Email: Cut Through the Clutter
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The presentation discusses email marketing best practices for cutting through inbox clutter, including understanding audience needs, writing effective subject lines, testing emails on multiple clients, and using landing and goal pages to enhance tracking and lead nurturing beyond just email opens and clicks. Key recommendations are to respect subscribers' preferences, avoid "batch and blast" emails, and focus content on clear benefits for the recipient rather than what the sender wants to communicate.
Email: Cut Through the Clutter
- 1. Email >> Cut Through the Clutter & Get Better Results Presented by: Penny Greening
- 2. 5 things you want to know about this presentation… 1. 45 minutes (including Q&A) 2. Send your questions through GoToWebinar at any time during the presentation 3. We will answer timely questions during the presentation and save the rest for Q&A period 4. If we run out of time, additional questions can be answered through our blog post 5. After the webinar, we will send you a link to the recording + a PDF of slides presented
- 3. Marqui’s approach to email 1. Each campaign should support business goals 2. Use analytics to improve future campaigns 3. The rules of email are always evolving, stay on top of industry standards
- 4. What We’ll Cover Today • 3 Reasons To Revisit Your Strategy • Permission Marketing, List Collection Best Practices and Spam Reduction • Writing Subject Lines that Cut Through the Inbox Clutter (1 of 7 characteristics of an effective email) • Deeper Segmentation >> Better Customer Relations • Maximizing Viral Growth >> Email & Social Media • A/B Split Testing for Improved Campaign Success • Basics of Campaign Metrics
- 5. 3 reasons to revisit your Email Marketing Communications Strategy Campaign Growth Non-Revisited Email Campaign
- 6. 1 customers own their inbox and are increasingly less tolerant of “time-wasters”
- 7. 2 just because email is low cost it’s only effective if you’re tracking the customer’s response Creative is perfect, but results are saying something else? Ask yourself: • Are we using campaign metrics to measure success? • Are we benchmarking against industry standards? • Did we OFFER something tangible to the customer for their efforts?
- 8. 3 you may have lost track why you’re using email in the first place “If Search is the Key to Acquisition, Email is the Queen of Retention.” Quoting eMarketer Digital Intelligence
- 9. Customer Retention through Direct Email The customer gave you permission to build on your reputation with them “one-to-one” when they signed-up. You can create the perception of one-to-one through segmentation. Don’t blow it with “batch & blast” email tactics. Find ways to segment to your niche markets.
- 10. Campaign Success is….. Reaching & Engaging your Target • HOW? compelling and relevant subject line, design and landing page that speaks to the PREFERENCES of your LIST • WHAT is a LIST? Individual PEOPLE with Thoughts, Feelings and Needs (remember?) • WHY care about PREFERENCES once you have their email? Because the consumer told you what they wanted when they signed-up and THEY are the masters of their inbox. • ME-mail
- 11. What is Permission Marketing? It’s a process, not an event. Marketer’s Assumption: “They opted-in! Now I can send what I want.” Reality: You need to ask their permission • “How often would you like to receive email?” • “Which one of our (niche) offerings do you want to hear/read about?” Provide tools to allow for personal preference changes.
- 13. How Marketer’s see the Clutter Web Site In Store Promotions Promotions Email Newsprint CAMPAIGN Social Media Radio PPC Mobile TV
- 14. How Consumers see the Clutter Fun & Health & Fitness Obligations Leisure Work Friends LIFE School Pets Children Spouses Parents Housekeeping Vacation (Bills, Chores etc.)
- 15. How is Permission Marketing Relevant? It forces you to ask: • What does our customer want to know about our product or service? (VS. What do we want to tell them?) • How can we deliver what they want in a way that’s meaningful to their lives?
- 16. How Marketer’s Can Use Permission to Cut through the Clutter Marketer’s Consumers’ Campaign Preferences (I asked for that – you listened.) Channel = Message = Direct EMail Specific Offer Relevant to MY LIFE
- 17. Permission Improves response rates and conversions based on a more personalized approach
- 18. List Collection Best Practices • Email segmentation begins with understanding customer preferences • Remember to provide multiple options with choices the customer will remember – Think of Category Subsets you can offer – Ask their preferred Email Frequency (weekly, bi-weekly) • Once you have the email, don‘t batch & blast
- 19. If the consumer doesn’t recall signing up, they’re more apt to flag your email as SPAM or assign it to their JUNK FOLDER. Be memorable and specific to their needs.
- 20. Timing Isn’t Everything But It Helps Day of Week Monday (now more popular over Tuesday and Thursday) Time of Day 8am - 10am or 4pm - 6pm (Avoid high volume times between 10am & 2pm) Frequency Follow customers' expectations . Don’t try to guess this. Remember – it’s a Consumer-Centric ME-Mail space. If you don’t know, survey them to find out.
