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Laurence RothmanSenior Consultant, Brand Reputation, [email protected] @LaurenceRothman
Corey DuncanInteractive Creative Director, PulsePoint/[email protected] @Corey_Duncan#datranmedia,#pulsepoint#stormpost
Lets Get CreativeInstructors
Agenda
• State of the Union
• Aligning Creative with Business Strategy
• From Strategy to Execution Best Practices Based Implementation Email Anatomy 101 Design and Copy Testing and Optimization
• Winners & Losers
• Q&A
Lets Get Creative
State of the Union
The Death of Email has Been Greatly
Exaggerated!!!
…and, surprise….It integrates with social!
State of the UnionAn Extreme Example Across Desktop, Social and Mobile
State of the UnionEmail + Social = Better Performance Across Both Channels
Basic HTMLAdvanced HTML & CSS Text
State of the Union…and it Translates Very Well to Mobile for Those on the Go!
Mobile is not a fad
— “Mobile will become the single most dominant media there is.” –Kodak
—During weekends, ESPN.com is visited by more mobile users than desktop.
— “Working with Microsoft, we discovered that mobile web users are 3 times more likely to find what they are looking for when a site is optimized for mobile.” –Icon Mobile
— By 2013, more mobile phones than desktop computers will be using internet browsers.
State of the UnionTrends – Mobile Devices
Mobile is not a fad
State of the UnionTrends – Mobile Devices
SOURCE: YESMAIL 2010 “USER AGENT” TESTING
PREDICTION: By the end of 2011, one third of your list may be reading your email on their phones.
2008 2009 2010 20110.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
Opens on a Mobile Device
.25%
1-3%
4%
12-15%
Basic HTMLAdvanced HTML & CSS Text
State of the UnionTrends – Email on Mobile
160 characters can be powerful.
— SMS has nearly 80% mobile penetration and thus is most utilized by customers.
• Customers rarely ignore a text message. This presents an immense opportunity for marketers.
— Immediate results!— Polls
— Promo Blasts
— Coupons
— Order Confirmations
— Email Acquisition
— Account Alerts
— Text for Info
State of the UnionTrends – SMS
DELIVERY
There are three methods for delivering video content via email:
1. Static image: A static image simply features a static imageof one of the frames of the video
2. Animated GIF: An animated or video gif uses a compressed, streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content.
3. Embedded video: Currently Goodmail Systems is rolling out its CertifiedVideo service, which enables full video and audio, but only on the AOL platform. Yahoo making strides with JavaScript within email.
State of the UnionTrends – Video
STATIC IMAGES
Use strong visual cues to indicate video to encourage subscribers to click through to web-hosted video.
• Play buttons • Frames that look like YouTube,
Windows Media or Quicktime video players
• Video verbiage
Benefits:• The least expensive of the three
delivery options
Disadvantages:• No movement to catch subscriber’s eye• Subscriber must click for video and audio
State of the UnionTrends – Video
VIDEO GIF
A video gif uses a compressed, streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content
Benefits:• Subscribers can preview video images• Grabs readers attention• Most reliable
Disadvantages:• No audio• Low video quality• Deliverability issues
due to file size
State of the UnionTrends – Video
VIDEO GIF
A video gif uses a compressed, streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content
Benefits:• Subscribers can preview video images• Grabs readers attention• Most reliable
Disadvantages:• No audio• Low video quality• Deliverability issues
due to file size
State of the UnionTrends – Video
EMBEDDED VIDEO
Using Flash mostly you canembed video files that play within the email window itself
(soon JavaScript and HTML5may change the game)
Benefits:• User does not have to leave
email window to watch video
• Captures readers attention
Disadvantages:• Limited autoplay, rely on
back up image and linking• Will only work with a few email
clients, mostly Apple Mail
State of the UnionTrends – Video
There are three ways to integrate social media and email marketing:
1. Social Linking – Simply linking to your company’s social page
2. Sharing – The ability to share specific content from your email on social networks
3. Dispatches – Taking content from social networks and inserting them into emails creating relevant and interesting content
State of the UnionTrends – Social
State of the UnionTrends – Social
Social Linking Simply linking from your email to your company’s social page
Social Sharing The ability to share specificcontent from your email on social networks
Sharing = Liking, Sharing or Tweeting
State of the UnionTrends – Social
State of the UnionTrends – Social
Social Dispatches Taking content from social networks and inserting them into emails creating relevant and interesting content
WHY?
