Archives: Blogs

Cal Wilson / April 2, 2024

No matter who you ask, they’re going to have a different opinion on email marketing; it’s effective, it’s powerful, it’s cost-efficient, or it’s spammy, it’s annoying, it’s useless. But what are the facts? Is email marketing a useful strategy when it comes to generating tangible conversions? Or is it a waste of your organization’s energy destined to end up in the “spam” folder?  

In this issue of The Pulse, we investigate.  

Why use email marketing? 

Email, across all platforms, has about four billion daily users, and that number is constantly on the rise. Email marketing makes use of a platform people are comfortable with, ensuring the message you’re trying to get out there is both received and understood.  

Not only is email marketing an incredibly cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising methods because it makes use of traditionally free features, but it also has advantages over other digital marketing tactics. These include: 

• Direct communication with your target audience.  
• Specific messaging based on various customer criteria. 
• Measurable results such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, etc. 
• Automation potential. 
• Nearly limitless reach.  
• Mobile and desktop-friendly delivery. 
• Relevancy with both B2C and B2B markets.  

On top of this, 55% of consumers say email is their preferred digital channel for business communication. With all these advantages, low implementation cost, and minimal risk, why wouldn’t organizations take advantage of email marketing? 

As previously mentioned, the low barrier to entry for email marketing has caused it to become widely adopted, creating oversaturated customer inboxes at the same time. This has defamed its reputation slightly, making these efforts more likely to end up in spam folders, unread, once implemented.  

Key Stats to Consider. 

If you’re unsure of the benefits of email marketing, compared to the risk of your brand being associated with spam, here are some of the facts about this method.  

People do read them, at least at first: 

• Welcome emails have a 91.43% open rate. 
• New subscribers to email marketing are most engaged in the first forty-eight hours. 

They do convert: 

• In 2023, on average, brands made $36 for every U.S. dollar they spent on email marketing. 
• 34% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on email marketing, versus other methods.  
• This number increases to 67% when the email includes a coupon or discount.  

Marketing emails serve many purposes. Cart abandonment emails, for example, tend to be quite effective for brands with e-commerce capabilities. They’re not just for large brands, either. In fact, 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers. 

Other businesses are increasing their use of email marketing.  

If your audience isn’t opening emails from you, they’re opening them from your competitors. With 37% of brands increasing their email marketing budget, this strategy is clearly not going anywhere. Likewise, the majority of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the past year.  

Avoiding being seen as spam.  

If you think email marketing might be a viable option for your organization but are worried about being – or have historically been – seen as spammy, there are common mistakes you can avoid. Email marketing can sometimes come across as spammy for several reasons: 

• Overly promotional content with no other value to the receiver. 
• Poorly targeted campaigns.  
• Too-frequent scheduling, bombarding the receiver.  
• Misleading subject lines. 
• Poor opt-in/opt-out options. 
• Unprofessional design.  
• Lack of mobile compatibility.  

Some best practices to keep in mind include: 

• Personalize your efforts – emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened and 10% more likely to convert.  
• Establish the value of your email campaign as immediately as possible – consumers’ attention spans are limited.  
• Send emails during regular business hours to increase the likelihood of them being opened rather than deleted in the receiver’s inbox.  
• Develop a sending cadence that works for your target audience that won’t feel overwhelming or disruptive.  

In conclusion… 

Email marketing is an incredibly effective platform for informing your customers and target audience of new information and deals, as well as strengthening brand awareness and loyalty. However, many see it as spammy. Implementing best practices can convert to sales when handled with care.  

Cal Wilson / March 19, 2024

As you’re well aware, there are a lot of ways to communicate professionally these days. Email, phone calls, video calls, and collaboration software like Microsoft Teams or Slack; all of these platforms have their individual nuances, expected etiquette, and niches. While having options is fantastic at streamlining workplace digital collaboration, a new study finds it can simultaneously lead to miscommunication and even employee conflict.   

In this issue of The Pulse, we look at that study’s findings.  

Full-time, American employees were surveyed about communication methods.  

A recent study by corporate language training firm, Preply, found that among over a thousand full-time U.S.-based employees, a generational language barrier exists when it comes to communication tools. Of the participants, only 7% were Baby Boomers, while 23% were Gen X, 62% were Millennials, and 8% were Gen Z. 

The survey found that: 

• Nearly 90% of employees blame email for workplace miscommunications.  
• Approximately two in five employees have deleted work-related voicemails before fully listening to them. 
• Baby Boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, are the most likely to utilize voice messages for professional communication, while the majority of employees (around 75%) are reducing the amount of time they spend on the phone.  

Generational differences in communication preferences exist, and there’s no denying that. However, the study also took a look at the mediums employees use to communicate with one another and their associated expectations based on that medium.  

How are people choosing to communicate? 

When asked which methods they found preferable for workplace communication, Preply found: 

• 86% were amenable to email. 
• 59% liked direct messages, such as over Slack or Teams. 
• 52% were okay with text messages. 
• Only 31% liked phone calls and fewer (11%) preferred other forms of voice messages.  

Likewise, the majority of respondents (67%) wanted a written method of communication before receiving a phone call, indicating there’s an increased desire for stronger employee boundaries. Although not surprising, these findings reflect a greater trend within the workplace and should be considered, especially when paired with remote working environments.  

