Using email to demonstrate what you do… for customers

The clients
smartFOCUS is a global supplier of software solutions designed specifically for marketers. In 2006 the company acquired Email Reaction, one of the UK’s leading digital messaging platforms. CDA were already working for Email Reaction and smartFOCUS asked us to create email communications for the parent company.

The challenge
The parent company has a suite of offerings including data analytics and modelling, campaign management; on’ and offline campaign integration. Critically smartFOCUS enables marketers to interrogate and utilise data in a fast, effective way, without the traditional reliance on out-of-department resources.  

Email Reaction offers a marketer-friendly email delivery platform, as well as RSS and SMS capability, microsite creation and support services.

But the sophisticated nature of both companies’ technologies can ‘get in the way’ of more practical messages to marketers about why they should choose these systems (their usefulness).

What CDA did
CDA focussed on this ‘usefulness’ and created an e-communication rationale. This includes regular e-newsletters for both companies – Gauge for Email Reaction and lens for smartFOCUS.

These offer readers marketing/sales campaign ideas and insights. The broad editorial content underpins and cross-sells the benefits of the Email Reaction and smartFOCUS systems, without using ‘push’ sales messaging or a too-technical vocabulary.

CDA also works with smartFOCUS and Email Reaction on email campaigns, designed to show off their separate and combined skills. This involves the use of data segmentation across a number of variables and creating conditional content (to be seen by some but not all recipients).

Other projects have involved competitor benchmarking, working with both businesses on customer acquisition and speaking about content at customer and prospect seminars.

This approach also allows smartFOCUS and Email Reaction to demonstrate their wider understanding of the marketers’ role, creating empathy and casting a ‘longer industry shadow’ as thought leaders.

What smartFOCUS say about us
“smartFOCUS needed to work with a supplier who understood the industry and took the pain out of content creation and implementation. Because we’re marketing to marketers we always have to demonstrate best practice. CDA provide project management and an execution mechanism that allows us to get on with our day jobs. CDA’s expert knowledge on ‘From’ fields and Subject lines has certainly helped increase our open rates. Projects are consistently delivered to a high standard, on time.”
Claire Thatcher, senior marketing manager, smartFOCUS

What we learnt from the project
“Email is a personal communication. Push sales messaging does not work well in email because it comes across as too intrusive in a personal space. Companies who use email effectively show recipients that they understand their needs and are addressing them.”
Anne Caborn, CDA

Visit smartFOCUS
Visit Email Reaction

« Back to case studies

We’d love to talk to you about how we can help turn your website into a conversation platform.

Contact us to discuss your project

Quick links

Web & email content analysis
In-house web copywriting workshops
Content strategies
Style guides
Online language of brand
Editing & website copy