• Consumers will receive 9000+ marketing messages annually by 2014 – that’s 25 a day!
• Email is a mature channel
• You aren’t just competing with companies in the same vertical, but with all companies in the email channel who are competing for your subscribers’ attention
• Knowing basic best practices isn’t enough anymore, must consider:
— Lifecycle marketing
— Advanced strategies
— Mobile, social, & video
State of the UnionMastering Email Marketing is Not Easy
Aligning Creative Goals with Core Business StrategiesTake Creative To Infinity and Beyond
1. Know Your Audience
2. Plan Your Strategy
3. Define Your Measurement Success
Aligning Creative Goals with Core Business StrategiesPre-Requisites
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Your Audience
1. Who (demo, behavior, other needs)
2. What /Why (do they expect from you?) - Information - Breaking news - Loyalty discounts and promos - Singles matches - Weather
3. When - What are their RFM needs? - Do those change? - When might they need you most?
4. How do they prefer to hear from you? - Format (HTML, text, etc…) - Does that change by device/type of communication
5. Where are they viewing your email? - Desktop? - Mobile? - Tablet?
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Audience MeasurementUsing audience measurement technology will give you a true picture of who is interacting with you emails… the more you know the better you can target their behaviors and interests
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Where are they reading your emails?Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly
Source: Sample ReturnPath data
71%That’s 7 in 10 users
Computerof email opens are on the
28%That’s 1 in 4 users
Mobile Deviceof email opens are on a
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Where are they reading your emails?Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly
iPad18%
Black-berr
y0%
Symbian0%
Palm
1%
Android13%
iPhone68%
Mobile Opens by Device Type
Source: Sample ReturnPath data
68%That’s 2 in 3 users
iPhoneof mobile opens are on the
18%That’s 1 in 5 users
iPadof mobile opens are on the
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Operating Systems Matter
Source: litmus.com blog: The Current State of Mobile Email Compatibility, May 2011
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Click Maps and Heat MapsKnowing how your audience reads and interacts with your communication; knowing exactly where their eye or mouse cursors go can help determine if your message is clear and readers are taking the correct CTA
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
Using Data to Incorporate Dynamic ContentKnowing more about your consumer and making content more relevant can pay off
Once you understand where your audience is reading their email, how they read it, why they read it… then you can start to plan a creative approach that meets your overall marketing goal.
There is no silver bullet, know your audience! Relevant content is still king.
Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience
ACQUIRE CONVERT GROW RETAIN REACTIVATE
What marketing programs will help you capture new email addresses?
What marketing programs will help you convert prospects to customers?
What marketing programs will help you grow customer value?
What marketing programs will help you ensure customer loyalty?
What marketing programs will help you win back lost customers?
SUSPECT PROSPECT CUSTOMER ACTIVE CUSTOMER
RECAPTURED CUSTOMER
Aligning Goals and StrategyPlan Your Strategy
Measure of success getting messages to your audience
Measure of subscriber interaction with campaign
Measure of financial impact
Bounce Rate
Spam Complaint Rate
Inbox Delivery Rate
Open Rate Revenue
Click-Through Rate Conversion Rate
Click-to-Open Rate Average Order Value
Unsubscribe Rate Revenue Per Email
bounces/emails sent
spam complaints/emails delivered
emails that reach the inbox
opens/emails delivered
total clicks/emails delivered
total clicks/total opens
unsubscribes/emails delivered
revenue per campaign
orders/visits
revenue/bookings
revenue/emails delivered
Aligning Goals and StrategyDefine Your Measurement Success
From Strategy to ExecutionCreative Best Practices that Drive Results!
a bit like print…• What works for print does not
always translate well to email.• Recipients rarely see an email
in its entirety, so information hierarchy is critical, with the most important information at the top, working down.
• Images can help tell a story, but if they are too large and take too long to download, or they push the key points too far down along the page, or they are not properly alt-tagged, they hinder rather than help.
a bit like web…• The principles of web design
often apply to email, but with notable exceptions.