- 21. List Collection to Reduce Spam Flagging Opt-In = single click sign-up Double Opt-In = enhanced permission based sign-up
- 22. Canada’s FISA Bill C-28 FISA | Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act By September 2011 Bill C-28 is expected to be passed into Legislature. It requires senders of email within or into Canada to have, or to obtain, explicit permission from their intended recipients. Protect your business with proper opt-in and unsubscribe procedures.
- 23. The funny thing about Communications and People (About understanding Target Audience Needs) “ Men won't read any email from a woman that's over 200 words long. ” - Douglas Coupland (About writing a better Call-to-Action) “ I don't believe in email. I'm an old-fashioned girl. I prefer calling and hanging up. ” - Sarah Jessica Parker
- 24. what does “cut through the clutter” look like in action? How do we influence ACT NOW?
- 25. 7 Characteristics of an effective email 1. understand & respect target audience needs 2. respect the list 3. subject line has a clear call-to-action 4. compelling content | design best practices 5. test on multiple email ‘clients’ 6. enhance tracking with landing & goal pages 7. measure and improve when needed
- 26. 1. Understand & Respect target audience needs Provide subscribers with detailed sign-up options so they have a clear idea of what they will receive. Sometimes subscribers drive complaints because they aren’t receiving the content they wanted or expected.
- 27. 2. Respect the list Don’t “Batch & Blast” and you’ll: • Build a sense of mutual respect (Brand Marketer: I understand you… now will you love me back?) • Lower unsubscribes • Reduce spam complaints
- 28. 3.Subject Line has a clear call-to-action Ways to Get Noticed 1. Write a compelling Benefit Message (It’s ME-Mail – think like the consumer) 2. Write a clear Call-to-Action 3. Include the name of your brand 4. Personalize, using first name, whenever possible
- 29. Email inbox competition is heavy and consumers OWN their Inbox. Make the Benefit Message crystal clear in your Subject Line to optimize your chance of getting noticed.
- 30. 4.Contains compelling content • General Rule of Thumb | Keep it Simple • Email creative must align with subject line • Write for the Customer| What’s the benefit message? • Is there a sense of urgency in the headline? • Does the campaign creative embed your overall brand creative? • Avoid SPAM triggers: include unsubscribe link and company contact information • Add any relevant social media icons and links
- 32. 5.Test on multiple mail clients • Not all email clients display the same • Test your email for Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, Outlook (2003, 2010) & Apple Mail • Be sure to preview the email as it appears with images turned ON & OFF
- 33. Outlook Hotmail Gmail
- 34. 5.Test on multiple mail clients DO DON’T • Preview email client window panes • Forget you can’t control email client with images turned off AND on resolution. Vision challenged • Test multiple email clients customers always have the ability to “zoom in” and break the layout , but fortunately as they are causing the zoom effect, they typically know they are the cause of this visual effect.
- 35. 6.Enhance tracking with landing & goal pages • Real lead nurturing happens beyond the “read” • Landing page metrics are more reliable than reads • The Landing Page is a place used to collect more data (eg. through forms) • The Goal Page is a place where the end-goal transaction occurs (eg. sign-up for other offer, download or commit to sale) • A good CMS allows you to connect all of the above into one campaign and accurately measure the campaign from release to transactional response metrics
- 36. 6.Enhance tracking with landing & goal pages DO DON’T • Ensure consistency. The landing page • Collect data on the landing page with no should apply same call-to-action apparent reward (copy & design) as email creative • Collect more data than you need or that • Ideally, make the only clickable area the the consumer will perceive as call-to-action itself (and the logo “unnecessary” (builds trust) to return to “home”) • Supply the opportunity to capture more data in return for the offer on the landing page • Ensure the goal page delivers on the final offer (free or paid download, etc.)
