19 things you can do to improve

your email marketing results

Web seminar Presented by Michael Leander

• leander@michaelleander.com

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•+45 31 52 50 46

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Questions, clarification or anything else use this email address: leander@michaelleander.com

Is email marketing really dead?

Invest 1 US$ get 43, 40, 39 US$ back

This is what is happening

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2000 2004 2007 2010

OpenRate

CTR

Main barriers to effective email marketing

Key problems for email marketers across the board

One size fits all Inconsistency Irrelevant content

Whats wrong in MEA + APAC + CIS ?

• JPG blasts

• Show examples

The purpose of email marketing is to acquire,

convert, sustain and grow customers whom then in

turn will attract other customers’ through

referrals

Poll 1: How many hours do you spend on email marketing each week?

Success in email marketing requires focus and experimentation

Time spent, investments & commitment to succeed is essential for email marketing

Some of the focus areas for successful email marketing

Focus areas - general • Content match target audience • Desktop rendering • Mobile & tablet rendering • Timing & frequency • Understand recipient behavior

Clean database of subscribers • Inactive audience revival • Clean up bounce, soft&hard • Profiling match targeting

requirements • etc

Check your database/list frequently !

Never active

Seldom active

Active frequently

Always active

40-60%

2-5%

Understand thy list !

• Measure health of your list regularly

• Act on your findings – it is important

Measure Period Number of Subscribers

% of list total

Never Open All time 48,000 16.0%

Last 6 Months 168,000 56.0%

Never Click All time 96,000 32.0%

Last 6 Months 144,000 48.0%

Never Bought All time 48,000 16.0%

Last 6 Months 192,000 64.0%

Never Bought Online

All time 96,000 32.0%

Last 6 Months 216,000 72.0%

Lufthansa – reactivate case

Experimentation in email marketing

• Test frequency, timing

• Test sender name & structure

• Test subject lines

• Test template designs

• Test pre-headers

”Failure is a huge part of your success in email marketing”

Which generated the best result in terms of CTR = Click Through Rate?

A = 4,7% CTR vs. B = 4,2% CTR

19 | Creative ways to construct

winning e-mails

Look and tell me which is most likely to sell more magazines ?

20 | Creative ways to construct

winning e-mails

Learn from magazine covers

2 key message + a few supporting 6 equal visual messages

Design supporting the message One-size-fits-all design

What’s in it for me? = answer at a glance What’s in it for me?= not appealing

21 | Creative ways to construct

winning e-mails

Before & after, which won?

22 |

Creative ways to construct winning e-mails

Did you learn anything yet?

4,4% CTR

2,8% UNIQUE CTR

ROMI = 4,7

9,9% CTR

6,5% UNIQUE CTR

ROMI = 10,8

Test your way to success

Test version A

Send Volume: 10,000

Sample criteria: Random

Click through rate: 6.1%

Test version B

Send Volume: 10,000

Sample criteria: Random

Click through rate: 4.5%

Main Broadcast

Send Volume: 180,000

Click through rate: 5.8%

Germany

Italy

A/B split test LIVE – find winner in 1 hour

Short summary

Take away format & style for email marketing

– Techies usually favor text messages

– Youngsters usually favor image heavy messages

– But you really don’t know until you have tested

– If your ESP (Email Marketing Service Provider) cannot offer you easy A/B split testing – ditch them & get someone else. Seriously!

– Testing is a tedious process – takes time and has to be done properly in order to bring desired benefits

Email Marketing Audit Components 1. Email Marketing Purpose & Objectives

2. Email Marketing Content Concept

3. Email Marketing Value Proposition

4. Permission Marketing and Privacy

5. Frequency and channels

6. Profiling, segmentation and subscription center tactics

7. Subscriber acquisition conversion ecosystem

8. Messaging tactics including welcome flow

9. Design in templates and design consistencies

10. Response tactics / inbound marketing

11. Data management including bounce management procedures

12. Use of behavioral data

13. Email Marketing Service Provider alignment with objectives

14. Triggers & events + transactional emails.

15. Deliverability and ISP issues

Incorporate social sharing

-> Link opens message in social network -> Default text to share -> Track # of shares -> Track # of conversions

Think the whole process through!

Email Subject line becomes “Title”

and “Mailing Notes” become the description

teaser-text to be displayed.

Email recipients can add their

own comments or endorsements

Users can select a

thumbnail from some of the

images in email, or opt to

not include a picture

33 |

Construct winning e-mails

> ATTENTION

> DESIRE

> ACTION

> INTEREST

TOP TIP Zoom of preheader

New screens means new challenges

• Design for touch image here

• > create your own if you have a smart phone

The desktop in decline…? Share of device page traffic for News category (weekday)

Source: comScore Custom Analytics, U.S., August 2011

Mobile Email Design Best Practices

• A narrow email width

• Single column layout

• Super subject line

• Large headlines & CTAs

• Bullet proof buttons

• Graceful Degradation

http://www.smartinsights.com/email-marketing-ecrm-alerts/email-creative-best-practice-2011-style/

http://www.smartinsights.com/email-marketing-ecrm-alerts/email-creative-best-practice-2011-style/

http://www.smartinsights.com/email-marketing-ecrm-alerts/email-creative-best-practice-2011-style/

Mobile is about TOUCH

Remails & OTS

Send Tuesday Send Friday

Understand OTS and what has changed in buying behavior

OTS

Eyeballs on your message many times over a longer period

of time

Deadline

OTS by the time you ultimately want your audience to make a

decision = 5-15

Show DMA India communication

What is more important?

