Good Example for Business-to-Customer Communication

Posted by: Carolyn Young

It seems that most people working within the internet marketing arena now have some sort of social networking presence, or are at least doing what they can to maintain interaction with their customer base. Vertical Response (the email markeing service provider) is a good example of this since not only are they on Facebook, Twitter and send out email newsletters consistently, but they do it well.

Any company can sign up for social media sites and send out e-mails, but it is all about how personalized and relevant they make the message – that is what separates the effective campaigns from the time wasters, and it makes all the difference.

To see a quick example of what I mean, check out both Vertical Response’s Twitter page and their competitor, Constant Contact’s Twitter page. Constant Contact’s responses are okay, but I found quite a few of them basically telling Twitter users that they are on Twitter. Hmm. If people are receiving direct tweets from you, then they already know you’re on Twitter – trust me. By comparison, Vertical Response’s tweets have more topical variety and cover a wider range of topics that are still relavant to their target audience (small businesses). However, to give credit to Constant Contact, they do a great job of searching Twitter and reaching out to people who are discussing their company or just e-mail marketing in general.

Vertical Response, by the way, uses their email newsletters to compliment their Twitter campaign – and vice versa. Their Newsletter includes links to their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Speaking of the Vertical Response Newsletter, they do a wonderful job of including other issues of importance to businesses besides just e-mail marketing. Their March 24th Newsletter, for example, discusses how to increase email deliverability, but it also touches on low cost tools for businesses and even Obama’s small business stimulus package. They’re not just touting their products and services – they’re providing value to the reader.