BrandQuantum - NEWS #Marketing Automation

SME TECH GURU | Sustainable technology: small changes for conscious living

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 02:16:01 -0500

Article first published on smetechguru.co.za on 22 April 2022, written by Paula Sartini

We rely on technology daily to improve our lives and workplace efficiencies yet these same technologies have an impact on our environment. Many of the devices we use today from laptops to mobile phones rely on resources and energy that contribute to increasing our carbon footprint and waste.

It is estimated that the carbon footprint of our devices, the internet and the systems supporting them account for approximately 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions, similar to the amount produced by the airline industry. Further, these emissions are predicted to double by 2025 unless we do something about it. We can all make small changes to limit the impact of the technologies we use on the environment and work towards more conscious living.

The amount of time spent on electronic devices from laptops to mobile phones all adds up. For example, a study conducted by OVO Energy[2] explains that an email sent with an attachment is estimated to use the equivalent of 50g of carbon dioxide. If you consider that approximately 4.9 billion[3] people have access to the internet and thereby email, the carbon usage of all emails sent by these individuals adds up. According to OVO Energy, if each email user in the UK sent one less unnecessary email daily, it would reduce carbon emissions by 16 433 tonnes which is equivalent to 81 152 flights from London Heathrow to Madrid.

To help reduce our carbon footprint, here are a few tips that we can use to make a difference to our planet together:

Sending smaller emails can reduce your carbon footprint

While sending emails may not be on the top of the list as a key contributor to CO2 emissions, according to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at the Environment Centre at Lancaster University, computers use energy when you type up the email, when you hit send they move to a network and then when you store the email to a data centre that uses a lot of energy[4]. Based on this process the average carbon footprint of an email can be anywhere from 0.03g CO2e to 26g CO2e depending on the time taken to draft the email and the content included in the email from the body copy to the images.

Using predeveloping content to draft the email could save time in writing the email copy. By ensuring that the correct email content and attachments are sent in the first email, it prevents the need to send several emails about the same issue to the same person, making a difference in reducing the number of emails sent daily from 333.2 billion around the world and minimising the impact on the environment.

Send only the attachments you need to send

Emails containing attachments can release up to 50g of CO2e. By limiting the number of attachments that are sent via email, individuals and companies alike can make a difference in their carbon footprint.

This is supported by a study conducted by The Shift Project[5] that found that exchanging office documents on a shared platform, rather than emailing them across the organisation led to a 40% annual reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions. In addition to modifying how the files are shared, the number of versions of documents archived was also reduced, thereby reducing the need for increased storage on the servers thereby reducing the impact on the environment.

By giving employees easy access to the latest versions of predeveloped content, brand resources and documents that are managed centrally, employees will no longer find it necessary to save various versions of documents or email multiple versions of documents to colleagues that are struggling to find the right version, thereby minimising the impact on the environment.

Reduce the size of images used in your emails

Email signatures and banners often aim to be eye-catching and reinforce the brand, using logos and images to achieve this. However, in addition to adding to the large size of emails before the body content has even been added, these emails can be blocked by recipient servers, resulting in additional emails needing to be sent. This has a knock-on effect on increasing the carbon footprint of an email.

Companies can reduce the size of emails by lowering the resolution of images used in banners and even compressing the size of the images used in email signatures without compromising the quality of the branding. In doing this, it will reduce the size of the emails and help move a step closer to reducing CO2 emissions.

Today we all need to make changes to the ways we use technology if we are to lower the impact on the environment and help our planet. By making small changes to the emails we send and store, we are already on a path to helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the technology we use daily to improve efficiencies and our lives. Let’s make a change together. To help employees achieve this, software solutions, such as BrandMail, should be used to help eliminate the need to store documents and content unnecessarily, send documents to colleagues that can be accessed centrally, and spend time developing content that is frequently used. At the same time every email should carry beautifully branded and functional email signatures and eye catching banners that don’t add to the size of the email. In doing this, employees will be able to reduce their carbon footprint one email at a time.

