One of the most frequently asked questions at Willow is “so what’s the story behind the Willow tree?” Unfortunately, this blog post doesn’t answer that question. But it does address the second most frequently asked question at Willow, “What kind of click through rates (CTR) should we expect in our email marketing efforts?” Great question, especially since it relates directly to your clicks being converted to leads.

There really isn’t a national average or percentage that can be used with any accuracy. Why? Well, this is a bit of a loaded question since there are so many factors that come into play. Most of our efforts for clients are focused on a business-to-business target audience. Those rates can differ greatly from a consumer audience. But that’s simply the start…Is your list good? Have you segmented your list? Is your mailing personalized? What’s the offer? Is it relevant? How often have you sent to this audience?

But even more significant is how many links you do have in your email. Are you providing content such as articles? This can be the entire article within the body of the email or a teaser or snippet that requires email subscribers to click through to a website to read.

It’s important to understand the statistics your email marketing service provides in reports as well. Are you studying total click throughs versus unique clicks? Make sure you understand how the click through rates were calculated by your email marketing provider. Many recipients will click on multiple links placed in your email. This results in more clicks. Unique clicks are where only one click per person (or email address) is counted. CTR reports based on the total number of clicks versus unique clicks will be very different. If your report is based on total clicks, your numbers will be about two times higher than those based on unique clicks. At Willow, we study both, but benchmark a client’s history based on unique CTR’s.

Lyris is a leader in digital communications and has compiled some industry statistics that may be helpful to use as a guideline in your email marketing efforts. To follow are some averages click through rates based on unique clicks:

• Business to Business (B2B) email newsletters typically range from 5% to 15%. If your CTRs are consistently below that level then among other things, you are probably providing content of little value to your email subscribers. Or you may have most of the content within your email, not giving subscribers a reason or means to click through to your website.

• Business to Consumer (B2C) promotional email marketing campaigns often range from about 2% to 12%. Email campaigns with less than a 2% CTR may be a result of over mailing and questionable email opt-in processes.

• Highly segmented and personalized email lists (B2B and B2C) are often in the 10% to 20% CTR range. Also, email messages with very strong content but sent to unsegmented lists, like many news or trend-type e-newsletters, are often in the 10%-15% range.

• Trigger or behavior-based email campaigns (emails that are sent to recipients based on some behavior they showed, such as clicking on a product link, coupon, visiting a specific web page, etc.) are often in the 15% to 50% range.

So now you’ve seen a few guidelines on how to enhance your email marketing efforts. Be sure to check back and read Part 2 to find out reasons why your CTRs may be low. You may also have the chance to find out the answer of the infamous Willow tree question…

Recently SmashingMagazine.com held a coffee mug photo contest. The link reports that around 470 mugs were entered into the contest. With the weather getting colder, my coffee addiction continues to grow, so of course this was of interest to me. {Coffee + Photography= Happiness} While scrolling through some of the top entries, the following occurred to me. If a typical, boring object such as a coffee mug can be put in such an interesting light, enough so as to create a photo contest and be a top story on a major design blog, it really is all about the perspective. The angles, coloring, treatments & effects, the complete composition of the photos were what made a typical coffee cup something photo-worthy. Willow can do the same for you. No matter your product, purpose, or intended goal, we can help you define your perspective to make your company stand out and be something worthy of notice.

When I was three-years-old my mom walked into my playroom to find me sitting at my Play School table getting ready to color. But not just sitting. Sitting with my chair at a 45-degree angle from the table and my legs propped up on the table, crossed ankles resting on the corner. When my mom asked what I was doing, I replied, “Mommy, this is how I think the best,” as if it was obvious.

She snapped a picture of me that morning, which has remained framed and infamous primarily because that is still “how I think the best.” Throughout high school, college and even here at Willow, when I have a difficult task to complete I push my chair back a bit, turn to the side and clear a space on the corner of my desk to rest my ankles.

