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Measuring the Results
How to Measure the Results of Email Communications and Enhance their Success
Dwight DunkleyCUNY Communications Coordinator
July 29, 2015
Dwight Dunkley
Bona Fides
Communications CoordinatorCUNY has 25 institutions
20 undergraduate colleges250,000 students
CUNY Welcome CenterCentral Office of UndergraduateAdmissionsTeam of recruitersTeam of counseling staffTeam of processing staff
Bona Fides
SIX MILLIONOver 6,000,000 communications via HobsonsHave been a Hobsons Connect user since 2009Have managed 5 instances of Connect & RetainNow managing:an instance of Connectan instance of Retain
Presentation Objective and Agenda
Objective and Agenda for Discussion
Objective:Understand both why and how to create and send dynamic and data-driven communications
Agenda:1. Mindset2. Methods
Mindset is applicable to
3. Big Wins4. Big Plans
Five Finger Feedback
No fingers Not At All1 finger 2 fingers3 fingers Pretty Well4 fingers5 fingers Completely
Do You Understand?
Experience Levels
1 finger Very New user
3 fingers Two to Five Years
5 fingers Over Five Years
Your Experience Level
Share in Pairs
Pick a Partner and Answer in One Word:
What Were You Hoping to Learn From This Presentation Today?
The Mindset Behind Measuring
A Mindset About Measuring
I often say that when you can measurewhat you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be. William Thomson (aka Lord Kelvin)
Why Even Bother Tracking Results
Vital to showing which practices workVital to showing which practices are failing
So they can be revisited and revisedVital to showing which institutional characteristics generate the most excitement from prospectsVital to showing which media or topics generate the most compliance from prospective and admitted studentsData-driven decision-makingCultivate expertise/knowledge
Why Even Bother Tracking Results
Demonstrate your value to department/institutionTalk about your experience in quantifiable waysIdentify both strengths and weaknesses for professional growthSupport requests for more resources with data
Because something is working Because something is not working
Most Important Benefit
Get Into the Data, Not the Debate
Currently Tracking Results
Fist No
5 fingers - Yes
Currently Tracking Results
How Are You Tracking Results?
How to Measure Results
How to Generally Measure Success of An Email
Open-rate# opens/ total # recipients
Click-to-Open rate# clicks / # opens
Conversion rate# actions / # recipients
Unsubscribe rate# opt-outs / # recipients
Our Tracking Tools
1. Hobsons Native AnalyticsSent Email ResultsReports TabExports
2. Litmus: Email Marketing Analytics3. Microsoft Excel4. Google Analytics
Possible Tracking Tool:Landing Pages
Native Hobsons Analytics
1.Visit Communications tab 2.3.
Communication you want to measure
Native Analytics Breakdown
Received and ViewedReceivedViewed/ Not Viewed
Actions]
Clicked on any link [also clicks to specific links]RepliedOpted-out
Other Actionable StatisticsNo email addressServer Bounce backsOpted-out
Example of Native Hobsons Analytics
Viewed Rate really measures what recipientssee/think before they read email
Interaction Rate really measures whatrecipients see in/think about the email
How to Measure Success of A Hobsons Email
General terms:1. Open-rate2. Clicks-to-Open rate3. Conversion rate4. Unsubscribe rate
Hobsons terms:1. Viewed rate2. Interacted rate3. Conversions Not Always Tracked in Hobsons4. Opted-out
Example of Links Click-Thru Results
Two Pro-Tips1.
anchor text
2. Use Google URL BuilderCampaign Source/ Medium/ Name
Tracking Results in Litmus
We had a sense that recipients were viewing our emails on mobile devices (tablets & phones)
We had no idea what emails looked like
Responsive Design
Design aimed to provide an optimal viewing experience with easy to read content and a minimum need to resize, pan, pinch, and scroll.Content designed to look good across a wide range of devices
Litmus Analytics Breakdown
Preview what emails will look like across a wide array of device and browser configurationsPreview what emails will look like in different email clients and email service providersPreview the spam score of each emailReview open rate of emails and location of where recipients are viewing the emailEngagement: desktop vs. mobileReview how many read/skimmed/glancedNumber of forwards and printsNumber of seconds spent looking at email
Examples of Litmus Analytics Preview
Examples of Litmus Analytics Location
Examples of Litmus Analytics Engagement
Microsoft Excel
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Unit Average open/viewed rate (only last 10 emails)
Share Results With StakeholdersPercentages and Raw Numbers
Understand Tracking Methods
No fingers Not At All1 finger 2 fingers3 fingers Pretty Well4 fingers5 fingers Completely
Understand Tracking?