BrandQuantum develops software solutions to help companies deliver compliant customer communications and documents. The tamperproof email signatures that are sent out with every single email via Microsoft Outlook have built-in verification tools to give customers added peace of mind that your company emails are authentic. The BrandOffice solution offers permission control to company documents so that only those employees that need access to your documents have it. In addition, access to company documentation and templates is tracked and audited to give companies line of site of document usage and overall documentation compliance.

TECHSMART | Sustainable technology: small changes for conscious living

Sun, 14 Aug 2022 06:38:22 -0500

Article first published on techsmart.co.za on 21 April 2022, written by Paula Sartini

The amount of time spent on electronic devices from laptops to mobile phones all adds up. For example, a study conducted by OVO Energy explains that an email sent with an attachment is estimated to use the equivalent of 50g of carbon dioxide. If you consider that approximately 4.9 billion people have access to the internet and thereby email, the carbon usage of all emails sent by these individuals adds up. According to OVO Energy, if each email user in the UK sent one less unnecessary email daily, it would reduce carbon emissions by 16 433 tonnes which is equivalent to 81 152 flights from London Heathrow to Madrid.

Sending smaller emails can reduce your carbon footprint

While sending emails may not be on the top of the list as a key contributor to CO2 emissions, according to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at the Environment Centre at Lancaster University, computers use energy when you type up the email, when you hit send they move to a network and then when you store the email to a data centre that uses a lot of energy. Based on this process the average carbon footprint of an email can be anywhere from 0.03g CO2e to 26g CO2e depending on the time taken to draft the email and the content included in the email from the body copy to the images.

Send only the attachments you need to send

This is supported by a study conducted by The Shift Project that found that exchanging office documents on a shared platform, rather than emailing them across the organisation led to a 40% annual reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions. In addition to modifying how the files are shared, the number of versions of documents archived was also reduced, thereby reducing the need for increased storage on the servers thereby reducing the impact on the environment.

Reduce the size of images used in your emails

Today we all need to make changes to the ways we use technology if we are to lower the impact on the environment and help our planet. By making small changes to the emails we send and store, we are already on a path to helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the technology we use daily to improve efficiencies and our lives. Let's make a change together. To help employees achieve this, software solutions, such as BrandMail, should be used to help eliminate the need to store documents and content unnecessarily, send documents to colleagues that can be accessed centrally, and spend time developing content that is frequently used. At the same time every email should carry beautifully branded and functional email signatures and eye catching banners that don’t add to the size of the email. In doing this, employees will be able to reduce their carbon footprint one email at a time.

Sustainable technology: Small changes for conscious living

Sun, 15 May 2022 07:45:09 -0500

We rely on technology daily to improve our lives and workplace efficiencies, yet these same technologies have an impact on our environment. Many of the devices we use today from laptops to mobile phones rely on resources and energy that contribute to increasing our carbon footprint and waste.

It is estimated that the carbon footprint of our devices, the internet and the systems supporting them account for approximately 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions, similar to the amount produced by the airline industry . Further, these emissions are predicted to double by 2025 unless we do something about it. We can all make small changes to limit the impact of the technologies we use on the environment and work towards more conscious living.

To help reduce our carbon footprint, here are a few tips that we can use to make a difference to our planet together:

Sending smaller emails can reduce your carbon footprint

While sending emails may not be on the top of the list as a key contributor to CO2 emissions, according to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at the Environment Centre at Lancaster University, computers use energy when you type up the email, when you hit send they move to a network and then when you store the email to a data centre that uses a lot of energy. Based on this process the average carbon footprint of an email can be anywhere from 0.03g CO2e to 26g CO2e depending on the time taken to draft the email and the content included in the email from the body copy to the images.

Send only the attachments you need to send

Reduce the size of images used in your emails

Today we all need to make changes to the ways we use technology if we are to lower the impact on the environment and help our planet. By making small changes to the emails we send and store, we are already on a path to helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the technology we use daily to improve efficiencies and our lives. Let's make a change together. To help employees achieve this, software solutions, such as BrandMail, should be used to help eliminate the need to store documents and content unnecessarily, send documents to colleagues that can be accessed centrally, and spend time developing content that is frequently used. At the same time every email should carry beautifully branded and functional email signatures and eye catching banners that don’t add to the size of the email. In doing this, employees will be able to reduce their carbon footprint one email at a time.

