Pierry Blog

John Lydgate, a 14th century poet, once wrote “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

This famous saying has been adopted numerous times and was even once adopted in a speech by Abraham Lincoln. Yes, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. But if the recent launch of the iPhone SE can teach us anything, it’s that you should be listening to all of the people all of the time.

Like in September 2014 when Apple introduced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and users were

delighted to see that they would soon have the big screens their Android counterparts had long enjoyed. And with that announcement, it seemed like Apple had listened to what their customers were telling them, and that the days of small smartphone screens were over.

Right? Wrong. Because Apple kept listening.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

You probably remember a friend, or friend of a friend, or family member who wasn’t happy to see that the iPhone design they’d enjoyed over the years would no longer be an option. That eventually they would have to upgrade to a larger phone and a larger screen, and the classic look of the iPhone we had all come to know would be gone forever.

If you knew one of these people, you probably thought they were nuts. Sure, iPhones would be larger, but who wouldn’t want a larger screen and a thinner phone? Turns out, about 13% of all iPhones sold last year had a 4-inch screen. And while 30 million phones is a drop in the bucket compared to total 231 million iPhones sold overall, it still was enough for Apple to take notice.

Something Old, Something New, Something in the Middle

The latest Apple announcement is yet another reminder that today’s consumers want choices. This is not only true from a product standpoint, but a marketing one as well. They want to choose whether or not they see ads. They want to choose to have brands communicate with them via SMS or Email. They want to choose to keep up with a brand by following them on the social media channels they’re already on.

They also want to see content that is specific to them. According to a 2015 study from Magnet and Retail TouchPoints, nearly 1 in 10 internet users said they spent significantly more with a retailer after seeing a relevant digital ad or email, while 3 in 10 said they spent at least slightly more.

By listening to your customers, and learning more about them, you’re better equipped to segment your audience and provide them with more relevant, targeted content. Whatever that means to them.

Let’s take the example of a Consumer Packaged Goods brand that sends out a monthly newsletter with recipes you can make using their products. They may find, after listening in on their audience, that some subscribers would rather see a monthly newsletter specific to their dietary restrictions, such as low fat or sugar free focused recipes. They may find others are just looking for recipes that take the shortest amount of prep time possible. And they may even find that there are a number of subscribers that are content with the status quo. They like the variety and don’t fit into a certain segment.

And if the iPhone SE has taught us anything, it’s that this can be okay.

The Final Takeaway

So, what can business owners, CEOs, and CMOs takeaway from this? Listen to your customers. Look at what they like and don’t like. Think about their pain points and don’t assume that something new and shiny will fix it. Don’t always just chase after the latest and greatest or the new trend in your industry. Remember that for some people, if it’s not broke, you don’t need to fix it.

After all, we live in a culture that is always waiting for the latest and greatest. It seems like every six months, Apple is hosting a major event to show off it’s newest innovations—most of which are designed because Apple is so good at looking to their customers and listening to what they want. Even if this means, in the case of the iPhone SE, what seems like taking a step backwards.

Of course, it’s worth recognizing that Apple’s decision to bring back the smaller design wasn’t just about listening to their customers. The costs associated with manufacturing this style of phone have decreased significantly, taking it from one of the most costly phones to make, to one of the more affordable. Therefore, even if it isn’t their top selling version, they can still be profitable. In other words, listen to your customers, but only when it makes sense for the greater good.

You see them everyday—outdated websites that you can only assume haven’t been touched by human hands in the past decade or so. We see these websites all the time and it makes us question their credibility. But for some reason, we don’t always recognize when our own organization’s website is ready for an upgrade. Maybe it’s denial. Or maybe, like many marketers, you haven’t taken the time to look at your website with an objective eye.

Could your website use a redesign? Here are ten questions to help you answer just that:

1.  Does it look good on a mobile device?

In other words, is your website responsive or mobile friendly? If your answer is no, this is a problem.

According to Google, more searches are now performed on mobile than on desktop. And this trend is more than likely to continue. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to have a website that is easy to view on any device.

Having a responsive or mobile friendly website that is easy for users to navigate will not only contribute to a more positive user experience, but is now a growing ranking factor with Google.

2.  Does it use generic/default colors?

Designers used to be somewhat limited by color usage because monitors were often limited in the colors they could properly render. Today, screens of all sizes are well-equipped to handle web-friendly fonts. If your website is still using default colors, it’s showing its age.

The use of too many colors (or colors that seem to appear without any rhyme or reason) can also be a sign of an outdated website design. Try to stick to a more neutral color palate—one that is clean and, of course, specific to your brand. Also, make sure you limit the amount of colors you use to two or three main colors, only utilizing select accent colors when absolutely necessary.

