Why is math essential in email marketing? What to do with the information next

  • 13.11.2019

Typically, CEOs create the position of Director of Knowledge Management in order to solve organizational problems and gain new opportunities.

The Director of Knowledge Management can be hired from inside or outside the organization. Both options have their drawbacks and their advantages.

KM directors play many roles - they are missionaries, entrepreneurs, persuaders, and IT realists.

The KM director needs a good relationship with the KM director information technology or with some employee from the IT department.

The position of the Director of Knowledge Management can be included in the IT department, the corporate education department, in the human resources department, or it can be allocated as an independent position. The best option- last.

Determining the place of knowledge management in the organization

Knowledge management programs can dive into almost any part of an organization. Their most common place is the information technology department. Other places include:

Quality Management Department;

Research and Development;

Human Resources Department;

Corporate communications;

Private divisions;

Separate business functions;

Auxiliary divisions, for example, dealing with services, legal or corporate strategies; > e-business programs.

Some knowledge management programs may remain independent, so that their leaders report directly to the CEO or some other senior manager.

So, there is no single right answer to the question of where in your organization to find a place for knowledge management. However, one key question can help; what is the structure of your organization? Is it centralized or decentralized? Many organizations fall into one of these two types - they are either decentralized organizations with many autonomous business units, or centralized with a well-defined core.

Decentralized Organizations

In this type of organization, there are many business units that are endowed with a high degree of autonomy. Such units can allocate capital themselves, set the strategy and determine the goals of the business. Organizations create such independent units to provide greater flexibility in meeting the requirements of customers in different market sectors. The independence of such units allows them to quickly respond to changes in their immediate environment.

Both Hewlett-Packard and British Petroleum are largely decentralized organizations. When the goal of many organizations is to become multinational corporations, their management is forced to recognize the need for individual units and divisions for autonomy, hence decentralization begins.

The downside of a decentralized structure is that such an organization is more difficult to make uniform. For example, not all parts of an organization can work with the same standardized information technology, which makes it difficult to communicate and share information between individual units. Important policies and procedures may differ. Often such organizations lack a corporate identity. The people in them often see themselves as belonging to their particular unit rather than to the organization as a whole.

All these are barriers to the dissemination of knowledge. But it is also interesting that a decentralized structure can become the engine of knowledge management. This can happen if the top management of an organization recognizes this weakness as well as the potential for improvement that comes from implementing an effective knowledge management program that allows employees to communicate with each other and share knowledge.

A possible option for a decentralized organization is to form a central knowledge management team, but keep it small. The real work is not in it, but in individual units of the organization. The central team can provide peer review of unit designs, with particular attention to the coherence of activities within the organization. The main thing for such a group is to understand that it can recommend, but not command or control. It must win the desire of individual units to cooperate with the knowledge management group. This is a very complex dance, necessary to accompany an autonomous unit.

An example of decentralization that has become the engine of knowledge management is the community program at Chrysler. In 1987, the company was reorganized into separate platforms for specific vehicles such as small cars or trucks. This has significantly reduced the development time for new vehicles.

However, the reorganization also had a downside. Experts previously located in the central group have been moved to separate platforms. Technical experts were isolated from each other. They could no longer get information from each other, help each other solve problems, and exchange new methods.

Chrysler found a way to address these issues by creating communities of practice for engineers, calling them "engineering tech clubs". Through these tech clubs, a repository of best practices called the Engineering Books of Knowledge has been created and maintained, to which all engineers have access, to their mutual benefit.

If your organization is decentralized, the best place for a knowledge management program should be in one of the decentralized units. This is how the whole organization works, so it will be quite natural. The Hewlett-Packard Consulting Knowledge Management program is placed in and targeted to this separate group. However, this does not mean that your knowledge management program should only target the group in which it is placed.

Centralized organizations

Centralized organizations have a well-defined control core. Such a structure works well when there is a strong interdependence between the individual parts of the organization, for which it is not so much local variations that are important, but the consistency of all actions. In such an organization, all the parts must fit together like the gears of a single machine.

The downside of a centralized organization is that it can become a bureaucratic machine with rigid methods. From the point of view of some regional branch, the central organization appears to be a distant despot, indifferent to the needs of the local population. Although an organization can operate quite effectively on a global scale, its weakness lies in its inability to respond to local events.

If you have a centralized organization, it may make sense to attach a knowledge management program to the headquarters of the corporation. This, again, is consistent with the overall structure of the organization. In such an organization, there is a high probability of successful development and implementation of corporate-wide strategies and programs. A centralized organization can implement them.

Even corporate programs in a centralized organization do not always have the number of people needed to do all the work required by the rest of the organization. Typically, central knowledge management teams remain small. Like central teams in decentralized organizations, these teams should provide peer review and guidance rather than doing all the work.