BIZCOMMUNITY | Gathering customer data effectively to create great customer experiences

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:40:18 -0500

Article first published on bizcommunity.com on 25 November 2021, written by Paula Sartini

Customer privacy is a term that we are all too familiar with, as regulations such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have come into effect to protect customer data.

However, checking boxes to ensure that you are meeting the requirements of these acts is not going to win over your customers or help you to establish connections. It could also negatively affect the customer experience and damage trust.

While customers seek tailored and personalised experiences that delight, often these experiences feel generic and do not deliver the desired response from customers. This is partly because companies have got stuck in the data, using information such as birthdays to remind customers that we know you and we are thinking about you, but instead, this reminds them that you are watching them.

To create delightful customer experiences today, companies need digital transformation to gather customer information, create unique experiences, drive personalisation and build trust and need to move away from spying on customers to rather engaging with customers.

We are watching you

As customers continue to use online platforms for searching for information, shopping, engaging friends and family on social channels, and connecting to the brands they love, companies are inundated with an abundance of data on purchase history, search history, engagement history and more.

This information may be useful to determine what your customers like and possibly gives you enough information to provide targeted deals and information about the product ranges they have browsed online. But this does not delight your customer and it may even have an adverse effect and lead to negative responses. While some theories state that customers may respond differently depending on where they are in the customer journey, many customers believe that just because you have their information, it does not give you the right to use it.

Rather than adding to the customer experience, many of the interactions from companies remind customers that they are being watched and while they may have provided you with their details as a trade-off for something that they wanted from you, they do not necessarily want to be bombarded with information or spammed with offers.

Company-centric data

According to new research, how companies use customer data is becoming more important to the customer experience. However, many companies are using a mix of customer data that has been collected either via on your own platforms known as first-party data, second-party data whereby companies use other company’s first-party data, and third-party data, which may have been purchased from another source unrelated to the company.

While collecting data from cookies or observing purchasing habits has been a quick and easy way for companies to collect customer data over the past few years, this company-centric approach has a rebound effect on the customer relationship and delivers a lower return on investment.

Based on this, companies need to find new ways to gather customer data that are privacy-friendly and gathered first hand. This move from tracking customer behaviour to engaging customers also allows for companies to establish deeper relationships with their customers and build trust.

Customer-centric data

After years of tracking customer behaviour, it could be a daunting process for companies to discover new ways to gather customer data but according to Forrester there is a way to gather data straight from the customer. This approach, which they have coined Zero-Party Data, entails asking customers directly about their context or needs.

Based on this approach, customers intentionally and proactively share data with a brand, helping companies to gain insight into customer’s preferences, purchasing intentions, personal context and how they want brands to engage with them.

This aligns with Justice Theory which adopts three pillars. First, customers will give data to companies based on what they will get for the data and if they foresee a fair outcome, this is known as Distributive Justice. Next, is Procedural Justice, customers are concerned about how the process of data is handled and how well they were treated post-purchase. Finally, Interactional Justice is about the elements of the interaction from the tone of voice and use of language.

By gaining valuable insight and data about customers, companies can engage customers more meaningfully, improve customer expectations and build trust throughout the buyer’s journey. Zero-party data can also be used to tailor personalised experiences, creating experiences of one that are authentic and delight customers.

Customers know what they want

For companies wanting to embrace the customer-centric approach to gathering quality data without infringing on customer privacy, the zero-party data strategy enables companies to gain the information they want in a manner customers are willing to provide to improve customer experiences.

There are several mechanisms available to do this, though companies should not bombard customers with requests for information or overwhelm them with questions. Rather, gathering customer data should be a seamless part of engaging customers and gathering the information that you need to improve the customer experience.

To gather this data, companies would benefit from using tools that are easily available to each employee and gain feedback as part of the customer engagement. For example, incorporating email surveys into customers’ correspondence can help to gather valuable insight into what the customer’s expectations are of the brand and how they want brands to interact with them.

Email surveys can be done quickly and easily using a solution that allows companies to incorporate email surveys as part of the email signature. These surveys are built and hosted within the BrandQuantum platform to allow for complete data integrity and security.

