Ezine Supplier for OPENCities

Engage MC are pleased to have been chosen by Belfast City Council to supply email marketing services for the OPENCities project.






OPENCities is a British Council project funded by URBACT and led by Belfast City Council in collaboration with 10 partners across Europe who recognise that the arrival of large numbers of new residents can create great opportunities for innovation and progress in social, economic and cultural development.

OPENCities aims to explore how cities can attract and retain migrant populations and what initiatives cities can employ to make themselves a popular choice with international workers.

Equinox

This week we delivered our Email Marketing software to Equinox, the contemporary living store in Howard Street, Belfast. We're happy to say they got straight into it and have already sent their first campaign to announce the launch of their wedding list service.

After consultation we developed a range of formatted branded templates for their wedding and exhibition teams. Simple list management and segmentation, real time campaign measurement and user friendly interfaces are just some of the features that make in-house email marketing a gift; yes, even for technophobes!















We are very pleased to welcome Equinox on board as a client and for giving us another excuse to go shopping!

www.equinoxshop.com

Patent Attorneys Belfast

When Belfast based Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys Hanna-IP asked us to prepare and implement their search engine marketing strategy, they opened our eyes to the complex world of Intellectual Property (IP), Patents, Trademarks & Copyright and got us thinking about how Intellectual Property can be used to gain competitive advantage.

From a marketing perspective, the strategic use of IP can help businesses:

• Expand into new markets using the patented technology they already own
• Increase IP revenue streams by licensing their existing patents to third parties
• Reduce R&D costs by using foreign competitors' successful patents that do not extend to the UK & Ireland
• Protect their brand and their right to trade in new territories by registering their trade mark
• Extend their design rights to new/alternative products
• Identify design partners that may licence their successful design

From competitor analysis to design and copyright issues almost every business could benefit from an IP audit and having met Hanna IP we firmly believe that every marketing department should consider consulting a Patent & Trade Mark attorney when preparing their marketing plan.

Visit www.hannaip.com

Email Marketing Best Practice

Email Marketing has grown in leaps and bounds since the original DMA best practice guidelines were written in 2004. With more consumers online and the cost of running campaigns plummeting, email marketing is now more than ever a viable sales channel for most businesses.

Rupert Harrison, chair of the DMA Email Marketing Council’s Best Practice Hub, says:
“By adhering to our guidelines, email marketers can maximise ROI and cut through inbox ‘clutter’. Email marketing that breaches the guidelines not only brings the medium itself into disrepute but also has the potential to massively damage a brand.”

Isn't that true. DIY email marketing can produce the most horrible copy with mixed messages and unclear calls to action. Bad emails can make a company look unprofessional and have customers unsubscribing in droves. The June 2007 guidelines cover everything from data collection and hygiene to invaluable practical advice on planning and implementing the campaign. The guidelines reinforce the fact that relevant, targeted communications with processes in place to manage unsubscribes and responses get results.

Download the complete guidelines from the Direct Marketing Association website.