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How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked January 16th 2014

How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

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Page 1: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked January 16th 2014

Page 2: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Who Am I?

Justine Jordan Marketing Director, Litmus

Page 3: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

@meladorri @litmusapp #KISSwebinar

Twi!er

Page 4: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

1 Making a good first impression

We’ll cover…

2 Creating an excellent subscriber experience

3 A/B test ideas + examples

#KISSwebinar

4 Lots of best practices along the way

Page 5: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

1 Effective

Why Email?

2 Inexpensive

3 Immediate

4 Measurable

5 (Relatively) easy

#KISSwebinar

Page 6: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Banner Ads

$2for every $1 spent

Source: MediaPost.com

Page 7: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

$17Keyword Ads

for every $1 spent

Source: MediaPost.com

Page 8: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

$40Email Marketing

for every $1 spent

Source: MediaPost.com

Page 9: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Email gets more clicks . . .

#KISSwebinar

Page 10: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

. . . and conversions

#KISSwebinar

Page 11: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

You get the point.

Page 12: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Email Works. Duh!

Page 13: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Email is: A unique medium with unique considerations

Page 14: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Email is not: A JPG A print ad A banner ad A one-page web site

Page 15: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Emails are not weapons of mass destruction

Page 16: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Every email should have a purpose.

➡ What do you want the subscriber to do?

➡ How are you going to measure success?

➡ What are the business goals behind this communication?

➡ Is email the best way to communicate your message?

➡ Who should should receive the message?

➡ Is the message relevant to your subscribers?

#KISSwebinar

Page 17: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Every email should have a purpose.

Why are you sending this email?

✓ Lead generation

✓ Brand awareness

✓ Is it relevant?

Who are you sending to, and what do you know about them?

✓ Internal vs. external

✓ B2B vs. B2C

✓ Demographics

#KISSwebinar

Page 18: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Every email should have a purpose.

What do you want subscribers to do once they receive your email?

✓ Register for a webinar

✓ Read an article

How are you going to measure success?

✓ Open/click data

✓ Leads generated

✓ Conversions

What do you want the subscriber to do?

✓ Is email the best way to communicate your message?

#KISSwebinar

Page 19: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

The email experience

???

From Name

Subject Line

Preheader

Preview/Open

Tap/Click

Page/Site

#KISSwebinar

Page 20: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

First impressions ma!er

From Name

What is recognizable, trustworthy and relevant?

Does the subscriber have a relationship with a person or the brand?

Page 21: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

no-reply is a no-go

From Name

Page 22: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Be on-brand and relevant

From Name

#KISSwebinar

Page 23: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Symbols in subject lines

Can increase open rates. Use carefully to support your message rather than detract from value.

Page 24: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

No such thing as a perfect subject line

1 Free is OK

2 Shorter=be!er?

3 Relevance!

4 Useful + specific

5 Test, test, test

h!ps://litmus.com/blog/how-to-write-the-perfect-subject-line-infographic

Page 25: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject LineFrom Name

Preheader = tertiary inbox content

Page 26: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Preheader Best Practices

1

2

3

4

Support your subject line with a creative, useful or helpful preheader.

Call to action

Reminder

Special message / value prop

Clickable/measurable

#KISSwebinar

Page 27: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

These are bad preheader examples

Repetitive content, unhelpful, potentially negative brand impact

Page 28: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

These are good preheader examples

Helpful, smart, funny, engaging

Page 29: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Preheader text case study: Wedding Wire

Pre-header text A/B Tests: 30%+ CTR Boost

/ courtesy @mparkerbyrd

Page 30: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Optimizing the “Envelope Fields”

From Name~25 characters

Subject Line ~35 characters

Preheader~85 characters

Page 31: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Don’t count on images showing up

From Name

Page 32: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Convey your message without images

From Name

Page 33: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Be aware, not afraid, of the fold

From Name

Page 34: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Content and visual hierarchy

➡ Prioritize important information

➡ Prune extraneous & irrelevant content

➡ Use color, weight, size & placement for emphasis

➡ Bullets are your friends

➡ Use a mix of rational & emotional appeals

➡ Utilize background colors, lists & borders

➡ Use strong & clear calls-to-action

Page 35: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Create click opportunities

From Name

➡ Linked imagery

➡ Video

➡ Bu!ons

➡ Charts

➡ Colored backgrounds

➡ Preheader text

➡ Forward & share

Page 36: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Tell the subscriber what to do!