3.  Is it utilizing white space?

Older websites tend to have very crowded, busy homepages. In other words, they lack white space, those blank parts of a website that don’t contain content. Particularly in this mobile world, it’s important that the content on every page has room to breathe. This not only makes it easier on the eyes, but also allows you to deliver a clear, direct message.

And keep in mind, white space doesn’t have to be white in color. It’s just those areas on your website that remain unfilled, allowing the most important content to stand out.

4.  Is the font difficult to read?

Fonts should be easy to read (no less than 11pt regardless of the typeface) and needs to be easy to view on both mobile and desktop. Keep it clean, avoiding fonts that are extravagant or unnecessarily loopy.

You also want to limit the amount of fonts you use. While it’s not uncommon to use different fonts for headers, sub-headers and body text, you really shouldn’t be using more than three different fonts at a time.

5.  Does your website use flash?

Flash is the shag carpeting of websites and is one of the most common signs your website needs some serious renovating. The majority of mobile devices and tablets don’t support flash and it’s also terrible for search engines to scan.

Still want something animated? Today, web developers look to HTML5 to create these features as it’s supported on both desktop and mobile.

6.  Do the images remind you of 90s clip art?

Low quality, generic images not only make your website look dated, but impacts its overall credibility with visitors. While many web designers still incorporate stock photos, you want to make sure those photos are of the highest quality, and avoid cliché or overly posed images (such as one that depict someone sitting at a computer and pointing, or a business person standing with their arms crossed).

E-Commerce websites, or any website that is promoting specific products should always use real product photos that have been taken by a professional photographer.

7.  Is the branding on your website consistent with other channels?

Every year we are introduced to new channels where we can promote our brand. Ideally, you want all the assets used on each channel to be thoroughly consistent. The look and feel of everything from your social media channels, to landing pages, to printed collateral for your sales team should be a reflection of your website.

However, if your website looks and feels outdated, there’s a likelihood that you’ve begun to shift the branding on other channels. If your Facebook page feels more reflective of what you want your branding to be than your homepage, it’s time for a redesign.

8.  Was your website trendy when it was built?

Do you remember when your website was first launched? Was it all the rage then? Unless your website was built in the last year or so, there’s a good chance it already looks outdated. A website is an investment, so unless you have the budget to constantly make visual changes, you want to avoid choosing a design just because it follows the newest trend.

9.  Is your navigation intuitive?

User experience has grown in importance, particularly over the last few years. Can visitors find what they need when they come to your website? Or are they overwhelmed by the number of navigation options?

Modern websites work to keep navigations simple and clean. This means having your main navigation items at the top, removing any sidebars, and relying on clear calls to action and internal linking to help users navigate deeper into your website

10.  Can you easily update your content?

This may or may not be immediately visible to those visiting your website, but lacking the ability to easily go in and update content, or add new pages, without the help of a web developer, is another clear sign that you’re due for a redesign.

Most websites today are built using Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress. These systems make it easy for non-coders to go in and make simple updates and even post new pages, depending on how the system is built out.

There was a time when just having a website was enough to add credibility to your brand. But today, you need to have a website that is not only contextually accurate, but visually updated. So if you answered “yes” to the majority of the questions above, it’s time to have a serious discussion about redesigning your website.

Website redesigns take a lot of time and can be costly. But remember, investing in your website means investing in the credibility of your brand.

Much like LOL or BAE, TL;DR is the new abbreviated phrase taking the world by storm. Standing for “Too long; didn’t read”, this phrase not only appropriately uses a semicolon, but also provides a chillingly accurate description of how consumers feel about the various email marketing messages coming into their inboxes each day.

While technology has given marketers more opportunities than ever to reach their audience, it has also contributed to decreasing attention spans and marketing overload for consumers. Because of this, it’s important to make sure your emails are created in a way that is easy for your subscribers to digest in the shortest amount of time possible.

How do you increase email marketing engagement in this low attention span world?

Have One Driving Goal (For Every Send)

Every email you send should have one driving goal that shapes everything in the message. Maybe that goal is to inform customers of a special deal or sale and drive clicks back to your website. Or maybe that goal is to introduce a new product to your audience and drive them to a landing page for more information. 

Whatever your goal, keep it simple. A complex goal often leads to a complex message. A simple goal paves the way for a short, to the point email your readers won’t need much time to absorb.

Have One, Direct CTA (And Make it Visible)

The goal for each email you send should have a relevant, correlating call-to-action (CTA). Like your goal, you want that CTA to be clear, direct and simple. If you want a subscriber to read more about a new product you’re introducing in your email, tell them to “Read More”. If you want consumers to click over to your site to view a special sale, tell them to “Join the Sale”.

Essentially, if you want someone to do something, tell them in the CTA.And remember, clear, direct and simple doesn’t necessarily mean boring and standard. Sometimes those out-of-the-box CTAs have the biggest impact. Don’t be afraid to mix it up. Just always make sure that CTA matches your brand’s overall tone and style in both that email and as a whole.

