Kara Trivunovic

Articles by Kara All articles by Kara

• Better Email Personalization Drives Better Bottom Line in Email Marketing Daily on 09/27/2018
  

  Email marketers need to move beyond thinking "Today ONLY!" and consider email's role in personalizing the entire customer experience.

• Email Marketers Never Get A Vacation in Email Marketing Daily on 07/18/2018
  

  I recently spent the start of summer break with my family in Colorado. While I was trying to turn my marketers' mind off and get some much-needed rest and relaxation, it dawned on me: Email marketers never get a vacation. Think about it. When you're taking that well-deserved time off, do you really stop thinking about email marketing? Or are you on the clock pretty much every time you look at your inbox?

• Painting The Right Picture With Data in Email Marketing Daily on 02/26/2018
  

  I recently received a letter from my kids' school stating that they had missed too many days this year, threatening that we would have to report to truancy court if the trend continued. I was taken aback by the letter. I have good kids, and I'm a responsible parent! Once I digested the reality of the situation, it reminded me of a recurring shortfall many email marketers make when it comes to personalization. Let me explain.

• Recognizing Your Biggest Fans in Email Insider on 03/27/2017
  

  In late January, the men's U.S. national soccer team played a friendly match in San Diego against Serbia. As a Serbian family hailing out of Chicago, we jumped at the chance to go see the first-ever meeting of these teams since the erosion of Yugoslavia (and it didn't hurt that we got to go to San Diego in January). The U.S. team was warming up spitting distance from us, and the kids were so excited to be so close. A few of the players said they would come over after the match to sign autographs. The kids watched the scoreless game...in the hot sun... for 90 minutes. And when the match was over, the U.S. team sulked back to the locker room, while the Serbian men's team came over to greet fans and sign autographs. What a missed opportunity for the U.S. team to build goodwill with its fan base. Your email subscribers are those fans: the ones that are engaged, even if you are at peak performance and aren't always sending the most relevant content.

• It's Not 'JUST' Email in Email Insider on 02/15/2017
  

  There are so many skeptics when it comes to the longevity of the email marketing space. Some believe email will be replaced with social, SMS or push, others believe that Millennials and younger generations will not embrace it as channel, and still others don't even think it is effective today. To all of this, I say, nonsense! Just as direct mail still has a place in the communication mix, so too does email.

• Does The Zodiac Drive Your Email Program?  in Email Insider on 12/08/2016
  

  What's your sign? Worst pick-up line ever, right? But if you haven't heard yet, your once go-to answer now needs to change. Turns out everything we have believed about the signs of the zodiac has been wrong.

• 3 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid  in Email Insider on 10/12/2016
  

  Mistakes happen to all of us, no matter how infallible we believe ourselves to be. Some are big mistakes, some small, some expensive, some of no consequence -- but they are mistakes nonetheless, and we should be learning from each and every one of them. Learning from your mistakes is much easier when you know you are making them. It's the mistakes you don't realize you're making that are the most dangerous, because you continue to make them again and again. The world of email is no different. There are the mistakes marketers know about, which are typically remedied by "oops" messages when warranted. But today we are going to review the mistakes that are being made that you may not know about (or simply choose to ignore):

• What Email Marketers Can Learn From Famous Lefties in Email Insider on 08/15/2016
  

  Left-handed people are often touted for their creativity-from musicians like David Bowie to inventors like Leonardo da Vinci. Since National Left Handers' Day is celebrated annually on Aug. 13, I thought it was a good time to apply lessons learned from some famous lefties to email marketing strategies.