Although many companies are waiting for a magic bullet solution to customer experiences, when it comes down to experiences, it is about really listening to your customer and allowing them to tell you what they want.

MODERN MARKETING | Companies Need To Engage With Customers Rather Than Spy On Them

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:33:33 -0500

Article first published on Modern Marketing on 25 November 2021, written by Paula Sartini

Paula Sartini, founder and CEO at BrandQuantum, discusses how to gather customer data effectively to create great customer experiences.

Customer privacy is a term that we are all too familiar with, as regulations such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have come into effect to protect customer data. However, checking boxes to ensure that you are meeting the requirements of these acts is not going to win over your customers or help you to establish connections. It could also negatively affect the customer experience and damage trust.

While customers seek tailored and personalised experiences that delight, often these experiences feel generic and do not deliver the desired response from customers. This is partly because companies have got stuck in the data, using information such as birthdays to remind customers that ‘we know you and we are thinking about you’, but instead, this reminds them that you are watching them.

This information may be useful to determine what your customers like and possibly gives you enough information to provide targeted deals and information about the product ranges they have browsed online. But this does not delight your customer and it may even have the adverse effect and lead to negative responses. While some theories state that customers may respond differently depending on where they are in the customer journey, many customers believe that just because you have their information, it does not give you the right to use it.

After years of tracking customer behaviour, it could be a daunting process for companies to discover new ways to gather customer data but according to Forrester, there is a way to gather data straight from the customer. This approach, which they have coined Zero-Party Data, entails asking customers directly about their context or needs.

To gather this data, companies would benefit from using tools that are easily available to each employee and gain feedback as part of the customer engagement. For example, incorporating email surveys into customer’s correspondence can help to gather valuable insight into what the customer’s expectations are of the brand and how they want brands to interact with them.

THE MEDIA ONLINE | Creating great customer experiences means using data effectively

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:26:24 -0500

Article first published on themediaonline on 29 November 2021, written by Paula Sartini

While customers seek tailored and personalised experiences that delight, often these experiences feel generic and do not deliver the desired response. This is partly because companies have got stuck in the data, using information such as birthdays to remind customers that we know you and we are thinking about you, but instead, this reminds them that you are watching them.

We are watching you

This information may be useful to determine what your customers like and possibly gives you enough information to provide targeted deals and information about the product ranges they have browsed online. But this does not delight your customer and it may even have the adverse effect and lead to negative responses. While some theories state that customers may respond differently depending on where they are in the customer journey, many customers believe that just because you have their information, it does not give you the right to use it.

Company-centric data

After years of tracking customer behaviour, it could be a daunting process for companies to discover new ways to gather customer data but according to Forrester[2] there is a way to gather data straight from the customer. This approach, which they have coined Zero-Party Data, entails asking customers directly about their context or needs.

Customers know what they want

To gather this data, companies would benefit from using tools that are easily available to each employee and gain feedback as part of the customer engagement. For example, incorporating email surveys into customer’s correspondence can help to gather valuable insight into what the customer’s expectations are of the brand and how they want brands to interact with them.

Email surveys can be done quickly and easily using a solution like BrandQuantum’s email offering, BrandMail, which allows companies to incorporate email surveys as part of the email signature. These surveys are built and hosted within the BrandQuantum platform to allow for complete data integrity and security.

LEADER.CO.ZA | Gathering customer data effectively to create great CX

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 05:33:10 -0500

Article first published on Leader.co.za on 29 November 2021, written by Paula Sartini

Customer privacy is a term we have become all too familiar with as the Protection of Personal Information Act and the General Data Protection Regulation have come into effect. However, checking boxes to ensure that you are meeting the demands of such laws is not going to win over your customers or help you to establish connections. It could also negatively affect the customer experience and damage trust.

While customers look for tailored and personalised experiences that delight, their experiences often feel generic and don’t deliver the desired response. This is partly because companies have got stuck in the data, using information like birthdays to remind customers: “We know you and are thinking about you”. However, instead, these reminders show people that you are watching them.

To create delightful customer experiences, companies need digital transformation so that they can gather information, drive personalisation and build trust. It’s about moving away from spying on customers towards rather engaging with them.

