Steve Kessler, Your Denver DataMan

What is Emarketing?Emaketing refers to marketing efforts

done using electronic meansWebsitesEmailBlogsOnline advertising Social networking Search Engine Optimization

Email can be an important part of an Emarketing campaign To be effective with Email marketing you

need to know: Who your sending your emails toWhy your sending your emails to them That they want to get them

Why Email

Our email newsletter provides added value for our sponsors.

- YMCA of the USA

Tournament participation has increased 30% since we started sending email reminders to our members.

- United States Tennis Association, Central Arizona

Our donors say they love receiving our beautiful e-newsletters and e-invites, and our staff loves how professional they make our organization look.

- United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

Email allows us to stay in touch with our supporters on a regular basis. It’s a powerful tool for relationship building.

- America on the Move

Why Email?Because people read it:

91% of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 64 send or read email

An even higher number of users ages 65 or older do the same

147 million people across the country use email, most use it every day.

Source: eMarketer

Why Email?It’s Cost-effective: Direct Mail vs. EmailFor the same response, direct mail costs 20

TIMES as much as email

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

What is Email Marketing? Utilizing email to create,

strengthen, and maintain relationships with stakeholders: Establishes regular, ongoing

communication Educates Promotes identity awareness Keeps supporters informed Broadens your audience

“Nonprofits that don't integrate email into the management of their relationships remain profoundly disconnected.”

- "Disconnected: the 2001 Nonprofit Email Survey.“ Michael C. Gilbert, August 2001

Why Does Email Work?Because people open emailfrom those they know and trust…

The SPAM Dilemma

SPAMSPAM or Unsolicited Commercial Email (no

relationship / no permission)Legal: Can-Spam act of 2003Popular: “unwanted or can’t verify” Email

Why not SPAM?Don’t SPAM--- while tempting, your

customer will decide where the permission line is, and it will have a negative impact on your business!

The customer will think – if I can’t trust them with my Email address what can I trust them with

Becoming a Trusted Sender • Clear title  • Clear opening article • Valuable content • Links back to the This

Old House Website• These features help to

make it clear that this Email is valuable to the recipient

Federal Can SPAM ActDisclaimer: This is a summary of some provisions of the new law, and is not a

full analysis of how it may apply to you

If you believe you may be affected, you should consult with an attorney

Federal Can SPAM ActNonprofits don’t have to follow all the rules

but they shouldDon’t misrepresent subject or from address

The subject of your email must match what is in your email

The email address you send your email from must me valid

Send from a legitimate email addressMust provide a way to opt-out

Depending on your reading of the law this must be done with no more than 2 clicks

Federal Can SPAM ActIf you get unsubscribe requests you must

remove them from your list within 10 daysRemove means not emailing the person again

unless they re-subscribe

Must include a physical addressA physical address for the sender

Existing relationshipCurrently doing business Opts in to receive the email

Trusted senders use A5

Ask for permission to send email

Allow safe, easy, and fast unsubscribe

Agree to be honest and truthful

Accept categories of interest

Add a physical address to all emails

Permission – Types of permissionExplicit: Opt-in from your website or storefront “Join our mailing list”

Sign in books Web forms

Single vs. Double Opt-inGive email address -> Get emails Give email address -> Get conformation confirming

interestImplicit: Requests for information / registration

forms, existing relationshipYou can be very explicit with an implicit form to

make them more valuable

Permission & Unsubscribe – be a trusted sender Handling permissions ads validity to your

emails and your companySome people like having a reminder at that top

of the message that you can unsubscribe – this is fine as long as the reader can still easily see your header

Many users have been trained to go to the bottom of an email to unsubscribe

You should have a simple method for this. Constant Contact has Safe Unsubscribe

Permission & Unsubscribe – be a trusted senderHandling unsubscribe immediately is

importantConstant Contact removes users from the list as

soon as they are entered and only the user can add their email back on

If a user marks your Email as SPAM and removes their email from the list

Keep your email frequency in check Only email when you have something good to say Consider biweekly or monthly Emails

Interest Categories It is also a good idea to break your emails

into interest categories For example I use my eNewlstter category and

then an open seminar category to separate who I send email to

Constant Contact makes this process very easy

Getting Your Email There in the First Place Email Filtering & Blocking

Image and Content BlockingImages are how email applications know that

the emails are readIndividual filters

SPAM blocks and the likeChallenge response systems

Please click this link to make sure you are a real person

47% of consumers say they

rely on the preview pane

to view and read emails.

