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I thought it was unique and clever way to market to customers.  I did a little research to see what was happening with this new marketing trend.  Some early adopter businesses (both small and large) are realizing that using a symbol that relates to their subject can positively affect that particular email open rate.

Messages with symbols get attention

The great thing is that if you use the standard font types, then symbols can be read by most devices, including mobile.  A study done by Experian  states that when symbols are in the subject lines, they have a higher unique open rate in 56% of brands they analyzed.  They also shared a couple of results from their study, which were not surprising, but were confirming what I would have expected as a marketing manager:

• The black heart (♥) is the most popular symbol, but provided only a modest open rate lift.

• The greatest unique open rate lifts were in subject lines including umbrellas (☂) and airplanes (✈).

The report also provided the most popular symbols based on their analysis.  Check it out, as it can be most helpful for someone who needs a little guidance to begin using this unique marketing tool.

Five ★winning★ tips

Here are five tips to remember if you are going to use symbols in your subject lines:

1. Include a symbol when it supports your message, not just as a decoration.
2. Use symbols sparingly to retain not only their uniqueness, but also your email uniqueness.
3. Experiment with the popular symbols first, so you will ensure the symbols are readable by as many devices as possible.
4. Test placement of your chosen symbol.  Does placing it in the beginning, middle, or end of your subject line have an impact on the open rate?
5. Test and test again.  Depending upon the size of your email list, you can test 2 versions of your email message by either changing the placement or the symbol to determine if one performs better than the other.

Whether you use an email marketing product or send basic formatted emails to your customer, if you have notice a drop in your open rates, you may want to try to use an appropriate symbol in your subject line to see if you get a lift in your open rate.   I’ve also included a quick reference  list of symbols to review from Wikipedia. Adding an appropriate symbol to your email subject line, when used intermittently, can make your email pop.  It may also help your future emails open rate if customers associated your symbol with your business.

Related Content

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Have you tried using symbols in your subject lines? What has worked? Please ✍ and let us know!

Like me, you probably use the Internet to search for practically everything. Whether you’re looking for information or to purchase something, you’ve been to lots of business websites seeking an answer to your current question.  You have probably seen many business websites that have professionally-created logo designs.  Have you seen businesses that use a stock image to represent their products or services?   Some businesses use a picture of the person as their logo (mainly those sites where the person’s first and last name is the website name.) While all of these logo variations are truly acceptable, a professionally-designed logo speaks volumes about your passion for your business success and what your business represents.

Combining your logo with a tagline

Your logo is a commitment to both you and your customers. You can build on your tagline foundation by adding another layer to enhance your brand image:  your unique business logo.

Together, your tagline and logo make an awesome duo:

• They help you stay focused and consistent with what your brand represents.
• They can improve your marketing assets and provide your business with a professional image.
• They are two essentials to include on your website, letterhead, business cards, etc.

They can be key tools to help explain what your business is all about.

Bring your logo to life

Below are some points to help bring your logo to life.  To get started, think about what your brand stands for, your business identity and incorporate the following components:

1.Values

What are your core business values?  Write down and describe three unique values. For example: customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, quality services, creative products, etc.

2. Voice

What is the message/voice that would define your business style?  Create a list of three to five unique adjectives.  For example, is your tone of voice professional, friendly, motivational, trendy, silly, simple, or elegant?  What other words describe your business?

3. Placement

Where do you want to use your logo? For example, is it going on all of your marketing materials?  Consider business cards, brochures, and your website, posters, t-shirts or coffee mugs. Write down where you would want to use your logo; planning ahead will help the designer in creating the size and shape of the logo.

4. Purpose

Does your business have a mission statement? It could be derived from your tagline or it can complement your tagline. Having a single sentence purpose/statement is very important because it provides you and the designer a clear focus of where you want the direction of your brand to go.  If you are a florist, your mission statement can be:  I want to bring a smile into every home for major holidays with my creative flower arrangements sold at reasonable prices.

If you choose to invest in a professionally-designed logo, you’ll be building brand equity for your business. A logo provides an established and successful look that shows your customers and prospects that you plan to stay in business.  When used with your tagline, you create a solid foundation for creating your distinctive business brand image.

Do you have a logo for your business? Has it helped you to establish your brand image?

and begin the task of completing it.  I find it a good way to get my thoughts organized. It helps me create my strategy, discover my next steps and develop my action plan.
As I started my SWOT matrix, I realized that it can be a good tool for analyzing a website.  It can be used to evaluate the performance of your website overall, or you can focus on one or many of your Web pages.  It can also be used to help answer a question that you may have, such as “How do I drive traffic to my website?” or “How can I increase my website sales?”