• Width matters more than length.• In email, complex coding
increases cost and production times as well as jeopardizes rendering and user experience.
• In email, rich media including forms, scripting and Flash usually don’t render correctly... or at all
From Strategy to ExecutionWhile a “Variation on a Rectangle”, Email is Not Print or the Web
Email is very much it’s own medium with it’s own set of rules… IF you follow best practice.
You are invited to click
“The email you send is the invitation. The website you drive them to is the party. The more beautifully crafted the invite, the better turnout the party will get.”
- Corey Duncan, PulsePoint
• Viewing an email is different from browsing online• Viewers are not necessarily looking for something • They need to be pulled more vigorously
From Strategy to ExecutionThe Email Inbox is Your Runway
• Preheader • Header• Navigation• Table of Contents• Primary Message• Submessage(s)• Siderail• Recovery Module• Footer
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 - Skeleton
Snippet text appears in Outlook and GmailOnly 21% of major retailers have optimized their email for snippet
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Subject Line & Pre-Header (Snippet Text)
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Pre-Header
• The preheader is the usually-small and subdued text blurb at the top of an email that includes some combination of the below:o Content teaser snippet(s)o View with images/view mobile version prompto Add to address book or ensure future delivery prompt
• Preheaders can be used to:o Reinforce the subject line and highlight the primary message of the email
o Extend the subject line and highlight secondary messages in the email
o Feature calls-to-action not present anywhere else in the email
OLD
NEW
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Pre-Header
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation
HOT
SMART
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation
Your header and navigation should change based on message content
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Primary Message
• Balance imagery and text• Include prominent call-to-action• Link to matching web page for
increased conversion
WEBSITE
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Primary Message
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages
• Use visual prompts like color, headlines, imagery and graphics to guide viewers’ gaze
• Test submessage count tolerance
SIDERAIL
LAYERCAKE
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages
• Test submessage count tolerance – not just once, but periodically
• Be aware of the law of diminishing returns; sometimes, less is more
YIKES!
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer
Recovery Module• The final outpost; acts as a catch-all• Include alternate content links• Add incentives to inspire engagement
Footer
• Include subscription management links• Include forward to a friend• Ensure CAN-SPAM compliance
Just in case you were totally bored by everything else,
here’s some other stuff…
”
“
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer
• Umbrella your GSF with a benefits-focused headline• Use equi-sized modules for easy last-minute message swap-outs• Link to your website gift center — it’s a great catch-all for gift givers• Promote gift cards — they’re so hot right now• Surface gift services — the unique ways you help make holiday shopping easy• Detail order-by dates, particularly as we approach mid-December• Dynamically generate local retail store info to drive brick-and-mortar traffic
HOT HOLIDAY
TIP
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer
HOT HOLIDAY
TIP
From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer
If an email is your “invite,” then the party it leads to should be an equally experiential destination for your audience. A well-designed email draws the customer to your brand; a well-designed landing page is where you full engage them with your brand and offerings. Tightly coupled email and landing page combinations can be an effective means to increase conversion
From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Landing Pages
WEBSITE
From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Landing Pages
• Group content in separate modules
• Include clear content section headers
• Place imagery in an “S-curve” to guide gaze across and down page
• Use button treatment for primary call-to-action
• Include alternate HTML text calls-to-action
• For longer-form mails, include a TOC
From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Getting Your Message Seen
One flexible template.Three configurations! Now that’s smart design.
A library of flexible creative elements from which REI builds a range of message configurations
From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Modular Makes Creatives Easy to Optimize and Test
• Be brief, you have 2-5 seconds
• Keep copy focused
• Use bullet points
• Make call-to-action clear and direct
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Getting Your Message Read
Before
Hello James,
This Saturday is your last chance
to register for the Email Evolution
Conference. This year you’ll see
how to craft email copy, grade
your emails and learn about
activation strategy.
After
Hi James!
Email Evolution Conference:
Last Chance to Register by Saturday
See how to:• Craft email copy• Grade your email designs• Learn about activation strategy
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Getting Your Message Read
• Headlines should be short and catchy
• Your headlines should work with your calls-to-action (because that’s all people read anyway!)
