Email Direct Marketing Techniques
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This document provides techniques for increasing success with email direct marketing. It discusses trends like mobile optimization, social media integration, triggered messaging, and reactivation of inactive subscribers. It also outlines eight building blocks for email marketing success, including growing email lists through the website, optimizing registration forms, crafting effective subject lines, adding preference centers, segmenting lists, and personalizing content. The document uses examples from companies like Alaska Airlines, Bed Bath & Beyond, and King Arthur Flour to illustrate best practices.
Email Direct Marketing Techniques
- 2. Email Direct Marketing Techniques Guaranteed to Increase Your Success Reggie Brady Tuesday, October 4, 2011 [email protected] (203) 838-8138 © Regina Brady 2011 all rights reserved
- 3. Agenda • Email Benchmarks and How Do You Rate? • 4 big trends – Mobile – Social – Relevance and email triggers – Reactivation • 8 building blocks for success
- 4. Overall Benchmarks Q2-11 Conversions based on clicks – 3.16% (up from Q1-11) Epsilon – Q2-11 Email Trends and Benchmarks – 8-31-11 a study of 7.1 billion emails sent by Epsilon across multiple industries for around 150 clients
- 5. Overall Benchmarks Epsilon – Q2-11 Email Trends and Benchmarks – 8-31-11 a study of 7.1 billion emails sent by Epsilon across multiple industries for around 150 clients
- 6. Benchmarking Mean Class Performance for Maturity Class Email • 21% average year-over-year improvement in revenue Best-in-Class • 11% average year-over-year Top 20% improvement in click-through rates • 2% average year-over-year Industry Average improvement in revenue Middle 50% • 2% average year-over-year improvement in click-through rates • 2% average year-over-year Laggard decline in revenue Bottom 30% • 1% average year-over-year decline in click-through rates How do you rate? Aberdeen Research – Email Marketing: Customers Take It Personally – 12-10
- 7. Differentiate Process from Business Metrics Email Marketer Executives • Our open rate is now • How much revenue email 22%. generate? • Unique click-through • How has email improved rates have increased customer retention? since our redesign. • Has email reduced our • Delivery at Yahoo is up costs of communicating since we stopped using with customers? one large image. • What impact is email • Spam complaints are having on conversions down 15%. from other channels? Silverpop – Email Marketing Metrics That Matter – 7-09
- 8. Differentiate Process from Business Metrics Process Business • Opens • Revenue/Orders • Bounces • Downloads/Demos • Delivered • Qualified Leads • Clicks • Retention • Cross channel activity
- 9. Your mission: beat the competition I’ll share some ideas to keep you ahead of the pack
- 10. Big trend #1 Email design must take mobile into account
- 11. Mobile devices and email • Last October fewer than 9% of emails were read on a mobile device • Today between 16% and 20% are read on a mobile device • You need to re-think design for the ―small screen‖ or be left behind
- 12. Advice for email re-design • KISS - stick with your offer, create something actionable • Don’t waste valuable real estate on a tiny screen with clutter • Proper coding will enable your message to be seen on iPhone, Droid, Blackberry. • Avoid slow download times • Use short subject lines
- 13. Advice for email re-design • Width must be compressed – Less than 500 pixels • Columns – no more than 2 – Put the most important information to the left • The top 2 – 3 inches is valuable – Put ―click to view‖ and ―click to view mobile‖ at top – Headers should be short – no more than 120 pixels in height – Move ―forward to a friend,‖ social icons and ―add to address book‖ below top of the message • Use text links, in combination with image links – The fat finger issue
- 14. Mobile Rendering – a handy tool If a rendering check is not provided by your ESP, Litmus.com offers this capability starting at $49 per month for 29 different environments.
- 15. 2 columns • Easier to read on screen • Allows for easy organization of content • If many of your subscribers read emails on mobile, you may want one column … at least near the top.
- 16. 2 columns • Easier to read on screen • Allows for easy organization of content • If many of your subscribers read emails on mobile, you may want one column … at least near the top. • If this email was displayed on a mobile device, readers would see the upper left text, but may not see the picture of the waffle breakfast sandwich.
