Customer

The Setup…

Day 1: May The Force Be With You

Day 2: You Would Have Had Me At Hello

Day 3: The Disconnect

Day 4: 1995 Called, It Wants Its HTML Back

Day 5: What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?

Day 6: What’s My Name? Say My Name!

Day 7: Call Me Maybe?

Day 8: I am Your Father’s Brother’s Nephew’s Cousin’s Former Roommate

Day 9: Zagat's Gave It a Five

Day 10: You Don’t Complete Me

Day 1: May The Force Be With You Forced Signup

May The Force Be With You

Now I need to supply 800 pieces of information in order to receive more information and now I also have an account.

Obstacle to conversion, probably high abandonment rates, and for what?

site visit

products/services

more information

Example: Forced Signup

Step 1

Example: Forced Signup

Step 2

Example: Forced Signup

Signup Takeaways

Your email signup should:

•  Be a signup, not a registration page.

•  Be visible and above the fold of your website.

•  If offering an incentive, be sure to call it out – this will encourage signups.

Signup Takeaways

•  Make it easy to stay in touch with you.

•  Don’t force people to create accounts. They may leave and never return.

•  Only ask for information you are going to use to better market to people.

•  Make information optional to reduce subscriber abandonment. You have a chance to get the information later.

Day 2: You Would Have Had Me At Hello Bad/No Welcome Message

You Would Have Had Me At Hello

I see the signup above the fold and click…

20% off, I think I love you. I’m just gonna say it, “I love you!”

Example: Bad/No Welcome Message

So you know what this message says?

It says, “aww, that’s nice.”

This is unreadable!! Where is my discount? What do I do next?

Avoid reverse type (text contrast)

Don’t Be A Tarte

The Proper Courtship

So we broke up with Tarte. Hey bebe!

You’re hot. Looking good and you’re not asking me really personal information from the get-go. Let’s go out. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself.

Hello?

Wait, what’s your name again?

Oh, you speak gibberish!

Are You the Same bebe?

Hi customer? Is that all I am to you? That’s not very friendly.

Your welcome seems insincere.

Nice CTA, but it is the same color as the other words, yet I can’t click on those. Can I click or not?

What’s this mumbo jumbo at the bottom? More gibberish.

Use compelling ALT text, make a clear CTA and be sincere with people. Don’t treat them as JUST a customer.

Welcome Message Takeaways

• When sending a welcome message always thank the subscribers

• Welcome them to something personal, like a community, family, etc. Don’t call it a list.

• Create a subject line that encourages people to open. Again, thank/welcome them.

• Avoid reverse-type or painful text contrast

•  Test your emails for rendering issues

•  Provide benefits of singing up, be friendly and provide a clear CTA

Day 3: The Disconnect Send-From Name & Address

Send-From Name & Address

Inbox Send From Name Send From Address

Make the Connection

•  Tell people your name. Your “send from” name should be your brand.

•  Your “send from” address should reinforce your brand. (either in brand name or your voice)

•  Don’t make people feel like they can’t contact you. Avoid “Do Not Reply” addresses!

•  Tell people your name. Your “send from” name should be your brand.

•  Your “send from” address should reinforce your brand (either in brand name or using your voice)

• Don’t make people feel like they can’t contact you. Avoid “Do Not Reply” addresses!

•  Be consistent – don’t change your send from name and address all of the time

Send-From Name & Address Takeaways

Day 4: 1995 Called, It Wants Its HTML Back Poorly Optimized Email

A Cry For Help…

Is your hair grey, because I can see your roots.

Don’t make one large image as your message. Use compelling ALT text for all images large and small.

Great, Another Tarte Wannabe!

Text contrast makes my eyes beg for a gouging!

At least their ALT text is not cluttered and provides some value for the subscriber.

Don’t Stop There…

Great, I know the name of your nav bar image! Thanks for sharing.

There is NOTHING for me to even click on! No ALT text, nothing!

Yep, I sure am having trouble seeing your true colors!

Is This Even a Template?

Nice clickable ALT text camouflaged by lots of fine print.

You’re Better Than That…

I don’t know what to make of this situation

This email takes more work to decipher than long division!

Good Job, You Saved 5 Seconds

I am thinking they copy and pasted from Word.

You’re not as smart as you say you are. You might think a Strategic Marketing Association would know this can cause an issue.

If I only sent a test message.

Optimizing Email Takeaways

• Avoid reverse-type or text contrast

•  Use compelling ALT text for all images

•  Utilize bulletproof buttons (HTML text on top of HTML background color), especially for your CTA and nav bar

• Make the message scan-able. Let the subscriber open, scan, and click

•  Remember, it is an email, not a book

•  Test! Be mindful of how emails will render in different clients

Day 5: What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? No consistent send cadence

Is Everything Okay? Are You Mad at Me?

3 in march (so far)

2 in Feb 5 in Jan

2 in Dec

1 in Sept

4 in Aug

4 in Nov

6 in Oct

Be Consistent With Your Frequency

•  Create a marketing calendar to ensure you are touching your subscribers on a consistent basis.

•  You can always increase or decrease your cadence as long as you make sure it is consistent at that time. If you are going to increase frequency, let’s just say during Q4, send an email explaining why you are mailing more.

•  It is a good idea to set expectations inside of your welcome message or at the time of signup.

Day 6: What’s My Name? Say My Name! Personalization Fail

Personalization Gone Wrong…

Holiday greeting – If you are so friendly, why are you using my entire name?