• Example: Liquid AssetsShop Fluid Outfits »
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Getting Your Message Read
• Effective Calls-to-Action are Key!
• Recipients want to know where you’re taking them
• “Read more” is vague
• Use more descriptive action words:– Shop shoes now– Sign up!– See it now– Get in there!– Check it out!– Buy now
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Getting Your Message Read
• Personalizationo You had 1 guestbook signature this year, Alexanne (Classmates)
• Brandingo Moosejaw Daily Madness (Moosejaw)
• Product/Categoryo A&F Premium Jeans (Abercrombie)o Find the Perfect Party Dress (Nordstrom)
• Benefito Exclusive Online Offers. More Than $3,200 In Savings (Costco)
• Seasonal hookso Get on this Autumn's Floral Trend with a fragrant offer (Johnnie Boden)
• Urgency/Deadlines o EXTRA 10% OFF: 1-Day Shoe Sale - Now Up To 70% Off! (Bluefly)
• Other key wordso Great Value: Exclusive Cuisinart 9-Speed Hand Mixer (Williams-Sonoma)
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Subject Lines
• Subject lines of less than 60 characters proved best for optimizing open rates
Outfits now, outfits later. (Anthropologie)
• Click, click-to-open, and conversion rates are optimized by subject lines of over 70 characters
Matte skin is in! FREE shipping with Benefit's NEW matte-finish loose
powder, material girl. (Benefit Cosmetics)
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Subject Lines
Epsilon Study:
“Rethinking the Relationship between Subject Line Length and Email
Performance: A New Perspective on Subject Line Design”
• Subject line length isn’t as important as commonly thought• Order of the information is more important
SL1: “This weekend only at your local Acme Store, special savings on Ladies Apparel!”time > brand > benefit > category
SL2: “Special savings on Ladies Apparel at your local Acme Store this weekend only!”benefit > category > brand > time
Test into length and
order!
From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Subject Lines
Ask yourself, “Is this email truly compelling?”• What is this about? • Why should my subscribers care? • What do they do about it?
Consider the above-the-fold mark and the preview pane Include a good balance of images and text Provide clear primary and alternate calls-to-action Throw in a few bells and whistles Personalize Leverage dynamic content Feature user-generated content
From Strategy to ExecutionBefore You Push Send…
KEYS TO CREATIVE TESTING
• Test constantly
• Make tests controlled and easy to understand
• Use results to inform the design process
• Creative test ideas:o Subject lineso Copy length o Call-to-action treatmentso Prices and product names o Photographyo Bells and whistleso Personalizationo Landing pages
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization
Version A
Feature
Promo
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
Version A
Feature
Promo
Pillsbury Email Newsletter
• Selected random test groups
• Testing occurred over a three month period
• Tested with every email send until all the main components were performing at the highest level
• We’ll look at the two most significant tests
Version A
Feature
Promo
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
Version A
Feature
Promo
THE FIRST COURSE
Test 1 was an A/B split between two versions of the feature and two versions of promo spots
Version B
Feature
Promo
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
THE FIRST COURSE
Test 1 was an A/B split between two versions of the feature and two versions of promo spots
• New promo spot had 95% increase in gross clicks
• Feature performed slightly better in old version
• Overall, the two versions were flat on interaction due to fewer feature clicks
Version B
Feature
Promo
Feature Version A Feature Version B
Feature Version C Feature Version D
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
THE SECOND COURSE
Test 2 was an A/B/C/D split between four versions of the feature area
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
THE SECOND COURSE• Version C feature area generated 3.5 % more clicks than the second place design and 5.2% more clicks
than the control
• Version C also led all of the tests in overall interaction and click rates
THE REVIEWS
• Overall interaction rate with new design was 70% higher than old design
• Pick and choose the best of the best
• Full-scale the creative tests that do well
• Continue to tweak and test content that is not performing as well
• Apply test learnings to other platforms as appropriate
From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example
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Winners and LosersP.F. Changs
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Winners and LosersLinkedIn
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Winners and LosersMont Blanc
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Winners and LosersAmerican Girl
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Winners and LosersBanana Republic
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Winners and LosersDomino’s
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Winners and LosersTide
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Winners and LosersBally Total Fitness
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Winners and LosersREI