Below is the meaning for the SWOT acronym followed by an example of a SWOT matrix solving the question: “How can I increase sales on my website?”

1. Strengths

Characteristics of your website that gives it an advantage over others in your industry and providing a good sales experience. Tip: Look at this from an industry level or your main competitors.

2. Weaknesses

Characteristics or gaps of your website at a disadvantage relative to how you developed your strengths (industry or main competitors). Tip: What’s missing on my site that could help increase sales?

3. Opportunities

What outside possibilities are you aware of that can help drive more visitors to my website? Tip: Do you need to grow online awareness or need new tools?

4. Threats

What outside risks are you aware of that could cause a decline in sales? Tip: Are you using marketing and social networking tools?

Once you start your SWOT analysis, you may you may find some opportunities that you hadn’t previously considered and hopefully will come up with a great long list of opportunities.

I would suggest that you try to implement those opportunities that are easy first.  Then, focus on a few that could bring you more sales but would take some time to do. I know that if I have several opportunities that take time to implement, I tackle one at a time so I feel like I’ve made progress. This approach also helps me see progress while executing the next opportunity.

Have you ever used a SWOT analysis for your business?  Will you try using a SWOT matrix for your website? We’d love to know how it works out!

A good tagline is a marketing tool that not many small businesses take advantage of; yet, it is a mainstay for larger corporations.  A tagline is another way a customer can associate your business with you as it gives your business personality. Take advantage of a tagline and consider it another way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Here are six tips to writing an effective tagline:

1. Keep it short. It should be brief, up to 5 or 6 words at most. You want it to be easily remembered by those you want as your customers.

2. Convey a key benefit. Avoid using your business name.  It should reflect what your business is about or a key benefit that you would like everyone to remember.

3. Make it meaningful. Your tagline needs to be meaningful and appropriate to your specific customers and not necessarily be universally recognizable or applicable. Differentiate you from your competitors.

4. Think simple. Simple and sincere will help your tagline to be recalled by your clients. It does not have to be clever. Think of it as an additional way for you to leave an impression with potential and existing customers.

5. Test the waters.  Ask your friends or family before you invest resources in implementing your tagline.  Seek out opinions to determine if it truly fits your business.

6. Use it consistently and constantly.  Once you have created your tagline, use it whenever possible.  Many website templates like ours have the option to add a tagline in their website tool builder.  It usually is positioned below your company name.  Add your tagline to your business cards, logo, email marketing campaigns, marketing materials, your signature and advertising.

This CNN article on trademarks talks about some additional considerations to look at before bringing your tagline to the marketplace. Remember, creating a tagline can be a valuable asset to your business. It can help customers understand what your business does and provide a unique selling proposition of what you do best. As your business grows and changes, your tagline can change with it.

Do you have a tagline? I’d love to know what it is. Share it with us in comments.

1. Email Marketing

Connect with your customers by creating an email marketing account.  You don’t need to have a website to implement this solution. One tip I’d like to share is that having a business domain name email address is definitely a plus to making your business look professional.  So at minimum, make sure you are using a domain-based email address instead of yourbusiness@anyfreemail.com.  You can send out holiday greetings, tips or helpful hints, coupons or FYI emails.  Did you know you can also send targeted email campaigns to mobile customers?

2. Social Media

If you still haven’t joined one social media site, 2013 is the time to do so. If you are unsure which social media site would be the better choice for you to connect with potential customers, consider this:  if you do not have a business website, then Facebook would be a good tool to get the word out about your business to grow customer familiarity about your products/services and build trust.  If you do have a website, then consider Twitter, where you can tweet about sales or specials or common topics shared by your followers.  It’s a great way to gain followers who are interested in your products or services. Be sure to check out the mobile apps for Facebook and Twitter – your customers are probably using them!

3. Customer Testimonials

Build relationships with existing customers and connect with new customers using testimonials.  As a consumer, I know I like to read the happy experiences of consumers who do business with a company.  If you have a website, consider adding a “Build a Customer Testimonial page” to your New Years Resolution list.  This page can provide an added means of assurance to visitors and entice them to make their first purchase with you. Did you know that your website plan may already come with a form widget that you can use to collect testimonials enabling you to quickly get started?

4. Mobile-friendly Webpage

If you do have a website, and your customers are more likely to visit your website from their smartphone than their desktop, you can easily connect with them without too much effort. In fact, some website plans come with a wizard to add a mobile web page or you can add onto your existing website plan for a more robust mobile website solution.