- 17. Big trend #2 Maximizing social for sign-ups and within email Co-op 2012
- 18. Social can be a big gorilla • Plan to integrate your email and social strategies • Today most marketers have yet to get a return on investment with social … but it’s coming – BtoB – 11% see a direct ROI – BtoC – 15% see a direct ROI Source: White Horse, ―B2B Marketing Goes Social,‖ 5-18-10
- 19. Exploit your social presence to grow your list • Promote your email program Kentucky Fried Chicken created a separate area on Facebook with an email sign-up widget 3% of all sign-ups now come from Facebook These sign-ups have 70% higher opens and CTRs • Post or tweet offers or content from your email programs • Promote social via email and email via social Email Sherpa – 2/15/11
- 20. Exploit your social presence to grow your list Moosejaw Mountaineering
- 21. Consider a social sign-up option Allow people to sign up with their social credentials A recent study found 90% opted for regular email sign-up and 10% used Facebook Connect Social Network ID that Social Users Worldwide Use to Sign in to Websites Source: Janrain company blog 4-14-11
- 22. Consider a social sign-up option Profile Data Available on Social Networks The data you collect is amazing! Source: Gigya, “Multiple Identities” 7-7-10
- 23. Consider a social sign-up option Activities that US Social Network Users Are More Likely to Do After They Follow a Company or Products on Facebook or Twitter Major implications for e-commerce! Source: ROI Research Inc., “S-Net:The Impact of Social Media” 6-7-11
- 24. Registration and email sign-up Facebook Connect
- 25. Embrace social in your emails Some marketers consolidate social media icons with forward to a friend
- 26. Embrace social in your emails • Create special emails to encourage social participation • Subject line: Now You Can Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter!
- 27. Embrace social in your emails An excellent job at explaining why people should follow them on Twitter. – Share photos of you in your favorite looks by The Limited
- 28. Big trend #3 Triggered Messaging for relevance — you’ve got to do it! Co-op 2012
- 29. Relevance The days of ―batch and blast‖ or ―spray and pray‖ are over Relevant emails that make each customer feel special will provide more leverage and sales Triggered messages are a great way to personally touch your audience
- 30. Trigger #1: browsed, but didn’t buy Trigger sent if customer views at least 3 products but does not buy. Incentive to purchase Address possible customer service issues 30% open rate and 6% CTR along with increase in live chat usage S&S Worldwide – Must Have Triggered Campaigns for Every Business – 1-10
- 31. Trigger #2: birthday messages Subject Line: Happy Birthday – Get 10% Off Your Next Flight Results: – 50% open rates – Revenue per email 360% higher than average fare sale Alaska Airlines 2-3-10
- 32. Trigger #3: cross-sell in order confirmation Additional selling in message Subject Line: Order Confirmation #092857855452 Like top navigation & ―You May Also Consider‖ with dynamic population of items that complement purchase Observes 80/20 rule with most of the message referring to transaction
- 33. Trigger #4: order review request Purchases featured Sent 3 weeks after purchase Nice way to drive site involvement
- 34. Trigger #5: abandoned cart My favorite – you can recoup up to 15% of lost sales Most marketers see up to 50% of carts abandoned Consider: • sending a series • including a product picture • no discount in first email
- 35. Trigger #5: abandoned cart You could sweeten the offer, like the email here • I like sending a series and NOT including a discount in the first email Opens Clicks Conversion % Revenue per email No offer 15% 12% 1.8% $3.20 Offer 17% 13% 2.9% $3.29 Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10
- 36. Trigger #5: abandoned cart Including a picture of the product left in the cart is a consideration. Opens Clicks Conversion % Product shown 63.8% 28.8% 2.9% No product but link to cart 53.5% 24.9% 1.4% Log in to see your cart 45.1% 17.1% 1.3% Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10
- 37. Abandoned cart emails work! Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10
- 38. One company’s experience with triggered messages Annual email volume Annual email sales *Carolyn Nye- S&S – eROI Virtual Trade Show 11/11/10
- 39. Big trend #4 Reactivation Co-op 2012
- 40. Create a win back plan Up to 50% of most lists are inactive and have not opened or clicked in months. Win them back – before it’s too late!
- 41. Reactivation • An important reason to care! – ISPs are starting to measure non-openers – It affects your reputation – A large volume of inactive e-mail recipients is considered junk by ISPs. – Long-term inactive email addresses can turn into spam traps. • Remember, your most active subscribers generate all your traffic and revenue – Inactive do NOT help you reach business goals and you are paying to send to them. • Your metrics are distorted if you have a significant number of inactives.
- 42. Reactivation And, it is costing you money! The financial costs of inattention
- 43. Reactivation Cisco Win Back Campaign Huge database – but, only 25% were active - Some hadn’t been active in 3 to 6 years - Some didn’t have clear opt-in flag - Decided to test 14.5% of inactives Segments and offers to capture updated info: - VPs and above - $25 Starbucks gift card - Directors & Managers – white paper - Directors & Managers – no offer Results: - VPs – Opens 17.1%, CTR 7.6%, Conversions 6.1% - White paper – Opens 12.1%, CTR 2.0%, Conversions 1.4% - No offer – Opens 18.3%, CTR 6.5%, Conversions 3.9% Email Sherpa – 1-11-11
- 44. Reactivation Bed Bath & Beyond Win Back Campaign Decreased frequency for inactives from 7x per month, to 5x per month and eventually to 1x per month
- 45. Reactivation Bed Bath & Beyond Win Back Campaign Finally, they send a re- permission email specifying a date when they would stop sending emails without subscriber permission.
