videos Archives

Marketing and Transactional Emails: How to Leverage Both [VIDEO]

April 24, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

The inbox is a crowded place.

An office employee gets 121 emails each day.
Half of incoming mails are spam.
Only 38% of emails in the inbox are useful.

How do you make your emails rise above the noise?

First, here’s what’s inside a typical inbox:

It’s clear that to engage recipients,
you need the right mix of marketing and transactional emails.

While these two types of emails serve different uses,
combining both can boost marketing results through:

More ways to connect with prospects and customers
Deeper insight into prospect’s interest and intent
Extra opportunities for conversion

Here’s how to integrate marketing and transactional emails:

#1 Understand the difference

Marketing emails nurture leads, promote offers, and make a sale.
Transactional emails are sent to complete a process
Marketing emails include: cold emails, newsletters, event invites,, promos, etc.
Transactional emails include: welcome emails, order confirmations, account updates, etc.

#2 Know what rules apply

Marketing emails must comply with applicable laws like the CAN-SPAM Act, CASL, GDPR, etc.
Transactional emails are mostly exempt from these legal standards.
For example, marketing emails require a valid postal address, but transactional emails don’t’.

#3 Separate them properly

Gmail suggests sending emails separately by purpose for better deliverability.
Use different sending IP addresses for each type.
Avoid using the same domain for marketing and transactional emails.

#4 Let the two types complement each other

Transactional emails typically fetch better engagement rates. Use them to:

Ask recipients to sign up for your newsletter and other marketing emails
Get referrals and recommendations
Carry out surveys and gather feedback
Point recipients to relevant resources like whitepapers, guides, webinars, etc.

Now, it’s time to improve your email results.
Leverage both marketing and transactional emails into your mix.

4 Sales Call Rapport-Building Techniques That AI Can’t Yet Do [VIDEO]

April 12, 2018/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

By 2050, machines will take over half of all jobs.

… and telemarketers will be the first ones to go.

An Oxford study says

there’s a 99% chance
AI will replace human telemarketers soon.

But until AI learns how to build genuine rapport,

sales calls will remain a person-to-person interaction.

That’s because there are four building blocks of rapport

that only we humans can do for now.

#1 Listening and Empathy

Talking about oneself releases feel-good chemicals in the brain.

It’s even more rewarding with a person who’s really listening.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Start with an open-ended question;

let them share a bit about themselves.

#2 Being Authentic

People do business with people they like.

No matter how well AI mimics human speech,

there’s nothing like the real thing.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Let the conversation flow naturally and show genuine interest,

but don’t overdo it.

#3 Finding Common Ground

AI knows more about your prospects than you do.

But only people can connect and find common ground in a conversation.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Bring up interesting tidbits that prospects can relate to.

Build on these points at different moments in the call.

#4 Creating Shared Experiences

The secret to building rapport is creating shared experiences.

Whether it’s defining the prospect’s problem or identifying a solution,

working together brings people closer.

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Turn sales calls into collaborative brainstorming sessions.

Use “we”, “our”, and “us” in the conversation.

Rapport is a two-way connection between people.

It’s going to stay that way unless machines master these four skills.

How to Handle Early Sales Objections, According to Science [VIDEO]

March 14, 2018/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

Objection: “Just send me some info…”

How to Respond:

“Sure, I want to make sure I send the right info. Tell me more about…”

Why it Works:

This uses the ‘Context Effect’ in psychology.
The context surrounding an event affects how it’s perceived.

Objection: “We already work with your competitor.”

How to Respond:

“That’s great. What results are you getting?”

Why it Works:

This response reverses the direction of change.
It’s the best way to overcome status quo bias.

Objection: “Call me back in 6 months…”

How to Respond:

“What are your company’s other priorities right now?”

Why it Works:

Prioritizing activities is better than time management.
Best-selling author Rory Vaden shows this approach defeats procrastination.

Objection: “We don’t have any budget right now.”

How to Respond:

“That’s okay. I’m not calling to sell you anything today.
But if I could ask you about…”

Why it Works:

This response shows empathy.
Harvard neuroscience research finds that trust depends on empathy.

Try these tactics out for yourself
…and take the conversation to the next level.

