Red Plate Marketing

Email marketing says "I'm not dead yet!"

Think email marketing has hit the wall? Think again.

Yesterday, MailerMailer released their 10th Email Marketing Metrics Report, which analyzed a sample of 900 million email messages (Ed. note - that's a lot of email, Batman), and found that not only is email marketing alive and well, but if presented and nurtured correctly, can provide the highest return on investment (ROI) than any other marketing venue.

Take that, email naysayers.

I encourage you to read the full report by clicking here. You'll find data on open and click through-rates by industry, subject line keywords, personalization statistics, and more.

Branding: It's all about consistency

We've all been there - sales slow for a bit, interest wanes, and someone gets the idea to rebrand the company. New designs, new materials, new messaging - essentially, revamp everything that isn't nailed down to the floor.

Now, multiply this by 4 quarters. Is this really where you should be spending your time? Or would you rather be producing campaigns that support your brand and messaging?

This isn't to say that I'm against rebranding. In fact, I completely support a brand turnaround if your message or image is stale or needs improvement. What I'm saying is, once you've worked through the process, stick with it. Otherwise, changing your direction every few quarters gives the impression that you're flailing. 

This is nicely summarized in a great article posted yesterday on Open Forum, Monica Skipper, Marketing Manager, FedEx, discusses four reasons why it's better to be patient, consistent, and even simplistic when it comes to your branding.

To read her article, click here.

For the Love of Chocolate: New Tour for Boston Chocolate Tours

I am happy to announce that Red Plate Marketing has just launched a brand-new walking chocolate tour of Boston's Faneuil Hall and the North End for Boston Chocolate Tours!

What exactly is a chocolate tour, you ask? Imagine getting to visit all of your favorite neighborhood restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and chocolatiers, all in one day. And then they give you chocolate. Lots of it. Candies, artisan chocolates, brownies, cupcakes, and all sorts of creations, even chocolate soup if you can imagine it! Along the way, you get to meet and chat with the incredible people and stores that define the character of our most beloved Boston neighborhoods.

Sounds just about divine, right? I and about 2,700 other people on Facebook agree that it absolutely is. 

This tour is one of the most special projects I've done to date. While 'tour design' isn't normally considered a marketing specialty, partnership development and promotions most certainly are. I took this project as a challenge to myself, but the passion behind it was my 8-year old daughter, Eve. After all, who could be a better critic of a chocolate tour than an 8-year old girl?

Each tour stop and resulting relationship developed was built with Eve in mind - what would she love to see, where would she want to go, and most importantly, what treats and samples would thrill her? After our dry run last week, I'm convinced that I've nailed it, and I am happily taking her on her tour in a few weeks!

Check out photos of the new tour on Boston Chocolate Tours Facebook page, or click here to learn more about the tour at Boston Chocolate Tour's site.