I also have noticed that my fellow shrubs have their own habits to help optimize their productivity. Some like to get here early, crossing jobs off the To Do list while the office is still quiet. Others prefer to stay later wrapping up projects after the dust of the day has settled. Headphones, used to listen to music and disappear into one’s own world of thought, are an utter necessity for some shrubs while others enjoy sitting at the coffee bar brainstorming and bouncing ideas off those that pass by. For some, this “productive pose” changes from project to project, but for others it’s a life-long habit that never fails.

So what’s your secret recipe for success? Are you particularly productive in the evening, or do you do your best thinking when the sun is coming up? Does standing on your head while eating a bologna and pickle sandwich help you focus? Tell us what works for you so we can give it a try. (But if it’s that upside-down pickle sandwich thing, we want to see photographic proof first…)

Recently when I’ve been a part of a brainstorm in the office, or just have heard the word “brainstorming” I’ve thought of a (surprisingly appropriate and clean) lyric of “Motivation” by Kelly Rowland and Lil’ Wayne in which Lil’ Wayne raps “Rain on my head, call it brainstorming.” Well, Wayne, I’d have to say it’s raining brainstormin’ up in Willow.

At Willow, it takes place at the coffee bar or the conference room, with the life-size easel pad or each Willow shrubs’ notebook. But what is brainstorming? As is done whenever information is desired in this day and age, I Googled said activity. One simple definition called brainstorming (n): intensive discussion to solve problems or generate ideas. I’d have to agree– simple and to the point. Another calls a brainstorm (n): a sudden impulse, idea, etc., which I imagine as a light bulb drawn over a cartoon characters head, or an “Ah HA!” moment. But my favorite definition of a brainstorm (n) would have to be: a fit of mental confusion or excitement.

This last definition conjures up a scene of pure chaos and madness, loud and sudden insanity, with smoke and broken glass. A bit dramatic, yes, but to me the most helpful definition for all those brainstormers out there.

Supporting the latter definition, my additional Google search find of “Step by Step Brainstorming” seems a bit comical. How can you put a guide, one through ten, on “a fit of mental confusion?” In my opinion the insanity aspect is the most useful way to generate a crazy idea today, which could possibly be the most genius idea in the future.

I’d say there is one rule in brainstorming, no idea is a bad idea, and in my experience brainstorming at Willow, I have heard that very “rule” in every session. Most things/ideas/inventions/innovations don’t make too much sense at their beginning, but now we can’t imagine life without them. So, the crazier the better. Think outside the box. The sky’s the limit. And Lil’ Wayne may have been right. Occasionally our brainstorming sessions do include a bit of “rain on my head” as the roof above the coffee bar is known to leak now and then.

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brainstorming

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Those of you who have been regular readers of my blog posts know that my approach to creative is simple. Know who you are talking to and clearly define the benefits of your product or service in an effective, decisive manner. It’s the old KISS principle: keep it simple, stupid.

I want to share with you another tactic that may, at first glance appear to go against this KISS principle. It’s the idea of force-fitting creative. A kind of massing together two unrelated topics or ideas. The best example that I can give you to illustrate this concept is from the television show “Glee”. They take a rock ’n roll song and put in a totally different context.

Recently my 14-year old daughter was watching a reality show called “The Glee Project” where contestants compete to win a role on the parent show “Glee”. In this episode, the contestants performed that 70’s glitter-rock anthem ,“Were Not Going Take It (anymore)” set in the context of social outcast (losers) trying to fit into the defined hierarchy of a school cafeteria. The underlining and uplifting theme was that you don’t have to try to “fit in” you just need to be yourself.

Now take that basic concept and apply it to your design. It’s the idea of selling a high-tech device using a retro look or the parents acting like kids. It’s somewhat unexpected to mesh opposite ideas together, but it will help develop additional or alternative concepts and reshape the way you think about image selection for print or web designs. One key element to remember is that you don’t always have to show your product or service as the main element—unless it’s some brand new item, people will get it. Focus on the benefit and then twist it so the answer to the problem will be the product or services. Try it. I think you’ll find that it will expand your creative arsenal.