Jeff Haws, Author at MessageGears

Three Big Takeaways from #Unspam

April 10, 2019
Jeff Haws
Industry

Most people who have been in the email industry for any time have found their way to Really Good Emails‘ blissfully simple and helpful website, where they can see what other email marketers have done recently that’s, well, really good. Whether you’re searching for inspiration as you build a new campaign or just like to see what your colleagues are working on, it can be an addictive site to scroll through.

So when the RGE guys decided to throw their own conference — dubbed Unspam — over an April weekend in downtown Greenville, S.C., it was intriguing. We knew it was going to be a relatively small event, but what would it feel like? Every conference takes on a personality of its own. What sort of atmosphere would it be? And what would we learn?

Webinar recap: 5 Ways to Improve Engagement with Cross-Channel Marketing

March 21, 2019
Jeff Haws
Best Practices

It’s no secret to most marketers that personalized messages get a better engagement and conversion rate than static, one-size-fits-all ones. With inboxes and mobile phones as busy as they are today, consumers want the messages they receive to be relevant to them. Those are the messages they’ll respond to. Not only does it interest them more, but it shows you see them as more than a persona. They’re an individual, and personalization is part of acknowledging that.

But how do you do it effectively and seamlessly when delivering campaigns across multiple channels, from email to mobile? Our recent webinar discussed the five tools you can put to use to improve the engagement levels with your campaigns, while putting the data you’ve collected to good use.

Webinar Recap: Envisioning a Better Cross-Channel Experience

February 28, 2019
Jeff Haws
Product

Every enterprise marketer knows the challenges of messaging change dramatically at scale. Customers demand — and expect — a highly personalized experience from brands of this size, but legacy marketing clouds and traditional ESPs aren’t built to enable Super Senders to do that. Maybe you can send to multiple channels, but your ESP’s disconnected setup hinders your ability to deliver the kinds of campaigns your customers will respond to. And what’s worse is you probably think that’s just the way it has to be.

MessageGears is envisioning a better cross-channel experience. In our latest webinar, MessageGears CEO Roger Barnette and Chief Product Officer Dan Roy discussed our mission to create tools that meet the unique needs of enterprise marketers and showed off our revolutionary new cross-channel orchestration capabilities that empower marketers to send the right message to the right person at exactly the right time — and now, to the channel that will deliver the best results.

ESPs Need to Differentiate Themselves

February 20, 2019
Jeff Haws
Industry

When enterprise marketers survey the landscape of email service providers, what do they see in front of them? Is there an array of options, a sea of possibilities with a host of vendors ready to provide them with the tools they need to deliver the sorts of cross-channel messaging campaigns that get results?

Or do they run into walls during the RFP process, seeing the same answers from everybody? Do they all promise to lasso the moon and pull it down from the sky, only to fail to live up to the hype? And, over time, does it become easier and easier for them to think all ESPs talk a bigger game than they can deliver? In which case, what’s the difference who they choose?

We’re well aware of some of the perception that exists among many enterprise marketers. Our recent research looked to better understand their attitudes toward ESPs and the RFP process in general. We wanted to see how satisfied they were with it, and how it’s shaped their attitudes toward our industry.

Webinar Recap: Rethinking ESP RFPs

January 28, 2019
Jeff Haws
Expert Advice

For Super Senders looking to switch ESPs, the RFP — executed well — is a valuable tool for maintaining an efficient and objective process with a result that greatly improves a company’s cross-channel messaging operation. But our new research suggests that many marketers are making crucial mistakes that are undercutting the effectiveness of their RFP process. And that’s leading to negative misconceptions about ESPs and decisions that cause immense frustration for the marketing and I.T. teams.

In our recent webinar, MessageGears CEO Roger Barnette and Marketing Democracy President Chris Marriott discussed the research, and offered expert advice from both the ESP and consultant perspective on how you can make your next RFP more efficient and successful.