5 Email Opening Tips to Conquer Shorter Attention Spans [VIDEO]

February 27, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

Attention spans are getting shorter.
One study claims it’s shorter than a goldfish’s.

But this doesn’t mean people now have fishlike intelligence.
We simply got smarter at spending our attention.

That’s the key to getting your emails opened and read.
You have to show they’re worth people’s attention
… and you only have 8 seconds to do this.

Follow these proven tips to make each crucial second count.

#1 Figure out the best sending schedule

Send times affect email engagement rates.

Research shows mid-morning on weekdays work best.

Tweak your send times based on your own campaign and audience.

#2 Spend extra effort crafting your subject line

47% of recipients open emails based on subject lines alone.

Good subject lines use recipients’ curiosity and self-interest.

Come up with 2 to 3 subject line ideas and test each one.

#3 Avoid starting with “Hi, my name is…”

Opening lines affect whether your emails get read.

Your email won’t be worth reading if it starts off by talking about you.

Hook your prospects by making the opening about them.

#4 Show that you really did your homework

Personalized emails fetch 29% more opens and 41% higher CTRs than generic emails.

But deeper personalization improves conversion by up to 360%.

Open by mentioning a recent trigger event or a shared background.

#5 Pay attention to layout and formatting

Recipients spend only 5 seconds scanning an email.

In one glance, your prospect should know what the message is about.

Break the body into smaller chunks and make key items stand out.

But as attention spans continue to dwindle,
this is the best way to email prospects:

Seek respect, not attention.
It lasts longer.
–Z. Abdelnour

How to Make Sure Your Cold Emails Make it to the Inbox [VIDEO]

February 16, 2018/in Email Marketing /by Katrina Chua

1 in 5 commercial emails sent never reaches the inbox.

6% end up in the spam folder
14% are blocked by ISPs entirely.

For cold emails, inbox placement becomes even more challenging.

That’s because…

You don’t have a relationship with your recipient yet.
You’re sending unsolicited messages.

But this doesn’t mean cold emails are spam.

That’s why they belong to the inbox, not the junk folder.

Follow these steps to make sure things stay that way…

A Visual Guide to Email Marketing Analytics [INFOGRAPHIC]

40 B2B Sales Email Templates for Every Situation [Free PDF]

Step 1: Scrub your list thoroughly

Your cold outreach’s success depends on the quality of your list.

Use list cleaning tools and services to remove bad addresses
Run a double opt-in campaign, especially when using a third-party list

Step 2: Check your copy for spam triggers

Your email’s content and design can set off spam alerts in dozens of ways.

Limit your use of known spam words
Maintain a 60-40 text-to-image ratio
Link exclusively to reputable domains

Step 3: Segment and personalize your campaign

In the eyes of ISPs, there’s a fine line between non-personalized bulk emails and spam.

Add some prospect-specific snippets to your email templates
Segment your list and customize the message for each group

Step 4: Let ISPs know you’re someone they can trust

Sender authentication tools and services can help you improve deliverability.

Setup SPF, DKIM, and DMARC anti-spoofing
Sign up for sender and email certification audits

Step 5: Watch how you use your sending IP

Once your sending IP and domain get blacklisted, your emails no longer reach recipients.

Send emails in small batches each day and gradually increase the volume
Use a dedicated IP for your sending server
Keep hard bounces below 5% and spam reports below 0.1%

Remember, cold emails are not spam unless you make them that way.

4 Ways to Get Past Gatekeepers and Reach Prospects Every Time [VIDEO]

February 13, 2018/in Telemarketing /by callbox

On average, seasoned reps get past gatekeepers only 13% of the time.
For newcomers, that number goes down to 1%.

With the 4 proven sales call best practices in this video,
you’ll be able to reach prospects every time you dial.

But first, let’s understand what gatekeepers really do.

When gatekeepers screen out calls,
they’re really just doing two things:

Keeping the wrong person away from the boss
Letting the right person reach the boss

Clearly, you want to find yourself in the second scenario.

Here are 4 ways to make this happen…

#1 Get yourself referred

The top 2 reasons why executives meet with sales reps are:

Referrals from people in their companies
Referrals from trusted external sources

So, leverage your network and ask for an introduction.

