When you click Reports in your account, the menu will drop-down with some options.  There are some preset reports that are commonly used, but you can create your own by click Custom Reports

From that page you’ll see the different Metrics you can choose as your main data points.  These are: Sent, Opens, Clicks.

Then choose the Dimension and where applicable a more specific dimension that you would like to use to view the data.  Then click View Report.

The report will load below where you can either flip through pages, or click the Save & Export button to export the data to a “.csv” file which can be opened with Excel.  There is also a Preset button where you can select common reports to save time.

Enjoy!

Take a look at the new notifications below!

This can be daunting for those of us who use email as our main business communications tool because it’s hard to know what time is the right time.  There are no status updates, or a feed that can help you figure out whether it’s a good time to reach out or prod with a gentle reminder.

We’re used to setting notifications and reminders in our CRM’s to follow up on potential opportunities and that’s part of the problem.

How much time is wasted guessing and following up on potential opportunities where the timing is just not right?  

What about those opportunities that are missed because you had the reminder set 6 months out, but they are actually interested now?

When you track your email you create a way to get feedback on exactly that.  Whether it’s a marketing campaign, direct sales email, or outreach, knowing when your email has been opened or when the hyperlinks have been clicked gives you insight into when the right time is to send a friendly reminder, because you’ll know they’re thinking about you.

We’ve added a drop-down menu at the top-right above the Tags that lets you filter them a few different ways.

Here are some of the options that are now available to you.

All Tags

While not really new, this is the default option, which shows you all Tags, with the newest at the top.

All Opened Tags

Displays only Tags that have been opened.  This will also include any Tags that have been opened and where a link has been clicked in the email.

All Tags with Links Clicked

Displays only Tags that have had a link in them clicked.

All Tags without Opens

Displays only Tags that have had no action on them (No Opens, No Clicks).

All Tags with Links

Displays all Tags that contained a hyperlink tracked with Bananatag, whether or not is was clicked.

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In fact, there’s a whole new world ( Bananaland?) inside your Bananatag Account that you can use to your advantage.  Let’s walk through some steps to see the advanced information you have access to when people open your emails.

Dashboard

Logging into your account is the first step.  The Dashboard has an overview of your activity to date and an activity graph for the last month, as well as your latest Tagged emails.  You can find basic stats on your emailing here, or click a Tag to see the details for that message.

Tags

The Tags screen gives you an overview of whats happening with your emails.  You can search for specific Tags in the top right, or flip through pages at the bottom right.

Clicking a Tag will bring up more information about that Tag.

Tag Details

Clicking a Tag will bring you to the details screen for that Tag. If you click the Opens drop-down you’ll see all the individual opens for that email, as well as the location it was opened.

If you sent Hyperlinks in your message you’ll see similar information under the link, as well as the number of times it was clicked.  Unfortunately, this link was never clicked…  You win some, you lose some.

All Opens

In the Opens section you’ll see the time and date the email was opened as well as the location.  This can help you pinpoint who opened the email when sending to multiple contacts and also let you know if someone came back to the message later.  If you’re interested in even more detailed information you can click Details on the right.

Open Details

Clicking the Details button next to an open will pop up more information about that Open, including whether it was a mobile device, the browser or email client, the operating system, and the location information of the Open.

In fact,  over the years we’ve chosen to buy from companies where the biggest consideration in choosing them was the fact that they asked intelligent questions during the sales process.  That’s not to say the others didn’t have a good product, but we didn’t decide to buy theirs.

Here’s why asking questions doesn’t make you look stupid, and how it can help you win that deal.

It Builds Trust

Asking questions about why I’m interested in a product, or what I’m looking to get out of it, makes me feel like you’re looking out for me, and that helps me trust that you’re not just trying to push a product.

Since a lot of sales are done without ever having a face-to-face meeting, a little thing like this can go a long way in a deal done over email.

It Builds Confidence

Although it might seem like having answers should be the thing that builds confidence, asking good questions shows that you know your business, because you know what information you need to make sure you recommend the best product.

If I’m buying a table from you, asking if I’m looking for a particular type of wood makes me feel much more comfortable than saying “Sure, we’ve got hundreds!”

It Identifies the Need

By asking a few good questions, you might find that another product might be better suited to my needs than the one I was initially looking at.

Selling a person something they don’t need never works out great for anyone.  Taking the time to make sure the product is right means I’ll be more than happy to tell everyone how great the product is after I buy it.

We’re not saying you’re going to have success with every email, but the return on investment for the time it takes to send out a quick email can be huge.  Think about how much time it takes to go through your call-planning sheet, build up the courage to pick up the phone, call the switchboard, be put on hold, then transferred to voice-mail where you leave a message that is (unfortunately) likely to never be returned.

The problem with Introductory Emails is that they litter all of our Junk Mail, SPAM, and Deleted folders.  So how do you create one that will stand out from the crowd and get you that all-important reply?  Make sure your email arrives and is opened, then follow steps below to make sure your Introductory Email is noticed.

Make it Relevant, Make it Personal.

