Conv conf bowen - emailsDesigning Profitable Emails: 9 Ninja Tips to Increase Conversions

Designing Profitable Emails: 9 Ninja Tips toIncrease Conversions

Tom Bowen, President

May 14, 2015

Tom Bowen

Tom Bowen | @WSOMarketing | #convcon

• Founder/CEO of Web Site Optimizers• Formerly Online Product Manager at GTE/Verizon,

Sprint, MobileStar• Helping Organizations Convert More Online Since 1998

@WSOMarketing

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombowenwso

[email protected]

Since 2002, Web Site Optimizers has helped businesses big and small improve their bottom line via Conversion Rate Optimization, Usability Testing, and Analytics Optimization.


Promotional Email Converts!


The Problem


Well-Constructed Emails CanConvert at a Higher Rate

9 Ninja Tips toIncrease Conversions


Your Mileage May Vary

Tip #0Mobile First


Email Client Market Share (March, 2015)

Source: Litmus

http://emailclientmarketshare.com/


Let’s talk…

Responsive Design


Office Depot - Desktop


Scrolling down (desktop)


Responsive Version


Responsive Version – scrolling further


However…


Same Message in Mobile Gmail


Let’s Look at Another


And the Mobile Versions

Iphone Gmail


Is There ABetter Way?


Bobbi Brown Cosmetics


Victoria’s Secret


Avoid Tappable Targets That Are Too Small

Tip #1Use More Than Just Graphics


With Images Turned On


However…

Source: Litmus

43% of Gmail users read email without turning images on (Litmus)

https://litmus.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-email-image-blocking

https://litmus.com/blog/gmail-data-analysis-reveals-image-blocking-affects-43-of-emails


Same Message With Images Blocked


Who Does It Well? Macy*s


With Images Downloaded


“Website graphic designers are frustrated artists. They do web work just to not be bored.”

Tim Ash, Conversion Conference, June, 2014


Kroger


With Images Downloaded

Tip #2Minimize Weight of Your Emails


Users Get Impatient Waiting for Message to Load


Respect Your Users’ Data Limits


Partial Downloads on Phones Can Lack CTA


Partial Downloads Can Chop Layout


Random Sampling of Email Sizes

• 29 Different Organizations Sampled

• 687 Kb Average Email Weight (Median = 519Kb)

• Lightest Email: 174Kb

• Heaviest Email: 2.3Mb


Etsy

• 2,307 Kb in size

• Compressed html

• 40 images & a little text

• 28 products shown

• This image is 75k

• This image is 110k


American Apparel

• 174 Kb in size

• 3 images & a little text

• Compressed images


Avoid Unnecessary Background Images

Tip #3Use Initial Piece of Text to Increase Opens


Initial Text Is Displayed in Many Inbox Views


Initial Text Should Entice & Compliment Subject

Subject: The new boho-girl

Initial Text: Go for flowy silhouettes, floral prints and ultra-feminine detailing



Don’t Ignore the First Piece of Text!


A unicorn cries any time someoneuses “View in Browser” as the first line of text of their email.


Beware of Long Subject Lines on Phones

Tip #4Manage the VisualWidth of the Message


Preview Panes Make Smaller Viewing Area


Narrower = Less Reduced on Phones

Original Width: 769 pixels Original Width: 520 pixels


Recommendations & Practice

Some Recommendations

Hubspot: Less than 600 pixels

Campaign Monitor: 550 – 600

Mailchimp: 600 pixels

Experion: 650 – 700 pixels

In Practice

34 Companies Surveyed

Avg Width: 643 pixels

Widest: 769 pixels

Narrowest: 480 pixels

http://help.hubspot.com/articles/KCS_Article/Email/HubSpot-Email-Tool-Best-Practices

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/will-it-work/width/

http://kb.mailchimp.com/campaigns/ways-to-build/how-to-code-html-emails

http://www.experian.com/blogs/marketing-forward/2009/07/13/designing-email-to-be-width-compliant/

Tip #5Minimize Use Of CSS


CSS Support Is Spotty Among All Clients






Keep Your CSS In-Line

Tip #6Prepare For Text-Growth


Phone Can Shrink Msg, But Will Grow Text

Without Text Growth With Text Grown


“Grown” Text Can Affect Visual Design


Potential Usability Issues


Line-height Does Not Adjust Accordingly


Artist’s Friend, CRO Expert’s Enemy

-webkit-text-size-adust:none;

Tip #7Keep Look & Feel of the Message Consistent WithWebsite & Landing Page


What Do They Want You To Do?

PrimaryCall To Action


What Does This Have To Do With Joining?



Landing Page Makes Consistent UX

Tip #8Segment Your Email Lists


Segmentation Will Increase Results

Recent MailChimp Study

• 9 million emails

• 14% increase in Opens

• 62% increase in Clicks

• 7% decrease in Abuse Reports

• 7% decrease in Unsubscribes


How Can You Segment Your Campaigns?

• Location

• Gender

• Age

• Industry

• Job Function

• Non-Purchasers

• Frequent Purchasers

• Big Spenders

• Event Attendees

• So Much More!


Segment on Geography – Macy*s


Segment on Interest - Nordstrom


Request Some Segmentation Info At Sign-Up

Easy!

Don’t Ask For Too Much!

Tip #9Tag All Links For Measurement


Untagged Emails Lead to Bad DataTraffic from Emails often classified as Direct or (Other)



How Does Campaign Tagging Work?Real Email from World Market

Logo links to:http://www.worldmarket.com/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wk2_ldbedbath&utm_source=hp

Medium: “Delivery Vehicle” for your link(email, social, banner, feed, etc.)

Source: Usually the website the link is coming from, or the type of email.

Campaign: What promotional campaign is associated with this item.

Further differentiation with utm_term and utm_content.


Example: Email Marketing

Without Campaign Tagging:

• Traffic from the email shows up under “Direct” or “(Other)”.

• Rely on metrics from Email Service Provider.

• Typically limited to opens & clicks.

• No info on conversions or behavior on site.


Example: Email Marketing

Email Stats Alone Would Indicate February Message Performed Better.

But With Tagging Implemented, We See March Msg Far Outperformed.


Now Create A Segment For That Campaign


Use The Segment To View By Device Type

Use The Segment To Gain More Insights• Did Landing Pages correspond to featured offers in email?• Were products featured in the email the ones that were

purchased?• Did users get distracted and go to other pages, or stay focused

on the offer?

Questions?

Thank You!

Tom Bowen, PresidentWeb Site [email protected] @WSOMarketing www.websiteoptimizers.com

http://www.websiteoptimizers.com/

http://www.websiteoptimizers.com/