Be fluent, be flexible. 

Facilitating effective business communication means bridging the gap between different preferences and generational habits and becoming fluent in all these platforms. In order to truly possess exceptional communication skills, you and your employees must be comfortable and coherent over email, the phone, collaboration software, and any other potential mediums. If you’re not, you’re risking a sort of language barrier with clients, colleagues, and other contacts.  

Even if you feel fluent across all platforms, the people you’re interacting with might not be, so it is important to become adaptable to others’ communication preferences. Best business communication practice involves determining the preferences of those you contact for work, within your organization or not.   

For example, Preply found nearly one-third of respondents who received unexpected phone calls from colleagues felt anxious or uneasy about it. Likewise, the survey found that younger respondents, in Gen Z, tended to regard phone calls as more suited to personal discussions, compared to other generations. Gauging and understanding a contact’s perspective is critical for business best practice. 

In conclusion… 

It might be easy to dig your heels in and stick to the communication tools that you’re the most comfortable with, but that could easily set you back in the long run. It’s important to encourage adaptability in your workplace culture because as it turns out, expectations will always differ among employees as long as generational differences still exist. The best thing you can do for your workplace success is to be comfortable with as many methods as possible and approach every conversation flexibly.  

Cal Wilson / March 4, 2024

Sometimes, you need to break the rules to innovate — but which ones? Entrepreneurship professor John Mullins shares six counter-conventional mindsets for entrepreneurs looking to think strategically, navigate challenges and change the world.

Cal Wilson / February 20, 2024

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella once said, “don’t be a know-it-all, be a learn-it-all.” 

Adopting this attitude, one devoted to continual learning, proactivity, and humility with regards to what you do not yet know, will get you far. In this issue of the Pulse, we look at how to adopt this mindset and the advancements it can bring to both your personal and work life.   

Make learning a priority.  

Nowadays, most careers expect you to have a motivated attitude towards professional development. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, “adaptive and proactive learners are highly prized assets for organizations, and when we invest in our learning, we create long-term dividends for our career development.” 

When you don’t prioritize your lifelong learning, it can have a negative impact on your career and life in the long term. For example, it can: 

• Prevent opportunities for career development and new, exciting trajectories. 
• Reduces our resilience and adaptability.  
• Leave us behind as the world advances with new technology, methods, and trends. 
• Leave us feeling unmotivated and unfulfilled. 

On the other hand, investing intentionally in lifelong learning leads to: 

• Continuous growth. 
• Flexibility in a variety of situations and challenges. 
• Improve problem-solving skills. 
• Enhanced confidence. 
• Better relationships and ‘people’ skills. 
• Cognitive health and longevity. 

Work is the perfect place to practice continual learning.  

You might associate learning with school or personal endeavors but given the amount of time we spend at our jobs, the workplace is actually the ideal environment to adopt an ‘always learning’ mindset. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be as complicated as enrolling in another degree or taking additional classes. You can learn every day, often without spending a dime or adding too much more to your plate. 

So, how do you do it? 

Being mindful about the work you already do is a great way to start. For example, you can optimize the following daily activities to contribute to continuous learning: 

• Collaboration – every colleague or contact offers a unique perspective, and taking the time to listen and learn from them will vastly diversify your mindset.  
• Embracing curiosity – follow your motivation and your instincts by actively seeking out new information and experiences within your industry. 
• Seek feedback – proactively make time for mutual feedback from peers and mentors to identify areas for development.  
• Don’t avoid failure or mistakes – experiment outside your comfort zone and embrace opportunities as they arise.  
• Seek out challenges – whether it’s situations that are new to you, or people to collaborate with who have different backgrounds and experience. 
• Ask the right questions – questions that challenge existing methods and assumptions and might spark innovation. 

What else can you do? 

Outside of your regular activities, there are other strategies to implement. Some of these include: 

• Creating manageable goals and holding yourself accountable to them. 
• Diversify your learning sources – branch out and explore new learning sources and formats, including books, articles, podcasts, online courses, workshops, webinars, and seminars. 
• Practice cognitive unloading – when you transfer something from your head into the physical world, like jotting down a note on a piece of paper, you are making space in your brain by physically unloading thoughts. 
• Create a habit tracker – write down all the actions and activities you do by default over the course of a week to see what is contributing to your learning and development and what is not.  

Unlearning is important to continually learning.  

As Harvard Business Review explains, “unlearning means letting go of the safe and familiar and replacing it with something new and unknown. Skills and behaviors that helped you get to where you are can actually hold you back from getting to where you want to be.” 

To practice continual learning and development, unlearning is crucial. Maybe you need to unlearn sticking to your comfort zone, people pleasing, or avoiding collaboration. Whatever it is, it’s crucial to make sure you’re actively breaking patterns. 

At first, this process can be uncomfortable, but in the long run, will be great for your career development and overall wellbeing.  

In conclusion… 

There are immense benefits to adopting an attitude of lifelong learning. And the best part? It doesn’t take a drastic life change; just small adjustments to the way you already do things and unlearning unhelpful patterns.  

Cal Wilson / February 6, 2024

Have you ever considered that corporate strategy might apply to your own life? No? Well, think again. In this issue of the Pulse, we share a video from Harvard Business Review, in which expert Rainer Strack asks seven questions which can clarify what really matters to you and help you build your own life strategy.