Maybe YOU should have taken some brain health supplements and remembered to include something for when you don’t know my name

How would you like it if I generalized you?

Personalization Fail

If I am really your friend you would know my name!

So I am preferred, huh? Thanks for making me feel like it!

So this is how you see me, as your sugar daddy!

This Is The Real Deal…

Personalization Takeaways

•  Personalization doesn’t always make sense. Lifecycle messages are a natural time to use it. E.g. Happy birthday Steve!

• When using personalization always have a value in case you don’t have the first name

• Don’t use the last name, it seems tacky

• Dear “Valued customer/preferred customer/subscriber” all seem unnatural

Day 7: Call Me Maybe? Not Getting Expressed Permission to Mail

How’d You Get My Number?

In this example, I purchased through Amazon, not their website.

I never received a welcome or other marketing email until I got this message.

It took me some time to figure out who sent this and why they were sending it.

Notice the personalization. I am NOT a Parts Express customer, I am an Amazon customer.

I marked this as SPAM!!!

Not Getting Expressed Permission to Mail

Make it clear WHAT people are opting into.

Not “to receive messages from related companies”

What does this mean:

•  Buying lists •  Renting lists •  Email append •  Co-registration

Downsides:

•  Blacklisting •  Decreased deliverability

Day 8: I am Your Father’s Brother’s Nephew’s Cousin’s Former Roommate Irrelevant Emails

What Does Relevance Mean?

Irrelevant

I am 30 Not 15 & I am Steven Not Stephanie

Turn Relevancy Into Revenue

•  Collect segmentation info at signup and/or during the welcome process.

•  Use the information to help make emails more relevant. How does this relate to me?

Irrelevant emails can increase unsubscribe rates and/or foster un-engagement.

Irrelevant Emails Takeaways

•  Collect info at signup or via manage preferences

•  Use the info to better market to subscribers – this can be as easy as doing different images for the male/female demographic

•  Don’t worry about suppressing segments from your email sends – an email not received may be better than an irrelevant email

•  Consider having two welcome messages, one for male, one for female (or another criteria that makes sense for your company)

Day 9: I Heard Good Things -

I Don’t Know, Zagat's Gave It a Five! Bad Product Recommendation Emails

I Recommend You Pay Attention

Recommendations… JUST FOR ME!

Toys for both boys and girls…hmm

Toys for all ages…

None of which are suitable for my child’s age.

The next time I get this email do you think I will open it?

Preferences Are Important

When I am in my Sunday best, they certainly know me.

Too bad I already have that hoodie with the elephant head. Having two is just ridiculous!

If using product recommendations make sure you double check your algorithm to make sure you actually target people with emails that matter.

Product Recommendation Takeaways

•  If using product recommendations make sure you double check your algorithm to make sure you actually target people with emails that matter

•  TEST, TEST and TEST again. Being thorough will pay long-term dividends

•  If you don’t know, don’t assume you do

Day 10: You ^ Complete Me No Preferences

Don’t

Redeem Yourself

So I get this email and it just missed the boat. I want to edit my preferences. I can’t!! Instead, I UNSUBSCRIBE!

So I get this email and again, they are not at all what I wanted. I want to tell you what I DO want. Nope, can’t do it! Instead, I UNSUBSCRIBE!

What Are My Options?

If I want to let any of these companies know I am interested in men’s products, I CAN’T. They offer no preference page.

I either unsubscribe, check their emails only periodically or simply ignore them altogether.

Is This The End For Us?

Preferences Please

•  Ask for segmentation information at signup.

•  Keep it simple.

•  You can even customize specific welcome messages based on the info collected (talk about relevant!). CRAZY!!!

You Got The Look

•  Create an optimized manage preference page and put the link clearly in each email.

•  The manage preference page should include information you may segment on, such as gender, location and/or product preferences.

•  Only ask for information you will USE.

•  Keep as much information as possible above the fold

You Got The Look

•  If asking for something personal or unusual, tell people WHY you are asking for it.

•  Consider running a Manage Preference campaign one or two times each year to make sure people’s interests haven’t changed. Send this only to subscribers who have not told you any preferences.

Manage Preference Takeaways

•  The manage preference page should include information you may segment on, such as gender, location and/or product preferences

•  Only ask for information you will USE to better market to them

•  Keep as much information as possible above the fold

•  If asking for something personal or unusual tell people WHY you are asking for it

Day 11: Are you single? Don’t Get Dumped

Recap

•  Allow customers to easily signup for your emails.

•  Send an instantaneous and optimized welcome message.

•  Use a proper “send from” name and address.

•  Optimize your messages for HTML rendering with images on/off.

•  Have a marketing calendar that creates a consistent send cadence.

Recap

•  When using personalization, be sure to have proper criteria for the lack of information

•  ALWAYS have explicit permission to mail contacts

•  Use segmentation data to send targeted emails

•  Double check your product recommendation algorithm and test to see that they are in fact relevant

•  Collect segmentation data at signup and provide the option for subscribers to manage their preferences

Tips & Tricks

•  Date your subscribers – create a two-way dialogue with them. Speak with them, not at them

•  Don’t create obstacles to conversion

•  Test your messages for possible rendering issues

•  Audit your customer acquisition cycle

•  Review your entire email conversion funnel from email, to landing page to shopping cart to make sure everything is optimized

Thank You Questions?

Greg Zakowicz

Marketing Strategist

@whatsgregdoing

Steven DuBois

Marketing Strategist

@sdubois23