I talked in a previous blog about how e-mail marketing is something that every brand needs to consider including in its interactive marketing mix.  And while it is possible to run an e-mail campaign on your own, it is often a much better approach to work with an agency like LeapFrog Interactive because you can tap into the expertise and resources that make your e-mail marketing efforts as effective as possible.

With an agency managing your e-mail marketing, all aspects of your campaign, from the building and sending of your e-mails to all of the little nuances that ensure these sends are successful, can be handled by individuals who are experts in their field.  An agency’s e-mail team can provide a brand with the insight needed for a successful send.  They can provide reporting and advise a brand on how to optimize its sends based on their findings.  An agency is also fluent in all of the best e-mail practices, including spam compliance, how to place links, what elements work, and much more. (more…)

Despite the rise of social media and mobile marketing as new ways for users to stay in touch, e-mail still remains as vibrant and as popular as ever.  Popular among users and marketers alike, the use of e-mail remains one of the top marketing strategies any brand should consider adding to its arsenal.

Virtually any brand can benefit from effective use of e-mail campaigns.  There are several questions you can ask to determine if e-mail is a marketing strategy your brand should be using.  Here are just a few of them:

• Do you already have access to a list of e-mail contact information from current or prospective clients/consumers?
• Do you have marketing messages that you could be sending out to your clients on a regular basis (weekly, quarterly, etc.)?
• Is building a base of loyal customers a significant goal for your brand?
• Do you need to drive traffic to your interactive assets, like a new social site or website?

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For this latest speed profile, we caught up with Lauren Pate, one of LFI’s hard-working Client Services team. We learned that if put on some Toby Keith music, popped in a DVD of Little Nicky, and made some meatloaf, then that would be the last you saw of the normally very friendly Ms. Pate.

What is it you do exactly?: I’m an account manager. I ensure clients’ goals and expectations are being met while keeping them informed of their project status. I also maintain contact after a project has launched to make sure the campaign or website is meeting their goals.

What’s the best part about what you do?: Working with all my clients.

Describe your work ethic—how do you get your job done and done right?: I try to work efficiently, work well with other people, and communicate well.

What’s one thing someone needs to know about you to get an idea about who you are?: I’m friendly.

Biggest fear: Spiders. Any sort of insects really.

Favorite word: Fabulous

Least favorite word: Any type of word that has a negative connotation.

Favorite weekend activity: Travel (more…)

Developing a strong rapport with a client without meeting them in person is possible with the effective use of e-mail and telephone calls. However, there’s nothing like the boost a face-to-face meeting can provide to the client-agency connection. Traveling to meet with my clients, without exception, always leads to something good.

I’ve traveled to client offices for many reasons including presentations, campaign reviews, and even to take part in a big event a client was hosting. Visiting a client helps me get to know them and understand their marketing needs even better because, no matter what the reason for the trip, the biggest and best part of spending time with a client is being able to build upon our existing relationship and raise it to an even stronger level.

I personally love the opportunity to meet with people face-to-face because it allows me to have the opportunity to learn more about them, their facial expressions, and their tone of voice that can get lost in e-mail or telephone conversations. Gaining this insight into their personality makes it easier to understand what they really mean in an e-mail or even on the phone. It’s also nice to put faces to names. (more…)

I like to stay on top of what’s going on in the world. For instance, I like to watch the morning news every day. This is usually a very good thing. However, I was watching it when Joe Biden made his statement about how, because of the threat of the swine flu, he wouldn’t let his family get on a plane.

Under normal circumstances, this would not make me worry but I was getting on a plane that same day and flying to Fort Worth where they had just shut down the school systems because of the swine flu outbreak.

As a result, I got a little nervous. I even called around Louisville trying (unsuccessfully) to find surgical masks because the ongoing news coverage made me feel like it was something that I really needed. So while not feeling all that great about it, I got on my scheduled flight.

I expected to see everyone else on my plane wearing masks, but instead many people were not even taking extra precautions. And when I asked the people I sat next to if they were freaked out about the swine flu, they were confused. “Swine flu? It’s like the flu, right? No, I’m not that worried.â€? (more…)