#2 Connect with the prospect before calling

Avoid gatekeepers by making prospects expect your call

Send a short intro email
Ask for industry-specific advice via LinkedIn or Twitter

The point is to build a relationship well before dialing.

#3 Mention something you learned about the prospect

Show gatekeepers you’re someone who knows about the prospect

Point out a recent award, published post, or announcement by the decision-maker
Explain how your call relates to the prospect’s role

The idea is to avoid sounding like you just called out of nowhere.

#4 Stay in charge but be diplomatic

Keep in mind that the person who asks the questions controls the call

Always redirect with a question
Resist the itch to pitch

Gatekeepers don’t have the authority to approve your offer, so stay firmly in control.

Now, try these 4 ideas out on your next sales call.

How to Reach Prospects in Asia with Less Effort and 3x Results with Multi-Channel Marketing

Reach Prospects in Asia with Less Effort and 3x Results [VIDEO]

February 17, 2017/in B2B Marketing and Strategy /by Katrina Chua

Transcript:

Multi-channel marketing is a way to reach out and interact with potential customers through voice, email, social, chat, website and mobile.

Why Multi-Channel Marketing?

Companies do this type of marketing so it’ll be easier for prospects to find their product in all possible marketing channels and eventually turn them into sales-ready leads. But how can asian companies reach their prospects and get better results with Multi-Channel Marketing?

#1 Set and Focus on your end goals

Ask yourself, “What do you want to accomplish?”.

Do you want to:

Increase Targeted Traffic?
Increase Inquiries?
Increase Sales
Become an Authority?
Establish your Brand?

#2 Create Your Own Measurement Standard Before Implementing a Campaign

You won’t know how effective your campaign is unless you have set a measurable standard. Before implementing a campaign, develop and set your metrics even if you can’t decide how to measure actual results yet.

#3 Use a Tracking Tool To Monitor Your Success

Keep track of your daily or weekly progress to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.

But why do you need a tracking tool?
To know what works for your business
To increase efficiency
For higher customer retention

Check out The Three-Step Guide to Better Customer Retention in Singapore

#4 Leverage Industry Influencers

They have decades of experience and a handful of information that you can use to help you reach your goal. Follow and engage with them on their social media account/page. They have lots of followers that will surely help boost awareness for your brand and eventually — gain you leads.

#5 Develop Good Customer Relationship

Building relationship with your customers will help you achieve customer satisfaction.

Why customer satisfaction is important?

It shows if your products or services meet the customer’s expectation.

It provides companies with metrics to manage and improve their business.
It earns customer’s loyalty and word of mouth marketing.

So to truly get the word out to prospects with less effort on your marketing strategies, don’t just rely on a single channel. Instead, reach your Asian prospects and get 3x results with these multi-channel marketing techniques.

The Secrets to Increase your Database with Qualified Contacts [VIDEO]

November 23, 2016/in Data Cleaning and Verification /by Katrina Chua

Video Transcript:

You called Shengya Company today but a nice robotic voice on the other line said…

“The number you called is now disconnected.”

“Disconnected huh! How can that be uncontactable, this is the same database I used two years ago!”

Savvy Marketer: Wait, did you just say two years? Hey, that’s a lifetime of wasted time and effort on dead contacts.

Did you know that 35% of business data becomes obsolete every year? And if you’ve been using the same database a year or more ago, you’re more likely to be calling invalid or the worse, dead contacts.

Get your database some life man!

Let me share with you some secrets on how to increase your database with qualified contacts.

Run a customer profiling campaign!

If you’re not equipped to do the job, outsource an expert who has thought processes and tools to do the following jobs on your behalf.

Verification of Data
Data Scrubbing
Deduplication
Database Management

Here’s How to Get Targeted List in Singapore with the Help of an Outsourced Lead Gen Company

Caller: “Are these four different from one another? Can I just pick one process instead?”

Savvy Marketer: Different, yes, but they are linking processes that work as one. Take a look at how it’s done.

First

Your service provider will send Initial Email copies to their email addresses to test the accuracy level of your database. “Delivered” emails, which return replies and show actions signify the activeness of the contacts.

Second

Data Verification: they telephone the contacts to verify all details like, business name, contact name, business address, phone numbers, emails, social media accounts and other important information.

