A client confessed recently that one of the reasons his company selected Marketo as a marketing automation provider was because he was so impressed by their marketing. His logic (presumably): if a technology provider is promising to help improve our marketing effectiveness, shouldn’t their own marketing reflect those same high standards? (Tangentially, I’d argue that more companies should select marketing agencies by the same criteria.)
Quite apart from the merits of their technology, Marketo does indeed have a reputation for (to borrow a time-worn phrase): eating their own dog food. And aside from the sophistication that no doubt powers when, how, and what Marketo communicates with prospective customers, their marketing creative (which, you could argue, has nothing to do with technology) is pretty darn good also.
Case in point: the email to the right, which arrived in my inbox a few days ago. Is this an email design to make art directors swoon? No. Is the copy cool, clever or otherwise “creative” by most standards? No. Yet altogether, it’s a terrific campaign, and one that delivers its message with a remarkable efficiency that many marketers would do well to emulate. To wit:
1. Header communicates both the topic and offer front and center.
2. Visual image of the offer is featured prominently.
3. Sub-head is a clear, concise business benefit.
4. Body copy is remarkably short (barely more than 100 words) yet manages to communicate all the reader would want to know, namely: WHAT the offer is, WHY he/she wants it, and HOW to get it.
5. Note the 4 separate calls to action (two buttons, two text links) yet at no point does any one seem repetitive or redundant, in part because the two buttons are different designs, and the two text links are different copy.
What would I change? At the risk of nit-picking, I’d shorten the email even further by deleting the first line of body copy: “The device that an email is read on …” It’s a statement of fact, not a benefit, and it’s not needed. The email would open just as strongly if it started with: “Did you know that over 64% of decision-makers …”
All in all, a job well done.
[Full disclosure: Spear Marketing Group is a Marketo agency partner. Marketo did not solicit this blog post, nor were they consulted on its content.]
Howard,
Thanks for the great comments. Our marketing is always a work in progress, so we can always improve. Trends change, best practices evolve, and everyone has different opinions of what is good (though I’m pretty fond of yours).