From Name

#KISSwebinar

Page 37: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

What is the message?

From Name

Page 38: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

What should I do?

From Name

Page 39: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

What should I do?

From Name

Page 40: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Call to action best practices

1 Bu!ons!

2 Context

3 Active language

4 Size

5 Placement

h!ps://litmus.com/blog/designing-the-perfect-call-to-action

Page 41: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Bulletproof bu!ons are visible when images aren’t

#KISSwebinar

Page 42: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Don’t forget the landing page

From Name

Page 43: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

???Page/SiteTap/ClickPreview/OpenPreheaderSubject Line

Is this a positive experience?

From Name

Where’s the download?

… add to cart?

Page 44: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Don’t forget the text version

1 Create hierarchy with symbols

2 Avoid hard breaks

3 Put links on a new line

4 Tabs, spacing and CAPS to organize content

5 Convey imagery with text

#KISSwebinar

Page 45: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Don’t forget the text version

Page 46: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Designing for purpose

Email is the ideal environment for fast, easy and cheap testing BUT what works for one person (or one email) won’t necessarily work for another

Page 47: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Testing ideas

Time of day Day of week Subject Lines Creative look and feel Imagery Call to action

Pre-Header Navigation Content Layout Length of content Personalization Segmentation

Be sure your test is repeatable. You need a hypothesis.

#KISSwebinar

Page 48: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Subject lines • Specific vs. vague • Buzzy vs. straightforward !Bu!on language / call-to-action • Product vs. content • Additional bu!ons (more click

opportunities) !Video thumbnail imagery • Person vs. product !Content • Headline vs. no headline !Bu!on colors • Green vs. blue

#KISSwebinar

Page 49: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Version A: Green bu!on Version B: Blue bu!on

Page 50: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Version A: Green bu!on Version B: Blue bu!on

no change

Page 51: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview

Page 52: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview

2x clicks

Page 53: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Subject line A: Don’t forward this… !

Subject line B: The best way to share emails

Page 54: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Some tests we’ve run…

Subject line A: Don’t forward this… !

Subject line B: The best way to share emails

54% more clicks

Page 55: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Testing can be simple . . . or complex.

Page 56: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Which test won?

Design A Design B Design C

Page 57: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Which test won?

Design C

➡ Outperformed Control CTR by 26%

➡ Outperformed Projected revenue of 2nd place by 4%

#KISSwebinar

Page 58: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Which test won?

Design A Design B Design C

Page 59: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Which test won?

Design B➡ Outperformed 2nd place by < 2%

➡ Outperformed control CTR by 26%

➡ Outperformed unsubscribe rate by 15.9%

#KISSwebinar

Page 60: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

The uniqueness of email goes beyond design . . .

Page 61: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

HTML coding / rendering

➡ HTML for email is not HTML for the web

➡ Code like it’s 1999!

➡ Use HTML tables for layout

• Specify widths for table elements

• Images should be in their own table cell

➡ Avoid CSS for positioning or layout

➡ Proper syntax is key

➡ Use ALT text

#KISSwebinar

Page 62: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

HTML coding / rendering

➡ No JavaScript

➡ No Flash

➡ Limited support for HTML5 or CSS3

➡ Use inline CSS instead of embedded

• (Gmail doesn’t support embedded CSS)

➡ HTML forms (not supported everywhere)

➡ Background images (not supported in Outlook 2007+)

➡ Web-based email clients behave differently based on the browser (IE vs Firefox)

Page 63: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Rendering

➡ TEST TEST TEST

➡ Only comprehensive testing will ensure

that your email appears the way you

want it to in your subscriber’s inbox

➡ Subscribers view emails in many

different environments: desktop email

clients, web-based email clients and

mobile clients.

#KISSwebinar

Page 64: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Avoid this

Page 65: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

1 Design for your subscribers

2 For every email, ask: What am I trying to say?

How will subscribers take action?

Where are they going next?

3 Institute a culture of testing

-TAKEAWAYS -

Page 66: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Questions? I (may) have answers.

Page 67: How to Create Great Emails that Get Opened and Clicked

Thanks!

Thanks! [email protected] / @meladorri