Third

Data Scrubbing: missing details and goneaways are replaced.

Fourth

Deduplication: duplicates are deleted to give room for fresh, active contacts.

Fifth

Database Management:

Remember to keep your database well-managed, updated and fully locked and loaded with qualified contacts. Once that’s done, you’ll discover embedded knowledge that would result to a productive, successful campaign.

Caller: “Will I get someone to answer my call if I follow your tips?”

Savvy Marketer: Go on and call.

“Hi, thank you for calling Shengya Company, this is Mulan how may I help you”

Pissed-off Prospects in Telemarketing? Here’s How to Make It Up to Them

September 22, 2016/in Telemarketing /by Katrina Chua

A salesperson or not, we all make mistakes. Unfortunately, when you mess up in sales (even if it’s unintentional) it will affect the entire business reputation. If you relay a wrong message to a prospect, it can cause blunders such as false promises and unsatisfactory results which can potentially damage trust and might lead to lost sales opportunities.

Here are 5 phrases to make it up with them and recover from a damaged deal.

#1: “I’m sorry”

Regardless if the mistake is unintentional or wasn’t really your fault, the relationship you’re trying to build between you and your prospect has gone wrong. Apologize and express a feeling of regret for the damaged done. Tip: Be quiet and Listen

Our first reaction when we make a mistake is to explain and make excuses. But in sales, the best thing to do when you have an irate prospect is to be quiet (especially if you’re the reason why they’re pissed off in the first place). Let them vent out their frustrations and make them feel that they are heard. It will somehow lighten up the situation. Here’s Why Listening is an Important Component in Telemarketing

#2: “I take full accountability for …”

If the mistake was your fault, make sure to take full responsibility for it. Don’t try to talk yourself out and make excuses. Be upfront and admit your mistakes.

#3: “I understand how you feel.”

Empathize and acknowledge your prospect’s feelings without annoying him more. Use this statement to open up a positive conversation with your prospect and dig in deeper into the issue.

#4: “How can I help and fix this?”

Every conflict needs a resolution. Fixing the problem helps maintain your credibility and a good relationship between you and your prospect. If you promise something to your prospect and not able to commit t your words, do whatever it takes to help and fix the issue to keep the relationship healthy.

A mistake doesn’t mean it’s the end of the deal, but if you have handled it in the wrong way, you may lose the sale and your customer’s loyalty. Use these phrases when dealing with irate prospects to make everything right.

Email Marketing Series: How to Make your Emails Impossible to Ignore [Video]

September 6, 2016/in Email Marketing /by Rebecca Matias

Whether you admit it or not, email marketing is still one of the most reliable marketing channels in terms of lead generation. That speaks volumes, because the fact that it is permission-based should make it more of a challenge getting them opened, the same way that it is a challenge for marketing minds to craft emails that get opened or get leads to convert. The point is, email marketing works. You just have to know how to make it work for you.

I’m sure there was a time when, upon opening and reading an email, you said to yourself, “What kind of trash is this?” or “I could have made a better email myself.” or something along those lines.

Believe me, I know how you feel.

I’ve been in this industry long enough to have used all sorts of marketing channels — email marketing included — yet, there’s never a day that I don’t learn something new. Take email marketing for instance. New concepts crop up literally daily, but the fundamentals remain almost the same.

In this video series, you’ll learn not only the fundamentals, but also some valuable tips and tricks that would improve the chances of your emails getting opened – from ensuring they’re mobile-friendly to making sure they’re as personal as possible. This video series is not a panacea for your email marketing ills, but if you use them, I’m pretty sure you’ll see some positive changes.

Really, I am one with you in your quest to never having an unopened email again.

Episode 1: It’s All about Mobile
Episode 2: It Pays to Personalize your Message
Episode 3: Use a Catchy Subject Line
Episode 4: Cut the Chase

Episode 1: It’s All about Mobile

Mobile Marketing isn’t the future — it’s the present. And if you’re not exerting a significant effort in your mobile marketing, you’re already lagging behind the competition. This also applies in email marketing. In this episode, you’ll understand why it’s important to optimize your emails for mobile usage, and learn some tricks that’d come in handy along the way.

