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Greg Zakowicz
My Reading & Podcast List

Here is my list of recent reads and podcasts I am currently enjoying. Maybe they’ll give you something new to look into and enjoy.

Read more to find what I’ve been digging into lately, including:

  • Building a Story Brand

  • The Power of Geography

  • The Greatest Beer Run Ever. A Crazy Adventure In a Crazy War

  • The Escape Artist. The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World

  • Devil in the White City. Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Keep ThemHow to Effectively Leverage The Power of Digital Marketing, PPC, & Email to Dramatically Increase Sales Engaged

Marketing a product or service today is easier than ever before in history. Using platforms like Facebook ads or Google ads, a company can market their product directly to people who perfectly fit the ideal client demographic, at a very low cost. Digital Marketing tools, Pay per Click ads, and email marketing can help a company dramatically increase sales. At the same time, many companies that just start exploring with digital marketing tools often see disappointing results.

In this interview series called “How to Effectively Leverage The Power of Digital Marketing, PPC, & Email to Dramatically Increase Sales”, we are talking to marketers, advertisers, brand consultants, & digital marketing gurus who can share practical ideas from their experience about how to effectively leverage the power of digital marketing, PPC, & email.

As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Greg Zakowicz.

The Death of the Open Rate: How Email Marketers Can Prepare for iOS 15

Email marketers at e-commerce brands use traditional reporting data such as open, click, and conversion rates to measure email campaign performance. But what happens when you suddenly take away one of those long-established data points?

Buckle up because we’re about to find out.

Apple’s announcement of its upcoming iOS 15 update, which is expected this fall, includes a feature that prevents companies from seeing whether subscribers opened their emails while using the Apple Mail app. Not everyone uses iOS or Apple's email app. But losing even partial data makes the rest unreliable for making informed marketing decisions across your email program.

SMS Marketing Examples

SMS and MMS Marketing Examples

SMS is a must-have marketing channel for ecommerce brands. The reason: everyone texts.

Ecommerce brands sent 58% more SMS sends in 2023 than the year before. Previously, the year-over-year lift was 62% in 2022, and 75% in 2021. As you can see, SMS is growing, and growing fast!

2023 SMS Marketing Statistics (promotional messages):

  • Click rate: 7.6%

  • Conversion rate: 0.13%

2023 SMS Marketing Statistics (automated messages):

  • Click rate:9.4%

  • Conversion rate: 0.28%

Interested in more? Check out the full SMS marketing statistics report.

Just here for examples of SMS marketing? Here are some SMS and MMS examples to draw inspiration from.

The Customer Journey Has Changed — Has Your Marketing?

The Customer Journey Has Changed — Has Your Marketing?

Let’s face it; the traditional linear model of the customer journey is no longer accurate. Today’s consumers shop how they want, where they want, and when they want—all while facing distraction at a moment’s notice. They are choosing how they interact with brands and on which channels they do so. They have all of the power. Who said being a marketer is easy?

3 Easy Yet Effective Ways to Create Transactional Emails

Relevant, personalized and timely transactional emails are virtually impossible to over-hype as they can generate five times more revenue than non-transactional messages. Even though these messages are some of the most highly read emails sent by retailers, because they're so common improving them is often an afterthought. However, their value shouldn't be overlooked, as each additional open holds the potential to increase engagement and generate sales.

Examples of Post-Purchase Email Marketing

Examples of Post-Purchase Email Marketing

When it comes to post-purchase email marketing, it may just be the most underutilized yet powerful email marketing tactic there is. A strategic, well-thought-out series can help increase customer retention and help build brand loyalty and advocacy. The best part of all is that these messages are automated, generating revenue while you sleep.

Creating a series of messages designed to enhance the purchase experience is something every retailer should implement.

47 Ways to Prepare Your Email Marketing and Ecommerce Store For The 2020 Holiday Season

47 Ways to Prepare Your Email Marketing and Ecommerce Store For The 2020 Holiday Season

The holiday shopping season is fast approaching there is a lot of uncertainty about what will unfold. Questions surrounding the health of the economy and what a resurgence of COVID-19 might have on the supply chain make planning for this holiday season unique. Here are 47 ways you can prepare your marketing program and e-commerce store for the holiday shopping season.

8 Ways the Retail Landscape May Change After Coronavirus

8 Ways the Retail Landscape May Change After Coronavirus

Marketers have adjusted their marketing campaigns over the recent weeks, but those will eventually revert back to normal. Retail and e-commerce, on the other hand, may be in for more permanent changes. The aftereffects of coronavirus are sure to be felt long after it’s gone, surely changing how consumers shop, interact and prioritize lifestyle choices.

In this article, I discuss 8 ways retail and services may be impacted near term and in the years to come by the coronavirus aftermath. I’ll explore topics such as:

AMA Webinar Recap: COVID-19: What It Means for E-commerce

AMA Webinar Recap: COVID-19: What It Means for E-commerce

On April 2, Omnisend hosted their first AMA (ask me anything) session on the topic of e-commerce during the COVID-19 crisis. During the session, we covered questions on a variety of topics, from how to appropriately approach your email and SMS marketing campaigns to ways to properly maneuver customer acquisition via different channels.

I was a part of a four-person expert panel with wide-ranging backgrounds where we answered questions from retailers about doing business during the crisis.

Email Marketing During COVID-19: How to Send Emails During a Crisis

Email Marketing During COVID-19: How to Send Emails During a Crisis

Marketing in a crisis, any crisis, is not easy. Marketers need to balance their human side with business needs, and knowing where that line sits is not always clear. But know this — what you do now will determine how your brand is perceived in the future.

This post by Whitney Blankenship explores the right way to approach your customers during a crisis, whether it’s COVID-19, or another future catastrophe, and how you can add value to your customers while trying to maintain your needs as a business.