It’s no secret that mobile device usage is growing.  It’s an awesome way to connect with users on-the-go. I hope you find at least one of these suggestions to be an easy and practical way to connect with more customers who’ll enjoy your products and services.  Whatever suggestions you choose to implement, I hope that you have a very prosperous 2013!

How do you plan on connecting with your customers next year?

The top four reasons for making your website mobile-friendly follow:

1. Keep Visitors on Your Site: First and foremost, your visitors get the ultimate mobile view of your website. Imagine that they don’t have to scroll or hunt for information.  They will stay on your website longer.

2. Meet User Expectations: You don’t have to settle for having a mini desktop website version.  Some web hosting providers include or provide a mobile website product so you can create the best experience for your mobile fans.

3. Deliver Special Deals: You can create unique content just for these visitors. Create special offers, coupons or use QR codes only redeemable from a smartphone. What a great way to communicate with this segment and grow your business.

4. Build Your Brand: Give them a reason to admire you. Have you heard of our “It Can Wait” campaign that AT&T has been promoting?  Join us–and have your visitors join you.  We’re urging everyone to take the pledge to make a lifelong commitment to stop texting and driving, and be part of a wonderful mission.

Creating a mobile friendly website experience can help you to obtain repeat visitors since you can tailor the content just for them.  If your visitor enjoyed their mobile Web experience, then they are more likely to recommend your site to their friends. Is your website optimized for mobile visitors?  Do you know what your website looks like on various mobile devices?

It Can Wait: There’s no time like the present

No one will debate the fact that texting has changed how we communicate and share information. But sometimes, information can wait. Did you know texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident? As many as 77 percent of teens have seen their parents text and drive, and 75 percent say it is “common” among their friends.

Set an example and join us.  Take the no-texting-and-driving pledge. Share your promise with others via social media, email or in person and encourage others to pledge against texting from behind the wheel. You can stop by your local AT&T retail store to pick up a “No Text on Board” car sticker to show your commitment!

Perhaps you haven’t refreshed or updated your website lately.  Now is the time to seriously consider fine tuning this awesome marketing vehicle for the rest of 2012.  And of course, if you do not have a website, please do not miss the bus.  It would be great for your business to have an online presence.  It’s a splendid way to meet lots of new customers.

Take advantage of this time before we hit the holiday season to consider implementing the following five suggestions, which include some search engine ideas for your site. Let’s get your website holiday ready:

1) Do you have at least one active social media account?   Sixty-seven percent of B2B companies and 41 percent of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook –. If yes, then now is the time to branch out and consider joining another social media site and growing your customer base.   Increasing your social network now will provide you with time to establish and nurture relationships before the holidays.

2) Have you taken the time to register your business with various local directories such as Google Places?   This is an essential Internet marketing tool for local markets beneficial to being found by search engines. Some website plans include submitting your information to various local directories; I know some of our website plans include this type of search marketing tool.  If your website plan does not include this tool, then take time and do it yourself.   Submit your business information to several places.  If you are managing the listings yourself then remember to keep a list of the directories you submitted your information to for future reference.

3) Update images and add customer testimonials.  Do you need to create or obtain seasonal images?   Start now to save yourself time and have this task done. Consider sending an email request to your customers asking for their feedback.  This way you can post current client reviews on your website.

4) Do you have your Web pages linked so customers can easily click from one page to another within your website?  This is an easy way to help increase your search engine rankings by building internal links as well as highlighting keywords and phrases on your Web pages.

5) Do you have a Site Map?   I mention this often because it is a great page to include, and it is easy to develop.  The best benefit of this page is that it helps both visitors and search engine robots find specific pages on your website.  Is your site map current, and do you have it linked to your footer?  See an example here.

Do you plan on updating your website for the holidays or for the rest of 2012?  We’d love to know what you plan to do.

Over the last few years, I have noticed that most consumers tend to want Windows as we often have an innate affinity with that parent company.  Others think they need it to support their email.  I also noticed that people automatically associate UNIX with a programmer or someone who writes code and will tend to avoid it.  That is not exactly true, but UNIX is an option for these folks who want to write their own code.  In reality, most websites use UNIX because of its flexibility with software applications and the usual business person does not need to know how to write code.

I did not want to debate which operating system is best. In my opinion, both are similar enough that this should not influence a web hosting plan purchasing decision. Instead, the decision should be based on the software you need to run your business.