Episode 2: It Pays to Personalize your Message

Unless it’s from the state lottery department and it begins with “Congratulations!”, rare is the email that leaves an indelible mark in our busy daily lives. That’s because emails are not exactly the most personal means of communication. But it also doesn’t mean you should just be contented in sending run-of- the-mill messages that convey zero emotion or sincerity or both.

Pro tip: The more personal your emails are, the better the chances of them getting opened, and ultimately, getting a positive response. Here’s how to craft emails that would make the guys at Hallmark blush.

Episode 3: Use a Catchy Subject Line

Books have synopses, movies have trailers, even sporting events have game previews where the protagonists tell the viewers what to expect come game time. Some, like boxing and MMA, make it even more interesting by making the fighters talk trash to each other, get into each other’s nerves and exchange blows even before the bell. That’s creating hype, that’s how tickets are sold, and that’s partly how fighters earn eight digits in less than a hour.

Similarly, that’s what should be done when writing an email. If you can sell it — meaning, make it interesting enough for the reader to open it and read the contents — just by the subject line alone, you should be inducted in the marketing gods hall of fame. See your ticket below.

Episode 4: Cut the Chase

Everybody is so busy these days we all need to be direct and straightforward. Most, if not all would agree if I said getting straight to the point works for most situations — in courtship, firing an inefficient staff, and even when doctors tell their patient their prognoses. I mean, I like details but unless it’s a really nice book or a series, I prefer knowing the meat of the matter ASAP.

Same is true with emails. Save the preamble for your novel. Just cut to the chase and tell the prospect what’s it about. Here’s why.

Rebound After a Horrible Sales Call [Video]

September 5, 2016/in Telemarketing /by jayden

How fast can you bounce back when you can’t find the right words to say during a sales call?

A bad sales call can turn into a nightmare and ruin a potential sale. You must know how to take proper precautions to be able to recover. Let’s admit it. Everyone will experience having a bad day regardless how good you are in what you’re doing. Don’t let it ruin your day! Instead, learn from it and move on. Bad experiences along the way can be turned into a positive learning.

Video transcript:

Just got off the phone with a prospect, and it didn’t quite go well? It’s okay to feel bad. Afterall, nobody wants to screw up at work.

But how do you get yourself back and recover from a shitty sales calls?

Get some distance

Get up and step away from your desk.

Take a 10 minute break.
Get a coffee.
Go outside and take some fresh air.

Reflect on what went wrong

Turn bad sales call into an opportunity

What could I have said better?
Could I have handled the situation differently?
How could I have responded?

Everyone can commit mistakes once in awhile. What matters is what you did after to recover. Be positive and turn it into a learning opportunity. Don’t let it affect your future performance.

What makes an effective Lead Nurturing Program [VIDEO]

AskCallbox: What makes an effective lead nurturing program?

May 30, 2016/in Ask Callbox /by Christian Jagorin

I can drown you with numbers from a dozen sources that prove how important lead nurturing is in the marketing process, but I choose not to. Let me give you a sprinkling of the juicy tidbits, though, as compiled by Ellen Gomez for Convince and Convert:

79% of marketing leads never convert to sales. Lack of lead nurturing is the common cause for poor performance (MarketingSherpa)
Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at a 33% lower cost (Marketo)
Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads (The Annuitas Group)

Very clearly, lead nurturing is an effective marketing tool to transform what were merely leads in the ToFu to paying customers in the BoFu. I will let you in on a secret: everybody can use lead nurturing to their advantage, and that includes you.

I know you’re excited, but before you begin any lead nurturing program, you need to clearly define goals so you know what is considered “success”. We all know there’s always that “everything depends on perspective” thing. A 100% increase in converts may spell success for you, but to others, it may mean nothing. See, without clear objectives of what you are trying to accomplish with your lead nurturing campaigns, you will never know if you’re seeing success or not. Now think of a concrete and measurable goal. You can even write it down.

The Four E’s of an Effective Lead Nurturing Program

Now, here’s what we’re going to do to realize those goals.

Establish

Build a good list of prospects, (operative word: good) from which you define buyer personas and do progressive profiling. Everything, and I mean everything, starts with a good-to-great prospects list. If you can tell yourself you have a pretty decent list, throw it away. You need at least a good one, or else everything that follows will be exercise in futility.

