Check out Enso’s new look website

Yep, 09 is a year of change, you can smell it in the air, and Enso is no exception. Previously known as Enso Studios and Enso Consultancy, things are consolidating and simplifying as we roll out our new look, full service, integrated creative communications agency simply known as Enso. Enso is quite simply here to do what it takes to make your campaigns successful.

Also be sure to check back later to see our case studies section as we continue to update it with insights into some of our recent work.

Enso is making things happen for you in 09

OK, so I’m sure you’re aware of the economic downturn, but are you excited? You should be. A whole new world of opportunity is opening up, and Enso is here to help you make the most of it. Sure, your industry might be headed for lower overall sales and trimmed profits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gain market share, mind share and strengthen customer relationships. In fact, it is the ideal opportunity to focus on these pursuits while your competitors may be in retreat.

And rest assured that Enso is here to make things happen for you. We’re committed to delivering even better value and new creative processes to ensure that you can achieve more with less. In 09 we’re delivering the big agency outcomes, without the big agency overheads – I told you you should be excited.   

Enso to launch Cannonball V3 at ad:tech Sydney

Boy have we been busy, and boy do we have something to show for it! Email marketing is going to be big news in 09 (just check out this month’s other articles) and Enso delivers the biggest news of all. The all new version of Cannonball is set to amaze at ad:tech Sydney on March 10.

Cannonball is the Enso engineered, world class email marketing platform, and the new version contains innovations that will knock your socks off. For a sneak peek, check out:

www.cannonballcommunications.com.au

Enso is excited to be revealing the awe-inspiring new version of Cannonball, our world class email marketing platform, at ad:tech exhibition stand 53.

What’s more, Enso is excited to be revealing the awe-inspiring new version of Cannonball, our world class email marketing platform, at ad:tech exhibition stand 53.

It all happens at the Sydney Convention Centre on 10-11 March 2009.
 

Here’s 5 great reasons to join us at ad:tech

1. Be one of the first to see Enso’s amazing new version of Cannonball at exhibition stand 53. Come and see why you’ll never approach email campaign management in the same way again.
2. Free keynote sessions! Come an hear strategies from leading brands such as BBC.com and Kodak. Nothing to pay.
3. Free exhibition pass! Come and learn about the latest technologies and service providers from the ad:tech exhibition floor. So much knowledge to gain, wont cost you a cent.
4. Free networking party! Come and rub shoulders with some of the best in the business. Make some new contacts, and of course catch up with Enso for a drink without spending a dime.
5. Attend the conference sessions for the latest insights in the online marketing industry. Register before March 6 and save $100 on the full conference pass. 

So there you have it, ad:tech Sydney is a not to be missed event bursting with opportunities and ideas that can help you deliver effective online campaigns in 09. For more information, and to register your attendance online, visit www.ad-tech.com/sydney

Hope to see you at ad:tech Sydney.

OK, so you know that email marketing is going to be huge in 09. As part of your strategy to achieve a more accountable marketing spend, you’ve assigned some additional resources to the high return channel, and you are preparing for battle, as are your competitors, in the quest to drive sales and retain customer relationships through the economic downturn. 

Yes, the Australian email marketing industry is one that will defy the general economy and continue its rapid growth towards an estimated $65 million activity as more marketers latch on to the economic sensibilities of electronic direct marketing. 

Email is quickly becoming the central driving component of integrated campaigns, and the channel is credited with the highest rates of conversions and return on spend.

Email is quickly becoming the central driving component of integrated campaigns, and the channel is credited with the highest rates of conversions and return on spend. So it is with good reason that marketers up their email activity in 09, but not without consequences for you and your email plan.

More marketers spending more money on more emails clearly means more competition and more noise in the inbox. Now, more than ever before, your email campaigns need to stand out more, get more attention and get read more often. They need to be more targeted, more relevant, more engaging and more nurturing of the customer relationship. Your policies and list management need to be more strict than last year and more tightly regulated.

I think I’m begging to sound like a more-on! Moron aside, smart email marketers are looking to get more out of their email activities, despite the inevitable dilution of the channel. So, how can you set about improving your email results in 09 rather than letting them slide? It all starts by stepping back and having a good long hard look at where you currently are. Enter the email audit.

While immersed in the art and science that is email marketing, it’s all too easy to consistently focus your attention on specific metrics or creative variations of your campaigns. It’s too easy to be blinded by the numbers and not see the real issues. An email audit is a process that takes a holistic look at your entire campaign creation and execution process. It looks at what is currently working, what can be improved and how efficient the process is. It analyses the data you’ve been collecting and puts it in perspective against your creative, targeting and list management strategies. It looks at your ongoing use of analytics and metrics. Most of all, it provides you with a solid benchmark of where you currently are, and an energising roadmap towards improving your results.

Many email programs, perhaps yours included, began as a side activity without a specific budget, and only receiving ad-hoc attention when significant issues arose. Now that email is big business, you might have a specific line budget and dedicated resources, but your overall process remains infected by legacy. Conducting an email audit can often uncover simple to fix issues you never knew even existed. Generally an email audit will investigate key concerns including security, deliverability, reputation, effectiveness, content and creative quality and process efficiency, with the depth of each area of investigation dependent on the complexity of your email program. 

Could an email audit give you the perspective you need to really kick start your email success in 09? Contact Enso for more information.

What is for certain, is that both marketing and consumption behaviors are changing dramatically in response to the emerging environment. This is particularly evident in two industries I believe are going to be key themes in 2009 for Australian business: Air Travel and Email Marketing.

As the economy continues to slow, the volume of email marketing will continue to rise as businesses snub traditional media and hard copy direct channels for high return direct electronic campaigns.

That’s right, these two seemingly unrelated industries have more in common than you might think as businesses prepare for battle in the economic downturn. Most battle plans being drawn have two very simple overarching objectives: decrease costs, and increase return on marketing efforts. 

When cost cutting is the name of the game, large items on the budget tend to get the most attention. For many businesses, this means taking the axe to corporate travel. This accelerating trend towards reductions in travel budgets has seen many businesses turning to economy class seats and discount fares. That’s right, in the name of frugality, business travelers are being asked to give up their business class luxuries and flexible fares and rough it with the rest of us in cattle class. With discount air fares currently at record lows, businesses obviously have a great opportunity to reduce travel costs and are even devising strategies to overcome discount fare restrictions.

The airlines are obviously facing a challenging period. New competition and capacity has entered the market, the lucrative business sector is turning a frugal cheek, and they are collectively faced with the challenge of stimulating a cautious consumer market through the downturn while protecting and pursuing their own market share. Are airline executives also ditching business class luxuries to save a dime in these tough times? I doubt it, but they are leveraging the cost effectiveness of email marketing.    

As the economy continues to slow, the volume of email marketing will continue to rise as businesses snub traditional media and hard copy direct channels for high return direct electronic campaigns. Late last year Qantas sent out millions of emails as a central driver for their two-for-one ticket campaign. Within days, tens of thousands of international airfares were reportedly booked as a result of the email campaign, including a few booked by yours truly in an attempt to secure some discount business travel. Unfortunately the booked dates haven’t worked out – but that’s another story.

An article appearing in The Australian on December 1 quotes research company Frost & Sullivan as tipping email direct marketing to grow from a $36 million Australian industry in 2008 to $76 million by 2012. However the same article quotes Simon O’Day of eservices communications as estimating that email marketing service providers in Australia are already generating collective revenues of about $50 million and rising.

One thing is for sure, if your organisation is not taking full advantage of the email channel in 09, then you’re leaving money on the table – money that could pay for those business class seats.

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