Many applications can be supported by both UNIX and Windows, but if you have specific requirements, then the following lists should help you decide. I referenced some of the most popularly-used programs specific to each operating system.

When to choose Windows as your operating system 

Are going to use:

• Microsoft applications such as MS Access databases or MS SQL?
• Silverlight or Server Side Includes (SSI)?
• .NET/.asp (Active Service Pages) for delivering dynamic content?
• Visual Basic Script files for site enhancements?
• Windows media files such as videos and audio? (Flash, MP3, Shockwave, Real Audio/Video)

 When to choose UNIX as your operating system 

Are going to use:

• Advanced programming other than basic HTML
• Unix-based scripting languages such as CGI, Perl and PHP
• MySQL database
• Flash, MP3, Shockwave, Real Audio/Video
•  Java
• No specific Windows products

Aside from the above list, web hosting companies provide preinstalled software.  You can check their website for a list of what’s available, but if you don’t see something you need, do not hesitate to call and ask. I want to note that if you are going to use your website for selling on line, then you should choose your ecommerce product first as it may lead you to a specific operating system.

If all things are equal and you don’t require any of the specific Windows applications, then a UNIX web hosting solution might be the better recommendation.

If you are still confused, then I suggest you consider a web hosting provider who doesn’t require you to make that platform decision.  For example, when you order an AT&T Website Solutions website plan, you don’t have to select your operating system. The platform used is intelligent and flexible enough to automatically detect what file you need and simply execute it for you.   I can’t wait until more hosting providers take this approach.  It makes ordering a website plan so much easier!

What operating system do you use for your hosting your website and why? We would love to know.

I want to share with you what I presented to the audience.  AT&T Website Solutions is the product that I manage.  With one of our website plans it takes only 3 steps to create a website.  Some providers take many more steps because their task breakdown for creating the site is overly complex. Small businesses don’t have extra time to spend setting up a website – they have to focus their energy on delivering value to their customers and growing the business. That’s why a simple 3-step website setup approach makes sense.

If you’re ready, here are the three steps:

1) Pick your template. There are thousands of fabulous templates with lots of categories and industries. There are also plenty of generic templates, so you can customize one to suit you. When you pick one, add your Business Name and an optional Tagline.

2) Select the pages you want to include in your website.  You can choose typical pages including Home Page, Product Page, Contact Us or About Us pages.  You have the option to name your own page if you need something special.  My recommendation here is to start with two or three pages and add more pages after you publish your website.  You can always add more pages later.  If you choose too many pages to start with then you set yourself up to get that overwhelming feeling.

3) Create your website.  Add content, images, forms, widgets whatever you like. If you have marketing brochures or other information about your business, you can copy and paste it those into your website.  This is the most time-consuming portion of building your website, which is why I suggest in step 2 to start with only a few pages.  Focusing on a few pages will show you how easy it is, which makes for a low-stress experience.  Instead you will feel so sure of yourself that you will be able to tackle creating additional future pages with ease!

I understand, too that once you launch your website there are many tools available within your plan to support your website.  There are marketing tools to help you increase your search engine visibility.  There are Web analytics tools to see how your website is performing.  Some website plans include a mobile Web page component to optimize your smartphone visitor’s experience.  Our website plans include marketing, analytics and mobile optimized page tools plus other features.  Again, if you take some time every few nights to familiarize yourself with these tools, then you won’t feel overwhelmed with having to learn everything at once.

I’d love to know what challenges you see for creating your own website — or was it easy?  Are there any website tools that you love or don’t understand how to use?

Light bulb! I ran inside and grabbed my laptop. It dawned on me that if you have an existing website and  it is already professional looking, perhaps you need to consider giving it a little something extra – and create your own showroom shine.

The following are four suggestions that came to mind:

1) Create a short welcome video.  YouTube is so popular these days. Perhaps it’s not your style, but many people love to watch videos. And a video is an excellent way to build trust and customer relationships. Does your computer have a camera? Then create a one- or two-minute video with just you (so you can sparkle).  Below is a recommended script format  of what you could say:

• Welcome and introduce yourself
• Briefly describe your passion — you should explain why you have your business (e.g., I always loved math as a child and it’s my passion so being a Financial Advisor is something I enjoy doing.  OR I learned to bake pies from scratch with my grandmother and she inspired me to open my own bakery.)
• Thank  them for visiting

I looked online to find out why people should detail their car. The number one reason was that if you detail your car on a regular basis, it will maintain a higher value.  Isn’t that what you want from your website, too?

How do you make your website sparkle and shine and stand out from the crowd? We would love to know.