• Why It's Time To 'Unthink' Email in Email Insider on 05/27/2016
  

  Deliverability issues, unsubscribes, typos, formatting mistakes are all fears we face as email marketers. As a result, we adapt our creative process to take these fears into account. Instead of practicing creativity as it applies to email, we've become programmed to practice best practices and try to avoid failure by focusing on our fears. But as artist and consultant Erik Wahl explained, "The art of excellence is couched in the science of reprogramming our mind for new and different ideas." So how do we "unthink" email and get back to beginners' mind? Consider these three ways:

• Content To Keep Email Subscribers Wanting More in Email Insider on 04/01/2016
  

  Content is a challenge for marketers today, largely due to our ability to target individuals via email so succinctly. But having the ability to identify these customers and not having anything unique to say to them can have negative ramifications all the way around. So when you are planning your content, what types should you consider that will keep your subscribers wanting more?

Comments by Kara All comments by Kara

• The Anatomy Of A Good Birthday Email by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 06/10/2014)
  

  Pete, I appreciate the sentiment, but on the flip side it is an easy way to show appreciation to your customer, recognize them as an individual and demonstrates value. They also work. Many brands I have worked with over the years get amazing feedback from customers because of their birthday programs and when done right, can be real revenue generators for them.

• Implementing Progressive Profiling by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 11/25/2013)
  

  Pete - I agree that behavioral information such as browse and search behavior are also valuable for understanding the customer - but those are very "moment in time" data elements that may or may not reflect the long term and on-going desires of the subscriber. Finding the right combination of behavioral data and self-reported data elements typically generate the greatest ROI - so long as you are actually taking action against the data. I have not seen any published data on the topic of ROI as it relates to the source of demographic and psychographic data, but if I do, I will post it up. Thanks for the comment! KT

• Email: The Ultimate Relationship Channel by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 10/28/2013)
  

  I couldn't agree more Bert - empowering the people on the front lines can certainly turn a bad situation in to a good one. During my travel escapade, the Hertz agent upgraded me to an amazing car for my trouble - gotta give him some kudos for that!

• Email: The Ultimate Relationship Channel by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 10/28/2013)
  

  @Angie - thank you, first of all. It did stink, but I survived :) The challenge for marketers today is the customer doesn't care who's job it is - which means the organizations need to operate seamlessly. Breaking down the walls and the silos is critical to meeting clients expectations today. I have worked with other brands and airlines that have been able to integrate systems in a central location, flagging a customer record for a bad experience with customer service, lost luggage or getting stuck in a middle seat - all so they can respond effectively in their email program. It isn't easy, I will give you that, but it is imperative in today's connected world.

• Email: The Ultimate Relationship Channel by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 10/28/2013)
  

  True Pete, they could do that. But with consumers taking to social networks to share their experiences with brands, the brands don't really get to control the sharing of positive/negative experiences so much these days :)

• What's the Story Behind Your Data? by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 10/02/2013)
  

  Pete - while I appreciate the conjecture - the answer is somewhere in the gray area. Making too many, or incorrect assumptions can have a detrimental impact on your business. While it is true that all data has "an associated possibility of error" - some missteps are avoidable. The lesson is that one data point alone does not a story tell.

• Avoiding Common Email Marketing Faux Pas by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 04/11/2013)
  

  So that we are all clear here, I never said I hated my neighbor's son playing with my children. It was an example to emphasize the point that everyone's personal preferences in communication are different. Just as a brand needs to recognize the individual preferences of frequency and cadence with their subscribers, people have different levels of preference on how often and closely they engage with their neighbors (or any other relationship for that matter).

• What I Learned About Email From My 91-Year-Old Uncle by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 01/31/2013)
  

  Thanks Peter! I think that sometimes we try to over complicate what we do - so I thought I would pay homage to keeping it simple. Glad you enjoyed!

• The ABCs Of Email Marketing by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 12/06/2012)
  

  Well done on the X David! The others as well - you are right, some letters get more love than others, it was a struggle to keep to the alphabet. Thanks to everyone that commented and the well wishes on the head injury :)

• The ABCs Of Email Marketing by Kara Trivunovic (Email Insider on 12/06/2012)
  

  Thanks @Paula Lynn! On the bright side, I saved my daughter from an injury - I figured my head was better than hers :)

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