Getting to the inbox: email best practices
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Transcript of Getting to the inbox: email best practices
BEST PRACTICESEmail MarketingGetting to the inbox
www.ascendix.com Conference Call # 866.634.1106
Code 469.916.8280
Ascendix Technologies Webinar Series
• Founded in 1996
• Located in Dallas, TX
• CRM is all we’ve done for the past 13 years
• Over 75 years of collective experience in project management,
development, training and implementation
• 2008 President’s Club Member for Microsoft
• Business partner w/ MSCRM and Sage SalesLogix products
• Developer of Real Estate AdvantageTM and other productivity tools on the
Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform
• Developer of Sponsor AdvantageTM on the Sage SalesLogix platform
A few words about your host Ascendix TechnologiesWes Snow
Co-founder/Partner
Ascendix Technologies, Inc.
Ascendix Technologies Webinar Series
E-Mail Marketing in the CRM portfolio
Ascendix Technologies Webinar Series
Director, Marketing Best Practices and Training @ Eloqua
Email Marketing Best Practices
Guest Speaker – Rhonda Wunderlin
- Thomas Stewart, Editor
Harvard Business ReviewAugust, 2006 Issue Editorial
<<“Customers’ buying
processes have evolved in
our world of ubiquitous,
instant, global
communication
… but companies’ selling
processes have for the most
part stayed the same.”
$Acquisition Retention Development
Marketing Today - Build Relationships
Measured and Managed Cost Effectively
Interest Evaluate Purchase
Marketing Effectiveness Determines Volume and Velocity
Understanding Your Customer
Design and Deliverability
It isn‟t just an email…
From line
Subject line
Header
Personalization
Offer
Creative/Image
Landing Page
Auto Responder
10
The 3 Second Rule
You have 3 – 5
seconds to persuade
your recipient to
take action.
Agenda
Step 1: Optimize Visibility
Step 2: Optimize Relevance
Step 3: Optimize Layout
Step 4: Ensure Compliance
Step 5: Test and Measure
Step 6: Leveraging Marketing Response Activity
Step 1: Optimize Visibility
From Line: Who is it from?
Subject Line: Does it communicate value?
Preview: How does it render in preview pane?
12
Who is it FROM?
The FROM line is single most important element in
building trust with recipient
Opportunity to build brand recognition – always
have the company brand in the FROM line.
If someone will personally be following up –
introduce the person to build name recognition.
TEST and be consistent.From: Eloqua
From: Jane Doe, Eloqua
From: Jane, Eloqua
From: Jane with Eloqua
Leverage Company Brand & Match Signature
14
- Digital Impact Study -
<<From and Subject Lines
Work Together…
“80% of email recipients
open their inbox, read the
„from‟ line and then the
„subject‟ line, and then
delete. Then, they read the
remaining emails in their
inbox.”
Subject Line Guiding Principles
1. Get to the point. Communicate value to recipient
in first 35 characters.
2. Engage. Provide a sense of urgency and prompt
them to open the e-mail immediately.
3. Be relevant. Speak to the needs and interests of
your recipients as individual people.
4. Build trust. Do not over promise or mislead. This
can destroy trust and damage your brand.
Subject Line Examples
What do horizontal and vertical preview panes have in common?
Design for the common denominator!
Preview Panes
Step 2: Optimize Relevance
Value Proposition: Is it meaningful to recipient?
Personalization: Does it match the relationship?
Imagery: Does it engage or repel recipient?
Tone: Does it reduce anxiety or read like fine print?
19
Value Proposition: What is in it for me?
20
Personalization: Build the Relationship
21
Imagery - Engage
Images are visual
clues to engage and
inform recipient
Not just any old image
will do - images must
be relevant to value
prop
Scanning clusters
around discontinuity
– i.e. bolding or
highlighting
Tone – Speak Human not Corporate
23
Tone – Good Copywriting
Write for the customer, not for
yourself!
Get to the point! – use < 100 words
Place primary call-to-action links
above the fold
Write short sentences: easy to
scan, punchier, more active
Use benefit-oriented subheads
Use bullets to capture value
proposition
“So-What?” Use this repeatedly to
help you get to the real message
Step 3: Optimize Layout
Images Off: Can you still identify value prop?
Eye Path: Where does your eye go with images on?
Call-To-Action: Is it clear and accessible?
Layout: How does it render across email clients?
25
Reality: Images Off
Be sure to also communicate
value outside of images.
Add a text-based link to a
Web version of your design at
the top of your e-mail.
Use ALT Text to describe all
images.
Always add the height and
width to the image to ensure
the placeholder doesn't throw
your design out.
Test your design with images
turned off before you send it.
Effective ALT Tags
Effective Designs for Disabled Images
28
What Is Driving Mobile Email Adoption?
Real-time responsiveness
Increased productivity – not better, more convenient
Divided attention
Source: Exact Target, Email Marketing for the Third Screen
View in Mobile Devices
Blackberry
HP / Toshiba
iPhone
Targeting Mobile Recipients
Don’t forget… up to 65% of your audience may be
viewing email on mobile devices
Stay true to permission
Sender and subject lines
Get your message flagged for follow-up
• First screen shows average of 100 characters;
approximately 20-25 words
Leverage the text version
Think about how you use links
TEST!!!
Images On: What is the Eyepath?
Squint Test: Close your
eyes, open, and
immediately identify
first thing you see
above the fold. Is it the
value prop?
Start to identify where
the eye drifts positively
and negatively to
optimize layout.