Big Wins From Measuring the Results
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
We discovered the percentage of our audience that opened emails on mobile devices
24% 76%
MobileDesktop
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
After implementing Litmus we discovered that our audience is overwhelmingly mobile
Desktop24%
Mobile76%
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
We also discovered the most popular email clients/platforms and started to design for it
53%
15%
10%
6%3%2%
10%
AndroidGmailiPhoneiPadWeb
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
We also discovered the most popular email clients/platforms and started to design for it
53%
15%
10%
6%3%2%
10%
iPhone
Web Android
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
Changing the voice of emailsLess authority, more relatable
More casual but still professionalAvoid stodgy and avoid trendy
Eliminate text-
Eliminate leak links
Add pre-headers
Leverage multimedia assets
Leverage social media efforts
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
From Name Subject Line Pre-Header
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
Pre-Header
Photo Resizes
Large Legible Type
Wide Call-to-Action Button
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
Better Viewed Rates
0
5.5
11
16.5
22
27.5
College Week Live Sheldon Silver
BeforeAfter
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
More Interaction
0
100
200
300
400
500
College Week Live0
25
50
75
100
125
Sheldon Silver
BeforeAfter
Big Win: Gorgeous Email Templates
Design Matters
Share in Pairs Stakeholder Stories
Pick a Partner and Fill in the Blank:
When I Work With Other Colleagues/Departments to Send Emails
Big Win: Stakeholder Success Stories
Cultivate Expertise and ExperienceApproach conversations with stakeholders as email marketing experts and higher education colleagues
General email marketing expertiseInstitution/Population-specific experience and expertise
Focus stakeholders on the desired outcomeApply your expertise in service to their goal
of the IT Guy.
Big Win: Stakeholder Success Stories
The reputation of a thousand years may be determined from
the conduct of an hour.
Big Win: Stakeholder Success Stories
Educate stakeholders on bad practices and best practicesShow stakeholders bad ideas before they have themShow stakeholders crappy emails before they write oneGive them templates to emulate and successful examples
The Strategy
Big Win: Stakeholder Success Stories
Have stakeholders focus on the conversion rateShorter, clearer emails No jargon (In English)Leverage multimedia content, have a clear CTA
Avoid a of TextBreak down into a series of emails where neededDefine a narrow audience
Pick meaningful attributes, find the data they need
Report Results After SendingBrainstorm Improvements/Collaboration
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Fist not reading all email;often delete unread email
5 fingers Read every word of every message received
We Love Getting Email?
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Prospective [students] are not trying to open your email, they are trying to eliminate them.
- Gary Vaynerchuk
Email is a bother for most peopleGetting too many emails [we send too many emails]
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Send emails to a narrow andhighly relevant audienceCollect or define relevant attributes in database
One clear Call-To-Action in a messageCreate a video/slideshow to describe complex processes
Manage the signal to noise ratio of your emails
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
EXPLICITWhat contacts aretelling you
IMPLICITWhat contacts aredoing
Segment by various demographic/geographic/other attributes:
Freshman vs. TransferZip Code, In-state vs Out of StateProspective Entry TermSelected Interests
Segment by various interaction and engagement levels:
Sent Email Viewed RatesSent Email Interaction RatesVIP Page EngagementEvent participation history
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Attribute Surveys can enable future segmentationCreate an attribute survey and populate it by sending to contacts. Segment on attribute in future.
Salutation for counselorsPreferred name or preferred email for current students
Segmented by implicit/explicit data with slight variations in email subject line, copy or imageExclude contacts with a far away entry term (Ex. Fall 2019) from some communicationsTarget feeder schools with image of current student from their high school
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Use Content Documents to send dynamic emailsReflect different content to different recipientsNot responsive
Create one document that all receiveUse filters and attributes to target specific content blocks to specific recipients
Big Win: Granular Segmentation
Example: Travel Directions to Our Open House
All receive email/content doc
Bronx zip codes see directions from Bronx
Brooklyn zip codes see directions from Brooklyn
Easy way to shorter an email
Big Win: A Culture of Experimentation
A/B Split Testing More CommonlyIsolate a variable to test
Creative: Subject Lines & SenderCreative: Email Body: Copy of email, Images, Call to ActionCreative: Multiple Landing Pages
Different content docs or content blocks
Audience or Timing/Cadence
Use a filter to divide audienceLast name starts with
A~B~C~W~X~Y~Z
Yahoo.com, AOL.com
Big Win: A Culture of Experimentation
Share in Pairs What Can You Test
Pick a Partner and Fill in the Blank:
We Can Use A/B Testing at My Institution
Big Win: Database Fidelity
Garbage In is Garbage Out
Big Win: Database Fidelity
Server Bounce Backs correctionsPostcards to Some ContactsWho Opt-Out and Some Bounces
Adding more attributes (Ex. counselors)
Big Plans for More Measuring
Big Plan: More Return on Investment Tracking
Demonstrate how Hobsons is paying offSavings from emails vs. mailingsSavings from deterring problem calls/problem visitsSavings from student compliance
Completed applicationStudent retention outcomes
Return on Investment in VideoReturn on Investment from PSAT listReturn on Investment in visitingnew geographic territoriesReturn on investment in morestaff for communications
Big Plan: Filtering on Steroids
Increase Number of VersionsGive contacts the opportunity to opt-intocommunication sub-plans
Study abroadResidential lifeScience educationCUNY ValueDiversity range of academic majorsResources for transfer studentsEvents for high engagement contacts
Big Plan: More Reports and Exports
BarPie
Goal Gauge
Area
DataTable
Funnel
Big Plan: More Reports and Exports
Work with colleagues to plan eventsSpecial toursOpen and coordinate access to existing eventsBuild landing pages via Hobsons/LeadPages
Review highly engaged users moreCUNY Athletics t-shirtTickets to a CUNYAC gameTickets CUNY Night at minor league baseball parkTickets to CUNY TEDx
Big Plan: More User Surveys
No everything that can be counted, counts. And not everything that counts can be counted.
William Bruce Cameron
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
For Presentation and List of Other Resources
FREE.99https://cuny.wufoo.com
/forms/hobsons-university-2015/
Questions?