In your own home

The bottom line is that knowledge management needs its own home, just like a knowledge management pilot project. In your own home, you have the opportunity to:

Decide how to invest in knowledge management;

Find funding;

Find the access you need to higher management;

Ensure that resource allocations are consistent with the organization's overall strategy, as well as knowledge management strategies.

Often the leader of an organization can be the deciding factor in choosing such a refuge of one's own. As with a knowledge management project, you need to have the head of the organization openly support knowledge management, or perhaps become your executive sponsor.

At the very least, the leader must find a home for the knowledge management program, help secure funding, and be tolerant of your program.

Tolerance, of course, is not at all the same as active support. For me, this option may not be preferable. However, things may not be as bad as they seem. If you have a post, you get the lead you need to prove the value of knowledge management. After all, there are so many things to do in most organizations that just about any post will allow you to produce work that will get recognition.

There is a classic for all time - wardrobe items and makeup trends that have been tested over the years, without which it is difficult to imagine the daily look of every girl. Like everyone's favorite smoky eyes or black arrows.

However, in the beauty industry, there was also a place for quite unusual classic trends, which, although they gained popularity several decades ago (thanks to makeup maestro Shu Uemura), still remain relevant today. Let's consider them in more detail.

expressive eyebrows

The first wave of fashion for wide eyebrows swept the world of cinema - the main source of fashion trends - in the 50s. Do you remember Audrey Hepburn's spectacular eyebrows? The second wave of natural eyebrow makeup resumed in the 70s and 80s, thanks to Lauren Hutton, Madonna and Brooke Shields, but faded in the 90s. In the first decades of the 2000s, the fashion world was once again conquered by the love for wide eyebrows thanks to the bold looks of Natalia Vodianova, Cara Delevingne and Keira Knightley.

Now emphasizing the density of the eyebrows has become not just fashionable - it has become a rule of good form! The wider and brighter the line, the more effective the image. This season, eyebrows of rich and non-trivial shades are especially relevant: pink, green, burgundy, turquoise. Pick a color from the Shu Uemura mascara and brow palette and go conquer the world!


“Shu Uemura colored eyebrow products allow you to make a subtle, delicate color accent, noble and perhaps not immediately noticeable.

The orange color in the eyebrow pencil will make brown eyes warmer and softer, and the pink mascara will favorably emphasize the cherry notes, making it deeper. For blue or gray eyes, orange in brow mascara will be the catalyst for brightness. Eyes next to this color will appear even more aquatic, transparent. A blue brow pencil or mascara will add depth to gray eyes. The lilac color will draw the "green tint" out of the eyes. Using these simple tricks, you can make your eyes brighter or, on the contrary, emphasize the depth of color. Wow-effect is guaranteed for you!”

Healthy glowing skin

Not a single flaw, even and natural skin tone - a fashion that came to Europe from Japan. The famous makeup artist and founder of the cosmetics company Shu Uemura, Mr. Shu Uemura, from the very beginning of his career, bet on healthy and radiant skin. He called it the perfect canvas for flawless makeup.

This trend is only gaining popularity these days. To create the desired effect in the Shu Uemura collection, there are not only tonal products with a variety of textures and effects, but also products for skin cleansing and. Don't forget that perfect makeup starts with healthy and well-groomed skin!

Comment by make-up artist of Shu Uemura brand Elena Mikoyan:

“All Shu Uemura foundations blend perfectly with the skin and become almost invisible. To create the effect of porcelain skin, the lightbulb essence tonal essence for sensitive and dehydrated skin, petal skin fluid for skin that needs matting, or petal skin cushion for those who prefer the most light coverage. All three products are best applied with the petal 55 brush massaging in a circular motion from the center to the periphery. It is this tool that gives the perfect shading and polishing: the skin looks even, smooth and radiant from the inside.

frosty blush

Theatrical make-up, bronze “kiss of the sun”, noble pallor - what blush options were not popular in different years and eras. However, the most natural and complimentary - a frosty blush - remains the most beloved among women all over the world. This trend is again popular this season.

A similar effect can be easily achieved with cold-toned makeup products, such as Shu Uemura blush. In combination with another classic trend - an even skin tone - the “street” healthy blush looks even more spectacular and beautiful!

Comment by make-up artist of Shu Uemura brand Elena Mikoyan:

“For a healthy blush effect, the pop in pink and tokio vibe red cushion blush from the Shu Uemura collection is perfect. The first shade can be applied boldly and without restrictions - to create a gentle and natural frosty blush. The second shade is best applied delicately to avoid a red tint on the cheeks. The blush can be applied in two ways: with your fingers for natural coverage and with a sponge for a dense and vibrant blush.

color block

Color block is, roughly speaking, the creation of color blocks, which consists in a combination of contrasting or complementary bright and bold colors in one ensemble. Not only fashion designers, but makeup artists are constantly experimenting with this trend. One of the pioneers was maestro Shu Uemura, who created the richest eyeshadow palette.