Finally, make sure your CTA is easy to find. This may seem obvious, but many brands still believe their audience is fully reading every email they open and bury their CTA in an easily-missed link in the middle of a sentence. A clear CTA in a large, clickable button is your best bet.

Tell a Unique Story (With Words and Images)

There’s a lot of noise in the inbox. In order to get through it, you need to tell a unique story with every element of your message. It starts at the subject line and the pre-header, which together give a summary of what subscribers will find inside. These elements also begin whatever story your message wants to share.

The body of your message will continue the story, carefully using words and images to support each other and drive subscribers to your CTA.

It may be tempting to use a fully image-based message to reach your audience. However, many email clients automatically block images, so image based emails can be difficult for some subscribers to view. For both deliverability reasons and user view-ability, it’s recommended that you use a healthy balance of plain-text and images.

Use Content that Can Be Easily Scanned (Over Easily Read)

Your email content should be short and concise. In other words, your audience should be able to scan it in order to pull out the main idea—they shouldn’t have to actually read it.

In order to get your point across in the shortest amount of time possible, avoid long, lengthy descriptions and utilize short headlines and headers. Again, the goal of your email content is to get subscribers to follow your CTA, not to sell a product or service. Keep this in mind as you’re writing.

Make it Mobile-Friendly (But Don’t Forget Desktop)

Mobile is one of the largest contributors to the formation of this TL;DR mindset. As more consumers move to mobile devices as their main form of viewing email, the more brands will find themselves optimizing for mobile.

The trends don’t lie. A recent report from Movable Ink shows that 68% of emails received in 2015 were opened on a mobile device. 52% of those opens were made on smartphones.

It’s important to note, however, that desktop, while no longer the leading source for opening emails, continues to drive 53% of all conversions. For email marketers, this means insuring that the mobile to desktop user experience is seamless.

Segment Your Audience (And Speak to Their Unique Preferences)

Personalization and segmentation aren’t just buzzword—they’re a strategy for better reaching your audience by providing them with content that’s more relevant to their preferences and past behavior. 

Good, clean data is an email marketer’s best weapon against TL;DR. The more you know about your audience and their interests, the more you can shape each of your campaigns to reach them.

When information is relevant and targeted, the more attention someone is willing to give it.

Is the above setting off your TL;DR trigger? Let me break it down for you—

• The era of TL;DR isn’t likely to end anytime soon, particularly when it comes to email.

• You always want to tell a unique story with your brand, and email is a great way to do that. But keep it simple.

• If you see important email marketing metrics such as open rates and click through rates dropping, take a look at your last few campaigns and consider the following:

• How much text you’re using
• Whether or not the CTA is clear and easy to spot upon opening the message
• How your email rendered both on mobile and desktop
• Who you are sending to and how relevant that message is to them

And one final takeaway—

Both the layout of your email marketing messages and the content you provide in them will vary based on your audience and your industry. It’s important to take the time to A/B test things like CTA placement and content to learn more about what your audience responds to, and most importantly, what they don’t. Consider this strategy as you are preparing your next email campaign for a TL;DR world.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ – Pierry Software, an industry-leading marketing software integration and solutions company, today announced a strategic investment from MDC Partners and Salesforce Ventures, Salesforce’s corporate investment group. This announcement comes on the heels of Pierry Software’sJan. 4 announcement of its acquisition of C.TRAC and will enable the company to grow its capabilities and consulting services to new clients globally.

“Marketing software solutions have the potential to help companies reach, understand and engage their customers in some really innovative ways, but leveraging them to maximum advantage requires a whole new set of technical skills that many companies simply can’t afford to bring in house,” said Josh Pierry, founder and CEO of Pierry Software. “This investment by MDC and Salesforce Ventures validates our business model – a combination of software integration and best-in-class, customized consulting services – and will help us scale our Marketing as a Service (or MaaS) approach to clients globally.”

Pierry Software coined the term MaaS (Marketing as a Service) to describe the unique way it helps its clients design, develop and execute marketing software solutions that dramatically improve efficiency and impact, and increase ROI. While disparate software solutions empower marketers to reach their customers across multiple platforms, collecting valuable customer data at each touch point, it can be technically challenging to streamline the functionality and integrate the analytics across the campaigns.

Pierry’s approach leverages the Salesforce Marketing Cloud to integrate digital delivery, data, social media and e-commerce solutions to optimize marketing’s effectiveness and customer-centricity. Since its founding in 2008, the company has grown to more than 75 employees in offices across the United States and in Japan, and works with companies in all sectors.