- 37. 7.measure & improve when needed If you don’t have a benchmark it’s difficult to measure success. Improve existing results incrementally: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Repeat
- 38. Deeper Segmentation • In email marketing relevance drives success • Smaller, more targeted lists perform better • Tap into your data sources • Making your emails more relevant allows customer to feel heard and drives engagement • If you don’t segment your data now, think about ways you CAN
- 39. Deeper Segmentation Campaign Batch & Blast Method Segmented Method Personalized / Unique Generic Message Messages (to: single list) (to: various sub-lists) MY Preferences were Less Relevant to ME considered
- 40. Deeper Segmentation through Drip Email • Helps you to further classify your segment based on actions & preferences which they aren’t TELLING you about, but they’re DOING • Allows you to automate campaigns based on intervals: – Timed – Specific response (eg. Click-through activity or web downloads)
- 41. Drip Email & Lead Nurturing Automated through Marqui Email Campaign Email #1 Landing Page Goal Page Customer Ideal Call-to-action Action Taken Conversion Ready to Convert Complete or Ready for Opportunity Funnel Nurturing Customer Requires Email #2 Email #3 Reminder after They abandoned the 1 week campaign at the landing page and didn’t convert…
- 42. Maximizing Viral Growth eMail & Social Media “The combination of social and e-mail is significantly more powerful than either channel on its own.” - Kristen Hersant, Director of Corporate Marketing, StrongMail, in an interview with eMarketer, February 2010 Referencing eMarketer Digital Intelligence, White Paper on “Maximizing the E-Mail/Social Media Connection”
- 43. eMail & Social Media • 63% of social media users used the same email address for permission e-mail and social network sign-on. • Even though there are practical and conceptual differences between the two marketing channels, there is a direct link in the minds of consumers. Referencing eMarketer Digital Intelligence, White Paper on “Maximizing the E-Mail/Social Media Connection”
- 44. Social, Email or BOTH? • Consumers need e-mail to use social media sites as this is where they receive notifications. Frequent social network users tend to be more frequent e-mail users. These same inboxes, in most cases, are the ones Marketer’s are trying to reach. • Promote your social media presence in your e-mail marketing, by including Facebook or Twitter logos that link directly back to your profile page, or ask e-mail recipients to become fans or followers. Referencing eMarketer Digital Intelligence, White Paper on “Maximizing the E-Mail/Social Media Connection”
- 45. A/B Split Testing for Improved Campaign Success • Classic Direct Mail tactic to test variables of a marketing piece to determine what’s working and change what’s not. • Variables tested focus on design elements: call-to-action placement | images | colour | layout
- 46. A/B Split Testing for Improved Campaign Success WHICH TEST WON?
- 47. The Basics of Campaign Metrics STARTS Open/Read Click-Through Goal Page Landing Page (Converts to Sale, Download, Survey Response, etc) ENDS
- 48. Types of Open Rates Each Email Service Provider calculates OPENS based on different settings. The basic differences are: • % opened based on # of emails delivered • % opened based on # of emails sent Some calculate open rates only after REMOVING emails that bounced.
- 49. What does Open/Read REALLY mean? • ESP’s use an invisible tracking image • If Recipient’s browser or email client displays the email on the screen, even if only for an instant, it’s labeled a READ by tracking standards • Thus, it’s not a true measure of engagement with your email • Click-through’s and Conversions are more authentic and reliable metrics
- 50. What’s a Good Click-Though Rate? For Email Campaigns 10% • With proper opt-in, email should be at least 10% CTR • The most successful campaigns are those that are highly targeted and can see results of 20% CTR • Direct to consumer mailings are typically lower than direct to business customer CTR’s • CTR is not a game that one wins, but one that requires constant work and improvement. Source: Friedbeef.com
- 51. Calculating Cost-per-Click For 10,000 emails sent in 1 campaign HUMAN COST Web Editor |1 hour at $60/hour = $60 Graphic Designer | 3 hours at $75/hour = $225 Total Human Cost = $285 TECHNOLOGY COST Hosting (Landing Page), CMS License + Email Delivery = $542.50* CAMPAIGN COST = $285 + $542.50 = $827.50 CPC = If your 10,000 emails received 1,000 clicks (CTR of 10%) your Cost Per Click is $827.50/1000 or $0.83 *Technology Cost sample pricing based on Marqui Campaigns Express. $13,000 annually /26 campaigns a year (with a campaign delivery rate, for this particular campaign, once every 2 weeks) = $500/campaign. PLUS 100,000 emails/month package at a rate of $425/10 = $42.50. Thus: $827.50.
- 52. Summary of “Cut Through the Clutter” • Revisit Email Marketing Strategy (Quarterly or Bi-Annually) • For Better Response Rates: – Understand customer needs – Get permission before you send – Personalize content (starting with the Subject Line) – Segment your list by • Preferences (which they share with you on sign-up) • Actions (which can have automated “custom” responses) • Incorporate Your Social Media Channels • Test Your Assumptions About What Works (A/B) • Use Campaign Metrics to – Gain Insights – Increase Value of your Email Marketing Spend
- 53. Thank You! Web Design Trends Summary of 2011 1. HTML 5 andblog at http://www.marqui.com/blog Follow our CSS 3 2. Using typography as a design element Follow us on Twitter @Marqui_CMS 3. Editorial-style layouts 4. Minimalist layouts and color schemes 5. Large and interactive website headers Contact me! 6. Link-rich footers PennyMobile compatible websites 7. Greening, Key Account Manager 8. Wide layouts penny.greening@marqui.com 9. Full image backgrounds 604.484.8541