Rendering Across Email Clients
Step 4: Ensure Compliance
Privacy Policy: Does the email adhere to your
policies?
Reputation: Is the email being received / read?
34
CAN-SPAM http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.htm
1. E-mail communications that are a “transaction or relationship message”
Do not require an opt-out function
Do not have to include the disclosures that apply relationship messages.
2. E-mail communications that are NOT a “transaction or relationship message”
Have Opted-in
• Must include a functioning return e-mail address
• Must contain an opt-out function
Sent to recipient without the recipient’s prior affirmative or implied consent
• Must include clear notice that the e-mail is an advertisement
• Must include a valid physical postal address of the sender
• Must contain an opt-out function
Brand Reputation
Deliverability Best Practice:
Obtain clear consent
List maintenance
Sender Score is like a credit score, it is an indication of
the trustworthiness of an email source.www.senderscore.org
ReturnPath -
http://www.returnpath.net/blog/whitepapers.php
Deliverability Experts - http://blog.deliverability.com
Sender Score Certified - www.senderscorecertified.com
ISIPP (Institute for Spam and Internet Policy) -
www.isipp.com
Goodmail Systems - www.goodmailsystems.com
Pivotal Veracity - www.pivotalveracity.com
Word to the Wise - www.wordtothewise.com
Resources on Deliverability
Step 5: Test and Measure
No absolutes: What’s working and what’s not
working?
Measuring: Are recipients engaging with my
communication?
Testing: How do I optimize results?
38
Important Metrics
Received rates: measure email list
quality, health
Open rates: measure subject / from
line effectiveness
Click-through rates: measure interest
in offer
Click to Open rates: measure
effectiveness of email once opened
Unsubscribe rates: measure interrupt
rule compliance and personalize
effectiveness
Bounce rate: large volumes of hard
bounces can indicate problems like
bad data hygiene, poor sign-up
practices that accept invalid e-mail
addresses, and ISPs blocking your
domains
Benchmarks – Email Delivery
http://bronto.com/stats#
Benchmarks – Email Opens
http://bronto.com/stats#
Benchmarks – Email Clickthrough
http://bronto.com/stats#
Source: eROI. Q3 2007 study
Best day for “opens” is not necessarily the best day for “clicks”.
Analyze your web logs to see when people are choosing to use your
web site. If you look at the last 6 months you’ll discover busy times. It
is a fair conclusion that this is your preferred time to send.
You must be aware that previous email promotions may have skewed
your results.
No Best Time To Send
Testing Answers Questions
Is the messaging easy to understand?
Is the call to action more compelling?
What are barriers for prospects to convert to a
lead?
Do prospects understand the offer and find it
valuable?
Which topics resonates the best with this segment?
Getting Started
Decide WHAT to test
Test each element separately
You can observe to what degree
response differs to that variation
Set up a control group and a
test group
Use 5-10% of your list
Determine which variable
showed the best results
Average responses will come within
24 – 48 hours
Use the variable with the best results
for the remaining list recipients
Email A
Offer A on Landing Page
Offer B on Landing Page
Email B
A Results:
30% Open
5% CTR
20% Inquiries
B Results:
35% Open
7% CTR
25% Inquiries
Sample Testing Matrix
Component Measure
Opens Clicks Unique
Visitors
Form
Submissions
Revenue
Subject Line A B A B A B A B A B
Email Signature
Offer
Alternative Experience
Layout / Design
Day Sent
Time Sent
Headline
Content / Messaging
Landing Page
Step 6: Leveraging Response Activity
Digital Body Language: Are my prospects and
customers engaged with my brand?
Nurturing: How do I help my prospect through the
decision process?
Sales: How do I leverage marketing activity to drive
revenue?
47
Gain Visibility of Marketing Activity in CRM
Simple Nurturing: Auto-Responders
Use Them Everywhere!.
• Stay Top of Mind
• Drive them to related content/ events
• Serves as a good reference for user
Personalized Direct Mail to Landing PageGoal: capture new leads to a “preview
weekend”
Solution: Direct Mail with a PURL
(Personalized URL).
Recipients land on this PURL page as
printed on the DM piece.
Custom content based on segments
(i.e. price specials differ by geo)
Best Practices in Lead Nurturing
Keep it simple to start
Provide value-added content
Relevant – based on lead’s activity / profile
Timely
Automate the program; provide a real-time feed
from different lead sources
Include explicit “hand raise” opportunities as
secondary CTAs
Track online activity to determine when a lead’s
interest has increased
Measure, measure, measure!
Email 1
7 days
Email 2
Direct Mail 3
14 days
Leveraging Digital Body Language
ContactActivity Overview
Expected Results
Improve conversion rate for leads to contacts
(more qualified leads)
Improved quality in all leads worked by Sales
No lead leakage; follow-up to all leads
(after an event for example)
Extracting more value from existing leads database
Source: Forrester Open
rate
Avg.
CTR
Avg.
Conversion
Untargeted broadcast emails 20% 9.5% 1.1%
Lifecycle messaging campaigns 26% 9.3% 2.3%
Clickstream-based campaigns 33% 14% 3.9%
The Power to Succeed
PEOPLE PROCESS
TECHNOLOGY
External
Interactions
Internal
Relevance
FURTHER
FASTER
Twitter: @rhonda
Rhonda WunderlinDirector, Marketing
Best Practices &
Training at Eloqua
Ascendix Technologies Webinar Series
Q &A
Ascendix Technologies Webinar Series
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