From the list, you have to understand who it is you’re trying to reach. It will provide you with a tremendous marketing and sales advantage. Creating buyer profiles takes time, but once completed, they focus and leverage your efforts. You simply cannot have a consistently effective nurturing program without clearly defined prospect profiles.

Get updated and targeted business list of your target market!

Educate

Create awareness, inform them about the product, and teach them how to make better decisions by creating relevant, timely, and useful content. In creating the content, make sure you:

Know your audience very well
Consider the buyer’s journey
Set a conversational tone
Keep it simple (or short and sweet)
Personalize your content

Engage

If you have already mapped out the number of touch points you need and determined which channels to use – it could be email or phone or social media or all of them – you’re ready to engage them.

Helpful Stastistics: 5 Social Media Trends for Businesses in 2016

After sending the initial information about the products or services, you can follow-up by phone. By now, you should have already been able determine if the target decision makers are receptive or not. If they aren’t, you can try and reach out to them via social media. They have to be reachable somewhere; it’s your job to cover all bases and figure out where that is. And remember, key to engaging your prospects is not just giving them any old marketing bit you have prepared, a brochure or a link – it has to be relevant to them and their business, and you must give them that information in a timely manner – at a point when they need it and are actively looking for it, not before, not after.

Earn

Win them over with a final push! Sometimes, all it takes is a little nudge to make the prospect say yes. Apply all the theories in Psychology to get that sweet yes.

Try reciprocal concession: If there is an expensive and a cheap model of a product, it’s better to advertise the expensive one first. Selling down works better than selling up. We feel more responsible and satisfied after agreeing to a concession. We think we have brought that change.

Use social proof: We view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.
The more number of people doing it, the more the rule works into making us believe that the behavior is correct.
We use behavior of people (like us), to determine proper behavior for ourselves.

Mention how many people have bought the product in the past 48 hours and the prospect might just give in.

You have to understand that an effective nurturing program actively moves the prospects you’ve created through your marketing and lead generation efforts, through a complex sales development process to the point where they become paying customers. Yes, anyone can enjoy the benefits of an effective lead nurturing program. You just have to be willing to invest time and resources and patience and ingenuity. The list is quite long, really, but in the end, it’s all worth it.

Posts

#1 Understand the difference

#2 Know what rules apply

#3 Separate them properly

#4 Let the two types complement each other

Now, it’s time to improve your email results.Leverage both marketing and transactional emails into your mix.

#1 Listening and Empathy

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

#2 Being Authentic

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

#3 Finding Common Ground

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

#4 Creating Shared Experiences

How Not to Sound Like a Machine:

Objection: “Just send me some info…”

Objection: “We already work with your competitor.”

Objection: “Call me back in 6 months…”

Objection: “We don’t have any budget right now.”

#1 Figure out the best sending schedule

#2 Spend extra effort crafting your subject line

#3 Avoid starting with “Hi, my name is…”

#4 Show that you really did your homework

#5 Pay attention to layout and formatting

Step 1: Scrub your list thoroughly

Step 2: Check your copy for spam triggers

Step 3: Segment and personalize your campaign

Step 4: Let ISPs know you’re someone they can trust

Step 5: Watch how you use your sending IP

#1 Get yourself referred

#2 Connect with the prospect before calling

#3 Mention something you learned about the prospect

#4 Stay in charge but be diplomatic

#1 Set and Focus on your end goals

#2 Create Your Own Measurement Standard Before Implementing a Campaign

#3 Use a Tracking Tool To Monitor Your Success

#4 Leverage Industry Influencers

#5 Develop Good Customer Relationship

#1: “I’m sorry”

#2: “I take full accountability for …”

#3: “I understand how you feel.”

#4: “How can I help and fix this?”

Episode 1: It’s All about Mobile

Episode 2: It Pays to Personalize your Message

Episode 3: Use a Catchy Subject Line

Episode 4: Cut the Chase

The Four E’s of an Effective Lead Nurturing Program

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Contact us

Now, it’s time to improve your email results.
Leverage both marketing and transactional emails into your mix.