Five textures and hundreds of dazzling unique shades allow every woman to freely and fearlessly experiment with eye makeup. For a classic make-up, a neutral shade is suitable, and for a trendy one, it is best to use several pigments of different textures, mixing them like an artist.

Comment by make-up artist of Shu Uemura brand Elena Mikoyan:

“A combination of bright shadows of various textures - matte and shining will help to add a spectacular look. Use matte shadows on the outer and inner corners of the eyes. Add shining shadows to the middle of the eyelid and blend. This trick will give the eyes volume and expressiveness.

For blue, gray, brown and green eyes, shades of yellow and orange are ideal shades - these are the key colors of the new season - they can add brightness or warmth to your natural eye color. If you want to be in trend, but at the same time create a rather delicate make-up, combine shades close in the color circle: orange with burgundy or yellow with red. At the same time, in color makeup, in order to avoid excess and vulgarity, you must adhere to one rule: no more than three or four shades on the face.

Dark berry lips

Appetizing and juicy lips of dark ripe shades are an unsurpassed classic, almost elevated to a cult. It is not in vain that burgundy lipstick is considered almost the main attribute of sexuality: a woman who applied such a shade to her lips immediately turns into a Hollywood diva! Other dark shades of red and brown are no worse: plum, cherry, raspberry - these lips look like ripe berries! Rest assured, dark lipstick suits everyone.

With the help of beautiful dark lips, a woman squares her natural charm and sexuality, and even cubes! And yet such a girl is clearly confident in herself and will not allow conventions to take precedence over her desires. Choose your perfect lipstick (check out the makeup palette of Shu Uemura, a brand from Tokyo, and your shade (which, by the way, Shu Uemura has more than 40!) and fight everyone around!

How often should we send emails to our subscribers e-mail? How and where should resources be invested in order to get the best and most profitable result from email marketing? A marketer or entrepreneur can search for an answer to these questions for a long time and operate with different hypotheses regarding the mailing strategy. You can test all these hypotheses with the help of mathematics and exact formulas. Danish businessman and marketer Christian Højbo Møller told how to do it. We offer an adapted translation of his article.

Create your hypothesis

Let's imagine a situation. Your company currently has a monthly budget (mainly consisting of employee salaries and software) equal to $1200. Current Challenge: Within this budget, deliver two newsletters per month with a 40% open rate and a 10% click-through rate.

  1. Would it be better* to send three letters per month, which have only 35% open rate and 8% click through rate?
  2. Will it get better* increase budget by 50% to send one extra letter?
  3. Will it get better* double the budget to just double the number of emails(we're assuming average CTR drops to 9% and email conversion rates drop to 4.5%)?
  4. Would it be better* to invest the amount $15,000 to automate a number of systems, which will allow the team to send three emails a month at the same cost?

*The word "better" is used exclusively in the sense of "will bring more money."

In your opinion, which of these four hypotheses will be the most profitable next year? Next three years? Next five years?

Even if you are a math genius who can calculate several discounted cash flows in my mind for a few minutes, still answering this question requires creating a model to calculate, test and analyze email marketing strategies (see figure below).

Hypothesis Testing Formula in Email Marketing

Designations in the formula:

OR = open rate

CTR = click through rate

CR = conversion rate

AOV = average order size

Pe = number of existing subscribers

Pn = number of new subscribers

DR = email change rate

NPV = net present value

C = initial investment cost

B = budget (amount per unit of time)

i = inflation rate

r = discount rate

Using the specified model, we can calculate the monetary result of each hypothesis. It is equal to the value obtained at the output of the model for one year, three and five years.

Profit (dollars)Current stateHypothesis 1Hypothesis 2Hypothesis 3Hypothesis 4
9485 10 086 13 498 8966 2875
48 253 47 963 66 304 53 794 64 800
97 797 94 759 132 331 112 985 136 606

In the short to medium term, implement the second hypothesis where you increase your budget so that you send one additional email every month is the most profitable option.

However, in the long run, the fourth hypothesis, in which you now invest $15,000 to automate the workflow and thereby send one additional letter per month, will bring your company the maximum profit.

Let's perform a series of successive experiments

But what if you combine the second and fourth hypotheses and implement both?

Profit (dollars)Current stateHypothesis 2Hypothesis 4Hypothesis 2 + Hypothesis 4
Short term: 1 year9485 13 498 2875 6429
Medium term: 3 years48 253 66 304 64 800 79 447
Long term: 5 years97 797 132 331 136 606 163 724

The second hypothesis is still optimal in the short term, but in the medium and long term it will be more profitable to implement the second and fourth hypotheses simultaneously.

A one-time investment from the fourth hypothesis and a permanent increase in the monthly budget from the second hypothesis will increase profit at current prices from about 98 thousand dollars to about 164 thousand - a significant increase in revenue.

Note: Money in the future is worth less than it is today. Money can be invested and thus receive income. In addition, inflation depreciates money every year. This aspect of email marketing financial planning (called discounting) plays an important role, especially in the medium to long term.