We’re watching you

As customers continue to use online platforms to search for information, shop and engage friends and family on social channels, and as they connect to the brands they love, companies are inundated with an abundance of data about purchase history, search history, engagement history and more.

This information may be useful to determine what your customers like, and possibly gives you enough information to provide targeted deals and knowledge of the product ranges they have browsed online. But it doesn’t delight your customers; it may even have the opposite effect and lead to negative responses. While some theories state that customers may respond differently depending on where they are in the customer journey, many customers believe that the fact that you have their information does not give you the right to use it.

Rather than adding to the customer experience, many of the interactions from companies remind customers that they are being watched. And while people may have provided you with their details as a trade-off for something that they wanted from you, they don’t necessarily want to be bombarded with information or spammed with offers.

Company-centric data

According to new research, how companies use customer data is becoming more important to the customer experience. However, many companies are using a mix of customer data. This can be collected from businesses’ own platforms (first-party data) from other companies’ first-party data (second-party data) and from data that may have been purchased from a source unrelated to the company (third-party data).

While collecting data from cookies or observing purchasing habits has been a quick and easy way for companies over the past few years, this company-centric approach has a rebound effect on the customer relationship and delivers a lower return on investment.

Based on this, companies need to find new privacy-friendly ways to gather customer data first hand. This move from tracking customer behaviour to engaging people also allows companies to establish deeper relationships with their customers and build trust.

Customer-centric data

After years of tracking customer behaviour, it could be a daunting process for companies to discover new methods of gathering data. However, according to Forrester there is a way to do it straight from the customer. Forrester calls it zero-party data, and it requires asking people directly about their contexts or needs.

In this approach, customers intentionally and proactively share data with a brand. This helps companies gain insight into people’s preferences, purchasing intentions and personal context, and enables them to get information about how customers want brands to engage with them.

This aligns with justice theory, which adopts three pillars. First, customers will give data to companies based on what they will get for the data, and if they foresee a fair outcome. This is known as distributive justice. Next is procedural justice, when customers are concerned about how the process of data is handled and how well they are treated after the purchase. Finally, interactional justice is about the elements of the interaction: the tone of voice and use of language.

By gaining valuable insight and data about customers, companies can engage them more meaningfully, improve their expectations and build trust throughout buyers’ journeys. Zero-party data can also be used to tailor personalised experiences that are authentic and delight customers.

Customers know what they want

For companies wanting to embrace the customer-centric approach to gathering quality data without infringing on customer privacy, the zero-party data strategy is the way. It enables businesses to gain the information they want in a way people are willing to provide it in order to improve customer experiences.

There are several mechanisms available for this, though companies should not bombard customers with requests for information or overwhelm them with questions. Rather, gathering customer data should be a seamless part of engaging clients.

To gather this data, companies would benefit from using tools that are easily available to each employee. For example, incorporating e-mail surveys into customers’ correspondence can help businesses gather valuable insight into what people’s expectations are of the brand and how they want the brand to interact with them.

Though many companies are waiting for a magic-bullet solution, it is about really listening to your customers and allowing them to tell you what they want you to know.

THE CUSTOMER.NET | Upskilling & Upscaling Your Martech Stack

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 07:08:38 -0500

Article first published on thecustomer.net on 14 September 2021, written by Paula Sartini

Marketing technology (martech) is growing in popularity, and there is no shortage of statistics to support the benefits that technology can bring to the marketing arena. However, while many software offerings and tools tout to help marketing teams achieve their goals and objectives, they can also add to the complexity of the day-to-day. To start, there are more than 8,000 martech offerings available on offer for marketers to choose from.

All of this choice can be a daunting and even complex task. Particularly as there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Each offering provides a solution to meet a specific need and not knowing what you need can cost money without the benefits. This is further challenged by the need to implement solutions that will meet customer’s changing needs and expectations.

It is for this reason that marketers are looking to add more tools to the martech stack as they try to keep up with the changing martech landscape. This is supported by the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) and BDO research which found that 76% of marketers want to add more tools to their marketing stack. However, before marketers add more tools to their stack, they need to reassess their needs and then implement a solution that will help them achieve their objectives.

