How to Optimize (and Automate!) Your Campaigns for Mobile Brian Rants, Director of Marketing, DMX Dave Walters, Product Evangelist, Silverpop

@BrianRants @_DaveWalters

The world isn’t GOING mobile.

It’s already gone.

Leading the revolution?

Students.

78% have mobile device access.

Noel-Levitz 2013 E-Expectations Report

73% would download your app.

Noel-Levitz 2013 E-Expectations Report

65% are up for a text from you.

Noel-Levitz 2013 E-Expectations Report

“My iPhone is…part of my body.”

“We depend more on our phones and texts than we do on human communication.”

Alexis, freshman at NYU

Other channels still matter… But increasingly, they matter in proportion to how effectively they support and drive engagement back to their preferred device.

Getting to “the Point”

How we reworked West Point’s email template to make it responsive to mobile devices

Brian Rants @BrianRants

1st Generation Email

Viewed on iPad •  First generation email:

designed for desktop •  This two column layout

only works on screens this size or larger

View this email online

1st Generation Email

Viewed on iPhone5 •  Two column layout is

difficult to read, links are hard to click. Zoom is required to read this message.

1st Generation Email

Viewed on Android OS •  Only a portion of the

email is viewable on this platform. User must scroll to the right to see the second column

1st Generation Email

Viewed in Gmail App •  Gmail tries to squeeze

both columns into the viewport

•  The result is jarring, the message is difficult to comprehend

2nd Generation Email

Viewed on iPhone5 •  Large CTA buttons at

the top and bottom of the message

•  Single column layout is easier to read and doesn’t require zooming

2nd Generation Email

Viewed in Android OS •  Android breaks the

layout and doesn’t scale the content like it is supposed to

•  User is forced to scroll sideways to read the entire CTA

2nd Generation Email

Viewed in Gmail App •  Gmail scales the

content as intended and the text is very readable.

3rd Generation email

Viewed in Gmail/Safari •  Gmail scales the

content as intended and the text is very readable

View this email online

Our email design progression

1st Gen – Desktop

•  iPhone: shrinks email too small

•  Android: no shrinking, but requires scrolling

•  Gmail app: two columns smashed

2nd Gen – Mobile-friendly

•  Inspired by Silverpop multi-screen webinar

•  “The finger is the new mouse”

•  Touch as primary behavior

3rd Gen – Responsive

•  Truly responsive email; content “stacks” on smaller screens

•  Larger buttons

Do’s and don’ts

You have to start somewhere. So start here.

Dave Walters @_DaveWalters

DO write in stages

No matter the screen size… Subscribers view emails in stages, making choices as they go.

Landing Page/Site Swipe/Click/Tap

Preview/Open

Preheader

Subject Line

From Name

From Name~25 characters

Subject Line ~35 characters

Preheader~85 characters

Stages: From and Subject Matter More than Ever

Stages: Preheaders Are Tertiary Inbox Content

Stages: Preheaders Are Tertiary Inbox Content

DON’T use… §  Interstitial

boxes §  Impossible

form fields

Do use… §  Easy to

navigate websites

§  Responsive, “finger-friendly” landing pages and forms

DO: Support the subject line with preheader §  Call-to-action §  Special offer §  Reminder §  Clickable/measurable Make it creative, useful, helpful…anything but: “Trouble viewing this…?”

DO: Go big with buttons & text

§  Body copy: 14px+ §  Headlines: 22px+ §  Buttons: 44px by 44px

Go big: 13px+ sizing

Beware the nav bar scaling!

DO: Look left §  Tappable touch targets §  Bulletproof buttons that

don’t rely on an image (use html/css)

§  Left-hand side

Summing up mobile design:

Scannable

Singular calls to action

Larger fonts

Single columns

Bullet-proof / large CTA buttons

Design for touch …

Automating the entire process

Once your email is mobile, how do you market to thousands of students?

Dave Walters @_DaveWalters

So  Now  What?  

Behavioral Marketing Automation

Real-time, cross-channel, insanely relevant campaigns to one person at a time automatically driven by analytics of

their actions, preferences and profiles.

Sandra’s  Ac+ons…  •  Visited website •  Visited blog •  Clicked to Social Page"

(Facebook, Twitter) •  Visited Community •  Downloaded Brochure •  Watched “7 Reasons” Video •  Submitted Visit Request Form •  Call Center Conversation

Generating a Behavioral Profile

Behavioral Automation Outputs

•  Triggered Emails •  Multi-Step Programs •  Score and Rank •  Direct Mail •  Web Content •  Alerts

- Call Center - CRM System - Admissions Rep

Campaign  Program  B  

Campaign  Program  A   Any action from any customer of any

Silverpop client can be acted on in less than one minute across billions of

multi-tenant customer records.

260% lift in product sales over non automated emails

– Empowering Parents Only 4% of emails have been automated thus far yet they drive 40% of email revenue "

– S&S Worldwide

Automated Interactions Work

$45,600  

$222,970   $228,754  

$401,942  

$5,155  

$76,668   $83,419  

$162,631  

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

Broadcast Lifecycle Targeted ClickstreamMonthly  revenue Monthly  net  profit

9x  

Note:  Metrics  and  salary  costs  based  on  JupiterResearch  execu+ve  survey.  Broadcast  assumes  $3  CPM,  and  all  others  assume  $4.5  CPM.  All  assume  $89  AOV,  50  percent  product  margin,  and  2.8  million  pieces  of  mail  per  month.  

Clickstream Email Rocks!

Their Behaviors = Your Business Rules

And finally: Content

Mobile-first design creates simplicity. Mobile-first copywriting creates clarity.

Brian Rants @brianrants

Make it personal §  What is millennials’

biggest irritation regarding the email marketing messages they receive on their mobile devices?

§  One in four pointed to irrelevant or non-personalized content

Irritating irrelevance At 25%, top irritation is

non-personalized content Campaigner

Make it concise §  Write your copy, then cut

it in half §  …and in half once again §  Mission-driven millenials:

tell a story through videos, images, stories

Pay attention Millennials switch

media 27x an hour. YPulse

Make it clear You are limited by: §  Screen space §  Viewers’ attention spans So don’t ask the email to do multiple things. One clear call to action.

Practical tip Ask an outsider to read

your email & tell you “what the point” is.

Make it digital (and mobile friendly!) §  While other generations

stagnate, millennial use of internet grew 25%WSL/Strategic Retail

§  Millennials spend 25 hours a week online, primarily through mobileComScore

16%

67%

18%

Time online by platform

Desktop only

Desktop + Mobile

Mobile only

Need help?

Videoconference: I can present this to your marketing team to sow the seeds of “mobile-first” thinking

Brian Rants brian.rants@dmxengage.com