Source: Epsilon Interactive

Getting Your Email There in the First Place Blocking (industry average is 17%)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) blocking specific domains

Blacklists (implicit blocks) Whitelists

The list of sends that you implicitly allow email form

Next Generation: Sender AuthenticationNew technologies make it possible to

authenticate (prove) who the sender of any email is

Email Statistics - What can we find out

TrackingConstant Contact use the images to track what has

been opened. Since the images are stored on a web server (either your or Constant Contact’s) the server can identify who opened your emails and when, so long as they don’t have images blocked

The links that are used by Constant Contact are wrapped with a special tracking code so you know who uses your links and when

You can create interest groups by the links that user open or by those users who open your eNewsletter

More on Tracking Using the Contact Tab

You can find out information about each of your contacts

You see the information that you collected as well as what emails and links they have opened

Managing bounces means that you can see who did not get your email because of technical problems or being blocked and then remove them

Getting Email OpenedGetting Emailed opened is a bit of an art How do you decide what emails to open?

60% of consumers say the

"from" line most often

determines whether they

open an email or delete it.

Source: Epsilon Interactive

The “From” LineUse a name the recipient will recognize

Include your company name or brandThe clearer the better

Yourname@domain.com is better than news@domain.com

The shorter the betterKeep it concise so it can be seen

Be consistent

The “From” line and AOL

Outlook

AOL

The “Subject” LineKeep it short and simple

You have 3 seconds or less30-40 characters including spaces (5-8 words)

Incorporate a specific benefit Include your brand

Branding in the subject line can increase open rates by as much as 60%

Capitalize and punctuate carefullyTest!

Market testing is critical to making Emarketing work

Avoid an “instant” deleteAvoid an “instant” delete or getting caught in

SPAM filters The words: free, guarantee, spam, credit card

etc.ALL CAPITAL LETTERSExcessive punctuation !!!, ???Excessive use of “click here”$$, and other symbolsNo “From:” addressMisleading subject lines

Use the Right Format Newsletters

Frequency: monthly / quarterlyLots of educational content

(typically non-promotional)Promotions

Frequency: bi-weekly / monthlyFocus on promotion / limited content2, 4, 6 product promotions, coupons

AnnouncementsFrequency: event drivenPromotional or educational with targeted

messageInvitations, new products, special events

Email Service vs. Outlook

Standard Email Programs(e.g. Outlook, Hotmail) Limited # of emails sent at

one time No formatting control List break up more

susceptible to filters No cohesive branding No tracking and reporting of

email results

Email marketing services automate best practices

Provide easy-to-use templates

Reinforce brand identity

Email addressed to recipient only

Manage lists – adding new subscribers, handling bounce-backs, removing unsubscribes

Ensure email delivery, tracks results and obeys the law

Constant Contact FormatsConstant Contact offers many great template

choices to choose from to make sure your emails have the right look and feel.

If you are adventurous enough you can create Constant Contact emails without templates but you need to have someone who very good at HTML program the message.

Creating A Winning StrategyDefining your objectivesCollecting contact information, interests &

permissionSee the information forms we used today Address book give away

Determining appropriate message formatCreating a production and mailing scheduleBuilding professional communicationsAnalyzing resultsContinuously refining your strategy!

Defining ObjectivesEmail is just one part of your marketing and

should be integrated into your overall marketing plan.

“I want to…” Motivate stakeholders Enhance mission awareness Interact with my members Increase event attendance Bring visitors back to my website Obtain financial support

Defining ObjectivesUse objectives to determine

What information to collectWhat type of communication to sendFrequency of communicationMeasuring success

The better you link your marketing together will make it all more effective.

Trying it All TogetherYour URL should be on everything you put

outObtain permission to email whenever

possible Search Engine Optimization matters (SEO)

This is the process of raising your ranking on Google and other search engines

Constant Contact is a valuable touch in marketing so channel your clients and prospects into the right list.