The challenge of upskilling

Before selecting a martech solution, marketers need to understand what the upskilling requirements will be to be able to use the solution.

While automation, for example, is believed to free up employee time so that they can focus on pressing matters and strategies, many solutions can add to the complexity of the task, particularly if it requires time to learn how to use the solution, understand the data and keep the technology up to date.

For technology to be effective and make a difference, it needs to be easy to use and seamlessly integrate into the solutions users are accustomed to using daily. Many technologies require an upfront time investment in learning how to use the solution and to train other staff on how to use the solution. This can add extra pressure on teams as they focus time and energy on learning how to use the technology and keeping up to date on new updates and changes to the technology which can detracts from workloads.

The challenge of over automation

Automation can help to minimise time spent on repetitive tasks, engage customers via bots, keep customers updated on news and product offerings via email campaigns and more. It is for this reason that 63% of marketers plan to increase their marketing automation budget in the next year. However, as consumer behaviour and sentiment can change, messaging must be authentic and relevant and marketers cannot rely solely on automation to get it right.

Marketers need to manage the process of personalised engagement to ensure that customers are not being inundated with irrelevant messaging and campaigns but rather, are receiving the right message at the right time. This process requires human intervention, creativity and technology to work together to create the right results.

The challenge of changing customer expectations

As the marketing landscape changes and new technologies are introduced to meet changing customer’s needs, marketers must remember the core of marketing which is about building relationships with the audience. This must be the key factor driving technology purchasing decisions as marketers seek to free up time to pay attention to building relationships with customers.

Building relationships with customers continues to be about focusing on the human touch and emotional connection rather than the products or solutions your company sells. Technology cannot create these connections with your customers, but it can empower companies to make their customers feel special by freeing up staff to provide the human touch by engaging with customers and using data wisely to inform them of relevant offers that they would be interested in.

BUSINESS BRIEF | The challenge of martech and automation

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 06:56:19 -0500

Article first published on bbrief.co.za on 30 September 2021, written by Paula Sartini

The challenge of upskilling

Before selecting a martech solution, marketers need to understand what the upskilling requirements will be to be able to use the solution.

The challenge of over automation

The challenge of changing customer expectations

BLOG | The challenge of martech and automation

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:58:14 -0500

To start, there are more than 8 000 martech offerings available on offer for marketers to choose from. All of this choice can be a daunting and even complex task. Particularly as there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Each offering provides a solution to meet a specific need and not knowing what you need can cost money without the benefits. This is further challenged by the need to implement solutions that will meet customer’s changing needs and expectations.

The challenge of upskilling

Before selecting a martech solution, marketers need to understand what the upskilling requirements will be to be able to use the solution. While automation, for example, is believed to free up employee time so that they can focus on pressing matters and strategies, many solutions can add to the complexity of the task, particularly if it requires time to learn how to use the solution, understand the data and keep the technology up to date.

The challenge of over automation

Automation can help to minimise time spent on repetitive tasks, engage customers via bots, keep customers updated on news and product offerings via email campaigns and more. It is for this reason that 63% of marketers plan to increase their marketing automation budget in the next year. However, as consumer behaviour and sentiment can change, messaging must be authentic and relevant, and marketers cannot rely solely on automation to get it right. However, as consumer behaviour and sentiment can change, messaging must be authentic and relevant, and marketers cannot rely solely on automation to get it right.

Marketing is about providing great value at every customer touchpoint and email campaigns and customer engagement needs to manage the process, it cannot be outsourced to an automation solution to understand your customer’s needs. Marketers need to manage the process of personalised engagement to ensure that customers are not being inundated with irrelevant messaging and campaigns but rather, are receiving the right message at the right time. This process requires human intervention, creativity, and technology to work together to create the right results.

The challenge of changing customer expectations

While there are a lot of innovative technology solutions available to marketers today, before feeling pressured into using solutions for the sake of using them, marketers need to go back to their roots. They need to have a great strategy, know their customers and understand how to establish emotional connections with their customers. Once they have this in place, the technologies implemented should help them to achieve this by freeing up time to enhance customer interactions and focusing on the marketing strategy.