“As CMOs quickly outspend CIOs on technology, and marketing departments increasingly own the budget for consulting and design of marketing-related software, Pierry Software augments marketing departments by utilizing the latest technologies without the need for additional employees or investment in extensive training programs,” said Michael Bassik, President of Digital Operations, MDC Partners. “We’re thrilled to partner with Salesforce Ventures to fuel the innovative team at Pierry Software.”

About Pierry Software

Ranked #21 in the “2015 Fastest Growing Companies” by the San Francisco Business Times, Pierry Software helps companies optimize their digital marketing campaigns through Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementations and consulting services. Founded in 2008 by Josh Pierry, the company quickly grew into a global preferred digital marketing partner for companies in all sectors, and now has offices in Redwood City, CA, Boulder, CO, Cleveland, OH, and Kyoto, Japan. In 2013, Josh Pierry was named Exact Target (now Salesforce Marketing Cloud) person of the year for his services in the digital marketing community, and received the 2013 Big Dreaming award.  In 2015, Pierry was awarded the “Mahalo” Partner of the Year by Salesforce Marketing Cloud for its high-quality, innovative design and development solutions. For more information about Pierry, visit www.pierryinc.com.

About MDC Partners Inc.

MDC Partners (NASDAQ: MDCA) is one of the fastest-growing and most influential marketing and communications networks in the world.  Its 50+ advertising, public relations, branding, digital, social and event marketing agencies are responsible for some of the most memorable and engaging campaigns for the world’s most respected brands.  By leveraging technology, data analytics, insights, and strategic consulting solutions, MDC Partners drives measurable results and optimizes return on marketing investment for over 1,500 clients worldwide.

As “The Place Where Great Talent Lives,” MDC Partners is known for its unique partnership model, empowering the most entrepreneurial and innovative talent to drive competitive advantage and business growth for clients.  For more information about MDC Partners and its partner firms, visit www.mdc-partners.com and follow us on Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/mdcpartners.

About Salesforce Ventures

Salesforce Ventures—Salesforce’s corporate investment group—invests in the next generation of enterprise technology to help companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Portfolio companies receive funding as well as access to the world’s largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce’s innovators and executives. With Salesforce Ventures, portfolio companies can also leverage the expertise of the Salesforce Foundation to incorporate its 1-1-1 model of integrated philanthropy to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce has invested in more than 150 enterprise cloud startups since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures.

Salesforce, Marketing Cloud and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ – Pierry Software, an industry-leading marketing software integration and solutions company, today announced it has acquired Cleveland-based C.TRAC Inc., an interactive agency specializing in digital and direct mail marketing, database management, and related support services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“With the acquisition of C.TRAC, Pierry Software now is one of largest Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementers, integrators and consultants in the world,” said Josh Pierry, founder and CEO of Pierry Software. “As more companies adopt new solutions to meet and engage their customers, we anticipate a growing opportunity for services such as ours. The talented team from C.TRAC will be a tremendous asset as we expand in the United States and globally.”

Founded in 2008 and ranked #21 in the San Francisco Business Times’ list of 2015 Fastest Growing Companies, Pierry Software helps its clients design, develop and execute marketing software solutions that dramatically improve efficiency and impact, and increase ROI. Pierry’s “MaaS” (Marketing as a Service) approach leverages the Salesforce Marketing Cloud to integrate digital delivery, data, social media and e-commerce software solutions to optimize marketing’s effectiveness and customer-centricity. Pierry Software campaigns yield impressive results: client success stories include 10x increased revenue growth in four months for one client, and 10x visitor engagement in 30 days by another.

“For Salesforce Marketing Cloud customers looking to optimize their digital marketing programs, Pierry continues to add capabilities and expertise, and build a robust portfolio of best practices focused on long-term customer success,” said Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, SVP, Partner Programs & Marketing, Salesforce. “This acquisition of C.TRAC is a great addition to Pierry’s offerings and we congratulate them on their success.”

Susan Williamson, C.TRAC’s President, will join Pierry Software as the combined entities’ COO. “Josh Pierry has built a team of exceptionally talented consultants who are transforming the way companies leverage technology to inform and optimize their marketing campaigns, and we are tremendously excited to join the team,” added Williamson.

About Pierry Software

Ranked #21 in the “2015 Fastest Growing Companies” by the San Francisco Business Times, Pierry Software helps companies optimize their digital marketing campaigns through Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementations and consulting services. Founded in 2008 by Josh Pierry, the company quickly grew into a global preferred digital marketing partner for companies in all sectors, and now has offices in Redwood City, CA, Boulder, CO, Cleveland, OH, and Kyoto, Japan. In 2013, Pierry Software was named ExactTarget (now Salesforce Marketing Cloud) Cross Channel Partner of the Year, in 2014 the Big Dreaming award, and in 2015, Pierry was given the Salesforce Marketing Cloud “Maholo” award for its high-quality, innovative design and development solutions.

Salesforce, Marketing Cloud  and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, Inc.