Sender Subject line

What says the consumers?

48

CONTROL

From : PriceMinister Advice

Click-Through rate: Index100

TEST

From : Sophie at PriceMinister

Click-Through rate : Index 156

Test the sender name – and remember what your end objective is

Understand where your targets

are in the buying process

50

How do you

differentiate?

Anticipate needs < target offer

51

52

Targeted offer

based on search

(logged in)

Test subject lines

A. Get two brand new articles about branding

B. News in a flash – articles about branding

A -> 32% B -> 42%

Ideas for testing subject lines

• Personalize or not

– Personalization in beginning or end of sentence

• Symbols such as *

• Invert such so instead of

– Newsletter about petrol prices

– Newsletter about petrol prices

Distribute your focus properly !

Message/offer Target group

Creative Deliverability

100% 40%

10%

40%

10%

Design and content tips

• Write so that recipient will know that you are familiar with her – You have previously shown an interest in...

• Use emotional links effectively – ”Learn how to improve your ....” instead of ”Read

more”

• Link to stories from text, images, buttons

• Include functional links in your template – Opt-out, online version, Forward-to-a-friend etc

Design and content tips

• Test different size and color of headlines

• Test different size and color of copy and long/short copy

• When using link to video show playbutton

• Include ”what’s next” to keep reader from opt-out

Think like a publisher!

How much are you willing to invest?

The price of acquiring a permission depends on how much information you require

60

4

B2C – level of profiling B2B – level of profiling Acquisition cost

Email address only Email address only 1 to 75

+ First name, last name, gender

+ First name, last name, position

+ Postal address + Postal address

+ Telephone/mobile + Telephone/mobile

+ Info about buying intend + info about buying intend

+ Special interests / qualifying information

+ Special interests / qualifying information

5 and upwards

Capture only data you intend to use

2. Acquisition tips

Acquisition flow tactics

• What are you offering (content concept?)

• What is the incentive?

• Email only -> then to form with more fields

• Minimal # of fields and then profile later

• Full profile required

• A mix

Version B First page

Version B Second page

Version A - One page

Version A’s one-page form boosted sign-ups from total traffic 51% and sign-ups from PPC traffic 113%.

Creating your email value proposition

Your email value proposition is your

sales pitch to get subscribers to

register/opt-in

65

As a minimum you must address

these questions - relentlessly

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1. What are

you offering?

2. ”What’s in

it for me?”

3. Frequency

– how often?

…but it is ”good taste” to include

67

4. Privacy policy / link

5. Opt-out instructions You can unsubscribe anytime you want by following

the link included in each email we send you

6. What happens next? You will receive an email confirming your subscription.

Your first newsletter/message will reach your inbox within

the next 5 days

7. Reference sample

emails/preview

Structure of your USP / Email

Value Proposition

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• Benefit driven – precise – ask a question if possible Headline

• What’s in it for me? Benefits/value

• What do you want me to do? Call to action

• We don’t spam, sell /rent addresses etc Security

Structure - suggestion

69

What is wrong here?

Free web seminar alerts Get your alerts about free marketing

events once a week.

First name:___________________

Last name:___________________

Email:_______________________ You can unsubscribe anytime you want. Read

our privacy policy here. We do not spam. Security

Headline, USP, frequency

Free gift multiplies

conversion rates

Benefits + content concept

Re-confirm Value

proposition and USPs

Customize -> show care

about relevancy

Landing page Unique Email marketing Proposition

What to consider for your landing page and variations of sign-up form

• Headline

• Long Copy vs. Short Copy

• Credibility Logos

• Security Assurance

• Banner Present vs. Not Present

• Submit Button / Order Button Text

• Audio / Video Message

• Testimonials

• Urgency

• Price

Fact: You have 8 seconds to engage

(c) Michael Leander Nielsen, 2009

72

Cheapest acquisition channel

95% of visitors leave quickly

Give sign-up

a prominent

position

Does Size Really Matter When It Comes

to Email Opt-In Form Overlays?

74

A B

Got + 8,8% increase

Integrate call to actions on all pages

85%

15%

POLL 4: Which produced more sign-ups – the banner or the text link?

Banner and text links are on the same web-page

Acquiring permission through social media

BALANCE STREAM 27

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22

21

0

39

29

14

34

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3. Welcome message flow

First impressions last !

• What is so special about the first hour after somebody signs up to your email communcation?

• Where is your opportunity ?

You’ve got a new ”permission” – now treat her nice with a welcome program

• Use sequential auto-responder program

Welcome email with

offer

1 day later: Our most popular stories (offers,

videos etc)

5 days later e-mail

10 days later email

First newsletter

Satisfaction survey;

how are we doing, how

can we improve, is this for you

And so on

Reaffirm the value you offer

Push profile update – increase knowledge

Give a reason to respond now

Use your common sense to increase your results

Welcome Email

Time-limited offer

Offer Extension

What you can include

• What you promised at sign-up if anything

• Repeat the USP

• Include subscriber data and link to profiling

• Special welcome offer

• Safe-sender instructions

• Sign-up for other newsletters

• Opt-out instructions !

• Etc.

T: twitter.com/michaelleander M: +45 27 28 29 53 E: leander@michaelleander.com

• Content concept -> sign-up process • Acquisition (8 out of 10) • Welcome flow • Video in email (play button/navigation) • Test header • Test format • ALT text • Timing / frequency • Sign-up form • Acquisition • Sharing in social networks • Optimize across email clients • Optimize for rendering in mobile