All the other elements really take a back seat to Relevance and Personalization.  Our fingers hover over the delete button, looking for the first sign of an non-personal bulk-SPAM message.  Thanks to crafty people, using someone’s first name in the “Hi …” is no longer enough to show the recipient that the email is personalized.  Using their name again in the body of the email or better yet, talking about their project or company tells them that the email is personal.  Talking about their company or project also has the added benefit of telling them the email is relevant to them and that you aren’t just shotgun-blasting emails out.

Talk about yourself

It’s an introduction, so make sure to tell them who you are and why your company is relevant to them.  Sending a link to a page with customers you’ve worked with or testimonials is a great way to introduce yourself and show that you’re relevant at the same time.  The best part is that if the recipient is interested, they can click it and get all the information they need, but you didn’t have to build out your email to get the information in there.

Keep it Short

As a best practice we also suggest keeping emails short and to the point, remembering always to come across as friendly.  Keeping emails short tells the recipient you respect their time, but it also encourages you to get to the point quickly and gives you a better chance that they will read far enough to actually get to your point.  You might find long emails work in your industry, that’s great, we just tend to prefer things shorter.

Have a point

Before you send out your beautifully-crafted email, make sure that you have a clear call to action or some kind of next step.  Ask for a quick reply, or let them know to expect a call.  Your approach will differ depending on your industry and personal style, but make sure there is some kind of call to action.

Keep in mind that Introductory Emails can be similar to cold-calling when it comes to the numbers game.   You’ll have some people that won’t respond or won’t be interested, but you’ll also have people that are interested and do respond.  Do you love cold-calling and have tried-and-true success with it?  that’s great!  But if you find yourself stuck in voice-mail jail, try to supplement your efforts with an introductory email.  It may end up being your “get out of jail free card.”

One of the greatest benefits of calling has been an immediate response to your question: “Are you interested?”  You may not like the answer you get, but you’ll likely get some feedback.  If you look at your CRM and see a large number of entries say “called, got voicemail” it might be time to consider sending a quick email.

A short email can sometimes get a response from an opportunity that was otherwise cold and can bring new life to it.  If you’re obsessed with Cold Calling it might be an idea to circle back some of the more unresponsive people and send them a quick note.  The potential rewards are likely well worth it.

This is also where tracking your email has really added power to an already great tool.  Sending an email is quick, but the pitfall has always been the lack of some kind of feedback or response.  Not knowing whether or not someone was interested because they didn’t reply can grind on you during the day.  By sending emails and including hyperlinks that can be tracked in your email, you’re sure to get feedback on your email.  You’ll know if it was read as well as whether or not the individual was interested enough to look at more information about you and your company.  That way, even if they don’t reply you’ll know how to categorize them and whether or not you need to follow up.

Everyone has different styles and what works to reach one contact may not be the best way to reach another.  The important thing is to be flexible and not get locked into one communication method.  We might love tracking a little too much, but it’s the only way to improve your methods based on something more than just a feeling.

Having a sense of what is happening with your resume after you send it is very important and is now possible through the use of email tracking. Using an application like BananaTag to send out your resume easily allows you to gauge a perspective employers reaction and prepare for the next step in getting hired. For example using the email tracking you will be able to see how many times your email was opened and viewed. Generally,  the more the opens the greater the interest the company has in hiring you.  You can now prepare for a possible phone call/ email for an interview. Being ready for the call and knowledgeable about the company shows an employer your enthusiasm and interest in working for them.

Another great use for the email tracking is the ability to follow up.  Let’s say that you know that your email has been opened a few times but you haven’t received that crucial phone call for an interview. You now have the opportunity to send a follow up email/ phone call to express to the company how much you would like to work for them and tell them what you bring to the table. Companies are more likely to respond to your follow up because it shows ambition and could be the differentiating factor between you and other candidates.

Looking for a job is tough, especially in today’s economy so don’t be left in the dark when sending out your resume.  Adding tracking to your job hunt could be the difference between being hired or being at home looking for work.

Chrome vs Firefox

Chrome updates will automatically be retrieved from the server when your Gmail is reloaded.  While this will likely happen “automatically in the background” for most people, some people may go quite a while before they take an action that refreshes their Gmail inbox.  To be sure that you have the latest extension, force-refresh the page by clicking the refresh button in your browser to reload your inbox.

Firefox updates will not be retrieved automatically and will currently need to be downloaded manually.  The download link can be found in the Resources section in your Account.  Updates are usually released for major improvements and bug fixes, so make sure you are using the latest version.

Keeping Chrome up to date

Keeping your browser up to date is also a good idea since the latest versions will have functions that aren’t available in older versions.  Some extensions may not support older versions so make sure you’re staying on top of your browser updates.

So if I have an issue?

If you seem to be having an issue with something not working, make sure that you’re running the latest version of the extension (this is most often the cause) and make sure your browser is up to date.  If you’re still having trouble check the knowledgebase to see if your question has already been addressed.  If you still haven’t found an answer feel free to contact us.  We’re always happy to help Bananataggers in their quest to reach email greatness.