MessageGears Research: The RFP Process Isn’t Working

January 24, 2019
Jeff Haws
Research

For Super Sender companies looking for a new ESP, the RFP is often a key component, helping to streamline and simplify what can be an arduous process. But is it working in the way it should? Our new research report dives into that question, asking 100 Marketing and I.T. professionals their views on the RFP process, and how it works for ESP selection. If you’ve been part of an RFP at a large company, the numbers may not be all that surprising. ESP technology is advancing faster than most companies outside the industry can fully appreciate, and that’s causing their RFPs to come up short.

Our new whitepaper (Free download; no strings attached) dives into the full details of the survey, including plenty of commentary from Marketing Democracy founder Chris Marriott.

Why Cross-Channel Beats Multi-Channel Messaging

January 17, 2019
Jeff Haws
Industry

While email is a highly efficient and profitable messaging channel for Super Senders who put the resources into doing it well, there’s no doubt that push messaging and SMS have plenty of potential for companies who want to maximize their customer reach. If you’re a marketing or martech leader who’s trying to evaluate providers, though, the terminology and options can be confusing. When a vendor calls themselves “multi channel,” what does that mean? And how is “cross channel” different?

Similar as they may sound, there’s actually an important difference in how email service providers use them. Multi-channel providers can enable marketers to create campaigns in multiple channels — push and SMS being the most common — but doing so typically means building the campaign for one channel at a time, often using very different UIs for each. With cross-channel messaging, though, you’re building one campaign and choosing the channels within that campaign, on the same screen.

MessageGears Research: Marketers Think All ESPs are the Same

January 10, 2019
Jeff Haws
Best Practices

Think back to your latest RFP process when your company was picking a new email service provider. Why did you make the selection you did? Ideally, it was because this particular vendor described in detail why they were the best fit for your particular needs, and how they could help you meet your specific email-related goals.

But, quite often, that’s not the case. At the end of a long, exhausting RFP process, a company might choose an ESP for a variety of reasons. Maybe their sales team had a key connection at your company. Perhaps they had the broadest set of features, or you had an existing relationship via other tools. Or maybe they merely offered the lowest price, and the higher-ups said that was the bottom line.

Webinar Recap: Two Teams are Better Than One

December 7, 2018
Jeff Haws
Expert Advice

For many marketers, their conversations with I.T. are mostly limited to times when they have a problem or need something, and they’re hoping I.T. has a solution. That can lead to a largely transactional relationship, where the two are separate teams that only come together when they have no choice, and only for as long as necessary.

That can lead to a lack of understanding — on both sides — of the crucial role the other team plays with respect to the success of the business, and to growing mistrust. The Marketing team thinks I.T. is being too iron-fisted about security and standing in the way of them drumming up new business. At the same time, I.T. thinks Marketing has no appreciation for the risks associated with data exposure, and that it’s I.T.’s responsibility to be the guardians.

Email Marketing Discussion Series with BrightWave

November 29, 2018
Jeff Haws
Expert Advice

No matter how long you’ve been in the industry, successful email marketers know there’s always something new to learn. The evolving nature of email is part of what keeps #emailgeeks coming back, keeping up with new technology and trying to use it to deliver the sorts of messages that excite your subscribers.

Because it’s always changing, sharing knowledge and hearing from others is essential if you want to keep up with where the industry is headed. That’s a big part of what we want to help with, spreading our experience and helping others be better at what they do.

Jeff Haws

Three Big Takeaways from #Unspam

Webinar recap: 5 Ways to Improve Engagement with Cross-Channel Marketing

Webinar Recap: Envisioning a Better Cross-Channel Experience

ESPs Need to Differentiate Themselves

Webinar Recap: Rethinking ESP RFPs

MessageGears Research: The RFP Process Isn’t Working

Why Cross-Channel Beats Multi-Channel Messaging

MessageGears Research: Marketers Think All ESPs are the Same

Webinar Recap: Two Teams are Better Than One

Email Marketing Discussion Series with BrightWave

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