Email MarketingEmail Marketing
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Email Marketing ProjectEmail Marketing Project
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Poll Question #1Poll Question #1
What is your level of experience with email marketing, on a scale from 1 to 5?
(1=Never done it, 5=Expert)
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Poll Question #2Poll Question #2
What are your most pressing concerns about email marketing?
1. Clean contact data
2. Getting and keeping permission
3. Getting the right promotion
4. Targeting the right audience
5. Copywriting
6. Design
7. Tracking & reporting
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
We All Talk About SpamWe All Talk About Spam
Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE)
Typical spam has a bogus sender address, bogus unsubscribe instructions, and bogus offers
Spam is in the eye of the beholder
Ensure recipients don’t mistake your message as spam
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Do it BEFORE sending Built into some email services Or, free tool available from
http://spamcheck.sitesell.com/ http://www.contactology.com/check_mqs.php http://www.mailingcheck.com/ www.gravitymail.com/spamscore.php
Check Your ‘Spam Score’Check Your ‘Spam Score’
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Your Domain ReputationYour Domain Reputation
Spam filters don’t just track spam keywords like “viagra” inside of emails. They track company domain names too.
Some tools to check your domain reputation: http://www.trustedsource.org http://www.senderbase.org
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Example Domain CheckExample Domain Check
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Distance Yourself from SpammersDistance Yourself from Spammers
Remind recipients that they’ve given you permission to contact them
Provide an easy way to unsubscribe Be sure reply works Have it signed by a real person Publish and abide by a strict privacy policy
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Anatomy of a Good, Healthy HTML EmailAnatomy of a Good, Healthy HTML Email
A well-built HTML Email needs to consist of:
1. Your company name in the “From”2. A relevant subject line (don’t be “spammy”)3. The “To:” field of your email should be personalised4. A one-click opt-out link that removes people from your list
immediately5. Include a link in your header “view this email in your
browser”6. A link to your company’s privacy policy7. Your valid, physical mailing address (no PO Box)8. Bonus: It’s a really good idea to include some kind of
reminder text, like “You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website”.
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Tactics for Avoiding Spam FiltersTactics for Avoiding Spam Filters
Don’t use bright red fonts, or going crazy with colors
Don’t Yell with lots of exclamation points!!!!!!!! Don’t YELL WITH ALL CAPS Don’t say, “free”, “click here (now)!” or “act
now!” Don’t forget to include recipient’s email Don’t use old templates with bad HTML coding Don’t use the word “test” in your subject line Don’t get too creative with your spelling Don’t use a bunch of graphics as your email
only Don’t use recipients in “Bcc:” Don’t use scripts like Flash, video files Don’t use attachments
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
The Bane of the Email Marketer: the Delete KeyThe Bane of the Email Marketer: the Delete Key
The split-second decision - keep it or delete it The basis of their decision: the From and
Subject line Your open rate may be overstated
Your message may be getting displayed in recipient’s preview pane as he selects it just to delete it
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Above All, Deliver Value!Above All, Deliver Value!
Email should be relevant, timely, and beneficial “Value" can take the form of:
newsletters, discounts, contests, last minute availability, event reminders, invitations, bonuses, discounts, exclusive sales, free samples, or demos.
Surveys - give free report or enter them in a draw
Go paperless - specs, price lists, statements
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
LengthLength
In general, keep it short and sweet. Use links. Weekly newsletter should be no more than five
sections, with three or fewer paragraphs each, Monthly newsletter can be double or triple
that. Promotional messages should be significantly
shorter than a newsletter. Include whole articles or just abstracts with
links to the rest?
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
TimingTiming
Tuesday through Thursday? 10am to 2pm? Varies depending on your audience!
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Design & CodingDesign & Coding
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Email TemplatesEmail Templates
Right column Left column
Basic postcard
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Define Business ObjectivesDefine Business Objectives
Audience Prospects, customers, advocates, partners
Goals Registrations, Sign-ups, Sales
Content Newsletter, Promotions, Reminders,
Invitations Metrics
Click through, Registration, Visits, Booking/Purchase
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Designing and CodingDesigning and Coding
Tools of the Trade Design Guidelines
Set your width to about 500-600 pixels Simple Layouts and Tables Work Best Special Considerations for Webmail
Services CSS in HTML email
Flash, javaScript, ActiveX, movies, etc. in HTML
Background Colors
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Images Files in HTML EmailImages Files in HTML Email
The proper way to handle images in HTML email Host images on a web server Pull images in to your HTML email using “absolute
paths” in your code
When coding images tags in HTML email Do this:
<img src=“http://www.yourserver.com.au/images/logo.gif”>
Instead of this:<img src=“images/logo.gif”>
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Delivering HTML EmailDelivering HTML Email
Sending emails from your own server Your ISP may throttle your outgoing emails if
you send too much too fast (>500 per hour)
Email firewalls and ISPs who receive your emails
Don’t like receiving tons of emails from one single IP address at once (unless ISP normally receive tons of emails from that IP)
Dynamic IP address & Dedicated IP address ISPs and spam filters don’t like receiving lots
of emails form a dynamic IP address it looks like a hijacked home computer
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Measure SuccessMeasure Success
Unsubscribe rate Bounce rate Unique open rate Total open rate Click through rate Conversion rate
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
HTML vs. Plain TextHTML vs. Plain Text
HTML emails typically have twice the click-throughs
HTML offers more control over layout HTML looks more ‘polished’ (could be good or
bad) Some old email clients can’t do HTML, e.g.
Outlook 95 “Sniff” for HTML open or send multiple versions
multi-part
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
HTML EmailsHTML Emails
Tables - to control placement & avoid long lines Graphics - <30k, will cause the recipient grief if reading
email while offline, increases download time Color - color text or color a table background, doesn’t
impact download speed Font - face, size, and color Forms - embed in the email to make it easy for the
recipient to respond to an offer, e.g. seminar registration
Auto fill-in as many form fields as possible Scripts, Flash, Streaming Video - not recommended!
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Testing & Troubleshooting Your Email DesignsTesting & Troubleshooting Your Email Designs
Web Designers: emails aren’t the same as web pages
Testing in Different Email Applications Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Test, Test, Test!Test, Test, Test!
Treat your email campaigns like experiments
Have a control group
Vary only one thing at a time
What to test? The offer, the Subject line, the From line, the
message copy, the layout, the message length, the timing, the contact frequency
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Test, Test, Test!Test, Test, Test!
Track response rates of each test by making call-to-action URLs & e-mail addresses unique for each test group
Special attention should be given to the frequency
don't allow recipient burnout, particularly with a regular mailing such as an e-mail newsletter
Test and refine, test and refine
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Common Mistakes to AvoidCommon Mistakes to Avoid
1. Not coding “absolute paths” to their images
2. Using JavaScript, or ActiveX or embedding movies
3. Getting over ambitious with designs
4. Forgetting to include an opt-out link
5. Linking to an external CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) file
6. Letting your permission “grow cold”
7. Forgetting to test
8. Sending nothing but a big, gigantic graphic
Copyright 2008 Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer is a trademark of Maximizer Software. Other product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Thank you!Thank you!