- 46. When all else fails Remove dead addresses – your metrics will also improve
- 47. Re-engagement of past purchasers Subject Line: We Miss You – Come Back for 30% Off Your Next Flight Entice non-flying members to book. Tested offer vs non- offer. Results compared to usual promotions: - Opens 55% higher - CTR 75% higher - Revenue per email 564% higher Alaska Airlines – 2-3-10
- 48. 8 Building Blocks for Success
- 49. 1. Leverage your site to grow your list • Make email sign-up visible and ―above the fold‖ on your home page • Include sign up on most visited pages • Or, use persistent sign up to promote on every site page • And give them a reason to sign up – Offers and promotions – Tips and best practices – Product news and updates – How to information
- 50. Sign up above the fold Upper right-hand corner draws attention
- 51. 2. Registration form placement Which form position generated higher submissions? A. Form on the left B. Form on the right Which Test Won – 1/27/10
- 52. 2. Registration form placement Which form position generated higher submissions? Which form position generated higher submissions? B. Form on the right Version B generated 24.6% more form submissions In western countries we tend to read from left to right Which Test Won – 1/27/10
- 53. 3. Work your subject lines Top 100 used words Which form position generated higher submissions? The larger and darker the words, the more frequently these words were used, while those that are smaller and lighter were used less frequently. Source: Mailer Mailer: Email Marketing Benchmarks 7-11
- 54. Subject line length Source: MailerMailer: Email Metrics Guide – 7-11
- 55. 4. Learn more about your list Preference centers • Demographics and interests Data Capture • Up to date/changes Subscriber • Personal control Empowerment • Better retention • Preferred frequency, lists Increased • Basis of personalization, Relevance segmentation
- 58. Preference center email Subject line: Spring Fever! Introducing New Women’s Styles Promotes preference center
- 59. 5. Segment and mine your list 1. Self-selected Which form position generated higher submissions? 2. Demographic 3. Email behavior 4. Transactional 5. Site behavior 6. Lifecycle 7. Modeling
- 60. Email behavior American Meadows sends a weekly email. Now they send an additional email 3 days after main email. - Those who click on a product receive an email with a call-to- action based on the product clicks - Those who did not click receive an email based on the most popular product Results: • Behavioral segmentation increased revenue by 14% Bronto website
- 61. Geographic segmentation National Hockey league • 800,000 fan database • Segment on zip & favorite team • 60% of fans don’t live in the city of their favorite team A Boston Bruins fan living in Boston receives an email with Bruins imagery and the Bruins first 7 home games A Bruins fan living in Philadelphia receives Bruins imagery, but the game schedule only has info on games in which the Bruins were playing the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia. The NHL believes this system increased single ticket game sales by 31% eDialog 7-10
- 62. Geographic & preferences segmentation King Arthur Flour Currently has 6 segments with the first 4 gained from registration & preference center: • Subscribers near their retail store • Canadian subscribers • Those interested in wholesale • Gluten-free subscribers • Print newsletter subscribers • Subscribers to their baking school General opens and clicks – 30% and 27% Segment opens and clicks – 35% to 50% and 25% to 35% Email Sherpa 7-12-11
- 63. 7. Engage your readers Involve your readers to build community
- 64. Engage your readers Involve your readers to build community Subject line: Help build the Best Buy Business District. It’s a robust site for small business professionals with a strong knowledge center and the opportunity to post questions and comments.
- 65. 8. Use Customer Reviews • Reviews are altering how consumers make purchase decisions • Reviews will increase conversions • Online shoppers are often willing to spend more for highly rated products • Plus, page views increase and customers say they feel more satisfied with their shopping experience when it includes customer reviews Forrester Research says that 87% of consumers tend to write reviews when they have something positive to say.
- 66. Customer Reviews • Conversions go up • SEO traffic goes up • Returns go down • Customer satisfaction and brand trust increase Reviews are a fundamental tool where customer conversations become powerful content.
- 67. Customer Reviews Customer Reviews encourage site purchases. If you have them on your site – try including them in some emails. Subject line: Shop Dell's Top-rated Products Consider highlighting reviews in your subject line. Dell found if a shopper spent time with site reviews, conversions doubled. (BazaarVoice)
- 68. Customer Reviews A review capability need not be expensive AlpacaDirect.com, a small business, works with PowerReviews and pays $80/month. Results: – Sales grew by 23% for those items that had positive reviews – CNN.com 9/28/09
- 69. Email & Social likes Email helped increase Facebook fan growth by 700% to surpass 1 million fans.
- 70. Thank you! Reggie Brady Email Marketing Consultant (203) 838-8138 [email protected]